relocating from CT. (Anaheim, Glendale, Santa Clarita: mortgage, loan, rent)

[maripano900]

Hi everyone; Im planning to move to either anaheim suburb or pasadena area OR valencia area. I have a wife and 3 kids, so Im looking for decent schools and a morgage I can manage on a 120k ayear. I would like to rent initially, but Im gonna need help finding a good area to rent in. I figure if I look carefully I should be ok. But then Ive never even been to southern cal.
I should be able to bring enough for a down payment from the sale of my
current house here,but that depends on what I can get for it. Im gonna ask
335k.Thats what similar homes have sold for recently in my neighborhood,I just hope the market cooperates.
Anyway Do you guys have any suggestions? any guidence would be greatly appreciated.
By the way, I owe around 220k on my current mortgage.

Thanks in advance.

[jessemh431]

Valencia in the Santa Clarita Valley and they have amazing schools and it's very safe. However, it gets very hot in the summer and cold in the winter (for us, not for you since you're from CT). Summers can be 110+ and winters can drop into the 30's for lows. Not bad for you.

Anaheim is okay, though I don't know about the schools. The Anaheim Hills are the best area, as well as Brea, Chino Hills, northern Fullerton, and northern Placentia. I have no clue about the schools though.

South Pasadena and San Marino are amazing suburbs of Pasadena. Glendale is nice as well. I believe Temple City is pretty nice too.

It will be easier to narrow down the cities if you can give me a price range and how many bedrooms you want.

[maripano900]

thanks jessy; I kind of figure it would be less confusing for me to try to settle
on the santa clarita area from what I've been seeing on these threads. The problem with the metro areas (pasadena,anaheim,LA) is that you have to narrow
down to the specific neighborhood,it seems, when you're trying to get all these
amenities rolled into one.(price of home,good schools,weather,comute,etc).
It looks to be more straight forward and simple in the valencia area even with the weather disparity.
I was figuring I could probably swing a 2000 to 2300 a month mortgage, I just have to see about the conditions of the loan.(down payment,interest rate,loan amount.) I think we will have to stay in the 350k to 400k price range. But we're
going to need 3 bedrooms,and at least 1.5 baths.