Big Bear, Crestiline or Running Springs (Crestline, Lake Arrowhead: rentals, homes, find a job)

[allenkephart]

Originally Posted by cynwldkat

Now to try and answer a couple of your questions regarding Big Bear Lake....
Many of the local residents do commute down the hill for jobs, but there are just as many that work in Big Bear. They have a nice Stater Bros and other chain grocery stores. As far as other shopping goes, there is a Wal-Mart and some small independent clothing/gift stores. Many sporting goods stores. Most locals go down the hill for a lot of their clothing shopping needs. It's not that far and not a big deal. The majority of homes are on city water. It does get very congested with the tourists on week-ends and holidays---it IS a tourist town. That is the "bread and butter" for many residents. They depend on those tourists! It is a pain for the locals but it's only for a couple of days a week or a few more days on a holiday---well worth putting up with that to live up there in my opinion. Generally speaking the summers are terrific...80 degrees maybe a couple of days a bit warmer/cooler (this summer has been very unusual, like many other places as it has been hotter then the norm). The nights are cool--sometimes cold. Fire is a danger. In all 18 years I lived there we never had a fire get that close to Big Bear--that changed a few years back. It is the "forrest" and they have had a drought and problems with the Bark Beelte killing the pine trees---added fuel for the fires! Earthquakes..this is CA and there is always a danger of earthquakes. Again, in the 18 years I lived there we only had one 3.5 earthquake. And again, that has changed after the big earthquake they had up there a few years ago. I hope this is of some help to you.

Only one mistake here. There is no Walmart in Big Bear. It is a Kmart.

[allenkephart]

Originally Posted by sheri257

I lived in Lake Arrowhead, which isn't far from Big Bear but ... maybe this info will help. We decided to move for various reasons.

I don't mean to be too negative but mountain living just wasn't for us. It can be very tough but, it sounds like you may be used to it.

The snow was really difficult, very tough on our car ... even though we had four wheel drive. Only the main roads were plowed so, we had to get our access road plowed to get out. It was basically a nightmare to get to work if the plow guy didn't show up on time every morning ... and lot of them charged a fortune for their services.

Lots of power outages also ... basically for up to eight hours in some cases, you could only rely on the fireplace for heat. Nothing would work except the phones.

Then the trees started dying from the bark beetle problem. We were surrounded by matchsticks that could go up in flames any time. Very scary.

Shopping was also difficult ... prices tended to be higher because there wasn't much competition. Going up and down the mountain for shopping and commuting just wasn't much fun for us.

Especially during the winter when it's dark, there's lots of cloud cover and visibility is very poor ... it's just downright dangerous sometimes. Especially since the mountain is eroding and you never knew when there would be rocks or boulders blocking the road. They often have to close the highway for repairs becuase of the erosion problem.

The last straw was when my husband skidded out on some black ice and the car literally went over a cliff. A tree was the only thing that saved him. Four months after we moved ... the big fire hit so, we were lucky with that. Fires, of course, are a constant problem with all of the dead trees. Especially since there hasn't been any rain this year.

Obviously mountain living does work for many people but, after all of that ... we were ready to get back to the convenience of suburbia.

I have lived here for 34 years. Yes, I have encountered everything this other person has stated, but it at least the chances of getting shot or having your car stolen are less than the big city, especially San Bernardino. I had my car broken into at least five times in Downtown San Bernardino. The community here is more like Mayberry. Down the hill, nobody knows anybody and you have to watch out for your kids and watch the people around you. Crime still happens up here, that is why we have a Sheriff's Department. But our crime rate is nothing like the rate of the big city, especially San Bernardino.

[cynwldkat]

My mistake....you are 100% right..it is a K-Mart. I recently moved to NC and everything here is all about Wal-Mart--guess I got the brain fade!!

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

Big Bear is the only place resembling a city up there. The village area is nice, lots of cool hiking and snow options, and plenty of decent restaurants. That said, the weather can be a factor driving down the hill, and it is a ways to an urban setting. Our dogs love it there.

[fishbowl]

Such a shame to read about Crestline. I lived there in the 60s and it was a wonderful, clean, comfortable and small community. I lived up on Arosa Drive and everyone kept their property pristine. The houses were not very close together and a very few were occupied year 'round. Living there was just amazing, and I wish I could have a situation like that back again. I was never afraid, crime was nearly unheard of. What a great place it was. Too bad, sounds like it has changed.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by allenkephart

But our crime rate is nothing like the rate of the big city, especially San Bernardino.

Well ... you could take just about any city or town in the Inland Empire, and it's going to look better than San Bernardino because the crime is so bad there.

So, I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. I'm sure crime is less than the mountain communities ... because it's just so hard to live up there overall.

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by fishbowl

Such a shame to read about Crestline. I lived there in the 60s and it was a wonderful, clean, comfortable and small community. I lived up on Arosa Drive and everyone kept their property pristine. The houses were not very close together and a very few were occupied year 'round. Living there was just amazing, and I wish I could have a situation like that back again. I was never afraid, crime was nearly unheard of. What a great place it was. Too bad, sounds like it has changed.

