Lake Elsinore??? (Long Beach, Riverside, San Bernardino: foreclosures, first time home buyer, transfer)

[Momma Snider]

The schools are NOT terrible in Lake Elsinore. There are a couple with low test scores, including the one where I work, because most of the students are learning English, but the schools and teachers are great. And there are beautiful neighborhoods with very nice people. You have to find a place where you're comfortable.
I don't like the summer heat, either, and it seems to be more humid than it used to be, making it seem hotter. The temperature is actually a little bit more moderate overall than it was 40 years ago, but we used to only get a week or so of humidity, and now it's usually the whole month of August, at least.

[trmc2007]

Well like I said before- we live in Wildomar not in Elsinore and speaking from my end of town, its pretty quiet. My commute isnt all that bad i get into work in Newport Beach in no time and it doesnt take me 3 hours either. I leave at 5:30am and am at my desk around 7:00am.... commute time even on the days I have to drive from Newport Beach to Garden Grove to Wildomar - I get off work at 5:30pm and am in my driveway by 7:30pm the latest.

New homes DO NOT make a safe neighborhood granted.... but the developers are moving out the not so great to make better and it is improving- like any palce you have good and bad areas and it does depend on what YOU consider safe and what your tolerance level is when it comes to crime- meaning what is it you can deal with and cant deal with. My kids go to Elsinore high and my littlest to a local elementary, no issues at all, teachers are great... I mean they get more attention here in studies from the teachers then they did in the OC. for us it was the right move.. but that is our opinion... I suggest driving around the areas and looking at what is around. DR Horton has great homes so do some others in areas that are changing quickly.

[CantWait2Bthere]

I still don't get why anyone would choose to live in Lake Elsinore.

[trmc2007]

I dont live in Elsinore, but besides that it has some very nice areas-- you (in general speaking ) can wait for it to be completely upgraded then when the prices are good and high you can move in and buy a flush and fart home. Or in general --buy a nice home now with property you know a nice sized lot--and your property value will go up, ours already has.

The area has changed a lot. Unfortuantely peoples opinions do not and most have the typical Calif thought process on things.. negative no matter what the positive.

I dont understand why people would want to pay anywhere from $600k to a Mil if not more for a home in Irvine-that you can touch the house next to you if you stand between them with your arms spread...

[CantWait2Bthere]

TMRC....let me start off by saying I hate to look at things at the glass half empty but when it comes to these forums where people are seriously considering one of the biggest choices in their lives by choosing a new area to live in I would like to offer my input on why I wouldn't recommend Lake Elsinore as my first choice. I live close enough to Lake Elsinore and have spent lots of time in that town this past year and I figure for anyone considering moving to this area it would be a better choice to live in Wildomar or Murrieta.

My child was recruited to attend a charter school in Lake Elsinore for kids gifted in math and science. They sold it as some great opportunity for those kids who were the "cream of the crop". I went ahead and allowed my child to to bussed into the Elsinore school district thinking this was to be something really great. Big dissapointment. I now suspect it was the school's attempt to raise their poor AYP scores by bringing in higher testing kids from other areas.

Nevertheless, I continued to be proactive in my child's education by getting involved in the PTA. It was not so pleasant having to attend PTA meetings that take twice as long as any other school's because every word has to be translated to a group of parents that refuse to learn English. Still, I remained on the board hoping to give whatever time and effort I could to benefit the kids.

For two days myself and another board member went to several local stores and companies hoping to get sponsorships to raise funds for the PTA. We offered to print thier business cards in our annual calendar in exchange for a small donation. What resulted was very few business being willing to do so because most said themselves in their own terms that Lake Elsinore was going downhill. At least three different stores in the downtown historical area complained that they had to move because Lake Elsinore was changing, but they did not describe it in such positive terms.

If Lake Elsinore is already your home town then you have a great chance to improve the quaility of live there. But I know when folks (myself included) see things on the internet they might imagine something that is quite different from reality. A less expensive house, even with the chance it will go up in value, does not a good home make.

