Inland Empire compared to the Phoenix metro area (Los Angeles, San Diego: employment, good schools)

[curiousgeorge5]

What is the Inland Empire like compared to the Phoenix metro area? The Phoenix metro area includes Phoenix and it's outskirts areas.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by curiousgeorge5

What is the Inland Empire like compared to the Phoenix metro area? The Phoenix metro area includes Phoenix and it's outskirts areas.

Closer to the beach.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by curiousgeorge5

What is the Inland Empire like compared to the Phoenix metro area? The Phoenix metro area includes Phoenix and it's outskirts areas.

-Not as hot (some heat wave days in IE can approach Phoenix but not on a consistent basis and much cooler at night)
-More rain (non-drought years); a lot more rain in winter, less of a monsoonal impact in summer
-Much smoggier (although Phoenix doesn't exactly have pristine air)
-More dangerous/run down feel (Phoenix has bad areas, but by and large feels nicer and more upscale compared to IE)
-More congested/traffic
-More expensive - if you're willing to live more in the outskirts of Phoenix (e.g., not prime areas like Scottsdale/Paradise Valley), much better bang for your buck
-Longer commutes (more professional jobs in LA area vs Phoenix where you generally can afford to live much closer to the employment centers)
-More blue collar feel (people live there when they want to stay in SoCal and can't afford coastal areas)
-Older (while there are new developments, much of Phoenix feels brand new in comparison)

[waltchan]

Riverside, CA is the flagship city of the Inland Empire. It's equivalent to Mesa and Tempe in terms of city size instead of Phoenix.

[apple92680]

The Inland Empire has its charms:

-- Redlands/Loma Linda have an active, educated and health-conscious population.
-- Temecula/Murrieta have their wineries and charming city centers, good schools and family activities.
-- Menifee, Wildomar, Eastvale and Ontario Ranch are growing planned communities with lots of amenities.
-- Equestrian culture in Norco, Beaumont, Lake Elsinore and Yucaipa
-- Convenient access to good health care
-- the IE is close to San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles, and all of the culture and festivities in each.
-- the IE has Idyllwild, Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs
-- Riverside has a lot of historic buildings, and UC Riverside as an anchor.
-- the weather is cooler and more marine-influenced
-- Palm Springs and Palm Desert are nearby
-- Easy trip to Las Vegas for a weekend.

Yes, it's true that the Inland Empire has its grittier parts (San Bernardino, Colton, Hemet, parts of Fontana, Rialto, etc). Personally, I find people in the Inland Empire are a lot more humble and easy going. Phoenix Metro has a lot more of that "Keeping up with the Jones" mentality and superficiality that I find personally aggravating. The Inland Empire is a little more "you do you're thing and I'll do mine" and it, therefor, has a wider berth of people ranging from one end of the economic spectrum to the other. There isn't as much pretense in the IE, either.

Phoenix tends to attract lots of Midwesterners and retired conservative Anglo Southern Californians.

I'm sure the more passionate of Phoenicians will swarm this thread and rebut my comment with a lot of ferocity, but I digress.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by apple92680

The Inland Empire has its charms:

-- Redlands/Loma Linda have an active, educated and health-conscious population.
-- Temecula/Murrieta have their wineries and charming city centers, good schools and family activities.
-- Menifee, Wildomar, Eastvale and Ontario Ranch are growing planned communities with lots of amenities.
-- Equestrian culture in Norco, Beaumont, Lake Elsinore and Yucaipa
-- Convenient access to good health care
-- the IE is close to San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles, and all of the culture and festivities in each.
-- the IE has Idyllwild, Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs
-- Riverside has a lot of historic buildings, and UC Riverside as an anchor.
-- the weather is cooler and more marine-influenced
-- Palm Springs and Palm Desert are nearby
-- Easy trip to Las Vegas for a weekend.

Yes, it's true that the Inland Empire has its grittier parts (San Bernardino, Colton, Hemet, parts of Fontana, Rialto, etc). Personally, I find people in the Inland Empire are a lot more humble and easy going. Phoenix Metro has a lot more of that "Keeping up with the Jones" mentality and superficiality that I find personally aggravating. The Inland Empire is a little more "you do you're thing and I'll do mine" and it, therefor, has a wider berth of people ranging from one end of the economic spectrum to the other. There isn't as much pretense in the IE, either.

Phoenix tends to attract lots of Midwesterners and retired conservative Anglo Southern Californians.

I'm sure the more passionate of Phoenicians will swarm this thread and rebut my comment with a lot of ferocity, but I digress.

Yes, I forget that those other areas of wine country are also part of the IE. When I think of the IE, its mainly the San Bernardino, Riverside and Ontario area, which I don't really care for myself.

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Yes, I forget that those other areas of wine country are also part of the IE. When I think of the IE, its mainly the San Bernardino, Riverside and Ontario area, which I don't really care for myself.

That would be the "core", yes.

Most people consider it to be a much larger region, though. Basically, from Temecula/Murrieta in the south, to Victorville/Apple Valley in the north. From Upland/Chino Hills in the west, to Palm Springs/Coachella Valley in the east. Quite a range of territory there, and various communities of all types.

Definitely not as homogenous as the Phoenix/Maricopa County region.

Interestingly, if you look at historical data, Phoenix was the less homogenous of the two regions from it's founding through about the 1980s. It had a large Chicano/Mexican American population. In contrast, the IE was predominantly Anglo/Midwestern in population. Today, the reverse is true.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by apple92680

That would be the "core", yes.

Most people consider it to be a much larger region, though. Basically, from Temecula/Murrieta in the south, to Victorville/Apple Valley in the north. From Upland/Chino Hills in the west, to Palm Springs/Coachella Valley in the east. Quite a range of territory there, and various communities of all types.

Definitely not as homogenous as the Phoenix/Maricopa County region.

Interestingly, if you look at historical data, Phoenix was the less homogenous of the two regions from it's founding through about the 1980s. It had a large Chicano/Mexican American population. In contrast, the IE was predominantly Anglo/Midwestern in population. Today, the reverse is true.

I never considered the Palm Springs area part of the IE. To me, it seems like a separate region, just like Sedona does to Phoenix.

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

I never considered the Palm Springs area part of the IE. To me, it seems like a separate region, just like Sedona does to Phoenix.

I do consider it the same region for the simple fact that county government for the Coachella Valley, Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree areas are all in Riverside and San Bernardino. So, services for the Coachella Valley emanate out of the Inland Empire. Economically, the Coachella Valley relies almost entirely on tourists from Los Angeles, Orange County and the inner parts of the Inland Empire.

Sedona is split in between Yavapai and Coconino counties. I, personally, have always considered Sedona to have a stronger regional connection to Flagstaff than the Phoenix area.

Geographically, you could make a strong argument that the topography of the Coachella Valley warrants it being considered a separate region, I guess?

I suppose we're allowed our own mental definitions of these regions?

[BGS91762]

The IE has many new areas and many older historical areas, think Riverside, Upland, and Redlands. I’ve lived in the IE for 34 years and visit family often in Phoenix. The weather is much more temperate in the summer especially at night. Our nighttime temperatures almost always dip into the 60s, even in August. It’s usually due to the breezes coming in from the west. That’s sure not the case in Phoenix. My favorite thing about living here is the proximity to LA and OC. I live one mile from the train that takes me directly into LA.