Considering Temecula Move Questions (San Diego, San Francisco: for sale, how much, big house)

[grovemonkey]

Temecula seems nice and safe. I live in Tokyo and am considering moving here with my family. I was wondering :

1. How accepting do you think the community is of Japanese/Asians and Asian kids. I could always go with a much smaller place in Irvine but I'm really keen on getting a bigger place.

2. I work from home but I'll probably be traveling 2-3 days a week for sales meeting with clients in San Diego, Irvine, IE, LA areas.. maybe SF and etc. Is this area a decent location between all of them? It seems like it is.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[bouncethelight]

Originally Posted by grovemonkey

How accepting do you think the community is of Japanese/Asians and Asian kids.

Your kids will be fine in Temecula!

Originally Posted by grovemonkey

I'll probably be traveling 2-3 days a week for sales meeting with clients in San Diego, Irvine, IE, LA areas.. maybe SF and etc. Is this area a decent location between all of them? It seems like it is.

There really is no such thing as a good location between all of those places - but Temecula is about as good of a compromise as is possible.

I also go to most of those places regularly, and I lived in Fallbrook for a long time. Fallbrook is just over the hills from Temecula, in San Diego County - so I've done what you're suggesting - and if you can avoid rush hour, and go a little later in the day, it's easier!

As for getting to San Francisco on a regular basis, that I haven't done! The nearest airport to Temecula is about an hour away, in Ontario. It's a great little international airport with cheaper parking than most airports - and it's easy to navigate - but they tend to have fewer flights than you'd find if you lived in Orange County. Might want to check that out, before committing to Temecula, if you fly often.

[grovemonkey]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not really sure about how much travel I'll need to do.. but I know our BDM guys in the states do travel occasionally and my role is similar.

My schedule with clients is flexible so setting up appointments later in the day isn't an issue. I think that's one of the reasons I could live that far away and manage to do business from my home. I can suggest times and work around rush hour for client meetings, etc.

[bhcompy]

Also consider that there is a push for a rail from Temecula to SD and that rail into LA/OC/Ventura is available in Corona. May or may not make a difference.

That said, Temecula is a fair compromise given what you stated

[vahnessuh]

We're an Asian family! My husband is Japanese-American (although he's already yonsei) from Hawaii while I'm Filipino. My daughter though looks totally Japanese. We personally know of another family exactly like us who live about 5 minutes away from our house. I've recently came into contact with a Japanese mom who lives in the area but have yet to meet up... so I'm not sure whether she's actually from Japan or have grown up here. My daughter's (who's almost 4) bestfriend is half-Japanese and her mom is my closest friend. She's from Okinawa. Doesn't live in the area but I've been trying to convince her to move here... she comes up here for playdates often though.

[grovemonkey]

That's good information that will make the wife happy. Maybe I can introduce my family to you when we get settled, next year. We love meeting new people. We have a 7 yr. old and a soon-to-be 3 yr old. I'm excited about going to Temecula, though I think it will be a huge change from Tokyo. We live in the city and are walking distance from everything we need but I like the idea of a little slower lifestyle for the wife and kids. Plus, my wife likes hot weather.

[californiapoppy]

Hello!
My grown kids are half-Japanese (father from Tokyo), raised in the SF East Bay in San Ramon. Son is attending Berkeley and daughter lives in Mountain View, Ca.

I'm a very new resident to Temecula and love it here - it's beautiful - but I haven't seen many Asians in the area. That's not to say that your children won't be comfortable or happy here, just that there aren't as many Japanese people living in this area - which means less access to Japanese grocery stores, restaurants, cultural activities, etc.

I would suggest that you and your family spend a few days here in Temecula to get a feel for the place but also visit Irvine and the SF Bay Area before deciding. A big house is great but there's lots more to consider when looking for a new area to call home.

Huge move for you! I wish you the best of luck!!

Linda

[vahnessuh]

californiapoppy is right about the lack of Asian amenities in the area... but you have to understand that Temecula is a fairly new place... it was only in recent years that the place really grew. Back when we were thinking about moving into this area, all I could hear about it is that it's such a caucasian community. However, since we've moved here April this year, we have seen that there is a decent amount of Asian population in the area. While there isn't a Japanese grocery store yet, there is a Filipino market and a small Korean market in the area. I've recently spied a small Filipino market but I've yet to check it out. I know it's not the same as Japanese, but at least you have some places to buy shoyu, dried fish or squid, sacks of rice, etc

I think as more Asians move into this area, there will be growth for Asian amenities. It's already happening.

But then again... if your wife is really hankering for a real Japanese grocery store, you can take a monthly trip down to Clairemont in San Diego to Mitsuwa/Nijiya/Marukai to stock up on your goodies. It does take about an hour to get there but we still go to Mitsuwa... to eat authentic ramen (and other Japanese food) and stock up on mochi for the hubby and Pocky for the daughter.

There are decent sushi places in Temecula (husband is a sushi snob)... however, we take a trip down to our old neighborhood of San Marcos to get authentic Japanese food. It's the nearest place that we know of where the restaurant is owned and run by real Japanese speaking people (as opposed to the usual Koreans). It's about 30 minutes away but we don't mind the drive.

You might notice that I've been mentioning drive a lot. There really is no place here in Temecula that you can just go out and walk to. I think that's going to be a huge adjustment for your wife. That and the super slow pace of life compared to Tokyo. It's going to be really quiet as well. But I hope your wife will take to it. It's just a different kind of lifestyle.

There is a small event that happens every May in Temecula called the Children's Matsuri. It's nothing special really... but it's a great way to meet other Japanese family in the area. We went this year but didn't get to personally meet other families since we went with our friends. Temecula is also a sister city to Nakayama-Daisen... if your wife wants to get involved, this might be a good place for her to volunteer... as a liaison or whatever. They also have an exchange program with grade school or high school kids if you guys are up to it.

When you guys have decided to move here, please don't forget or hesitate to contact us! We're always looking for new friends (we're fairly new to the place so we don't have a lot of friends yet). I'm a stay at home mom with a 3.5 year old daughter and one on the way so I'm always available to meet with your wife if she wants company. If my friend Shuko can't come up here, I can always take your wife down to San Marcos to see her.

Good luck with your decision!

[SoCalTwinkie]

I think you and your family will fit right in here in Temecula. I moved here 11 years ago and I have seen more diversity as to ethnicity since then. Enjoy! Variety is the spice of life!

[grovemonkey]

Originally Posted by bouncethelight

Your kids will be fine in Temecula!



There really is no such thing as a good location between all of those places - but Temecula is about as good of a compromise as is possible.

I also go to most of those places regularly, and I lived in Fallbrook for a long time. Fallbrook is just over the hills from Temecula, in San Diego County - so I've done what you're suggesting - and if you can avoid rush hour, and go a little later in the day, it's easier!

As for getting to San Francisco on a regular basis, that I haven't done! The nearest airport to Temecula is about an hour away, in Ontario. It's a great little international airport with cheaper parking than most airports - and it's easy to navigate - but they tend to have fewer flights than you'd find if you lived in Orange County. Might want to check that out, before committing to Temecula, if you fly often.

How long would you say the commute on off peak times to Irvine, San Diego, LA? I'm not bound by any times on the meetings with the clients so I can set-up meetings with clients and prospects during any time during the day or evening. I figure I'd plan my weekly meetings 2 days out of the week throughout OC or wherever.

I am getting the feeling I'll need to buy a navigation system, though. I reckon the worst part will be the gas money and wear and tear on a new car.