What is the "INLAND EMPIRE" all about? (Los Angeles: living, price)

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

Originally Posted by orangeapple

Give me a break. You're the one exaggerating, & being unnecessarily flippant & rude, not me. I said if you look hard & make the effort, you can find a job here. It appears you don't live in this area of Riverside, so I don't think you really know what it's like. Some people make a comfortable living here without commuting really far. Maybe not everyone, but it can be done.
With all the time & money spent on commuting, those "hundreds of thousands" would be smart to take a shot at looking for a job closer to home. They might come out ahead.

And when I said my job is specific before, I meant I don't want to reveal personal details, not that my job is something very specialized. Work on your reading comprehension.

And I am proof that it can be done. I was able to find a job out here in the IE that paid about 10k less than the same position would pay in OC or LA. Believe me I researched it. After crunching numbers I realized I would only come out ahead about 3k a year after factoring in gas, toll road charges and car maintenance. Not worth the stress of sitting on the freeways. It now takes me about 10 minutes to get home. Sometimes I go home for lunch and have time for a quick game of ball with my boy!

[segamon]

Originally Posted by mrgrape

Darn i was looking forawrd to moving to IE
but devil worshippers and nazis are not my thing and pollution
Do any of u guys know good places in Socal with a good community college?
I was thinking of Irvine Valley Center....but not anymore because of this thread
Im kind of looking for something like Ocean Beach, PB, that kind of atmosphere?

I lived in Riverside for 23 years (I am 23 years old). I know a thing or two about the area. Riverside Community College is a great place to go to school. There are even campuses in Norco and Moreno Valley.

Other colleges nearby include California State University of San Bernardino, California Baptist University, La Sierra University, Loma Linda University, and San Jacinto Community College (Menifee Campus).

The Riverside school district is fairly good, but you certainly should do anything possible to avoid the Alvord school district!

The smog in Riverside is a bit better than it is in San Bernardino, Fontana, and the Redlands area. Some of the reasons include that Riverside is further from the San Bernardino Mountains and is a little cooler in the summers.

Riverside has wonderful Winter and Spring seasons. Rain is hardly a factor. I have always loved early Spring when the high is 73 degrees, the sky is clear, and the birds are chirping.

The lower priced neighborhoods have problems with many Hispanic parties that blast music until the early morning hours. Other than that, even some of the lower end neighborhoods are fairly peaceful. The neighborhood that I grew up in was built in the 1950's and was great (and still is, although I can see that it has gotten slightly worse over time).

The higher priced and newer neighborhoods certainly do have a fair share of those who wish they would live in Orange County. I lived in Orange Crest for a while and there was a neighbor who owned a Hummer, huge Ford F-350, two Waverunners, two ATVs, a boat, and a huge RV. We lived on a culdesac so all of their stuff certainly took up parking, lol. Other than some attitude from a few neighbors, many neighbors were welcoming and the neighborhood was nice with some wonderful schools (Thomas Rivera Elementary, Earhart Middle, and MLK High).

I have never met any skin-heads, I have only seen swastika graffiti on very rare occassions. I havn't experienced any crime the whole time living in Riverside.

Although I do want to move from the Inland Empire to somewhere like Northern California, Riverside (and many other places in the IE) are certainly not as bad as people want to make it out to be. I mean, it's only 1-2 hours from all of the Los Angeles area beaches!

segamon

[sheri257]

What is the IE all about? Cheap housing.

[carcinogen_luff]

I've lived in the IE for 13 years (well all my life). And it's an okay place to raise your kids. Schools are good, I reccomend Colton School district. And there is a Fancy-Shmancy private school in Loma Linda. There is not much gang activity where I live. Just so long as you teach your kids to mind their manners, and not hang out with the rough kids, they should be alright. One thing I've noticed in my neighborhood, Which doesn't have a name, is that the people are nice. My neighbors visit sometimes, and there is never a party you're not invited to, so long as you are friendly.

The only sort of crime I've seen in Colton is tagging and the ocassional drunken-car-crash-into-a-tree.

Your Child's 18 year-plan when living in colton:

1. Have kids, show them off, make friends with your neighbors who coincidentally have the same aged kids as you do. (4years)

2. Enroll your kids in school. I reccomend Cooley Ranch, only because its in the nicer area of colton and recives alot of funding. (8Years)

3. Enroll Your kids in Grand Terrace middle school. 7 mins away from cooley ranch area, its in a different city, but its very much worth it. (2 years)

4. Enroll your kids into either Nova Meridian Academy (Charter School) or Loma Linda Academy (Private), You also have the choices of other schools more far away from Colton, but yet again its worth it. (4years)


^ That plan is good enough, and if you're a good enough parent your kids wont be so entirely screwed up.

[ConsideringLA]

Originally Posted by sheri257

What is the IE all about? Cheap housing.

Facilitated by cheap dirt.

[wildjdmc]

I lived in the Inland Empire (Norco, Corona, and Mira Loma) for 13 years and it was hell on earth. SMOG, hot, hot, hot temperatures in summer, no good shopping, backwards people, just awful. Go ahead, make my day, and tell me I'ts not true!!!! It is NOT worth the lower housing prices to live in this kind of environment....

[pll]

Originally Posted by wildjdmc

I lived in the Inland Empire (Norco, Corona, and Mira Loma) for 13 years and it was hell on earth. SMOG, hot, hot, hot temperatures in summer, no good shopping, backwards people, just awful. Go ahead, make my day, and tell me I'ts not true!!!! It is NOT worth the lower housing prices to live in this kind of environment....

What are your thoughts of Temecula? Is it considered the Inland Empire?

[eclipxe]

Originally Posted by pll

What are your thoughts of Temecula? Is it considered the Inland Empire?

Temecula is considered the inland empire but not really. I can give you a long spiel about how it is different or "special" but it will be meaningless. You just need to come out and visit. Drive through San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Riverside, Corona, and Fontana and form an opinion about the inland empire. Then drive down the 15 and visit Murrieta and Temecula. The difference will be clear. Cleaner, newer, no smog, more nature, less brown and more green (at least Temecula). Temecula is much closer (in vibe and overall quality) to a South OC or San Diego city than most other cities in "the IE". Of course, it is no South OC or San Diego, but it is the best approximation you can find for the money.

There is a cultural and class difference in the area (as compared to most cities in the IE). While the majority of folks are standard middle-class/upper middle class families, there are very large swaths of multi-million dollar estates and fairly exclusive communities that you really don't find in the rest of the IE.

Temecula is also the closest city in the IE to the ocean (both distance and driving time) and actually gets afternoon ocean breezes.

[tkdmom]

Originally Posted by wildjdmc

I lived in the Inland Empire (Norco, Corona, and Mira Loma) for 13 years and it was hell on earth. SMOG, hot, hot, hot temperatures in summer, no good shopping, backwards people, just awful. Go ahead, make my day, and tell me I'ts not true!!!! It is NOT worth the lower housing prices to live in this kind of environment....

Huh, funny that you mention "backwards people" in the IE, considering most of them have relocated from SD, or OC. There are far more worst places than the IE. But the summers are brutally hot.

[pll]

Originally Posted by eclipxe

The difference will be clear. Cleaner, newer, no smog, more nature, less brown and more green (at least Temecula). Temecula is much closer (in vibe and overall quality) to a South OC or San Diego city than most other cities in "the IE". Of course, it is no South OC or San Diego, but it is the best approximation you can find for the money..

I visited Temecula about 8 years ago and I know a lot has changed. From what I have been reading a lot of people really love that are of the IE or hate it. I get a mixed vibe about that city.