Looking for Family Friendly Near Beach City to move in Southern CA (Riverside: rental, low crime)

[PerfectPlace80]

Hey everybody,
Thanks for checking out my thread. I currently live in Palm Springs, CA. I've lived here all my life. My husband is a fireman and works here in the desert. We are SO SICK of the heat & we want out! The ideal location would be the beach, however we cannot afford to live super close to the beach. We want to be able to drive to the beach with the kids on the weekends. He will be commuting back and forth every 4 days so it can't be too much more than 2 hours away. We need a city with good schools, great weather and low crime. My husband mentioned something about San Marcos but I'm not sure about the crime rate there...?? Anyone have any suggestions for us? Thanks so much in advance.

BUDGET to rent: $2,500 per month.
House size needs to be over 2,000 sq feet since I have 4 children!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by PerfectPlace80

Hey everybody,
Thanks for checking out my thread. I currently live in Palm Springs, CA. I've lived here all my life. My husband is a fireman and works here in the desert. We are SO SICK of the heat & we want out! The ideal location would be the beach, however we cannot afford to live super close to the beach. We want to be able to drive to the beach with the kids on the weekends. He will be commuting back and forth every 4 days so it can't be too much more than 2 hours away. We need a city with good schools, great weather and low crime. My husband mentioned something about San Marcos but I'm not sure about the crime rate there...?? Anyone have any suggestions for us? Thanks so much in advance.

BUDGET to rent: $2,500 per month.
House size needs to be over 2,000 sq feet since I have 4 children!

Take a look a Murrieta and Temecula which is just over an hour from PS.

The other big factor you haven't mentioned is quality school districts. Take a look at this map and zoom in to the areas in question. It will give you a good geographic perspective on family friendly areas with good schools. California School Performance Maps

Derek

[PerfectPlace80]

Ahh! Schools are super important! Thanks!

[MtnSurfer]

Depending on what you could swing I would seriously consider places in Southern OC as well such as Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita, Las Flores, Coto De Caza, etc...

Basically just take a look at the school performance map within a 2 hour drive radius. Then overlay it on an affordability map which you'll need to create through checking rental prices on Craigslist. This will give you a really good reference point to start from. From there you can further narrow things downs through visiting the locations, talking with friends about areas, reading more on here about various towns including pros/cons, etc...

If it were my family and I wanted to escape the heat I'd try to get as close to the coast as you can afford while considering school districts as a top priority.

Here's one: http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/apa/3957019751.html

Also Fountain Valley may be an option: http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/apa/3959192996.html

Inland you get newer homes, more affordability and greater square footage. But it will be hotter in the Summer months especially: http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/apa/3937658259.html

Derek

[PerfectPlace80]

Awesome! You are so helpful, thanks a mill.

[MtnSurfer]

One more thing. I noticed you asked about San Marcos. Generally speaking that area is a mixed bag including surrounding towns such as Vista and Escondido. Crime and poorer schools can be a factor in those areas. I have a relative who moved out of there because of the those problems. If you take a look at the school performance map and then head directly south to Rancho Bernardo for example the schools and overall area is much nicer.

Derek

[ferretkona]

I would look in Cypress. My buddies home is a 10 minute bicycle ride from the beach. Great high rated public schools. Freeway close for commuting. I had a girlfriend in Huntington Beach and her house was a half hour to the 405.

[NorthSDLifer]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

One more thing. I noticed you asked about San Marcos. Generally speaking that area is a mixed bag including surrounding towns such as Vista and Escondido. Crime and poorer schools can be a factor in those areas. I have a relative who moved out of there because of the those problems. If you take a look at the school performance map and then head directly south to Rancho Bernardo for example the schools and overall area is much nicer.

Derek

Mixed bag, sure, but her budget should get her family into areas where that shouldn't be much of a thought, at least the crime.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by NorthSDLifer

Mixed bag, sure, but her budget should get her family into areas where that shouldn't be much of a thought, at least the crime.

What about the schools (elementary, middle and high school) which is a very important factor when you have children? Wouldn't it be better to go a little further south for the better schools if feasable?

Derek

[NorthSDLifer]

South, such as Encinitas? Sure. But keep in mind the husband's Palm Springs commute. I didn't want to post about my area without refreshing myself on school data. We are in the Discovery-San Elijo MS-San Marcos High zone, an arc that we are pretty happy with. That's keeping in mind High Tech High as a possible alternative. (Our kids our in elem.)

I'd echo investigating SW Riverside Co. first. Close enough for weekend beach trips and not too far from Palm Springs. Oh, right, still pretty hot there, but not PS-hot.