Thinking of Moving to Riverside - Am I crazy? (Long Beach: for sale, rent)

[misterbrett]

My wife and I are thinking of moving to Riverside. We currently rent in Fullerton. She works in Ontario (near the 15 & 60) and I work in Buena Park. I grew up in South Orange County (Dana Point) and there's always been a stigma about the IE, I never considered living out there until I grew up and realized I couldn't afford a $800K house as a first time home owner, lol.

Anyway, we drove out to Riverside a few weeks ago to look around at houses. We spent most of the time looking at houses near Mission Inn Ave and off of Brockton and a few places close to the 91 and Central. It looks to me like a decent area, older unique houses rather than the cookie cutter, no yard, houses in most of OC.

Can anybody give me some insight into these areas?

[EscapeCalifornia]

You're crazy if you try to commute back to Buena Park still. Otherwise, go for it. Home prices are still dropping out there big time so now's probably not the best time to buy.

[Future Mrs]

Riverside is divided in to several sections, the areas I like the most are Canyon Crest, Orangecrest, and Arlington Heights. Orangecrest is primarly new but Canyone Crest and Arlington Heights might be what you are looking for, they're older and very beautiful (might be pricer too). So, I would agree with EscapeCalifornia and wait a little before buying... As for the areas you were looking at, Central/91 is nice (kinda looks like Fullerton) however the other one, near downtown / mission inn, is horrible, you do not need to be in that area... Hopefully this helps

[misterbrett]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

You're crazy if you try to commute back to Buena Park still. Otherwise, go for it. Home prices are still dropping out there big time so now's probably not the best time to buy.

Yeah, I'd be crazy if I planned on driving to Buena Park, but there's always Metrolink. They just opened a new station about a 10 minute walk from my office. I'm think that would be the way to go, I used to commute from SJC to Fullerton on the train and loved it.

Originally Posted by Future Mrs

Riverside is divided in to several sections, the areas I like the most are Canyon Crest, Orangecrest, and Arlington Heights. Orangecrest is primarly new but Canyone Crest and Arlington Heights might be what you are looking for, they're older and very beautiful (might be pricer too). So, I would agree with EscapeCalifornia and wait a little before buying... As for the areas you were looking at, Central/91 is nice (kinda looks like Fullerton) however the other one, near downtown / mission inn, is horrible, you do not need to be in that area... Hopefully this helps

I'll check out Arlington Heights and Canyon Crest this weekend, I've found CC on Google Maps but where exactly is AH? I know where Arlington is, should I just look up from there?

Just out of curiosity what's so bad about the downtown area? Crime? Were you including the area west of Mission Inn near Brockton & Bandini? Those looked like nice neighborhoods... well kept yards, kids playing etc.

[Future Mrs]

Arlington Heights is east of Tyler St, west of Washington St, south of Victoria Ave, and north of Van Buren Blvd - you'll be able to see it better when you look at the map. To get there, go east on the 91, get off on La Sierra Ave (R), Left on Victoria Ave and the area to the right will be Arlington Heights (until you hit Washington St)...

This is the link to see Riverside neighborhoods
City of Riverside, California - Be A Part Of It! (broken link)

As for downtown Riverside, for me personally, I just wouldn't want to live near any downtown. Traffic is insane, graffitti on bldgs, "people" walking around in the middle of the night and by "people" I mean crackheads and such (14th St, University Ave, Chicago Ave)... Not for me

P.S. I think Bandini/Brockton is actually part of Wood Streets, which is really close to downtown... and I forgot to mention earlier Magnolia Center is nice too; it's older and not as pricey as Arlington Heights.

[misterbrett]

Originally Posted by Future Mrs

Arlington Heights is east of Tyler St, west of Washington St, south of Victoria Ave, and north of Van Buren Blvd - you'll be able to see it better when you look at the map. To get there, go east on the 91, get off on La Sierra Ave (R), Left on Victoria Ave and the area to the right will be Arlington Heights (until you hit Washington St)...

