San Bernardino CA (Sacramento, Pomona, Fontana: 2015, rent, homes)

[elizzie4000]

Did you check Redlands, Alta Loma, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace? Riverside is large. I'm sure there are parts of it that are better than others. I haven't lived there in years so others will have to let you know.

It's really said what's happened to San Bernardino. My family moved to Rialto when I was 5 yrs old. My Dad had planted 20 acres of Avocados on Riverside. We kids could leave in he morning walk all over town and not come back until dinnertime. San Bernardino was the City. It's where the stores like Harris' was. After graduating from Eisenhower I went to SBVC. But by then things had already started changing for a few years and I couldn't wait to move and did at the first opportunity.

I've been 'shocked' the last times I've been in SB by what I've seen. It's just sad.

So, I back up others who have advised not to live in SB.

[O.C. Ogilvy]

The link below lists San Bernardino as the 18th most dangerous city in the United States, one spot ahead of(more dangerous than) Springfield, MA and one spot behind(less dangerous than) Dayton, OH.

In terms of California cities, San Bernardino is 3rd most dangerous after Richmond and Compton. It ranks ahead of #4 Oakland.

Too bad the Mormons left.

City Crime Rankings by Population Group

[coltoncity]

Originally Posted by Ulysses61

Sorry, but I put Fontana way, way lower than either Rialto or especially Colton. Most people in the IE consider Fontana a cheap hell hole.

You think so? I think Rialto is just awful and ya Colton you need to watch out too. I keep hearing FOntana is getting a lot better. I wouldnt live in Rialto.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by butterpipe

San Bernardino went downhill because residents were very tolerant of druggies and gangstas. The good people packed up and left.

Its decline was due to a lot more than that. You've got to admire the people who stayed on when the economy first started to decline there. http://graphics.latimes.com/san-bernardino-pride/

[SaschaB]

This sounds unkind, but I'd say few people move TO Southern California to thrive and prosper. it absolutely can be done, but even the average working family with a sensible budget will only just get by.
Housing and taxes tend to be very high, and the housing gets more expensive as you seek out better rated public school districts.
If you are moving to be closer to family, for instance, or a fantastic paying job, I can see why people might move here-- but speaking only for myself and a few friends I know who have left the state, we seek to relocate elsewhere to give our kids an economic chance.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Thanks for the link, CA4Now...very interesting article, very well-written.

I remember the San Bernardino that the long-time residents talk about...it was a pleasant, thriving city. I know several people who grew up there. It's hard to believe what has happened to it...ruination on a level with Detroit, almost, yet there it is in SoCal.

[underdog50]

I grew up in Long Beach, and also worked for years in Inglewood, so I'm very familiar with the so-called "bad" areas of L.A. (Compton, Watts, South Central, etc. etc.). Never felt scared or uncomfortable driving through those parts... but driving through the streets of a good chunk of the City of San Bernadino, I get nervous. lol. (I occasionally do business in downtown SB as well as Highland and will drive on surface streets between the two). Could be because I'm 20 yrs older now and driving what's considered a nice car, though. Or I'm just soft now. But yeah, head on a swivel driving through parts of SB. I never feel the need for that anywhere else in SoCal.

[kirby10]

Yes, it is "better", and more expensive relative to San Bernardino. I suggest reposting.

[sacreole]

My nephew who is a LAPD cop lives in Fontana, so it's not bad. But like all the other posters have commented, San Bernardino has seen better days. Definitely consider the adjacent cities of Redlands, Loma Linda, Yucaipa, Calimesa, Riverside and Corona.

[AFtrEFkt]

I lived in the I.E. (Berdoo, Rialto, Colton) in 1990-1995, and the best areas were north of the 30 and south of the I-10, and I'm fairly certain that hasn't changed.

That said, I wouldn't live anywhere within the city limits of San Bernardino nowadays.