South California best place to raise a family (San Diego, Riverside: renting, condo)

[matja21]

Hello,

We are planning to move to California from Chicago and we would like an opinion on which cities are the best in terms of affordability and good schools and community to raise a young family. We are looking at areas between San Diego and LA, Irvine would be best but is a little pricey Any recommendations? My husband is an HVAC technician and I am a buyer for a manufacturing company.
Look forward to your insight.

[nightlysparrow]

Define affordability, renting or buying, and what kind of dwelling

[sacreole]

If you're looking to relocate to Southern California, take into consideration that the further inland you go, the more affordable it is. That's a general rule. Irvine is pricey based on its location and high quality of life. I would suggest checking out the southwestern Riverside County area and other parts of the Inland Empire. Cities that come to mind are Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar and Menifee. Please reply back with housing requirements and budget range.

[RosieSD]

Are you planning to buy a house or rent? If buying, are you hoping for a single family detached home, or will you consider condo/townhomes?

As already asked, what's your maximum budget (purchase or monthly rent)?

And, most important of all: what city will you and your husband be working in? No sense people recommending cities that may not be within a reasonable commuting distance of your and your husband's jobs.

[MtnSurfer]

A lot depends on where you can find work. San Diego is a little better in terms of affordability 'generally speaking.' But as others have stated you will have to move east for the most affordability. Places like Poway are a good example. By contrast, Irvine has never been affordable in the general sense. I like Mission Viejo. however, it has also gone up in price quite a bit.

Temecula and Murrieta which Sacreole mentioned are sort of the bargain places of the whole SoCal region when looking for good schools also. But when you live out there, its a bedroom community and driving to work anywhere else involves some heavy traffic with one main bottleneck route in and out.

Overall, there will always be tradeoffs as you look for all the best qualities at 'affordable' prices. Millions of others are looking for the same thing which drives up prices in the nicer, most desirable areas with good schools, etc... It's kind of like going out for a good steak. At what point is it 'good enough' before the cost becomes ridiculous (e.g. La Jolla, Del Mar, Laguna, et al)?

To get an idea of school districts take a look at this map and zoom in to the areas of interest: California School Performance Maps

Derek

[FlySD]

San Diego may not be the best place for an HVAC technician due to the mild weather especially if he does residential work. He may be okay if he does commercial a/c or commercial refrigeration. I know an HVAC tech who moved here from AZ and complains about less work compared to AZ especially in the summer.

[BeauCharles]

My nephew and his family lived in Temecula several years. They really liked it and were impressed with the school district. Nice, clean newer city and not nearly as expensive as the coastal areas.

[CarawayDJ]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

A lot depends on where you can find work. San Diego is a little better in terms of affordability 'generally speaking.' But as others have stated you will have to move east for the most affordability. Places like Poway are a good example. By contrast, Irvine has never been affordable in the general sense. I like Mission Viejo. however, it has also gone up in price quite a bit.

Temecula and Murrieta which Sacreole mentioned are sort of the bargain places of the whole SoCal region when looking for good schools also. But when you live out there, its a bedroom community and driving to work anywhere else involves some heavy traffic with one main bottleneck route in and out.

Overall, there will always be tradeoffs as you look for all the best qualities at 'affordable' prices. Millions of others are looking for the same thing which drives up prices in the nicer, most desirable areas with good schools, etc... It's kind of like going out for a good steak. At what point is it 'good enough' before the cost becomes ridiculous (e.g. La Jolla, Del Mar, Laguna, et al)?

To get an idea of school districts take a look at this map and zoom in to the areas of interest: California School Performance Maps

Derek

Only one small point of contention. There are jobs in the Temecula area. Every building not a residence is a place of work. It all depends on what you do for a living. Certainly other areas have a lot more work, but there are some jobs there too.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by FlySD

San Diego may not be the best place for an HVAC technician due to the mild weather especially if he does residential work. He may be okay if he does commercial a/c or commercial refrigeration. I know an HVAC tech who moved here from AZ and complains about less work compared to AZ especially in the summer.

San Diego inland areas get pretty warm, and lots of people and buildings outside of the coastal areas have (and need) air conditioning. Obviously, it doesn't get as hot as say Phoenix, but I know two HVAC technicians who seem to be doing fine working here. One also does a lot of specialized work in SD research labs (medical and military).

So maybe it just depends on networking and the type of work?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by CarawayDJ

Only one small point of contention. There are jobs in the Temecula area. Every building not a residence is a place of work. It all depends on what you do for a living. Certainly other areas have a lot more work, but there are some jobs there too.

Yes, if both somehow could finds jobs in that area versus driving somewhere else, it would be a much better quality of life. However with so many living there for affordability and the very limited industry comparatively speaking, those opportunities are fewer than for the majority who drive to Riverside, OC/LA/SD to work.

Derek