Riverside or Palmdale / Lancaster? (Los Angeles, Long Beach: real estate, foreclosed, rent)

[PACA]

Hello, fellow forum dwellers. I've been a passive visitor for close to a year now, and find this site simply invaluable. Thank you all for sharing this wealth of info with others like myself!

Our home was foreclosed upon last year as a result of job loss, like so many others these days. After that, we relocated to the SF Bay Area for a job lead that turned out to be short-lived. While here, we found that we just do not like the area enough (a whole new topic pending) and miss SoCal.

So, we are discussing moving back; our plan is to settle somewhere with a reasonable balance of quality of life and low cost of living (wishful thinking, I know), so we could start saving, rebuilding our credit and hopefully buy later down the road. Not being delusional about our financial situation, I pinpointed two such (very general) areas to be in the vicinity of Riverside and Palmdale/Lancaster. Rent seems cheaper and the properties seem to go for the least of all of LA and around.

I am eager to hear all opinions, especially of those with firsthand experience of both areas. I know I'll have more questions when the time comes to actually move, but to help me decide between the two, my immediate questions are:

1) Proximity to jobs: I am in IT, and I know both areas are long drives to major markets, however, which would allow for easier access/less traffic? I lived near the 91 before moving and routinely drove in both directions. I know how terrible it can be, but ironically, I remember being surprised when the last few drives from Long Beach to Fullerton only took me 15 minutes at 5PM on a weekday. Was that just luck, or is it getting better? And how is the drive from Palmdale? I've never lived there.

2) Safety. The crime index on city data suggests that Palmdale is actually safer than Riverside, at least in recent years. Is that true?

3) Rent. We want it to be as low as possible (so we could save), while not being in the slums. We are a caucasian family with a teenage daughter. Now, I am far from being scared of "bad areas" just because they are not all-white. We've lived in Van Nuys and Montebello for years, and never felt all that unsafe.

4) Availability of unskilled jobs. I know, this might sound surprising, but although I am myself not too worried about finding a job, my wife has been a stay at home mom for the past 10 years, and my daughter also needs to start working soon. Nothing fancy, just your basic minimum wage burger-flipping/housekeeping/whatnot, just to start with. My wife applied at EVERY fast food joint, supermarket, Wal-Mart, you name it around here; not a single call. It blows my mind.

5) Education. Thankfully, my daughter is done with high school, so we do not need to worry about that. However, both my wife and daughter are thinking of starting college (RN, arts) in the fall, so we are curious which area would allow for more choices and better quality.

6) Real estate. This one is obvious - where would I get more home for my money when I'm ready, and how is the market? I know Riverside is more expensive, but this needs to be considered with all other points here.

7) Finally, an odd one - easy access to quiet roads with little to no traffic or pedestrians. My daughter is starting to learn to drive, that's why Not that important as the other items, of course, but still useful.

Sorry about the long post, but I think the more info I give up front, the more relevant answers I'll get. Thank you all in advance!

Mike

[Count David]

Riverside, hands down.

They both have terrible economies (Riverside probably better), long commutes (Riverside probably better), and cheap housing right now (they're practically giving away houses in Lancaster/Palmdale right now).

Riverside has UCR, RCC, LSU, and Cal Baptist, and CSUSB isn't far. Lancaster/Palmdale has AV college and long commutes to anywhere else.

[Charles]

Without knowing where your job is it is hard to say. There are only a limited set of places for which you'd have to make a decision (basically anything along the 110 freeway from Pasadena to Long Beach). If you are east of the 110 then Riverside makes more sense, if west than Palmdale makes more sense. Only if it is close to the 110 do you have to actually pick one or the other.

[PACA]

Thank you David. I've been leaning towards Riverside myself, but one point you make is what keeps me coming back to Palmdale - since I can't expect to afford a $300k home any time soon, but might be able to a $100k one, well, that's certainly a consideration, as long as all other aspects don't differ TOO drastically. Also - I would certainly appreciate recommendations of other areas if you can think of any that might work for me. (If you could elaborate on my list of questions, if possible.)