[PinkString]

Originally Posted by darlahewitt

Remembering Lake Elsinore
I saw your question , " Is lake Elsinore's reputation bad or good?". I can only say this. In 1978 It was a beautiful place to live! I use to ride my horse everyday in the hills of Lake Elsinore. you might call me a little bit of a dreamer but , the 70's were great! Not a care in the world but, my horse and I. We moved in 1979 with my parents ,sister ,and brothers. We do visit it from time to time. It is sad to see the hills all full of houses and freeways. lake Elsinore was a beautiful country a time ago, still is. You just have to remember how it was in the 70's. I guess to anserw your question, I really don't know if it is full of drugs. But, isn't the whole world full of drugs these days? You just have to know how to work around them, teach, and talk to your children about them everyday.
good luck!
darla

I remember Elsinore from 1969-1971. It was nice and small, a nice country town with a nice lake. I see it's really changed! Drastically! I am disappointed to hear that the lake is now brown and oily. We used to live a few blocks from the lake on Joy street. Can't remember the other cross street. Been too long. There was a Red Garter bar right around the corner.
Many years have passed since my family moved away from there. I'm now in Nevada, and according to alot of posters on these boards, Nevada is also filled with drugs, gangs,etc. It's really not that bad though. Certain area's can be, but where I live it's pretty nice.
There are those that see the glass as half empty or full. The negative posters are no doubt from the half empty planet.

[mkfarnam]

Do they still have the "Sky Diving" school there on the lake?

[CoolCat]

Yes, they still have skydiving. I think they may be moving it because there is a new golf course and a bunch of nice homes planned for that area. They are also building a marina with a huge boat mall over on that side of the lake. Where you can test drive your boat before buying it. BTW the lake is not brown and full of oil. I don't know where these people come up with this stuff. I lived in Santa Monica for 5 years and Lake Elsinore is much safer and the homes are 2 million dollars cheaper. North Lake is a great place to live and with all the new stuff planned the entire city is going to continue to get better. This place has good schools (my girls school has a 10 rating for the state) new shopping, lots of parks, nice mountains, a beautiful lake, and 2500sf homes with large lots in the mid $400's.

[trmc2007]

I am really surprised-- all I read is-- "Elsinore has a bad reputation" can a reputation not improve? change? upgrade? We live close to Elsinore, Wildomar in fact...-- other then your everyday average serial killer in 1995 who was a woman (by the way) and MURDERED in Canyon Lake which is a pretty uppity part of town-- it has been uneventful at least for us. But again there are killers and crime in Redondo Beach and Beverly Hilsl and people still flock to live there. I mean how many times can the people who live here and have moved here form the OC tell you its changing? Not liek we didnt read up on the area and drive around and ask before we uprooted our whole family???!! and peope still harp on the reputation? New buildings, business, homes are being out in.. The crap sections and Meth stuff is leaving.. There is Meth and Pot in Dimond Bar huge homes filled with this stuff-- You have even had some major crimes in beloved Temecula-not to mention Stash Houses for illegals...

Now- I have it nice that I am closer to the freeway and easily pop on and off-the ramps then you guys-there are no waiting at signals like in Temecula which bottles up like crazy even on weekends at Winchester, Murrietta HS and that Calif Oaks or Rancho Calif.... not to mention if traffic is a bit nutty on the way home I can hop off at Cajalco and take Temescal Canyon to Lake- Lakeshore and have a really smooth and enjoyable ride home.

Please enough with the bad reputation, its like a broken record--- You live in Murrietta or Temecula -- for god sake your kids (gen speaking) in high school had a Fight Club-and just recently a robbery at Starbucks LOL crime is everywhere-- but things change-- lord knows when I lived for a brief time in Temecula there was NO Chapparel High School it was sheep land-- there was even a llama farm off the 15--and you had to pick up mail at the post office in Old Town oh Ya-- Murrietta Hot Springs was still a full blown resort. So things do change.

[trmc2007]

we also have Storm Baseball which is tons of fun for the family, the Elsinore Outlets and Skydiving... we enjoy watching that on weekends.. The lake is not brown and oily we were just thier a few weekends ago. However it is drying up, and they (whoever they are); are building homes and building in the dry lake bed- not a very good idea --considering it could become full again..never underestimate nature. Horseback ridin gis quite abundant here and we have a wonderful Day Spa called Jolie that we go to at least once a month mmmm.. and we have McDonalds so I guess you can say we are in civilization.