job in fontana (Santa Ana, Riverside, San Bernardino: apartment complexes, foreclosure, to rent)

[pinal]

Hi,

I am looking ot move to southen cal, withint he next few mths. I have got some very useful information in this forum before, so I am going to ask for some more info.
My husband would be working in San bernadino and I would have my office in fontana or montclair. What would be some of the good communities (family friendly, safe, good schools) with a reasonable commute. we are looking at Claremont, Rancho cucamonga. Which has better schools? Do they have a GATE program/spanish Immersion, and/or IB schools. Would it be better to rent initially, as I have heard house prices are still dropping quite a bit.
There is always a big fuss about how hot it gets and the smog. Is it really that bad. What are some of the fun things for kids to do there.

thanks,
pinal

[straight outta camden]

Fontana and San Bernardino. Gee, lucky you...

I can't help with all of these questions, but to get you started: Claremont and Rancho Cucamonga both seem pretty nice and both are family-friendly. The latter is newer.

For weather, I'm a big fan of Weather Underground--wunderground.com--and its "personal weather stations" section. I'm sure there are people in the area who keep track of temps year-round and will have annual charts. Bear in mind it's a pretty dry heat. The smog isn't much fun but it's not as bad as the San Fernando Valley or the San Joaquin Valley. You are, of course, right on top of the San Andreas fault.

As for property, of course nobody knows what will happen to prices but the prevailing wisdom is that they are going to fall. They are falling at the moment. Foreclosure rates are not as high in places like Rancho Cucamonga as they are in Murrieta, Fontana etc. but trouble in one city inevitably spills over into the next-door one. And the worst-hit areas are in a real mess.

[CMYK]

Originally Posted by pinal

Hi,

I am looking ot move to southen cal, withint he next few mths. I have got some very useful information in this forum before, so I am going to ask for some more info.
My husband would be working in San bernadino and I would have my office in fontana or montclair. What would be some of the good communities (family friendly, safe, good schools) with a reasonable commute. we are looking at Claremont, Rancho cucamonga. Which has better schools? Do they have a GATE program/spanish Immersion, and/or IB schools. Would it be better to rent initially, as I have heard house prices are still dropping quite a bit.
There is always a big fuss about how hot it gets and the smog. Is it really that bad. What are some of the fun things for kids to do there.

thanks,
pinal

The northern areas (closer to the mountains near the 210 freeway) of Claremont, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga and North Fontana are good areas to live, and naturally, they are more expensive too.

There are a LOT of new developments in this area with lots of newer homes that are being rented out (or foreclosed) and some apartment complexes, it all depends on what you're looking to spend. Most of the people living in these areas are families looking for exactly what you are, safety, comfort and a good place to raise kids.

The Etiwanda school district in Rancho Cucamonga, is one of the best in the area and is highly recommended. Areas of the EtiwandaSD also stretch over to small areas of North Fontana, so you can benefit from a lower rent/mortgage cost in those (albeit small) good areas of North Fontana and also benefit from the ESD.

There are hot times during the summer, but most of the valleys around LA get just as hot too. Only if you're closer to the beach or up in the mountains does it stay somewhat cool when it's hot everywhere else. But it definitely doesn't get Vegas/Phoenix/PalmSprings hot. Winters are beautiful... clear skies, snow on the mountains, perfect temps. The only downside to winter is the occasional rain and the Santa Ana winds.

Here's a link to this past year's temperatures, wind and rainfall in Rancho Cucamonga:
Weather Station History : Weather Underground
Just ignore the parts where the charts say that the temperature low got down to 0 degrees, equipment errors there, it maybe got down to 30 a couple of days, but that's the nightly low before it goes back up to 55-60 during the day. This would be the coldest it gets, on average.

Smog definitely happens more inland than it does closer to the beaches, it's usually heavier for a longer period of time around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside and stretches out from there. It's noticeably bad when the air quality maps show the orange or red, then it's just better to stay inside, especially for kids and old folks. It's not like it's like this all day though, it gradually builds up and reaches a peak around 2-3pm and then fades away. Fortunately, most of the cooler months (Oct-May) are pretty much smogless.
Here's a link to the local air quality maps that can probably explain a lot more:
AIRNow - Air Quality Maps - Archives

For kids, I'm sure someone else can tell you more than me, but there's always trips to Disneyland, Raging Waters, the beach, Legoland, Seaworld, Universal Studios, Six Flags, etc.

Locally, there's lots of shopping everywhere and in particular at Victoria Gardens (which has kid friendly activities), Ontario Mills (there's always a ton of kids in strollers there), baseball/soccer/basketball leagues, etc.

This is just my opinion, but I think you would be FAR better off renting right now, that way it would give you time to check out the area, get a better idea of exactly what neighborhood/city you would want to live/buy in, and see what happens with the housing market.

Good luck!

[CaliforniatoTexas]

I have to agree with what CMYK has posted. Etiwanda is a good shcool district, but you have some pretty good schools in Fontana as well, I have 2 boys that graduated from AB Miller, one is a Fireman now the other just graduated in June and is back in school (College), Summit is another new High School, stay away from FOHI, North Fontana is nice, but I must warn you you get alot of wind up there, HIghland Ave. and above, we live between Miller and baseline, never had any problems at all.

Things to do; Ontario Mills, Victoria Gardens, Scandia (little Theme Park), Quake Stadium in Rancho, plus we have great access to all freeways, so you can get anywhere (when there isn't much traffic lol!!) Welcome and Good Luck!!!