Tarzana or Claremont for Family (Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga: renters, house, to buy)

[saimamom]

We have been renters for the past 5 years and really tired of it. My husband has been commuting to his job at City of Hope in Glendora for the past 3 years.

Currently we live in Calabasas with our four daughters. Two girls are in Calabasas High and one in middle school. Our girls are not thrilled with a somewhat pretentious and snobby environment. But they've adjusted and are stressed out imagining we might move again.

Previous moves were from SF to Palos Verdes to Arcadia to Calabasas.

But my husband's commute is over an hour. We had been looking into Claremont for a while. I know schools are good and people seem nice. It's a safe town with a nice downtown. It's educated and liberal. But homes may need a little renovation.

Tarzana is the other option because we could have a quieter life. A sizable lot and home within drivable distance to Calabasas High. I'm not a fan of urban living with traffic and tightness of home and lot size.

I guess for me personally Claremont is a no brainer. I could move there easily. But I'm not sure if my teenagers would like it? How is the High School? Are people friendly? Is the town boring?

Again, this is not about commute times necessarily. It's about a family putting down roots and finally settling down. Any advice is appreciated.

[socal88]

I'd take Claremont over Tarzana.

Claremont is a safe, quiet town with nice people and cute area (referred to as The Village) with cafes and shops. It's essentially a college town with all the Claremont Colleges there, plus quaint tree-lined streets. It's nickname is the City of Trees and Ph.D's. In terms of schools, it has a solid high school from what I hear. Depending on how you view it, the downside is that there's not a ton to do and is far from core LA, although you have a couple large shopping centers nearby in Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario. If you're worried about a snobby / pretentious vibe, I don't think you'll need to worry about that in Claremont. It's a solid family area.

Although it has some nice homes up in the hills, I'm not a particular fan of Tarzana in terms of how it's laid out and with the exception of the nice stretch in and around Whole Foods, it looks fairly run-down and outdated for an affluent area, especially when compared to Calabasas. Also, there has been a bit more riff-raff with homeless especially along and near Ventura Blvd. in recent years. And as you note, a fair amount of traffic that is only increasing.

[CA4Now]

I would not uproot kids while they're in high school unless you absolutely have to. It sounds as if you've moved frequently and your children are not looking forward to moving again. Claremont is lovely (I know little about Tarzana) and has a highly ranked high school, but you would want everyone on board with this decision.

[BGS91762]

Claremont is a great city and would be a much easier commute to city of Hope even tho that is not a concern. A great downtown area with many great restaurants. Good shopping nearby at Montclair Place which is being remodeled and upscaled. Also love that Claremont has Metrolink to get to LA when you want to without driving.

[saimamom]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am leaning towards Claremont myself. It will just take a few trips with my girls to convince them. I don't want to pull them away from friends. I'm sure they'll hate me for it, but I'm ready to buy a house and just settle down. Other than renovating.