This is the link to see Riverside neighborhoods
City of Riverside, California - Be A Part Of It! (broken link)

As for downtown Riverside, for me personally, I just wouldn't want to live near any downtown. Traffic is insane, graffitti on bldgs, "people" walking around in the middle of the night and by "people" I mean crackheads and such (14th St, University Ave, Chicago Ave)... Not for me

P.S. I think Bandini/Brockton is actually part of Wood Streets, which is really close to downtown... and I forgot to mention earlier Magnolia Center is nice too; it's older and not as pricey as Arlington Heights.

Thanks for the link... that's really helpful.

I got you about the downtown area... I lived in Long Beach for 5 years. I know exactly what you're talking about. It probably wouldn't be the greatest are to raise a kid. We were there in the late morning on a Sunday and it was quiet and peaceful, it's probably different later.

We looked in Magnolia Center, I liked it a lot and it's probably more in our price range. It reminded me a lot of Glendale.

[nwraider]

Originally Posted by Future Mrs

P.S. I think Bandini/Brockton is actually part of Wood Streets, which is really close to downtown... and I forgot to mention earlier Magnolia Center is nice too; it's older and not as pricey as Arlington Heights.

Yep, smack dab in the middle of the Wood Streets.. Always loved that area, but it's very pricey of course.. Got a buddy I used to work with that has a couple houses there (him and his wife bought the house next door for an office) and used to drive through there on the way home from work quite a bit to avoid the horrific 91 traffic..
Orangecrest, Woodcrest and Canyon Crest (that about covers all the Crests I guess lol) are all nice areas, although the pricing is an issue.. Things are going down somewhat, and if that keeps happening I may try to talk the wife into moving back... Love the NW immensely, just miss all the family and friends left behind...

[Mark-Riverside]

I commuted to Fullerton after I bought a house above Norco just off of Arlington and La Sierra in the Western Hills Area. There are a lot of great options for houses out there that actually have yards and trees. The streets are removed from traffic and most houses are up on hills with views. The 15 is easily accessed through Norco and you have Metrolink stations at the end of La Sierra or down in Corona. I take the riverside line into L.A. everyday from the station in Pedley. If you're coming in from Norco (6th street to Arlington), take a look along the first couple of streets to the right or left just past the wildlife refuge. There are a few houses for sale that have a pretty good price right now. Good luck.

[SoCal Person]

Add me in as another transplanted Orange County person living in the IE. We moved out here in 1986 for affordability. (first in Fontana, then in Riverside...here now in Riverside for 18 years)

My husband commutes to the same area, and I work locally. He's always commuted and says it isn't bad at all.

Magnolia Center is a nice area of older, mostly well kept homes. I would check out the 'Sungold' homes which are located near Central, Brockton, and Arlington. They were built in the fifties or so but the entire neighborhood looks very well kept. We live in the Arlington area and there are homes in this area that are quite affordable, but to many even in Riverside this area is not acceptable. The Wood Streets area is also very nice, and it is well thought of throughout the city. If I were to move within the city itself, I would move to Canyon Crest. The area is older than Orangecrest, the lots are large, but it's a very nice, stable area. Canyon Crest is higher priced than Magnolia Center.

Good luck!

[crshafer]

Originally Posted by misterbrett

My wife and I are thinking of moving to Riverside. We currently rent in Fullerton. She works in Ontario (near the 15 & 60) and I work in Buena Park. I grew up in South Orange County (Dana Point) and there's always been a stigma about the IE, I never considered living out there until I grew up and realized I couldn't afford a $800K house as a first time home owner, lol.

Anyway, we drove out to Riverside a few weeks ago to look around at houses. We spent most of the time looking at houses near Mission Inn Ave and off of Brockton and a few places close to the 91 and Central. It looks to me like a decent area, older unique houses rather than the cookie cutter, no yard, houses in most of OC.

Can anybody give me some insight into these areas?

we live in canyon crest. it is considered one of the best areas of riverside. it is situated in the hills. we get nice breezes- helps a lot during the summer months. we came here 7 years ago from huntington beach and know what you mean about the ie stigma, but found it quite beautiful here. UCR is building a medical school which is just a few minutes down the hill, which will be a big boast for property values. our area is growing and major renovations to the city is in progress. I know a house or two that are for sale if interested.