From South Minneapolis to South California... But what city? (Riverside: salon, to rent)

[BloodyPage]

Hey, I am a 20 year old woman who lives with her 5 year old brother and 42 year old mother, we've been wanting to move to the southern California area to be closer to family in Palm Springs, but I'd like to be closer to L.A. for continuing my education in the beauty industry. Driving an hour or so to and from class is not a huge deal for me, so we've compiled a list of cities and would love if you had any pros and cons about them.

We currently live in a artsy but rough neighborhood, you'd almost say both "ghetto" and "hipster"-- Midtown/Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, MN.
I will have recieved both my Esthiology and Cosmetology liscenses by the time of the move, my mother has experience in PCA work, and my brother just needs a good education.

the cities/areas we have on our list are:

Fontana
Riverside
Moreno Valley
Lakeview
Cherry Valley
Bloomington
Banning
Hemet
Norco

[Fontucky]

Please state how much you can afford and where you plan to work.

[BloodyPage]

I'm honestly not sure how much right now, that highly depends on what sort of salon or spa I get a job at-- but the goal is to be a stylist at a salon or find work as an esthetician at a day spa. So right now I'm more curious about what the areas are like.

[wil45]

Interesting.. I've been a hairstylist for years and lived in S. Minneapolis/ currently living in Denver but would love to "retire" in Palm Springs. Great minds think alike!

[Fontucky]

Fontana: North of the 210 freeway is good.

Riverside: Plenty of Riverside topics here, a few very recent. Do a search, as we tend to get tired of repeating ourselves.

Moreno Valley

Lakeview

Cherry Valley: Recommended; somewhat rural

Bloomington: Not recommended

Banning

Hemet

Norco: Excellent choice

[bhcompy]

Norco is probably the best of the bunch. That said, haven't lived there for over 10 years and it's no longer the horse town it once was, so can't say much about it's current state

[dodgerkim]

I currently live in Fontana and I think its a decent place to live. I must warn you, living in southern California is not cheap. Gas prices are ridiculous ($4.35 @ampm as of 3/19/12). This should be a major factor since you are considering driving to work an hour a way. I must warn you also of the traffic. the overpaths in south fontana get really crowded between 2-5pm. But there are many elementary schools on the south side of the 10 freeway. Houses on the market are around $200,000. to rent a 3 bed room and 2 bath is about $1,500 a month.