Diamond Bar, Chino Hills, or Walnut? (West Covina, Covina: 2015, rentals, low crime)

[DrMaru]

Hey community! My family is moving for work reasons from NYC. My wife's work is in Chino and I may have a job there too. Here are my questions.

- Is a realtor recommended or even necessary for renting a property? (We are looking at 4 Bd+, 2 bath+ houses) Any thoughts on this?

- How soon should we be looking at places for a June 2015 move in?

- As the title implies, what are pros and cons of Chino Hills, Diamond Bar, Walnut? Any pther areas suggested?

We are a medical family with 1 child in kindergarten and the other almost pre-k. Looking at elementary schools, ease of driving, access to parks, diversity, safety, etc etc

Thanks everyone for you thoughts and opinions!!!

[fromcatoca]

I'm also looking to move into IE so I'm by no means an expert Just trying to offer my 2 cents based on past experience and online research.

1. I've rented many times before and only once used an agent which was part of the relocation package from a previous employer. I don't think you really need one. Most, if not all, information is available online. But if you are new to an area and need some advice from local and most importantly, need somebody drives you around to look at open houses, then an agent will be helpful. Otherwise I prefer not to have one and do things at my own speed.

2. It's not too early to look and get more information of your interested areas. You just need to look for rentals with a starting date close to your arrival date. I guess you can negotiate with the landlords to see whether they are willing to wait.

3. From what I read online, all three areas you listed are nice. For school districts, it seems Walnut>Diamond Bar>Chino Hills, and it's the same order in terms of affordability.

[c2002]

Walnut is the best on your list.

Diamond Bar is a pretty close second, so if there's a noticeable price difference you should consider Diamond Bar.

Parts of Chino Hill are very nice. But it borders Chino which is not a good neighborhood.

I get the sense Chino Hill is a younger neighborhood so if you like to hang out with younger people maybe you would enjoy that more. Chino Hill also has better stores (like Trader Joe's) and lots of shopping options.

Diamond Bar and Walnut is more quieter residential areas. I live in Diamond Bar and I'm kind of sad that we only have 1-2 supermarkets within 5 minute driving distance.

You really can't go wrong with any of these three cities.

[genjy]

Originally Posted by c2002

Diamond Bar and Walnut is more quieter residential areas. I live in Diamond Bar and I'm kind of sad that we only have 1-2 supermarkets within 5 minute driving distance.

You really can't go wrong with any of these three cities.

Diamond Bar is definitely very residential--surrounded by hills too. Gotta drive through that pass to get to Brea to spend money.

At least Walnut is right next to Covina and West Covina. Plenty of shopping and restaurants in those two neighboring cities.

[Dunbar42]

You should post this question in the Inland Empire forum.

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-b...side-counties/

[Joe Van Fossen]

They all have different things to offer, but I wouldn't say either are necessarily better.

Chino Hills has the most shopping and I end up going there pretty often for things like Trader Joe's, Best Buy, Costco, etc. All three have a lot of nice parks and well performing schools. Chino Hills is probably the least convenient for commuting to LA or OC, but the most convenient for commuting to Chino (though DB and Walnut aren't that difficult of a commute to Chino.

Chino Hills tends to be more affordable than Walnut and Diamond Bar, and Walnut definitely has a high concentration of million+ homes (Diamond Bar does too, in the Country and some other areas). Walnut is probably the most expensive when it comes to rent and Diamond Bar #2.

I grew up in Diamond Bar and moved back several years ago, so I'm partial to it, but personally I could live in either city.

[TheGreatUnwashed]

Originally Posted by Dunbar42

You should post this question in the Inland Empire forum.

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-b...side-counties/

Walnut and Diamond Bar are both LA County. Chino Hills is Inland Empire though.

[BeatAngMoh]

Both Diamond Bar and Walnut have majority (50% to 60+%) Asian populations while Chino Hills is about 33%. Great areas with good demographics, low crime, etc.

Snoop Dog, the rapper, is a resident of Diamond Bar.