Charles - considering I am not even in SoCal, and will be unemployed on the day we move, that pretty much makes any potential job secondary to and dependent on my prospective place of residence. Hence item 1 on my list - I obviously don't plan on driving to OC from Palmdale or to San Fernando valley from Riverside. Instead, I want a realistic estimate of what would make more sense - driving to say, Irvine or Tustin (maybe even Long beach? - am I missing any other potential job markets, maybe even in the opposite direction?) from Riverside (Moreno Valley?) or to downtown LA or SF valley from Palmdale/Lancaster. If I understand you correctly, you seem to think that both the areas are pretty much the same as far as my list goes?

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Riverside, hands down.

They both have terrible economies (Riverside probably better), long commutes (Riverside probably better), and cheap housing right now (they're practically giving away houses in Lancaster/Palmdale right now).

Riverside has UCR, RCC, LSU, and Cal Baptist, and CSUSB isn't far. Lancaster/Palmdale has AV college and long commutes to anywhere else.

Riverside has better weather, too (not as cold in winter, about as hot in summer).

[Count David]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Riverside has better weather, too (not as cold in winter, about as hot in summer).

Generally speaking, yes, but also more smog and more rain. I personally would take the AV's cool winters over Riverside's lack of one.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by PACA

Thank you David. I've been leaning towards Riverside myself, but one point you make is what keeps me coming back to Palmdale - since I can't expect to afford a $300k home any time soon, but might be able to a $100k one, well, that's certainly a consideration, as long as all other aspects don't differ TOO drastically. Also - I would certainly appreciate recommendations of other areas if you can think of any that might work for me. (If you could elaborate on my list of questions, if possible.)

Moreno Valley isn't a job center.

There are some deals to be had in Riverside, I moved out of there in 2003 and now is the first time in my adult life when Riverside's home prices appear to be somewhat attainable for normal people.

Have you considered leaving CA?

[PACA]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Moreno Valley isn't a job center.

Yeah, I mentioned MoVal as another potential place to buy, not to work obviously. I do want to know where I could realistically expect to find a job if I settle in or around Riverside...

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Have you considered leaving CA?

Funny you should ask, as I came from PA (in my nickname) years ago. I had a 100% travel job there, and stayed all over the East coast and some of Midwest extensively. Been to Colorado, drove cross-country, lived in AZ, several places around SoCal, the Bay Area now, and frankly, none of them beats LA. Each has its own good and bad, but as a composite picture, LA wins hands down. The thought of moving back to PA has crossed my mind, but not very seriously. While I myself might entertain it, my family is clearly not up for it, so we stay in the best place we can agree upon.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by PACA

Yeah, I mentioned MoVal as another potential place to buy, not to work obviously. I do want to know where I could realistically expect to find a job if I settle in or around Riverside...

That's a tough one and is anybody's guess. I personally would want to stay in the IE for work if I lived in Riverside (if I could help it).

Originally Posted by PACA

Funny you should ask, as I came from PA (in my nickname) years ago. I had a 100% travel job there, and stayed all over the East coast and some of Midwest extensively. Been to Colorado, drove cross-country, lived in AZ, several places around SoCal, the Bay Area now, and frankly, none of them beats LA. Each has its own good and bad, but as a composite picture, LA wins hands down. The thought of moving back to PA has crossed my mind, but not very seriously. While I myself might entertain it, my family is clearly not up for it, so we stay in the best place we can agree upon.

Well, get that job and make your dreams come true.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Riverside, hands down.

You said it all. Don't even consider the other two, housing costs or not.
See below blog; while crime may be going down in Lancaster and Palmdale, I don't see how Riverside could even come close in their original numbers.
Serious crime decreases in Lancaster, Palmdale | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times