City girl from Chicago making the big decision between California and Tampa, Florida (Los Angeles: bank owned)

[adeltagirl]

I currently live in Homewood (suburb of Chicago) where the schools are excellent which explains $5600 yearly property taxes and the home town feel is warm but everyone knows the weather is awful and the job market bleak. I hope to relocate in 2009 (after my youngest turns 5/I don't want to put her in the hands of strangers). Schools are of great importance since I have 2 that will be in elementary school. And since I have girls I really need a safe environment and prefer a "conservative community".
My husband is pretty open to whatever I suggest if I make my argument strong and convincing. His main gripe is he hates the weather here. We tried Georgia for 2 years but I was not impressed. I sort of like the big city feel and am not a country girl by any stretch but I really like suburbia with tree lined streets, beautiful parks and friendly neighbors.
My question is what area is best for raising children, safe neighborhoods, reasonable housing cost (I currently have a mortgage of $2375 and that's steep with 2 children who have childcare expenses) and NOT horrendous traffic?????
I work in the field of Radiation Therapy so hospitals must be in the area. I live 10 minutes from work which is something I find invaluable. Is that impossible there? How are property taxes? I've read postings that Upland is nice and anything on Canyon Crest. Any other suggestions? I'm not really into the mountains and bike trails (i'm a city girl) but love green grass and family oriented activities. Any info would be appreciated.

[Twinkle Toes]

You may want to consider the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, CA area). It's a nice area to raise a family, we have beautiful weather (summer gets a little hot), we have state of the art hospitals, lots of baby boomers, so always a need for medical personnel, affordable housing, light traffic, excellent schools, no smog - excellent air quality and we're close enough to get to all the major cities, beaches and mountains. In this area you would probably want to look into Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Bermuda Dunes, parts of Palm Springs and the Shadow Hills area of Indio. You will want to steer clear of Desert Hot Springs, most of Cathedral City and the older part of Indio.

The Redlands/Yucaipa area is also nice and they have Loma Linda University Medical Center nearby in Loma Linda, which is also a nice area. But there is more traffic there and they do have smog.

[missionhome]

I think you may be able to make it in Orange County, which is a much prettier area with better weather and closer to the beach compared to the Inland Empire. Specifically south Orange County would be a great area to live. It is a collection of several suburban cities that are really nice. They are covered in trees, master planned, extremely safe (Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Irvine in top 10 safety rankings in the country), and have award winning schools. If your looking for that great California weather, then the Inland Empire isn't amazing. In the summer, the temperature tops 90 degrees everyday and gets into the 100's during a heat wave. In the winter, because it is so inland, the temperature is colder than the coastal areas which are regulated by the effects of the ocean.

As far as individual cities, I recommend Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Niguel, and Lake Forest. I think you should be able to buy a single family home for about $450-550k and keep a similar mortgage payment. The houses are more expensive here, so you are looking at 1,300 square feet, while in the Inland Empire you could probably get 2,500 square feet or more, but I think where you are living is very important.
Here are some sample listings: (let me know if these don't work)
22591 Via Loyola, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information
The above home is set in a clean neighborhood off Los Alisos Blvd. The home is only one mile from Lake Mission Viejo and is close to an open space park. It has been nicely renovated inside. Attends Barcelona Hills Elementary, Newhart Middle School, Capistrano Valley High in Capistrano Unified School District.

22571 Via Loyola, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information
The above home is a little older than the other, but it larger. Needs a little work, same schools.

28051 Blandings, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information
Charming home in a nice neighborhood called California Colony. It is close to walking trails and Lake MV and shopping centers. Saddleback Valley Unified School District.

21566 Cabrosa, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information
This bank owned home is ready to be sold. Close a city park and walking distance to shopping and schools.

27041 El Retiro, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information
This one is in my opinion a really great house. It is clean inside and well kept inside and out. The schools are great and a community park and tennis complex is in the middle of the neighborhood.

Those are just a few examples, but there are many more single family homes and condos in that 450-550k price range if you can afford this.

As far as working at a hospital: Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, Mission Hospital, Saddleback Memorial Medical Center at San Clemente, Irvine Medical Center, and Kaiser Permanente Hospital of Irvine are all 30 minutes or under from south county cities like Mission Viejo. We are located halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles, are fifteen minutes to the beaches of Dana Point or twenty minutes to the beaches of San Clemente. We have a beautiful lake at our city center for swimming and boating. I will include pictures of the area below.

Lake Mission Viejo (with snow on Saddleback Mountain- very rare, what makes the shot great)


Montanoso Drive


The trees lining the main north to south street in the city, Marguerite Parkway.


Los Alisos Parkway and on the left, a open space park


From a hilltop looking down into the Saddleback Valley behind the homes.


Award winning Mission Viejo Library


Twenty minutes to the beaches of San Clemente


Well that will hopefully give you an idea of the area. You should expand your horizons to more areas of So Cal. Good luck in finding a place to call home. Sorry for the length.