Chino vs Eastvale vs Upland vs RC (Riverside, San Bernardino: apartments, HOA)

[cavench]

Hi Folks,

We’ve been searching for a house in inland empire, Chino Hills is out of our budget and we have narrowed it down to: Chino, Eastvale, Upland, and Rancho Cucamonga. Please share your thoughts on these four areas and which do you like most. My wife and I are in our 30s, no kids yet… and plan to stay put in the same spot for at least 10+ years once we buy.

Issues that matters to us:
Good Schools
Sense of security/safety
Convenience (Shopping and Hwy)
No HOA and Mello-roos (if possible)
Family Oriented

Non-Issues:
Earthquake
Cow Smell
Commute to Work

Thanks for your help.

[Narfcake]

I would consider Upland or RC before Eastvale (Corona) or Chino. Both are more established (less likely to be HOA/MR areas like most of Eastvale) and have good schools (unlike much of Chino). I still can't fathom waking up, and taking a big fresh breath ... of cow pie in the morning either.

That said, even within cities, there are areas that are more desirable than others. The further north, the more desirable, and the bigger the expense. The areas bordering Ontario are not quite so stellar.

Me ... I am where I am because it wasn't any more affordable to be in Upland or Cucamonga vs. buying in Phillips Ranch at the time. The extra commute wasn't worth it either. Nowadays, though, most houses here are going in the 400's ... there aren't too many that can be had in the (mid-high) 300's anymore, except the "smaller" houses (under 1750 sq.ft.) and/or those in need of major repairs.

[Dub D]

Pretty sure most of Eastvale has BS Mello-roos and probable HOA. Most of Eastvale are large community complexes newer than 95. Alot of Eastvale is kinda far from any freeways. I'd get annoyed driving 3-5 miles to reach the 15.

Chino is very hit or miss. Chino gets a bad rep but there are alot of nice areas, just gotta make sure you aren't hit to crap. Depending on where, 91,71, 57, 60, and 10 freeways hit Chino. I'd say away from the 91 freeway at just about any time. I loathe that freeway.

Upland is a old city compared to most of the cities touching it. Alot of older homes mixed with newer homes. There is also a huge gap between the nice and bad parts. They are like north and south of the city.

Rancho Cucamonga is for the most part a nice city. Every city here has bad parts but RC has the less in your list.

Rule of thumb when living near the 210 freeway, stay ABOVE Foothill Blvd.

You've probably read about "Alta Loma" aka Rancho Cucamonga in disguise. Alta Loma pretends to act like its own city (kinda like Eastvale but to a much higher degree) but its apart of Rancho Cucamonga. Its known as the nicer part but there ALOT of nicer parts outside of it which makes it meaningless. Both school districts in RC are good.

Myself, I'd go with Rancho Cucamonga. However, RC and Eastvale are about 25 miles away from each other and have a totally different vibe so its hard to compare the two. I believe Eastvale is in Riverside County and RC I know is in San Bernardino County.

[chino20]

I've lived in Chino for 20 years (moved from the San Gabriel Valley). It's been a nice place to raise a family - very safe. For being such a large city, it really feels like a small town The city government is really responsive to resident concerns - and I believe we have a good tax base...the roads are maintained, we have excellent fire and law enforcement services. Since we are next to Chino Hills, the shopping is pretty good...both upscale stores and chain restaurants and neighborhood restaurants to choose from.

There is quite a bit of diversity too (which I think is good for kids). The downside is the location of the dairies Still too many flies and mosquitoes in eastern Chino - we hoped they would be gone by now!

The schools vary if you are strictly looking at test scores...but I believe overall they are good. (Scores reflect parent education levels/family income in my opinion). I believe the top San Bernardino county elementary school, score wise, is a Chino elementary (a magnet type school).

My own kids attended the local schools, including Chino High and both got into top universities. So don't let people scare you off of blue collar communities with diversity of income and culture.

As a couple with no kids, Chino might be a bit boring for you though. It really focuses on families, in my opinion. In fact, the city boasts of receiving awards for it's focus on youth activities. Kids soccer, fastpitch, Pop Warner football, dance and cheerleading...very popular in Chino.

[waggie]

Upland is such a interesting city, we have all sorts here
Hippies, hipsters, rednecks in San Antonio Heights
Rich people living above (but not near) the 210.
middle class and upper middle class between 210 and foothill
we have trailer parks
low, mid and high end apartments, town houses
we also have an housing authority,
and that only covers parts of upland thats north of Foothill.

below foothill is where it gets a little dicey, if you get into the wrong parts of town. Although, the bad parts seems to keep to themselves, and I never seen any problems from the bad parts of upland mixing with the problem-free parts of upland.

[suburbfan2010]

How the heck does anyone figure that Rancho and Eastvale are 25 miles apart from each other? Eastvale is off the 15 at Limonite, and Rancho is off the 15 at Foothill. The two exits are like 6-7 miles apart. Eastvale is also only 3-4 miles away from Chino Hills as well. As for the housing, 99% of the houses are less than 10 years old, and they're all relatively large single family homes on good size lots. Most of the areas that do have HOAs (not all do) have super affordable rates (less than $20 a month), which is worth it in the long run so the neighbors water their grass and don't paint their homes purple (I've seen some funky looking houses in the older, non-HOA parts of Rancho). Both Rancho and Chino Hills are nice, but the same money in Eastvale gets you a much newer, nicer home, and again, Eastvale is just a couple of minutes away from both cities.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Dub D

Alta Loma pretends to act like its own city

No it doesn't. It simply wants to retain that sense of its own identity it had until swallowed up by RC.

[NekkidFish]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

No it doesn't. It simply wants to retain that sense of its own identity it had until swallowed up by RC.

LOL ... and if you live here, it is a lot easier to say and spell Alta Loma rather than Rancho Cucamonga.

If you go for RC, stay north of the 210 if possible. Nicer homes for the most part, some horse properties, and home values stay good.

RC is a nice city!

Jules

[DenaHolt]

Each of the areas you are interested in have their pros and cons. I have personally lived in Rancho Cucamonga and Mira Loma (which is what Eastvale used to be before they built all of the new housing tracts). I also worked in Upland for a couple of years.

Here are the city websites for each of the areas you are interested in.
Rancho Cucamonga: Rancho Cucamonga Website - Homepage
Upland: http://www.uplandpl.lib.ca.us/
Chino: http://www.cityofchino.org/
Eastvale: City of Eastvale (they incorporated on 10/1/10 so their website is still developing.)

If you would like further information or a list of available homes, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.