Rancho Cucamonga vs. Ontario (Los Angeles, San Diego: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[pballnc]

Hey guys just want some thoughts on weather Ontario or Rancho Cucamonga are good places to relocate too, is one better then the other, which one has lower crime, better school, ect. My wife and i are currently living in San Diego and are wondering if it would be a little more affordable to move inland a bit? thanks!

[piffler]

lived in ontario from 94-2000,then rancho from 2000-2006,now back in ontario.ontario is nice in a few parts(mainly off of the 60 freeway but you'll be stuck with the cow sh*t smell until you get used to it)

lower crime=rancho cucamonga

better schools=rancho cucamonga(graduated from rancho cucamonga HS and attended ontario for one year)

[Ulysses61]

Rancho Cucamonga hands down. Sadly, it's morphed into nothing but strip malls and tract homes in the past 25 years, but it's still better than Ontario. Etiwanda is a part of Rancho that is nicest.

[Hazel Eyes]

I lived in Chino for years and Rancho would be my choice. Ontario has some nice areas but doesn't have a good name...You might want to consider Upland too...Just be aware that the winds blow there and they're very strong.

[Fontucky]

I would chose the historic residential core of Ontario with its tree-lined streets and beautiful, well-kept early 20th century houses over the tract home sprawl of RC any day.

But, my kids are grown and out of the house, so schools wouldn't factor into my decision. YMMV.

[Ulysses61]

But there are really bad neighborhoods ringed all around the quaint tree-lined historic district of Ontario. I agree that Rancho is one huge hideous tract home development, but there aren't many really bad areas there, with dangerous bangers living there. Those types do reside in Ontario by the score.

[Fontucky]

I live in South Fontana. "Bad" neighborhoods don't scare me.

[Count David]

I used to live in Rancho Cucamonga (Alta Loma, CA-210/Haven), and I liked it alright (the mountain views were "to die").

I did find myself in the car all the time though. But that's okay because I'm not a walking person.

When I lived there, I missed seeing a shootout on the CA-210/Haven overpass by mere minutes.

Christopher Berglund Claremont - 2 Students Die After Bullets Spray Car - Los Angeles Times

I commuted daily through old Ontario on the way home from work, and marveled at the beauty of the neighborhood. This experience molded my preference for old/historic houses.

If given the choice, I'd choose the areas of Ontario or Upland around Euclid Ave. If those weren't a choice, I guess I'd choose Rancho.

[socalcityinsider]

Rancho Cucamonga was determined by the FBI for 2011 to be the 56th safest city in the United States. Ontario is a "little" more down the list (not doing quite so hot in terms of crime). There are a lot of hispanic gangs which are based out of ontario, particularly along fourth street in the area between Euclid Avenue and the 10 freeway.

Rancho Cucamonga also has excellent schools, including Los Osos High School right along the mountains on Miliken Avenue. Consistently for the past few years, that school receives the highest API scores in all of San Bernardino County. You'll find sheriff deputies patrolling all areas of the city, with a very heavy presence along Foothill Blvd, which is the main road through the city and is filled with excellent shopping centers containing almost every single store you have ever done errands at, except for Staples, Costco, Sams Club and Kohls, all which can be found near Ontario Mills just a few miles south of Foothill. Here are just a few of the many businesses found along Foothill Blvd:

Target, walmart, best buy, 24 hour fitness, barnes and noble, bally's total fitness, lowes, home depot, sears, and all of the shops and businesses at the victoria gardens shopping and lifestyle center.

bike lanes are painted on all the major roads if cycling is something you do. lots of parks, and some even have wifi service provided by the city. grafitti issues are addressed right away, and the streets are lined with trees, including day creek blvd, lined completely by palms. they converted a train track running through the city into a multi use trail for walking, bikes, and horses, is very popular, is lighted, and eventually will run from the city of claremont, through upland, then rancho cucamonga, and end east of rancho in the city of fontana.

you will enjoy a great quality of life by coming to rancho cucamonga. don't go to ontario, because you'll just be settling for less and crime is worse there.

[socalcityinsider]

Now it is true that there is more uniformity in the appearance of Rancho Cucamonga, because there are a lot of planned developments especially in the east half of the city. The western portion is older, and does have a little more of that uniqueness. You could probably guess which area has more "interesting characters" of the two, especially in the southwest area bordering none other than ontario. But in general you can pretty much go anywhere in Rancho Cucamonga, and just by using a little common sense and being aware, you'll never run into any trouble, which is true of even the safest cities in California, which are in South Orange County. Visit the city for a day and see all it has to offer, especially in terms of entertainment for all ages.

(By the way I am not a realtor and do not have a secret plan to sell you a house!)