Moving from MI to Fontana, help need advice on good neighborhoods, schools...etc

[Fantasm]

Originally Posted by BeckyMI

Im a little concerned about the high school there, since there are so many students but i guess she will have to get use to it, it may take a bit going from a less then 1,000 student high school to what the h.s has in hysperia.

So how is she taking to the school? Im curious to see how the difference is effecting her.

[Educatorspeakingtruth]

Good Luck to you finding what you're looking for! I would live north of the 210fwy if you want to stay in Fontana. Also put your kids in the Chaffey school district or in private schools. Fontana schools have riots 2-3 times each year. Here is a site you may find helpful! Stay away from San Bernardino! It is the third most dangerous city in California (1. Compton 2. Oakland 3. San Bernardino) If you don't believe me? check out the cities newspaper online: already since January of 2007 there have been 31 Homicides! ! ! ! ! 53 in 2006


California School Ratings

San Bernardino County Sun - Homicide2007 (http://www.sbsun.com/homicide2007 - broken link)

[a73babe]

I would agree w/JoyCa, North Fontana in the Etiwanda school district is the place to go, if you can afford it. School district and good neighborhoods make this the place to be.

[BetuliaJ]

Hi Becky, I moved out of NORTH Fontana last year. We were there for 7 years. I lived in East Heritage. That's between Baseline and Foothill. I used to love that neighborhood. Again this is NORTH Fontana. We had a great elem. school.( ETIWANDA School District)..... Wonderful principal (Mrs. Carlmark) the best teachers( Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Cannell, ....) nice , clean, well kept, safe neighborhood........ We bought a brand new beautiful house there...........Well, That was then, now I think Heritage has been going downhill for a while, I was happy to leave. I agree with someone else who said that further up north is much better. Etiwanda School District, I hear , is still very highly acclaimed. Try Hunter's Ridge ( Straight up Cherry) . Personally I would have LOVED to live in Rancho Cucamonga or better yet Alta Loma(NORTH). But it's pretty expensive. And watch out for the Winds. Very Very Strong!!!!!!! As far as Fontana. Anywhere south of Foothill is bad. Maybe even south of Baseline. I would not go there at night.

[redcoff]

Hi Becky,

I grew up in Fontana, graduated from High School there and both my parents and in-laws still live there. I'm very famaliar with the surrounding area and I would say that if your husband works in Fontana (as does mine) you might check out the cities of Loma Linda, Redlands and Yucaipa. We live in Redlands and the drive to Fontana is about 20 minutes, about 30-40 in rush hour.

Avoid Colton, Grand Terrace, Rialto and Bloomington and Fontana as areas to live in. Loma Linda has a large 7th Day Adventist population (post office and banks are closed on Saturdays) and has a medical university in town. It's a littler busier than Redlands but it has good schools. Yucaipa is another choice, there has been a lot of growth in that area, it used to be a but rural. It has plenty of stores now and has had a huge housing growth in Chapman Heights. Lots of families in that area. Redlands is our choice because we enjoy the historic and artsy atmosphere. The schools are very good, especially on the South part of town. We have some beautiful old craftsman style and Victorian homes here. Those are the areas I would recommend.
As for Riverside, all my extended family lives there and it has gotten extremely crowded in the last 5 years or so. Driving anywhere in Riverside is horrible and the neighborhoods are really hit and miss. You might have a gangbanger house next door to a hovel next door to a $700,000 home. Plus housing/rent is still really overpriced in that area.

Let me know if you have any questions about the area that I can help with.

[cmla2]

I know someone who lives in Fontana, basically there are some really bad parts of the city. My friend lives in the Etiwanda School District, it's supposed to be really good, probably the best in that area, so I'd recommend looking for something in that district. She has one kid in elementary and one in high school and has been very happy with the school. I grew up in Grand Terrace (about 45 min. or so, depending where in Fontana your hubby will be working) and it's a great place to live, not much to do though. Pretty much it's surrounded by bad areas and the kids go to Colton high school (not a great school) but they are supposed to be building a high school out there (they've been talking about it for YEARS though)! Some areas of Riverside are nice but I don't think the schools are that great. I live in Murrieta now and have been happy with the schools. Murrieta would be about an hour or so from Fontana.

[loyaltubist]

Clarifying the schools in Rancho Cucamonga: There is not one school district... There are FIVE school districts! Check out the following:
1. Central School District (former community of Cucamonga, grades K-8)
2. Cucamonga School District (former community of Cucamonga, grades K-8)
3. Alta Loma School District (former community of Alta Loma, grades K-8)
4. Etiwanda School District (Etiwanda and part of Fontana, grades K-8)
5. Chaffey Joint Union High School District (entire city, Montclair, and Ontario, based in Ontario, grades 9-12)

One school district? Surely you jest!

[loyaltubist]

I should add about Loma Linda... the good school (singular) is a Seventh Day Adventist private school, the Loma Linda Academy. The public schools are part of the Redlands Unified School District. Some of the students in Loma Linda are in the San Bernardino City and Colton Joint Unified School Districts.

[workmanIE]

Becky, I live in Riverside almost in Corona and commute daily to Rialto which is next to Fontana. The drive is fine (19 miles) and against traffic. It takes me 30 minutes to and 40 home. BUT....Fontana and the surrounding area is awful! I currently have my home for sale. I bought it in 2003 for $289,000, in 2006 it was worth $625,000 and now can't sell it for $529,000. Housing is a big issue here along with crime and the influx of illegal aliens. The weather is ok but the area is horrible. I am from No. Cali and just hate it here. Moving to Denver shortly....yeah! Did I mention just how awful the IE is. It's absolutely deplorable. I work for a school district and thank goodness my children are grown. Good Luck....I think the Inland Empire is the worst part of California.

[CMYK]

Originally Posted by workmanIE

Becky, I live in Riverside almost in Corona and commute daily to Rialto which is next to Fontana. The drive is fine (19 miles) and against traffic. It takes me 30 minutes to and 40 home. BUT....Fontana and the surrounding area is awful! I currently have my home for sale. I bought it in 2003 for $289,000, in 2006 it was worth $625,000 and now can't sell it for $529,000. Housing is a big issue here along with crime and the influx of illegal aliens. The weather is ok but the area is horrible. I am from No. Cali and just hate it here. Moving to Denver shortly....yeah! Did I mention just how awful the IE is. It's absolutely deplorable. I work for a school district and thank goodness my children are grown. Good Luck....I think the Inland Empire is the worst part of California.

If your entire opinion of the IE is based on your living, commuting, and working in the area from Riverside to Rialto I would say the IE sucks too!!

But that's like saying that LA sucks because I live in North Hollywood and commute to Compton, or that Denver sucks because I live in Westminster and commute to Aurora.

I would venture a guess that you don't get over to the "surrounding areas" of Fontana like Rancho Cucamonga, Alta Loma, Etiwanda, North Fontana, etc. very much???