Need advice from Southern California Residents (Los Angeles, San Diego: cliquey, houses, neighborhoods)

[bad debt]

Originally Posted by V8 Vega

Yes it's that bad. Only a fool or very rich or very poor would move here. It's great if your a criminal, pervert, illegal alien, homeless, or a goverment union employee. Everybody else you pay, pay pay and constantly getting worse.

What if I'm a middle class Republican criminal pervert union employee. Is it good or bad?

[bad debt]

Originally Posted by SUPbud

all it takes is money. everything else is a detail.

This is the correct answer. OP you said your family isn't wealthy. That's a major impediment if you're looking to move to coastal OC.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by bad debt

What if I'm a middle class Republican criminal pervert union employee. Is it good or bad?

Move to D.C. perfect fit!

[Amy WJ]

Originally Posted by helencody

Thank you all for the comments. I appreciate your help.
I have been struggling about making a move for a few years, in fear of making a mistake again. Las Vegas has not been good to us. We lost our business and home during the housing crash in 2008. For years, we struggled financially with low paying jobs. We've rented in supposedly nice areas that had drug dealer/meth lab neighbors. We even rented a condo where the owner was not paying his mortgage and just collecting rent from us. We found a foreclosure notice on our door and a 3 day notice to move.

My mom passed away in 2013 and I inherited her very nice condo in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas. So now, thankfully we have no mortgage. I'm just emotionally drained from everything that has happened to us over the years in this town. Believe it or not Vegas is very boring since we don't gamble, drink or go to the strip.

You are right about the IE, Taco Soup. I have lived in Corona, and Temecula and although the IE is similar to Vegas, it's still only a half an hour from the beach. Well, maybe an hour on weekend 91 frwy traffic.

We are going to make a decision on whether to sell our condo and move, soon. We are just looking for a better lifestyle and I don't think Vegas is right for me.

Once again thanks for all your help everyone.

I know exactly how you feel. You're already living in the best area that Vegas has to offer so you know it won't get any better where you are. We live in Laughlin and it's just too hot to do anything outdoors in the summer except sit in the lake. Although the IE gets hot, it's nowhere near as hot as this heat. So we're looking to move to SoCal, too. Lots of year-round outdoor activities there, not to mention decent healthcare, food options, shopping, etc. Yes, you pay the price but I think it will be worth it. I also lived there before (San Dimas, Riverside) and am well aware of the downsides. I hope you go for it! Some say you only live once; the reality is you only die once. You live every day so make it count!

How did you like Temecula? It's one area we're considering.

[bad debt]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Move to D.C. perfect fit!

Yeah I feel I would fit right in

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by helencody

I'm just emotionally drained from everything that has happened to us over the years in this town. Believe it or not Vegas is very boring since we don't gamble, drink or go to the strip.

What about Henderson?

[SUPbud]

Originally Posted by helencody

although the IE is similar to Vegas, it's still only a half an hour from the beach. Well, maybe an hour on weekend 91 frwy traffic.

I could "quantify it" with some population graphs and census data, but 15 years is a long time. The number of people has increased, and traffic is worse. So lets be real, solid hour to get to the beach. Maybe on the WAY BACK AFTER DARK, you'll see 45 mins. But it aint no half-hour unless you are leaving from Corona and you got a flying start, counting only fwy time and not your-front-door-to-park-at-brookhurst beach lot for $14.


Between city-data, google maps traffic estimates, zillow.com/rent.com you've got all the websites in the world to look-n-see without leaving your living room. So that's the decision you have to make for your family and your situation. The quality of life and choice of entertainments and throng of people - I think - is unmatched. LA SUCKS all the talent and beauty and money for a 7-state-radius TO HERE. But I wouldn't move here if I was less than the median income for the neighborhood you land in.



Good luck whatever you decide.

[wac_432]

Even though we live within walking distance of the beach in a smallish SoCal coastal town, we visit the Azusa-ish part of the IE for all the good Chinese food, botanical gardens, outdoor malls, and events. If you like civic stuff and can live within a reasonable distance of the Gold Line, you can get in and out of some great parts of LA (Science Center, Union Station, stadium area) without having to worry about traffic.

I've got family that moved from Carlsbad to Escondido, and they like the area. So even though I live on and am a proponant of the coasts, there's plenty of good stuff a bit inland. San Bernadino is a fun place, along with other inland, beach, and mountain destinations, but you'll want a flexible work schedule so you can go to the touristy places during low times. Otherwise you're looking at a lot of frustrating traffic and hordes of people. If you can flex your schedule, doing fun stuff on on-holiday Mondays and Tuesdays is dreamy.

Can't speak to the desert or further inland. I only go that way to watch rocket launches and airshows.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I don't know how anyone could do it as a family. We bought our house in 98 for 150,000 but have remodeled twice. Two kids. We all drive used cars. For the first time we are well north of an annual 150,000 income and we still have a fairly meager existence. We couldn't buy back our own house today appraised at 760,000. Our fuel bill in usually around 800 a month and SDG&E bill around 2-300.

College tuition is up next. Not looking forward to it. We are just a few years from punching out and honestly, we'll probably enjoy it here more then than trying to survive here. I could literally buy both of my kids a house after selling ours in many other States.

Politics (which suck) aside you have to plan any type of travel around rush hours now. If I have the need to roll up to Miramar Rd for example, it can easily take me up to an hour to get home. It's 8 miles. It takes us an hour to get to S Bay after 3 pm.

I'm also a gun owner so there is that

[helencody]

Hi Amy,

I lived in Temecula in the early 90's before all the new development in the area. There was no Pechanga or mall and I don't even remember Walmart being in that area yet.

It was a beautiful picturesque town with a wonderful old town with antique shops and cafes. Today, it's got lots of shopping and dining. There's lots to do there, lunch at the Wineries or camping in Lake Skinner. It's one of my favorite towns.

The only drawback is long commutes for residents that work in Orange or LA county. Home prices are less, but the long commutes gets tiring eventually.