looking for the perfect California town to raise our 5 children (San Diego: relocating, travel)

[pepperpotdog]

Santa Clarita is a safe place but not cheap. I'm a native Californian, and believe me materialism is alive and well here. You get the impression that everyone in this state is wealthy. The truth is they're just in debt. Lots of keeping up with the Joneses. It's really hard on kids if their parents can't afford all the designer clothes and latest electronics, not to metion the pressure it puts on parents.

[SocalSteve]

Corona has some great housing values and is a city that's on it's way up, while half of Orange County and most of the Inland Empire is going the other way. There are a ton of OC transplants in Corona most of whom moved here to raise their children within their means - what a concept! The Elementary School by my house (Eisenhower) has a 898 API which isn't too shabby. Parks & Rec. dept. is staffed by great people who value our community and children. Tons of great golf courses, new restaurants and shopping (Trader Joe's opening Fall 2007). The weather in the Summer is same as Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda. Can drive to Laguna Beach in 40 minutes via the toll road. One hour thirty to Lake Arrowhead. Would I go any further East - no thanks. Even the Eastvale area to the North (where the dairies used to be) isn't to my liking. But where I live, at the base of the Cleveland National Forest (exit 91 at Main and drive south to Foothill), is a beautiful place to live and raise a family. Google Riverside MRMLS. My zip code is 92882. Lots of newer (2000+), nice houses in the $500's. Good luck!

[Tool Shed]

Don't move to Temecula, it sucks...rat race, vanity, materialism, traffic,
if you drive a yellow hummer, and you or the wife have fake boobs, and spend more than you make due to easy credit, re-fis, home equity lines, etc, you will like Temecula!

[CantWait2Bthere]

Tool Shed...are you just saying that because you are jelous that you don't have a Hummer and your wife doesn't have fake boobs?

[sliverbox]

Bottom line- California is not a good place to raise a family. Do some research. You'll find that CA ranks at the bottom for best places to raise a family.

[greatbasinguide]

California is 1,000 miles long and 300 miles wide, on the east coast it would stretch from New York to Florida. There are so many "Californias" that to make a blanket statement about the state is nearly impossible.

There are just plain wonderful places to live and raise a family, and there are terrible places, which statement holds true for most any state.

[CantWait2Bthere]

From one mom to another.....

Unless you are out in the sticks I would imagine raising a family with 5 children m wight mean going without a lot those little things that most of us like to give our kids since it can be pricey here for families that have less children.

By the time you pay your mortgage alone and household bills and food and all that you might find yourself dipping into your savings...but then again I don't know your budget or how much money you make or what kind of lifestyle your family lives for that matter.

I am currently a student and a stay at home mother now - I can do that only because my husband makes enough for us to live with the mortgage we have because we bought when homes were still afforable in our area (Temecula Valley) but we would be going without alot of the "fun" stuff if we had to pay what it's worth now.

But if you really want to live in a decent area I am just saying it's going to cost you and if that means it's okay to give up that new bike for little Johnny or piano lessons for little Gertrude because it's all going to that big house with the fat price tag and all the bills it takes to maintain it that's the kind of thing to consider.

I would count it an incredible blessing to have 5 children but personally I would rather have the money to allow them to do things then feed it into the everday expense of living the California lifestyle.

[CantWait2Bthere]

WELL NEVERMIND what I just said because I went back and did what I should have done in the first place....read the thread...duhhhhhh.

I thought you were someone else....you know you get those standard "I WANNA LIVE IN CALIFORNIA BUT I'M BROKE" postings and I assumed you were one of those...I also assumed you are a woman...sorry.

Okay so money is not an issue? Good...move to Carmel. Problem solved.

Next?

[PinkElephant]

My brother and sister in law love living in Corona. Their girls (elem and high school) are happy and their neighborhood is quiet and safe.

Also, Norco (next door) is more horse country.

Murrietta/Temecula is growing, too. I don't know how far they are from San Diego/John Wayne/Ontario airports, though.

Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks are highly rated as nice places to live. They'd be closer to Burbank and Los Angeles airports.

[mmegowan]

Torrance is a city near the beach in the South Bay of Los Angeles, and has good schools and nice neighborhoods, but not as pricey as some of the other cities along the beach.

I have developed web pages with a vast amount of information about each of the beach cities in the South Bay of Los Angeles. I have separate pages with information about each of the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and El Segundo. Each of these pages on each of the cities includes demographic information, information on the cities' neighborhoods, school, information, parks and recreation information, cultural facilities, property tax rates, and much more. I also have separate pages on each of these cities history, including a great resource page for the overall history of the South Bay of Los Angeles. These pages, and their links can be accessed at my home page of http://www.maureenmegowan.com .

This information is far more extensive than any other resource available on the internet and I thought you might be interested on linking these pages from your web site.

My local newspaper, in fact, recently did a feature article on us:http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageMa...D=1986733&NF=1

Thank you
Maureen Megowan