Awww, don't let them make you think that. Crestline is still a great community. The houses are closer together than they used to be but it is still has that great, small-town feel. It has the shortest commute down the mountain (15 to 20 minutes) and therefore, is the closest to Anaheim. Most people have to commute unless they are a business owner or can find work in either Lake Arrowhead or Crestline, mostly retail or food industry, of course.

There are a few other factors to consider: 1. The weather and elevation 2. Employment 3. The road closures 4. Tourism

1. In order of elevation, the list is: Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Twin Peaks, Running Springs and Big Bear. That means that Crestline gets the least snow and it melts faster. Big Bear is the only BIG southern California winter community for skiing. Running Springs doesn't even have anything that compares. I can't imagine any Mario-Andretti-wanna-be getting from Crestline to Big Bear in less than an hour so consider that when considering potential commuting, at least to anywhere on the south or west of the mountain a.k.a. the front side. And that's when the roads are clear of snow and there are no sledding or skiing or let's-drive-up-and-see-the-snow tourists.

2. Big Bear is the largest and is the only actual city with their own government. All the other towns are incorporated areas of San Bernardino County. Big Bear may offer the best opportunity for employment but if you don't find it there, you will have to go off the mountain to work. Since it is so far away from the front side, you will need to look into the high desert communities to the north, I guess it is. That's when the conditions of the roadways, which are often in need of repair, covered in snow or filled with tourists come into play.

3. I lived there from 2002-2006 and road closures were common. During those years, there were record-breaking and tragic events that happened. The Old Fire in Oct/Nov of 2003 and several others that were burning all over SoCal and the San Bernardino Mountains caused the entire mountain to be evacuated. We were gone for 11 days. I can't remember the exact number but over 400 homes on the mountain were destroyed, mostly on the outer edges of the communities. I'm guessing thousands of homes were destroyed down in the valleys, though. The rain that followed in December caused a Christmas Day flood in an area halfway up the mountain that destroyed a campground and about 16 people died, as I recall. A few months later, ALL roads were closed on and off the mountain for about 4 days, I think, due to road repairs and flooding.

These are realities that are rare but must be taken into consideration when thinking of commuting. If you're not planning to commute, you may find that you love it up there and never want to leave!

4. As for tourism, even though the mountains are a favorite place to visit, the traffic is usually not a problem during the warm months. There are two routes up the front side: Hwy. 18 going up Waterman Canyon is the western and closest one most people use for going to Crestline & Lake Arrowhead although it will take you all the way to Big Bear. For some reason, it is rarely congested and is a 4-lane highway. Hwy. 330 is a two-lane highway, a little further east and it takes you to Running Springs where you can then join up with Hwy. 18 and go towards the back of the mountain to Big Bear, if you want. Due to their higher elevations, when the winter weather comes, this is the route that gets so congested. The transition from 330 to 18 is horrendous and then the drive is slow up to Big Bear due to all the tourists. That really matters when you live in town and need to get to the grocery store or even church. Of course, this is pretty much limited to times of snow.

Those are some of the bad points. The good ones are the lower crime, the clean air, cooler temperatures...not to mention the beautiful scenery! It felt like a privilege to live up there and your stress level lowered as you got further from the valley! Lake Arrowhead has a Stater Bros. Market and Crestline has Goodwin's Market. Both have great prices. While there aren't mass merchandisers up there, you will find great shopping including outlet stores and some great food, too!

My husband and I looked for about 2 years, off and on, before buying and even after buying learned more about mountain living's pros and cons. Now, as then, I believe the best choice is Crestline or Lake Arrowhead. There are a number of other communities around them such as Twin Peaks (lots of snow and slow to melt!), Blue Jay and Rim Forest.

I just want to say that I may have stated some things as fact but in reality, these are only my opinions and subject to personal experience and error. I hope I have still been helpful in some way and haven't bored you to death with my many words!

[photogal]

Thank you for your great replies. I was just out there myself and looked at all the cities. I liked Lake Arrowhead the best but am not sure I'm ready to live in a such a small mtn community. And the smog in the valley made me sick just looking at it. San Bernardino is someplace I would never want to drive through again. I will either expand my search or, more likely, stay where I am in beautiful, clean Colorado!

[bleuiris]

I have family living in Crestline who have been there for more than 15 years. They wanted a slower paced life and seemed to have found it there. My sister drives down the hill for work, her husband works all over. Housing is more affordable there than many places of southern California. My mom moved up there 5 years ago after living down the hill all her life. She loved the beauty of the area. She passed away this spring and we just put her cute little house on the market.

The elevation is about 5200 and yes, it snows. Most people I know who live there would never move back down the hill. If you are used to snow in the winter, it won't be a problem for you. If you ski, it's close enough to the slopes. It has a real hometown feeling.

[CaseyLF]

What is the single life like in Big Bear?