Starting residency at Loma Linda... (Riverside, San Bernardino: real estate, apartment complexes, renting)

[themegt]

My husband will be starting a medical residency at Loma Linda and we are completely unfamiliar with the area. What recommendations would you have for places to live? We are in our early 30's and don't have any kids yet. We will be renting, not buying. Looks like there are tons of condo/apartment complexes...are there any other options? We would love access to restaurants and activity. Thanks for your help.

[Gandalara]

Some of the apartments and condos will have a city address of Colton or Grand Terrace - but they're still on the main street that leads to Loma Linda University or Medical Centers (Barton Road).

You have the city of Redlands on the east and the city of Riverside to the southwest. San Bernardino to the northwest. Plenty of access to restaurants. Loma Linda is large enough to have their own, plus movie theaters, plus health food stores. There are 'Big Box' stores and shopping malls all over the area. Loma Linda University sponsors lectures and musical programs.

San Bernardino Mountains to the north. Skiing. Hiking. Daytrips.
San Jacinto Mountains to the east - same.
Palm Springs, Joshua Tree Park and other desert communities to the east - Palm Springs tramway, shopping, rock climbing, reservation casinos.

Don't let someone tell you that just because a home has a certain city address, that it's a bad place to live. Loma Linda and all of the surrounding cities have good and bad neighborhoods. You need to go look for yourselves, or have a good and trusted real estate agent.

Live as close as you can to your work. Freeway traffic can be atrocious.

[sueprnova]

There is SO much housing around the main campus. I am pretty sure if you contacted someone there they would have housing info for you. I spend a lot of time there - as a caregiver- and they have answers for everything!

[TexasGuy1983]

My wife will also be starting a residency at Loma Lind this summer. I am hoping to eventually attend law school in LA in the next few years, but we are looking to buy a house this year. Is there an optimal middle ground where we could look? She needs to be, at most, 20 minutes away from the hospital for on-call, so we can't get too far away from Loma Linda. How is the commute from Loma Linda/Riverside to downtown LA? Is that even feasible? Also, what are some good neighborhoods to look around in? I've seen a lot of talk on the forums about Redlands, but is there anything that's like that but closer to LA? We don't have any kids and aren't planning on having them anytime soon, but we do like nice, well-maintained neighborhoods that aren't too noisy. We live in Austin right now, in a neighborhood that's like a little enclave with it's own grocery and little stores and restaurants, but it's only a 10 min drive to downtown and major shopping centers. We'd pretty much like to duplicate that. Any suggestions would be awesome!

[Gandalara]

If she needs to be within 20 minutes from the hospital, I'd get a map and with Loma Linda at the center, draw a 10 mile circle. Live within that circle.

The drive to LA from that circle would atrocious.

Just a suggestion, you might want to look at other law schools.
California Southern Law School in Riverside, which I know nothing about, is 12 - 15 miles from Loma Linda.
University of La Verne College of Law, which is my brother's alma mater, is about 32 to 35 miles from Loma Linda.

[uglyblackjohn]

@ TexasGuy - Try the Upland area - kinda' like Redlands but closer to LA.

@ themegt - "Redlands Lawn and Tennis" or the other apartments in that area are nice.

[MissLariss]

I looked at a lot of apartments when we moved to Loma Linda for medical school. If you are looking for apartment living, I like Barton Vineyards the best. There is also student housing available which is what we have lived in for all four years of medical school (we are leaving for residency this year too!). You will find a cheaper rate but the houses are older. All of student housing is within walking/biking distance from the hospital. If I could choose where to live around the area, I would pick Redlands, and in general south of I-10. There are things going on there with access to restaurants, movie theater, parks, farmer's markets, a great library, festivals, etc. Good luck!

[tilegirl]

Live as close to the medical school as you can get. You will be LIVING there most of the time, and should not have to drive a long way to get home. Loma Linda is nice!

[vr01]

@ themegt -- I'll be an intern at LLUMC too. Looks like we'll be together!

[vr01]

oops. I sent that too early. did you end up finding a place to live at? I have a condo in Grand Terrace in the Hidden Gate community -- a lot of good deals in that area. I got a good deal when I bought it last year and I imagine the prices are just as low still.