From Seattle to Temecula (San Diego, Oakland: cul-de-sac, middle-class, apartments)

[hajile79777]

Hi. I'm a 25/m currently living in the Seattle area. I am seriously considering on moving to or around the Temecula area in June. I'm also currently pursuing a career in law enforcement. Basically I want to find out if Temecula is a good place to live. I live in the city of Bellevue here in WA. Bellevue is a rich city and I'm accustomed to the "rich city" kind of atmosphere. Can anyone tell me anything about Temecula? What's the weather like year round? What are the major ethnic groups there? Is there a lot of crime? Also, does anyone know if law enforcement jobs are available in that area? Thanks.

[tashina]

I just lived for 2 years in French Valley which is a few miles out of Temecula and my mom still lives there.

Weather is warm and dry in spring and fall. It is mid 60's most of the winter with some 50's, 70's and occasional 80's. It is hot and generally dry and in the 90's all summer. During the late spring through fall, there is wind every afternoon for several hours. Storms are fast moving and windy usually.

Temecula is a new city. When I used to come up there from San Diego in the early 90's there was literally nothing there but a few large expanses of tract houses. Now there is one mall, lots of strip malls, and 99% of the houses are tract houses with some tract condos and tract apartments added in. Everything is beige because the city likes it this way. Even the McDonalds was held back from opening for a day or two to make their building more beige. (This might have been Murrieta, but they are very similar). If you like beige and personality-less and new and suburban, you'll like Temecula.

I thought it was nice that all the stores were new, but it sometimes seemed strange to rarely see anyone who wasn't white and middle class. All our neighbors had kids and basketball hoops in the street and that is great for some people for sure, but as a childless urbanite, it was not great for me. (We moved there like most San Diegans to get a bigger house for less money).

Temecula is just starting to get it's own personality and it will be interesting to see what it will be when it grows up. It started out as rural ranches and then San Diegans discovered that it was an easy 40 minute commute which later turned into a much longer commute after more people clogged the freeways.

Not much crime in the city, but there are some poor towns nearby where there is some crime so if you are a sheriff you'll see some bad guys here and there. The biggest news story I remember was a woman kidnapped right off of Murrieta Hot Springs Rd! Well, turned out she was making it up to cover for something else going on in her life.

Major ethnic group is white, white and more white. Hispanic is the largest minority but mostly middle class hispanics.

I know they used to need sheriffs, but don't know about now. They do have a job page with info about law enforcement jobs. Try the Riverside County job pages and then Temecula and Murrieta cities too.

Here's a representative photo from flickr of what 99% of the houses in Temecula look like (this tract community must be a little unusual because I see some white houses and usually there are all different shades of beige only).
http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=8740965&size=l

[kimmer]

Like Tashina said, the Temecula/Murrieta areas are pretty white-bread. I like to call that area, and the area I live in, "Stucco Hell" because all the tract houses are stucco and beige. It's considered a nice bedroom community where lots of the folks to live there commute to either other parts of Riverside county, San Diego, or even LA. I live in San Diego county, so I see all the cars that commute down to San Diego to work. It's a fairly long commute down the 15 freeway. A few of the people I know who moved from San Diego to Temecula/Murrieta area for cheaper/larger housing, couldn't handle 1 1/2 hour commutes each way into San Diego everyday, and eventually moved back to San Diego. I don't know about jobs in that area, so consider how willing you are to commute to either northern Riverside, San Diego, or even LA, if Riverside county doesn't have any jobs. My general thought is that many cities in So. Cal are almost always looking for new deputies/officers.
The country side is pretty, but it is nowhere near as green as WA. It rarely rains and gets very very HOT in the summertime. Frequently in the high 90's/low 100's. Very dry. Like Tashina says, everything is new there, most of the houses, and most of the stores. You can find every major store you might think of in that area.
A nice touch, though, Temecula has some really nice wineries!

[hajile79777]

Wow. Thank you to the both of you. That was incredibly detailed and answered and confirmed a lot of my questions and presuppositions. My father recently moved down there and told me what you two have basically said. I do have one co-worker, however, that was stationed there when he was in the Marines in 2001 that Temecula has a lot of rednecks and cowboys. 2001 is the last time he visited there. But from what I'm hearing from you two it sounds like that is really not the case, or at least not anymore in 2006. How are the people in Temecula? Are they generally nice folks? Thanks.

[tashina]

That's a difficult question. There are friendly people everywhere. The problem with the people overall was what I call "wanna be somewhere else" syndrome. I ran into it even worse in Dublin, California which is out east of Oakland.

