Moving from South Jersey to Lake Elsinore, CA (Los Angeles, San Diego: ski resorts, city hall)

[JAZIA]

Hello,
Can some one advise on the following address in Lake Elsinore, CA..
31724 Canyon Estates Dr. 92532..
Let me know how the area is . I have kids ranging ages are from 5-15..




Thanks
Jazia

[Sage of Sagle]

East side of the freeway isn't bad. A bit of a noisy area since the freeway comes real close in that area. One issue is that grape street gets really crowded, and it's the only way most people have in/out of that neighborhood.

On a map, it looks like you're close to Canyon Lake, but it's not. Canyon Lake is a private city around the lake. We lived there for 2 years, great place, at least it was in the 90's, and it just got more expensive after we left according to our friends. But if you go way up the scary steep hill (Summerhill Drive) to the houses up top, some of them do have a lake view.

Point is, from what I recall, your area was pretty decent with new homes and families, and it's not the bad part of Lake Elsinore. I'd talk to someone who knows that area more recently....but I thought I'd answer up in case nobody else does.

IF your budget allows, I would move a couple miles up the hill to Canyon Lake. If I ever relocated back to that area, I would love to live in Canyon Lake again....I just can't handle the heat in that area. We spent a couple summers above 115 deg in the days, barely dropping down toward 90 at night...Canyon Lake was a growing up kids' paradise...

[socketz]

Why Lake Elsinore ? I'd go South into Temecula/Murietta if I were you. Much better schools and lower crime. better sense of community as well.

I'm not a fan at all of Lake Elsinore.

[JAZIA]

Hello...
Thank you for taking out the time to help.
Are you familar with the address?
On Canyon Estates Drive...

Thanks
Jeannie

[brokendreams]

The area you're moving to is just BARELY Lake Elsinore, and is actually geographically closer to Wildomar, which is a "buffer" town in between L.E and Murrieta.

I've lived in Wildomar/L.E for the past 24 years, and I can say this... In my area (about 5-8 miles from that address) there is very little NOTICABLE crime. No shootings, no murders, no robberies. We used to have a meth problem for a little while, but it seems to be very cleaned up now.

Lake Elsinore, on the west side of the 15, up towards and off main street is still very... poor. Lots of undesirables. Good thing all the shopping and groceries are south of that area.


As far as surroundings go? Well, you're an hour from everything. The desert, the mountains, the ocean, L.A, San Diego. We are very central.

Temecula has a mall, lots of restaurants/bars. Pechanga Resort and Casino is 10 minutes out of the main Temecula strip, and there are several more casinos within 30 minutes.

Most likely, your oldest will be attending Temescal Canyon High. Good school, relatively new buildings. My High Schools arch-nemesis, so I can't comment anymore than that. The other high school in the area is Elsinore High, which was just recently renovated. Both are decent public schools.

The one "premier" private school in the area is Cornerstone. It's also a church, so you can expect christian-centric education. While I don't agree with the religion, the teaching is excellent (my sister has attended there for a number of years, and she is now in H.S) and the school focuses (it may have changed, don't take my word on it) on the performing arts.

I BELIEVE you are going to be located near Canyon lake. That's a good thing. Our nicest part of town.

[JAZIA]

Thank you for taking out the time.
I really have not made up my mind on which area I will be relocating to.
I have a couple of places to choose from.

1. Lake Elsinore
2.Moreno Valley
3. Lathrop
4. Hesperia

Maybe you can advise on the following also...

Thanks :0)
Jazia

[dusesean1986]

Don't move to Moreno Valley, the demographics have heavily changed. The crime level is way up in Moreno and I'm not sure about Hesperia, it may have an asterik next to it. I'm not sure about the other two.

[JAZIA]

Thanks for your advice.
I will be doing my home work on a couple of cities in CA.
Hopefully I can find a nice area before April..
Please let me know of any areas that you may think that would be a good choice.


Thanks :0)
Jazia

[shekinah]

We have lived in Lake Elsinore for 10 years and watched it grow from about 18k to 36k.
The schools are excellent...the crime rate is low and the people are great! As for the Lake, it does have some problems with algae.

There are two Lake Elsinores:
Old Lake Elsinore which is very rural and has trailer people
New Elsinore which is full of family oriented people. This is the North Lake area.

Elsinore is experience a tremendous growth spert. We have a new city council that understands the demands of this growth and who has worked hard to bring to the city the type businesses necessary to support this growth. They have also recently completed a fabulous boys and girls center late last year. It is now open.

There isn't a lot of entertainment...but plenty of shopping. More shops are coming.

When we purchased our home was only 150k...now it's probably worth 500k.
Would I pay 500k today? Probably not. I would probably move out of state because of the price. Other than that I whole heartedly recommend Lake Elsinore.

Crime has never been a problem. The police a vigilant. We have had a problem with tagging, but a phone call to city hall usually get results in less than 24 hours.

I am from Los Angeles County...my wife and I wanted a smaller town feel to raise our daughters in. They are in college now. Temecula is like Orange County...overcrowded and unfriendly. Lake Elsinore is just the opposite.

Shekinah

[extradriving]

Well, I thought I was the only one with this dillemma. You know, there is a big difference in cities like Lathrop and Hesperia. I looked all over California when I moved from the Bay Area attempting to find a house under 300k.

1.) Lathrop is extremely overpriced. New homes are sometimes even cheaper towards Mountain House (New town near the Altamont pass, which is a huge plus if your driving into the bay area for a job). Even with a vigilant police force, there is a gang problem since it is so close to Weston Ranch and South Stockton..... which is an extremely bad area. We can top this off with the fact that the town has major sections in a flood plain. Many developments are being built below massive levies that are said be unbreakable, just like in New Orleans. Look up "River Islands" online for a bit more info on Lathrop.

2.) Moreno Valley = Crime.

3.) Lake Elsinore, Murrieta are overall pretty nice. If you want an affordable spot in SoCal thats isolated from Urban LA, this is where to go. But by isolated, I mean isolated. Its nothing like Orange County, which can be good or bad.

4.) I checked into the Hesperia area. My search left me in the nearby town of Adelanto due to the price difference. The huge deterrent to the Victor Valley area (Victorville, Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia) is a lack of infrastructure. By this I mean no 4 year universities and scarce jobs. You face a minimum of 45 minutes of driving to get to San Bernardino over Cajon pass, which is a 4500 ft. pass subject to wind, snow, and fog. If you dont work, and you like heat, this blast furnace is great. If your kids are going to college, or you need to work, I wouldnt be living in Hesperia. Besides, have you ever seen the movie Erin Brockovich? Hesperia is only about 30 minutes from Hinkley. Watch this movie and take in the scenery. It tells all.

To cut it short, I ended up in Modesto 18 months ago. If your not sure where that is, its where Scott Peterson is from. Thats what I told people when I drove to Texas, and somehow everyone seems to know where Modesto is because of that. Its not perfect. But, I got the right price (297k) for a 3BR 2BA 2 Car Garage. I have 2 JC campuses within 1 mile, and a 12 minute drive to CSU Stanislaus. Its 90 minutes to the beach, 90 Minutes to ski resorts, 4 hours to the LA area, and I never find myself trapped in town due to traffic. If you look in Modesto, look towards the Sylvan neighborhood for better schools and a lower crime rate.

I recommend you fly out here and explore California. Different towns are like different states. Prices run under 80k in Modoc County, and in the Millions in San Mateo county. Climate and crime are just as extreme. I drove to all of the places you mentioned in search of an affordable home. Quite simply, its all in what you see.