Is Riverside safe? Cause what I'm reading is scary... (Los Angeles: sales, loans)

[loloroj]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

That doesn't apply to the city of Riverside, which is what the OP was asking about.

Actually, it does.

[Keep_On_Movin]

Originally Posted by mm987654321

Being relocated to riverside with husband/elementary age kids. Have you ever googled Riverside, CA? The reviews are graphic, the crime rating scores are high, and just today I read there are 186 gangs in the county - is Riverside safe? Are there certain sections of town to avoid, or others that are preferable to live in?
Thanks in advance for the advice and candid feedback.

Like in every city there are bad areas and good ones... Riverside county is pretty large. I live in Moreno Valley which is also part of Riverside County and all my family are scattered throughout the inland empire. I come from a family of real estate agents and brokers and not to mention I grew up here, so I'm not unfamiliar with the area.
IF you are looking to actually live in Riverside and not in one of the surrounding cities as a lot of people have suggested (which I personally don't think is necessary) than the Canyon Crest area is decent. Also, check out the west side of Riverside closer to Corona, specifically Lakepointe Dr. is a really nice neighborhood. My sister lives there and they just recently built a new high school just for that community. My niece and nephews do well in school, although to be completely honest our schools in the inland empire have horrible scores.
Most everything in Riverside is close to something.... lots of shopping, groceries (I have to drive over there just for Trader Joes), and restaurants in the area.

But if you are looking for something out of Riverside itself, some good surrounding cities that aren't TOO horrible a commute (although, anywhere in the inland empire you may live will have traffic) Chino Hills, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga or Redlands should be considered... and again Corona. Hope some of this helps... I unfortunately don't know too much about schools in those areas, you'll probably have to check out their scores online.

[steel7]

Many yrs ago i lived in the nice area of riverside (near poly high school on victoria ave) but just a block or so away down the street was the poor section.

[MrTudo]

Originally Posted by Joe Van Fossen

You can do very well in Riverside for under $450k. You can get a nice 3bd/2ba SFR in Riverside for under $250K in a decent neighborhood. With a budget of $450K you can find something in a good area in OC. You won't have as much square footage or yard space, but most of OC is the epitome of suburbia.

I thought more people actually left California to retire in FL or NV, not the other way around.

Well in Fla they have a law which puts up sick people in cages and wreaks havoc in there lives for the crime of trying to take care of themselves. Seems to be a different viewpoint out west. I've spent a bit of time time watching videos and reading over the course of the last few months and am left.........amazed at what you all have obviously fought for and won and you should get a standing ovation for doing so. Let me applaud the chutzpah of the people of california ( and other places ) on that most important issue For people like myself who are in somewhat dire straights healthwise, this is like a miracle. So Fla is about to lose a 7 figure business that's been here for decades and a homeowners. Unless it turns out to be something really unexpected in southern california. It's a big move especially at this age.

Sorry to go so off topic, not too off topic though am I?

We saw some listings that looked really nice in an area called canyon crest? They were priced in the 300's, under 2,000 sq ft. I did actually think about looking in oc , do you think 1500+ sq ft on 1/4 acres are do able in that price range? Would you prefer to be in a smaller house in oc assuming that can be accomplished for that amount of $$ or a somewhat larger house with say 1/2 acre ( no more than that please!) in riverside? Temecula? Why? Hope you don't mind the questions. The topic has become THE topic around here and probably will be till we go and look around.

Never thought I'd leave or even consider leaving Fla.

[Mark Devoe]

To many young thug police

[MrTudo]

Originally Posted by Mark Devoe

To many young thug police

What is a young thug police? Please define

[tickyul]

Originally Posted by MrTudo

What is a young thug police? Please define

I believe the poster is taking a crack at the police.....acting as if they are thugs at times????

[Dallas Cowboys Fan]

Originally Posted by Mark Devoe

To many young thug police

This is a highly inappropriate comment. The poster clearly has a disdain for law enforcement, leading to the logical conclusion that he either a.) enjoys anarchy or b.) partakes in illegal activity.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by loloroj

I'm in my 40's and from the Bay Area, but my dad was from Socal and had family in Riverside, and we would visit every year. Within my lifetime, I've seen what has taken place with Riverside in particular and Socal in general, and imo, little of that change has been any good.

Riverside was famous for its orange groves and vineyards, the bedrock of the area was agriculture. All of that is pretty much gone, destroyed by real estate speculation and outright greed. Both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, during the last decade, were the fastest growing areas economically in the U.S., but it wasn't based on anything sustainable. With almost no oversight in mortgage underwriting, the area had skyrocketing land values, and people attempted to cash in, including me. My buddy and I bought a 5-plex on 14th Street in the city, watched it go from $125k to over $200k almost overnight, and we were both stunned. But then, about 2005, the bubble began to burst, and we made the decision to get out. Thankfully, we listened to Marcus & Millichap analysts who said that the RE market was becoming unstable and cashed out.

The upshot is that Riverside has seen some of the worst RE deflation in the nation. New home after new home is empty, in many cases, after never been lived in. Right now, there is a echo of that good times in that homes are now selling again. But as in the case of Temecula, my friend paid $305k for a home which originally sold for over $600k. We both know that the price he paid, even if it's 1/2 of the original price, isn't a good deal because housing prices will go down again, due to the fact there is no real job growth in Socal. (He's an engineer for the Navy, the original owner was a CHP officer. He has three kids and his priorities are to buy a home due to having a somewhat secure job) So if you move to Riverside and buy a house, expect to be upside down on it sometime relatively soon. Because of the ridiculous run-up in housing, the prices are still WAY,WAY overvalued. That to me is far more of a threat than gangs or violence, though drugs are a huge problem in the area.

Home prices have been increasing in the IE for several months now.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by loloroj

Actually, it does.

I wouldn't pay any attention to this guy. Obviously he has an agenda against Riverside.