Need Honest Opinion of Hemet, CA (San Diego, Riverside: low income, apartment, rent) - San Bernardino and Riverside Counties - California -The Inland Empire - City-Data Forum

golyath · 09-11-2006, 08:31 PM

My wife, kids and I live (and rent) in San Joaquin County. We are priced out of desirable areas here and I was looking in to Hemet, CA. Can someone lend some honest opinions of Hemet. We have two kids and want to buy in an affordable, "normal" area.

iansmom · 09-12-2006, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golyath

My wife, kids and I live (and rent) in San Joaquin County. We are priced out of desirable areas here and I was looking in to Hemet, CA. Can someone lend some honest opinions of Hemet. We have two kids and want to buy in an affordable, "normal" area.

Hemet is considered a retirement town. If there's one thing in Hemet you need to watch out for is the elderly behind the wheel of a car, I'm not kidding either. I was coming down the main drag in Hemet (state street) and a little old lady was coming right for me only thing she was driving in my lane and she had no clue, I moved she didn't. Driver beware. Other than that it's a nice little town but drive defensively

tweety · 09-12-2006, 07:33 PM

Hemet is getting really crowded. It has quite a bit of shopping there. The main street traffic is getting really bad (Florida St.). The summers can get quite hot as it sits down in a valley surrounded by mountain ranges. Its an ok town but yes there are a lot of retirees living there.

Meomi · 09-16-2006, 01:05 PM

I lived in Merced for seven years. This town is so much like it you would be amazed. Last I heard, they are now releasing Riverside felons into the area at the rate of 500 per month. My 'source' is word of mouth at the local grocery store, as there is no newspaper. If you like the central valley you will like it here. My hope was to get away from the valley but I didn't make it, as I moved to Hemet......

Meomi · 09-16-2006, 01:13 PM

As far as cost of living goes, rent is ridiculous. There is no work except in the retirement industries. Most commute to Riverside 35 miles away. Some commute to San Diego an hours commute easily. The inland valley communities of California have become the dumping grounds of "California Proper". That is of the coastal strip. It's a world I didn't know existed until I left the coastal strip some eight years ago. Here's idea of the rent. I live in a one bedroom tiny apartment for 725 a month. The good news is that Edison Electric is much cheaper than PG and E. Food is also cheaper if you shop at the discount food marts. Good luck.

Win · 09-20-2006, 02:25 PM

I have family in Hemet and visit there often enough. It's much cheaper than LA (where I live) but it is a dumpy and dusty little town (but not quite as bad as San Jacinto which is right next to it). You have a lot of retired people there but you also have a lot of low income (aka trashy) people there. Some areas of the city are decent but the town, over all is dead. It is hotter than hell in the summer but very pleasant in the evenings and winters are mild. There really isn't much going on in Hemet though. It's really sleepy due to the older poplulation. The trashy people will really get under your skin after a while. It's not uncommon to see people driving while smoking with babies in the back seat. Disgusting. If I were you, I would try looking into Temecula. A lot more is going on over there. JMO - hope I didn't offend anyone.

NYSD1995 · 09-20-2006, 03:33 PM

Honest opinion - it's a dump. It's getting nicer, but that's not saying much.

Temecula / Murietta is better. Hot as hell up there.

BigDaddysJules · 09-25-2006, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Win

I have family in Hemet and visit there often enough. It's much cheaper than LA (where I live) but it is a dumpy and dusty little town (but not quite as bad as San Jacinto which is right next to it). You have a lot of retired people there but you also have a lot of low income (aka trashy) people there.

You've got to be kidding me! So, low income means trashy?!? Excuse me for saying so, but that is quite an ignorant statement! You should be ashamed of yourself... honestly. I realize the low income areas of town aren't the greatest.. In fact some of these areas are pretty bad, at best. so basically ur saying that poor people are trashy. I might not be what you condsider low income or "trashy" anymore, but my family was very poor when I was little. But I can say (with a great deal of conviction I might add) that my family and I are not trashy people. Next time please consider your words a bit more carefully Win.

And as far as my opinion about Hemet... I just moved here and so far not very impressed. There are much worse places to live though,so I've got no complaints. Temecula/Murrieta are nice places to live but a bit on the expensive side.

jksgrls · 10-04-2006, 08:33 PM

Hemet has changed a lot over that last few years. It is not quite the retirement town it used to be. There are more developers coming in, bringing chains like Marshalls, Pier One etc... The restraunts are coming in too. Although housing is some what more afordable in Hemet than other areas in CA, our crime is increasing at a steady rate and it is very scary. Our schools are good and a few have earned the California Distingushed School honor. Your best bet would be to come for a visit and if you are interested in relocating I would suggest the South East area of Hemet. The schools are better and the neighborhoods are clean and well established. There is a lot of home building going on so you would really have a lot to choose from.

Good luck to you...

socalmellie · 11-09-2006, 02:18 PM

Hello,

My former husband and our young daughter lived in Rancho San Jacinto for 5 years. We had moved from Carlsbad in order to buy an affordable home. In 1999 we bought a nice home in a better neighborhood of SJ. We were located just 2 blks from Hemet city limits. It actually was a good experience for us. The town really has changed in the last 15 years from being almost strictly for senior citizens to being for families. But everything everyone else said about Hemet is true too. It sometimes does have the "dregs" of society, but what affordable town doesn't? Hemet has almost all the necessary services and shopping, but the mall is quite tiny. I had a good job at the local community college, but I guess getting a good job locally is a typical challenge. Both Hemet and San Jacinto have a total of 3 good libraries. Regarding the climate, you can count on it being 106 degrees from June through October, but it's dry so you can actually do stuff outdoors in it. The winters are beautiful with views of the peaks. Good luck trying to decide.

Melanie, La Mesa