Riverside/Loma Linda/Redlands versus Scottsdale, AZ (San Diego, Sacramento: foreclosure, job)

[skyangel23]

Hi,
We are from a suburb of Chicago and moving to warmer weather. My husband can choose a job in Scottsdale, AZ or either Riverside, Loma Linda, Lodi, or Redlands in California. Laguna Niguel may also be an option. I have been to Scottsdale (nine years ago), and I think it's beautiful, although I would miss all the green grass and trees and such. I have never been to California. Is SoCal also dry and brown?

We have a two-year-old son, and we are looking for nice weather, a central location close to parks, libraries, shopping, ect. We also love natural areas with mountains, streams, oceans, forests, ect. I am concerned about air pollution but I've heard that it's bad in both SoCal and the Phoenix area (I'm assuming this includes Scottsdale). I don't mind some traffic, but I don't necessarily want it to be congested and nasty every time we want to go to the grocery store.

My husband's work provides housing, so that is not a factor. We're not concerned about schools at this time. The Arizona heat in summer is also not something that bothers us. Obviously a safe, friendly neighborhood is also important.

Unfortunately, we may have to make this decision without visiting either place, so any advice you can provide would be very helpful. Would you choose Scottsdale or SoCal (and what area of SoCal), and why? Thanks.
-Skyangel23

[jessemh431]

Well, almost everyone in the world would choose SoCal over Scottsdale/Phoenix, but it would depend on the exact location in SoCal. The Inland Empire isn't that great of a place to live, but it seems like it would suit you better since it's closer to the ocean. SoCal is not nearly as brown as Phoenix, but it's nothing like Oregon or Vermont. The mountains of the IE are mostly brown, but it's beautiful to see them covered in snow almost all winter long.

This is Riverside. There is also a river running through it, the Santa Ana River, but it's not really navigable or anything.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Riverside_DSCN0700.JPG (broken link)

Scottsdale has much more boring topography and is more boring in general. However, it is much safer than Riverside. Riverside has seen a constant increase in gangs since the early '90's, but Scottsdale remains a very safe city and is actually quite desirable.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...cityscape4.jpg

You don't really want to move to San Bernardino either when one of your options is Scottsdale.

I've never heard of Lodi, CA so I can't give you any information on it.

Redlands is a suburb of Riverside, so it will also be more dangerous than Scottsdale. Not saying all of Riverside is dangerous, but overall, Scottsdale is much safer.

Laguna Niguel would be my first option though. It doesn't really get that warm, but if housing is being taken care of, that's great because Laguna Niguel is much closer to the beach and is safer than all of those except Scottsdale, which is probably about equal.
http://www.anaheimoc.org/client_uplo...292_image1.jpg

Mods, if you're gonna delete my pics, at least don't delete these because I got these next ones from this site.Moderator cut: you must have known this was coming! Post LINKS instead of the actual pics when the source is off site

Laguna Niguel





Loma Linda






So, in the end, if you can choose, your order should be:

1. Laguna Niguel
2. Scottsdale
3. Redlands/Riverside/Loma Linda
4. Lodi-I'm not sure if I should even rate this one though because I know nothing about it.

[skyangel23]

Thank you for the pictures! Very helpful in seeing where the mountains are, the greenery, and the ocean!

[Twinkle Toes]

I don't think Redlands is more "dangerous" than Phoenix. Redlands is a quaint little town with Victorian mansions and such. I dance in Redlands and have never, ever had any problems there. They have outdoor plays during summer on the grounds of the Kimberly Clark mansion, they have a little street fair every Thursday night and Redlands is home to world-famous Buddy Schwimmer's 5-6-7-8 Dance Studio!!! If you were to be able to come out here and check out the area(s) before moving here you would see that the hills are super green right now with wild flowers everywhere. Right now it's absolutely gorgeous!

Lodi is in the Central Valley of CA and is known as the Zinfandel Capital of the World. Lodi is a suburb of Stockton and is in the wine region of CA. It's very pretty and green there, but flat. Lodi has a lot of events going on such as the Grape Festival in September, the Spring Wine Show held sometime around Easter, but not during Easter, Zinfest, Taste of Lodi, you name it. They have a lot going on.

I would definitely choose CA over AZ any day.

[jessemh431]

I didn't exactly mean that Redlands is dangerous, because it's not, but that Scottsdale is safer.

As you can see, that post was very late at night and I think I messed up. Redlands is better Riverside and Loma Linda. Redlands should be #3 and Riverside and Loma Linda tie for #4.

[jinj]

Having lived in SoCal, I would choose AZ anyday.