Basically, people are mostly living there because they can't live where they want to live and you can see it in their frustration levels. I'd guess that 80% of Temecula residents would move to another city (mostly San Diego county limits somewhere) if they could afford an equivalent house there. Many of them have sacrificed a lot of what they are used to (more cultural events, the ocean, commute times, etc) for a large house for their children or themselves.

When I moved to Dublin, I heard the same frustration and wish that they could afford to live near their job and still have a reasonable place to live.

One of the main reasons I left California (went to Austin) was that attitude. I wanted to live somewhere people wanted to be. San Diego used to be that sort of a place when I was growing up, and then I could see the changes there for the worse. Traffic, housing prices, crowding. So people started moving north and now there are parts of North San Diego county that are quite nice but expensive. I just wanted to go somewhere where people seemed happy to be there and I think I've accomplished that.

Temecula is a very pleasant if exceedingly bland place to live if you really want to be there.

Oh, and I don't remember any rednecks or cowboys in the 18 months I was there.

[kimmer]

I haven't seen any rednecks or cowboys, there, either. If you want those, try East County San Diego
The city doesn't seem to have a lot of culture. (If someone that currently lives in Temecula, feel free to jump in and correct me, if necessary!).
If you like shopping, Temecula is your town! The town and people are pretty much middle-class suburbanites trying to raise their family.
It will be much different than Seattle for you. Maybe a bit boring if you want more nightlife, culture. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to put a negative spin on the area. I do actually like the area.
The people I've met there are very nice compared to some Californians. Of course, that's subjective. The only place in WA I can think of that I've spent some time in that might compare with Temecula is maybe Redmond. Think that kind of bedroom community. Only the houses in Temecula are closer together and the wall-to-wall-shopping centers are more numerous. Redmond is prettier, too, I think.
Anyway, you should definitely check it out as a possibility. We can always give more advice on other locals if needed.
Best of luck to you!

[hajile79777]

Once again, thank you very much to the both you. That answered a lot for me. I'll be flying down to Temecula this February. I'm looking forward to seeing if that will be the place for me or not. Once again, thanks for all of your help.

[missmac]

Hi I just came across this forum. I saw your post. I have lived in Temecula for 4 years. I was born and raised in San Diego. My husband and I decided on Temecula 4 years ago b/c of the affordable housing. Well at least back then it was affordable! I would have loved to stay in SD but I refused to raise my kids in an apartment or condo. I really wanted a house with a backyard. We live on nice quiet cul-de-sac with tons of kids and my neighbors are about my age (31). In my honest opinion I don't think I would have wanted to live in "the burbs" at age 25. I don't think there is much nightlife for young single people here. Most of my friends and coworkers that are single live near the beach or downtown SD.

Do you have a job? The job market in Temecula is crap! This is a "bedroom city." The decent paying jobs are in San Diego or Orange County. The majority of the folks here wake at the crack of dawn to head south on the 15 only to sit in traffic for the next 2 hours. On the flip most don't get home at night until well past 6:00 or 7:00. So just something to consider.

But again I love this city and I think it's an awesome place to raise a family! I have a one year old and can't wait to get him in the Temecula school system!

Weather- HOT in the summer. Be prepared to use that a/c.

Rednecks/cowboys- naaa...not really just a lot of desert rats. During the weeknights get used to hearing your neighbors fire up those quads and dirt bikes gearing them up for the weekend.

[ventana_75]

Hajile79777
Temecula is quite nice. Most of what you are looking for can be found by googling the town. I had an office there. However, I can tell you that the traffic from one of the town to the other is terrible. You might want to look at Hemet. They just built the largest manmade lake in California with recreation allowed. Boats, fishing etc. Also, it is at the foothills of the BEAUTIFUL idyllwild mountains and town. 25 minutes away. Voted top 5 places to retire in US. Just spectacular, with mountain climbing. It is very undervalualed and hidden. And if I am not mistaken , hiring new Police. I have an investment property there that I may consider selling. 3/2 1590 sq ft. custom built home. email me if you are interested. If not, still look at Hemet. One more thing, Hemet is 55 min. form the beach in Carlsbad. v.

[WestCoastDiva]

Hajile,
I'm from Seattle Washington, now living in San Diego. I'll be moving back to Seattle this year, and plan to live in Kirkland. FYI: Temecula is nice, but for a 25 year old now living in Bellevue, it might not be a good fit. Although Temecula is nice, I would not consider the area to be comparable to Bellevue. I am in Seattle two or three times a year ( my mom and family are there), and I spend a lot of time in Bellevue ( love that mall!!). The commute to San Diego from Temecula can be a bear as well. You might consider the Scripps Ranch area, and the University City area. This is just my opinion.