Temecula vs Winchita vs Murrieta vs French Valley? Moving asap! (Riverside: HOA, high crime)

[cooksietotem]

My husband just got a job at Hemet. Looking into those four places to live. We have 3 kids 11b, 7g, 2b. I want a not too far supermarket, small mall will do (or target, walmart at least), home depot would be great... no idea what are in these towns. I come from a small border town but in the best subdivision. My husbands commute should be 30 minutes max to Hemet. Want a safe, family friendly area..gated the better. Please give me names of subdivisions so I can further my research. We want 3000sqft and up homes, year 2012 and up or we can build too. Not care so much about the weather, used to HEAT. Possible activities for kids in these areas? Family friendly sites? Badly want to get in the Temecula Preparatory School but I saw that it is by lottery...so hoping for a good school near that area til we get in that school. Moving maybe next week..just learned about this yesterday..THANK YOUin advance!!!!!!

[Ghosted]

I personally like Temecula. It's has a lot of shopping and is a nice looking area. I think it has pretty good schools and is a fairly safe area. That would be my pick.

[joyfulblue]

I'm in San Jacinto, which is right next to Hemet. Depending on the part of Hemet your husband will be working in, Temecula and parts of Murrieta will likely be too far if you want to keep the commute under 30 minutes. It typically takes us about 40-60 minutes to get to most parts of Murrieta and Temecula. There is a nice area off Murrieta Hot Springs Road and Pourroy Road that might be a good place for you to check out. Lots of large homes recently built there and it's a good, safe area. It will be close to plenty of shopping and good schools as well. Temecula would be within 10 minutes or so and there are tons of kids activities there.

[EllleElle]

I would also recommend the neighborhoods off Murrieta Hot Springs Rd and Pourroy Rd. The three main subdivisions right there are Rancho Bella Vista, Central Park, and Roripaugh Ranch. All of these neighborhoods are in the Temecula school district, even though they are in unincorporated Riverside county, so the addresses may list either Murrieta or Temecula depending on whether you're north or south of Murrieta Hot Springs. Should be a decent commute for your husband, though it can make a significant difference based on where his job is in Hemet. Roripaugh Ranch is a brand new neighborhood and I believe they intend for it to be gated at build out. Just a heads up regarding Temecula Prep, they receive over 1,000 applications for handful of spots each year. I don't say that to discourage you, obviously some people do get those spots, I just want you to have a realistic picture of how difficult it can be to get into that school. That said, the Temecula School District is rated pretty well and the neighborhood schools are great. Plenty of shopping down off of Winchester Rd. The whole area is very family oriented and it's easy to find activities and sports for kids in any of the areas listed.

[stefanwest]

I would say Murrieta or maybe Temecula. The Prep school is open to people outside of Temecula, so keep applying. I have friends in Wildomar, Temecula, Winchester, Murrieta that have all gotten in!

BUT schools are great in Murrieta and Temecula. I am in Murrieta and love it. My kids are 12 and 10 and schools are amazing. Crime is super low in both areas but Murrieta ranked higher recently as #4 safest city in US - think USA Today did the list, not sure. Temecula was like #7 or something.

Tons of stores, plenty of gated communities if you want that. Really great areas and more gated type places in Temecula than Murrieta. I think gated can be overkill out here. What is your price point? That will help but there are plenty of 3000 Square foot homes. How long are you living out here for?

Stefan

[lndshk]

Why not just live in Hemet?

[Tolerance999]

Originally Posted by lndshk

Why not just live in Hemet?

High crime, meth, avoid. The commute from Menifee, murrieta, and temecula is worth it.

How do the schools in Menifee compare with murrieta and temecula?

[stefanwest]

Need a bit more information and I can recommend communities all day. There aren't many gated but in Murrieta try Greer Ranch. In Temecula, more gated communities in Red Hawk, and then very organzied HOA centric communities like Paseo Del Sol, Crowne Hill, Morgan Hill, Chardonnay Hills.

All will be 30 minutes out. French Valley is closer to Hemet but you have to pay close attention to teh schools. You could look in Spencer's Crossing but that isn't gated and keep a close eye on schools for HS. I can help more if I know more info.

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