SoCal has wayyy too much pollution, even on the coasts. People will tell you they don't have any, they get used to the brown clouds.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by jinj

Having lived in SoCal, I would choose AZ anyday.

SoCal has wayyy too much pollution, even on the coasts. People will tell you they don't have any, they get used to the brown clouds.

Having lived in SoCal (with the exception of 9 months living in Hell aka San Antonio, TX) I would choose SoCal any day!

Also - owning several properties in the Phoenix area, I would choose SoCal any day!

[vegaspilgrim]

Actually, Scottsdale might not be quite as "safe" as some people think it is. Look up the crime statistics-- they have some of the highest burglary and car theft rates in Phoenix.

[ptimonhill]

Hello! I moved to Redlands from Chicago almost two years ago for my husband's job. We have two kids and knew nothing about the area when we moved here. We were lucky to land in Redlands and I would pretty highly recommend it. You will find newer homes as well as older Victorian homes. South of the 10 highway is considered the older section where you'll find older homes that are more typical of Chicago suburbs. Redlands has the Redlands Bowl - kind of like Ravinia back home (though much, much less complicated!), the library has a great children's section, the downtown is quaint, and we've found it a great little place to live.

The downsides: it's a little more conservative and small-town-ish than I was used to back home. It's not terrible because there are a lot of people moving here, but you'll find a group of residents who have been here for generations that can be gossip-y. The parks are only okay compared to what I was used to back home, and there are no community pools (you'd think that would be a no-brainer where you can swim outdoors almost year-round). I have to drive to find decent shopping, but Victoria Gardens Mall is really similar to Oakbrook/Old Orchard and is about 25 minutes from here. Good ethnic food is hard to come by. And there is a section that's not so nice that I'm not sure why more isn't being done about it.

But in the areas you're looking at, Redlands is probably the nicest community in the area. What I've discovered is that it's thought to be a fairly affluent town for the area. The schools are supposed to be really good, too. And we're far enough from L.A. to have little cultural influence from L.A. - this is not a nightmare, plastic surgery kind of culture. But L.A., San Diego, and Santa Barbara are all just an hour or two away and we've had a great time day tripping to these cities. Coming from Chicago, where we weren't used to being able to drive to other metro areas for day trips, we've really enjoyed this aspect of being here.

It's different here. It's definitely not Chicago. We miss so much about the Midwest, but the weather here is beautiful, the people are nice, the housing is good, it's safe and quiet and it's a slower, simpler life that our family has really enjoyed. Believe it or not, but a Portillo's just opened in neighboring Moreno Valley for when we need a fix! If you have any questions please feel free to email at ptphill@aol.com! Good luck!

[Unkllars]

Originally Posted by skyangel23

Hi,
We are from a suburb of Chicago and moving to warmer weather. My husband can choose a job in Scottsdale, AZ or either Riverside, Loma Linda, Lodi, or Redlands in California. Laguna Niguel may also be an option. I have been to Scottsdale (nine years ago), and I think it's beautiful, although I would miss all the green grass and trees and such. I have never been to California. Is SoCal also dry and brown?

We have a two-year-old son, and we are looking for nice weather, a central location close to parks, libraries, shopping, ect. We also love natural areas with mountains, streams, oceans, forests, ect. I am concerned about air pollution but I've heard that it's bad in both SoCal and the Phoenix area (I'm assuming this includes Scottsdale). I don't mind some traffic, but I don't necessarily want it to be congested and nasty every time we want to go to the grocery store.

My husband's work provides housing, so that is not a factor. We're not concerned about schools at this time. The Arizona heat in summer is also not something that bothers us. Obviously a safe, friendly neighborhood is also important.

Unfortunately, we may have to make this decision without visiting either place, so any advice you can provide would be very helpful. Would you choose Scottsdale or SoCal (and what area of SoCal), and why? Thanks.
-Skyangel23

I would go either Laguna Niguel or Scottsdale. When my wife misses AZ she convinces me of how great Scottsdale is. It is nice. Riverside has really nice areas on the outskirts and newer areas. I don't know too much about Loma Linda or Redlands, but I know a little about Lodi.

Lodi is near Stockton CA, the foreclosure capitol of the US (1 in every 7-9 homes if I remember correctly). Its in Northern California, South of Sacramento. Hot summers and colder winters there. It had a little housing boom that went bust, but it attracts people who want the smaller town feel. Old Lodi was just a bunch of ranchers. There is a little racism in Lodi with the ranchers not liking the Hispanics. I don't know if that applies to you, but its disappointing that this still occurs in 2008 (I went to college in Stockton in 2001, so my facts are assuming no drastic change in the town since 2004). Hope that helps