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Old 07-11-2017, 12:29 AM
 
Location: Vancouver, WA
8,214 posts, read 16,697,627 times
Reputation: 9463

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Quote:
Originally Posted by logybogy View Post
How does the air quality in Simi Valley and Temecula in Southern California compare to Merced, Sacramento, and Chico?

Air quality is something I never really considered. I live in Florida now and I guess I just take the clean air for granted.
I took clean air for granted as well living at the coast until I went to college in the Inland Empire just east of Riverside (Loma Linda). It can get really bad! So much so that there are days where they do not recommend exercising outside. And if you do you can feel it in your lungs while breathing. its pretty nasty stuff indeed. People move into these areas for cheaper living and then develop chronic pulmonary conditions they never had before like adult onset of asthma. So its no minor inconvenience if you like to be active outdoors.

The reason certain areas of CA have some of the worst air quality in the nation is really because of the huge metropolitan regions including millions of vehicles on the road and farming. Both of these produce lots of pollutants in the air which the onshore coastal winds then blow into valley and regions where it get trapped near mountains. Then it just sits there and builds up.

As far as which is worse, its all relative. How bad is bad? This varies city to city a bit and you'll have to do your research to view the latest stats. Because these inland areas have chronic problems with poor air quality they are always trying new things to improve. But certain factors are the way they are because of their geographic location. Reducing carbon emissions and other pollutants in the air can help to a degree. But those farming areas in the Central Valley really have an uphill battle as does most of the inland empire in SoCal (Riverside and San Bernardino).

New attack on California's dirty air - LA Times

https://qz.com/963089/california-is-...tion-is-worst/

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=...tate&stateid=5

Derek
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Old 07-11-2017, 02:41 AM
 
5,151 posts, read 4,528,249 times
Reputation: 8347
Quote:
Originally Posted by logybogy View Post
How does the air quality in Simi Valley and Temecula in Southern California compare to Merced, Sacramento, and Chico?

Air quality is something I never really considered. I live in Florida now and I guess I just take the clean air for granted.


I'm not knowledgeable about air quality in Chico or Sacramento, but I'm familiar with Merced...it's in the Central Valley, what was called the San Joaquin Valley when I was growing up. It's an agricultural area, so in addition to air pollution from cars, there is dust, & even though I'm no farmer, there is residual stuff in the air from it...and it just gets trapped in the valley, especially during the long, hot summers. When you can see the air, it's bad.

I have relatives in Simi Valley, it's basically over the hill from LA, not as vast as the San Fernando Valley and, in my opinion, better air quality, at least when I visited. It's quite suburban...housing tracts, shopping centers...gets very hot in summer, but that's what a/c is for. It's fairly safe...many LAPD live there & raise their families there. The schools have a good rep.

Temecula is an area I'm very familiar with...it, & its neighbor, Murrieta, have grown like crazy in the past 20+ years...this area was ranch land. Oddly enough, Temecula gets a breeze through the canyon that helps to cool it. IMO, the breeze has been cut back considerably by all the development, but my friends in Temecula say it's still there. Most people have a/c...some do not. The air quality is not too bad, for inland SoCal. The area is popular with families, due to good schools & relative safety. Some people, including my friends, commute to jobs in San Diego from Temecula. I think they're crazy, but, hey, that's me, I've "done my time" regarding CA commuting.

If I had to choose between all these areas, it would be Chico in NorCal & Temecula in SoCal, & not even consider Merced.

Regarding the heat...CA heat is mostly dry. IMO that's easier to deal with than humid heat, like Florida. I think Florida is lovely, but the humidity, to me, was a killer.
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Old 07-11-2017, 02:55 AM
 
65 posts, read 112,118 times
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Tehachapi. Mountain/high desert. Next to southernmost Sierras. Work in Lancaster just don't live there.
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Old 07-11-2017, 02:11 PM
 
266 posts, read 334,417 times
Reputation: 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by logybogy View Post
How does the air quality in Simi Valley and Temecula in Southern California compare to Merced, Sacramento, and Chico?

Air quality is something I never really considered. I live in Florida now and I guess I just take the clean air for granted.
Merced, sac and chico are about the same In air quality! Very little difference between them. Merceds air is much improved from just ten years ago, I'd at least visit there.

Riverside/ san bernardino city seem to have the worst air in Ca nowadays. I think theyve officially surpassed the southern San Joaquin for worse air in state. We just need a new study for verification purposes.

Temecula air is about equal to the northern cities you listed(Not great, but not horrible). Simi valley has the best air out of the cities you listed.

Last edited by Flovis; 07-11-2017 at 02:29 PM..
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:13 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,500,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by logybogy View Post
How does the air quality in Simi Valley and Temecula in Southern California compare to Merced, Sacramento, and Chico?

Air quality is something I never really considered. I live in Florida now and I guess I just take the clean air for granted.
My favorite website is wunderground.com. You can get historical data, plus you can see the air quality data.

