Canyon Lake? Or other SoCal areas? (San Diego, Riverside: foreclosed, amusement park, houses)

[doug25]

I am considering moving my family out to SoCal in about two years after college. I've found that Canyon Lake has some good stats and seems like an overall good area. I lived in Mission Viejo in the 80's, but the price is too high for now. Is there any other area's (besides Canyon Lake) that would be good for a family of 5(3 young kids)?

To give some insight on where I'm from: Live in Shamokin, Pa. Pop. of 10,000 with no economical growth. The school systems are lacking some muster and have a growing drug problem, there is very little to do for kids, teens, and adults seeing that this is a basic retirement area. It is a depressed coal mining area, with the only thing to do within a considerable distance is Wal-mart and Malls for shopping, Knoebels amusement park(which is actually nationally recognized), and ATVing. I want my family to grow up in an overall better area with more options available for them.

So, I ask for your opinion...be brutal if you have too.

[uglyblackjohn]

Mission Viejo in the 80's-back when the Natadores were the swimming program in America. Canyon Lake is nothing like the M.V. you remember from one of So.Cal.'s last "golden ages". Actually nothing (in S.C.) is the same as that place at that time. Do you plan on living on or near the lake itself? If so it's not a terrible area. Try Temecula or go farther south into North San Diego County. The only livable parts of Riverside are pretty expensive and you'll have a lot of big city problems in a smallish town. You can find anything you're looking for - it'll just cost you a lot more in Cali. .

[doug25]

Thanks, If I can live near the Lake, it would be great. Although, I will research the areas you spoke of. I can remember some great times back then, but times change. And again, thanks.

[twinmum]

Canyon Lake is nice to live, but you still have to send your kids to school in Lake Elsinore... YUCK!
Drive a little further south and you can get similar priced homes and waaaaay better schools in Murrieta & Temecula.

[tkdmom]

I agree with twinmum. The amenities of CL are nice, but LE schools are scary.

[evolutionrules]

Just bought a house in Winchester in the Temecula school district. We have 2 boys ages 5 and 3. Very family oriented. Houses prices are very low. Got our 3150 square foot house for $295,000. My wife and I are both teachers and TVUSD is very good. Parts of Winchester are in the Murrieta and Hemet school districts so we had to watch where we looked for houses because we wanted the temecula district. Our dead end street has a ton of kids and very friendly neighbors. We are very happy. I really like the area and highly recommend it. if you want more info or our agent then send me a private message and I would be happy to pass on all the little things I've learned through out this process.

[dkandk]

You can't have such an attitude. Your moving to California!!! Get excited! It will be the best thing you could ever do, for you and your better half and your KIDS! Oh my! They will grow up here, you must realize what it means for them to do it young, to be growing up in paradise. How wonderful for you and for them.
Im from pittsburgh, yep! My family moved here when I was 6yrs old thank god. It was rough with my accent, oh yes you have one too i am sure. The transition for young ones is nothing like it would be for teens or junior know it all adults who are so easily influenced etc etc.
I grew up in California and thank god i was not any older comming here.
I am or can say I am a native basically and I really had no transition, at that age. I know people who have come out to california to see us and say Im gonna stay but were blown away with OUR daily life, here in california. Like how we drive nice cars know how to live i guess, it scaredd them, i guess. And less than 10days they were out of here....Get used to the nice things, take it for granted or pretend, expect more, listen more before you talk and learn how it works here, its not like PA here. go with the flow, you will be fine! California is the best place on earth and southern california, well you can double that. HA!
Also, Canyon lake is beautiful, its money there, if thats where your going you know this. But, your in a small gated community there you know? Its a bit different than the outter cities.... Every one knows everyone elses business and nothing you can do about it behind those gates...thats what they do i guess to keep entertained. ha ha Neb sh...ts you know that term right? If your spending that kind of money why haven't you considered the coastal areas? You can still buy in many areas and they have that ocean breeze, open front window and back window of house and its air conditioning...ha but true. People are different too. More realistic or reality oriented in the real world??? down to earth, smarter and yes its true they are. Most anyhow. Why don't you consider the coastal areas your kids will grow up different and have more to do. Good luck to you. Save up for that boat!

Just get to California get out of pennsylvania....

[dkandk]

I just re-read your post! Get out of Pennsylvania fast. You lived in MV in the 80's, oh wow, nice. Try to go more near the coast, you won't be happy in the IE after knowing whats near by like MV! Ha....You lived in paradise before. With a little more effort and creativness maybe you can do it again soon anyhow i mean the coastal areas.....there is always a way if you want it bad enough.
Stay away from Hemet, the surrounding areas. Stay with canyon lake it has a fence around it. ha. yes sorry, you don't want your kids growing up there in hemet, just an example city but not in elsinore either!! Hemet is retirement city, and elsinore, well people go there to get away form it all, like the law, you know what i mean, not a good idea right now and the lake sucks . dangerous right now to go in it, contaminated.
How did you end up where you are now?
I have friends from school who bought homes in MV in the 80s we used to go once a yr for a get together....our whole class and the one below us and the one above us...yep
good luck!

[centuries]

Originally Posted by dkandk

But, your in a small gated community there you know? Its a bit different than the outter cities.... Every one knows everyone elses business and nothing you can do about it behind those gates.:

Your post was very informative. Can you describe what "gated" means? I understand what a closed community neighborhood entails, but does Canyon Lake goes as far as to have a manned entry points?

Thanks,

[comingfromcarlsbad]

Canyon Lake has a manned guard gate with two lanes-one for residents with a sticker on your windsheild and one for guests.
I loved it there-if you like boats and wakeboarding it probably is the best place around SoCal for that
Cheap golf and recently cheaper houses too
Tuscany Hills Elementary or Cottonwood Canyon Elementary are both decent schools, my kids went to Cottonwood and it really suprised us-yes, everybody hates Lake Elsinore but those 2 schools were not bad-no exp with middle or high school, I do believe they are not so good.

The things I did not like about CL was one good sit down place to eat (Pepes Mexican)-some good small places for to-go food, but the restaraunts in the area were pretty poor
and quite a people with snotty additudes-big Hummers on 22's big boob jobs and a "Im better than you" general bitchiness (men and women)
but most of them have probably been foreclosed on since I lived there