Santa Clarita v/s Glendora v/s Chino Hills (San Bernardino: real estate, homes)

[dawninmiami]

Which would you say is the better neighborhood as far as:

1. Quality of public schools
2. Family-friendly environment
3. Safety
4. Housing prices
5. Easy access to Downtown LA (via Metrolink)

Both appear to have great schools and many homes in the $300K range. Though the homes is Santa Clarita are much newer.

Thanks very much!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by dawninmiami

Which would you say is the better neighborhood as far as:

1. Quality of public schools
2. Family-friendly environment
3. Safety
4. Housing prices
5. Easy access to Downtown LA (via Metrolink)

Both appear to have great schools and many homes in the $300K range. Though the homes is Santa Clarita are much newer.

Thanks very much!

wow, hard choice there. I happen to be prejudice so I lean toward Glendora. I do not know about Santa Clairta schools, but the Glendora schools are very good and the community is so family friendly. It certainly is safe. There is an area (not Glendora schools) which is not really part of Glendora, I think they have some crime, but every city has some. Other than that you couldn't find a better place to raise a family.

Nita

[CA4Now]

Santa Clarita is way out there, near Magic Mountain. Yes, a much newer development. I don't know anything about those public schools but you could do a search on greatschools and compare them to Glendora.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Glendora. A much more established and appealing place than Santa Clarita, IMHO.

[dawninmiami]

Is it correct that you really have to live in the North section of Glendora for the good schools? I notice prices there are about 100 higher for a similar size home.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by dawninmiami

Is it correct that you really have to live in the North section of Glendora for the good schools? I notice prices there are about 100 higher for a similar size home.

Just be sure you buy in the Glendora school district, not Charter Oak. I do not mean Charter Oak schools are awful, but they are very diverse and certainly not what you would want if schools are very important to you. As for the north section of Glendora, that depends on what you are considering as north.

Nita

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by dawninmiami

Is it correct that you really have to live in the North section of Glendora for the good schools?

Yes, south of the 210 is Charter Oak Unified (Covina). They're not bad but Glendora ranks higher. Also be careful because both high schools (GHS and Charter Oak HS) are HUGE....and with all the state budget cuts, kids can get lost in the system. Not as true for elementary schools which invite much more parental involvement and still have the reduced class size requirement (20 to one, K-3rd grade).

[thespian666]

The commute from SCV to Downtown via the metrolink is shorter than from Glendora. Glendora has worse air-quality, but not by much. The schools in Santa Clarita are great; even in the "not as nice" parts. It's family friendly to the point of being singles hostile and about as safe as you can get for a bedroom community. Glendora is probably cheaper as far as real estate.

[dawninmiami]

Actually it looks like Santa Clarita homes are cheaper overall than Glendora. I've looked on Trulia and homes in Glendora are smaller, older, and have a higher average price per square foot.

[dawninmiami]

I've been doing lots of research and asking lots of questions here to find a neighborhood to buy a home. We are looking for an affordable, safe suburb with great schools.

My top picks right now are Santa Clarita and Chino Hills. Both are very family-centered, consistently great schools, and very affordable (low 300's for a 3-4 bedroom home).

Both seem pretty similar in terms of housing prices, type of homes, and school ratings. After comparing them on Sperling's, Chino Hills does seem a bit more attractive. The population appears to be more professional, educated, higher income, and more diverse. Also better air quality, lower population density, and not much more new building expected.

I also like that it is right on the border of 3 counties - LA, San Bernardino, and OC. So we could have access in the future to any of those counties for work or recreation.

The only problem is it is a furthur commute for my husband's job. For at least the next few years he'll be taking the Metrolink to Union Station.

Just wanted to toss my analysis out there, in case anyone has any further thoughts about the differences between these 2 communities. Or if I am mistaken about any of my assumptions.

Thanks very much!