I have personally encountered terrible air quality in the Yolo County and Sacramento County areas and it's really bad. I have personally seen the airplanes spreading whatever it is they spread over the fields. I've seen the rice paddies being burned, and massive fields being plowed, resulting in all of that soil being turned up into the air, and the smoke and the chemicals, etc.

And I have had a hard time breathing - and I don't have any medical problems regarding respiratory illnesses. The inland valley is terrible as far as air quality because of the agri-business.

It's not bad when you get farther north. But, you should check the data. Some decent data can be found on wunderground.com, but I think there are also government websites with good info, too.
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Old 07-12-2017, 01:02 AM
 
Location: California
1,726 posts, read 1,721,547 times
Reputation: 3771
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Graves View Post
If you're planning to look into SoCal, and still want trees, then come check out the cities of Banning, Beaumont, Calimesa, and/or Yucaipa. Higher elevation, cooler weather (still gets quite a bit hot up there), small-town and old-timey vibes, more greenery (though the grass dries up during the summer), more open spaces, amazing views of the surrounding mountain ranges, couple of hours away from LA, beaches, etc., lower crime rates, and LOTS of large, mature, green trees! In addition, all four cities are not that far from Indian Wells, Ontario, and Riverside, which, as you previously mentioned, are where some of your offices are located.
I don't know about Calimesa and Yucaipa, but I haven't observed very many non-Hispanic whites in either Banning or Beaumont, and the ones I do see out and about are usually senior citizens. This is fairly standard for the Inland Empire outside of the Temecula Valley.
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Old 07-12-2017, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Southern California
372 posts, read 576,202 times
Reputation: 560
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarciaMarshaMarcia View Post

Temecula is an area I'm very familiar with...it, & its neighbor, Murrieta, have grown like crazy in the past 20+ years...this area was ranch land. Oddly enough, Temecula gets a breeze through the canyon that helps to cool it. IMO, the breeze has been cut back considerably by all the development, but my friends in Temecula say it's still there. Most people have a/c...some do not. The air quality is not too bad, for inland SoCal. The area is popular with families, due to good schools & relative safety. Some people, including my friends, commute to jobs in San Diego from Temecula. I think they're crazy, but, hey, that's me, I've "done my time" regarding CA commuting.

If I had to choose between all these areas, it would be Chico in NorCal & Temecula in SoCal, & not even consider Merced.

Regarding the heat...CA heat is mostly dry. IMO that's easier to deal with than humid heat, like Florida. I think Florida is lovely, but the humidity, to me, was a killer.
I live on the west side of Murrieta, very close to Wildomar, and I still get a great afternoon breeze.
Yesterday afternoon it was 92 here, but pretty comfortable in the shade--and downright chilly when I got out of the pool!

We have A/C, and I've just started running it around 11-noon and then late afternoon for an hour or so. The back of our house, which contains our kitchen and main living area, faces SW and gets a little stuffy, so I run A/C to cool it off just a bit.

The rest of the time we use ceiling fans and stay comfortable.
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Old 07-12-2017, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Northern California
130,230 posts, read 12,099,804 times
Reputation: 39036
They don't burn the rice paddies so much any more. I have lived in Paradise for just over a year, & we go to Chico at least once a week, & I love looking down at the rice paddies. We also drive further once a month or so. I have not seen any burnt. Now they use alternate methods



American Commodity Company » The Facts About California Rice Production

Air Quality : Calrice

I have not noticed anything bad about the air quality here.
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Old 07-12-2017, 11:20 AM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,395,091 times
Reputation: 9328
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goin' Coastal View Post
I live on the west side of Murrieta, very close to Wildomar, and I still get a great afternoon breeze.
Yesterday afternoon it was 92 here, but pretty comfortable in the shade--and downright chilly when I got out of the pool!

We have A/C, and I've just started running it around 11-noon and then late afternoon for an hour or so. The back of our house, which contains our kitchen and main living area, faces SW and gets a little stuffy, so I run A/C to cool it off just a bit.

The rest of the time we use ceiling fans and stay comfortable.
I lived on the West side also and just about everyday we turned off the AC about 4PM and opened the windows.

Now as to air quality use airnow.gov and put in a zip code.
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Old 07-12-2017, 01:02 PM
 
Location: Jurupa Valley, CA, USA 92509
1,377 posts, read 2,131,150 times
Reputation: 722
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East View Post
I don't know about Calimesa and Yucaipa, but I haven't observed very many non-Hispanic whites in either Banning or Beaumont, and the ones I do see out and about are usually senior citizens. This is fairly standard for the Inland Empire outside of the Temecula Valley.
All of these cities I mentioned and suggested to the OP are non-Hispanic white majority (even Banning and Beaumont), with Hispanics being the largest minority group. Are you positive that you had not witnessed much non-Hispanic whites within a younger demographic (say, 20's, 30's, or 40's) in either Banning or Beaumont?
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