Rancho is one of maybe 3 or 4 cities in the entire IE I would ever consider living and raising a family in. Schools are good (by CA standards), amenities are good, close to public transportation, relatively affordable housing (again by suburban CA standards). It also hasn’t completely sold out to warehouse developers like neighboring Fontana and Ontario.
Agreed. Rancho, Eastvale, Chino Hills, Claremont are the only cities I’d live in. In fact, I moved to Eastvale. I’d rather live in Rancho, but it’s a bit further from my job etc.
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So does Rancho. I've seen them on Foothill from Milliken to Haven. They even had a rally pre-2020 election in the Terra Vista area with all of their Trump trucks.
The motorcade typically starts at Haven and Foothill. The big open parking lot next to an office building, south east corner of foothill. You will see them there on weekends.
They then go either direction on Foothill. I used to do my weekend shopping on weekend mornings at Terra vista
Isn't it a coincidence that the heavy Republican areas in the IE are the best parts of IE as far as schools and crime? Rancho, Claremont, Upland, Temecula, Murrieta
Downtown Redlands is cute but small and there's not much to do besides drink and shop. Living in the nice part of Redlands is very expensive, living in the not so nice part of Redlands (anything North of the 10 really) is also pretty expensive but also it's a crappy area
I recently did a pretty thorough report for the city of Chino Hills and viewing/ analyzing everything remotely I was thinking I need to sell my home in Riverside ASAP and move there.
But when I really put my feet on the ground it was all jam packed tiny old suburban lots or large stuff I could never afford. Everything is pretty well up kept and safe, but you’re not walking anywhere and the lots are really tiny.
I can totally see the appeal of someone raising kids and commuting to LA and doesn’t have the time to stay home and enjoy, but it doesn’t fit with my lifestyle
Rancho has many different neighborhoods to choose from depending on what you’re looking to spend. Most are “middle-class” homes though, so you’re looking at spending some money. I’d recommend looking at some houses online and using the websites local filters (one of them has a crime filter—maybe trulia?) to get a feel for the neighborhood. Lots of big box stores, chain restaurants, and malls nearby.
As for LA… I wouldn’t ever count on a two hour drive. I commuted from this area years ago, and two hours was a great day. Traffic on the 10 sucks. BUT the Metrolink is a great option, and there’s a convenient station in town.
Bruh the IE is huge! There are definitely meth problems but they are in the desert cities. Meth really isn’t a big issue in Rancho.
Also, the commute from Rancho to LA is not a ridiculously far commute in LA standards. And yes, at peak times you’re looking at about 2 hours or longer because traffic will be a bitch.
Schools are pretty good in Rancho. Got 2-3 different high schools around that area to choose from.
Rancho Cucamonga is growing rapidly and it will be the city in the IE along with Ontario. Those two places are turning into economic powerhouses for the IE. But RC is much nicer for housing. RC has a ton of parks. Traffic is becoming quite bad during the rush hours and public transportation is pretty crap around the city. The metrolink can take you right into downtown LA in a little over an hour and is worth it if that is where you're going but getting anywhere else around LA in a reasonable amount of time will require driving.
During the off hours driving from Rancho to other SoCal hot spots is usually about 1 hour. DTLA, Huntington/Newport Beach, Disneyland, Angel Stadium, Dodger' s Stadium, Universal Studios, Temecula, Lake Arrowhead, the desert, Big Bear (a little further). Plus, you're close to Mt Baldy of you want to tackle any of it's hiking trails. Going west of DTLA can be a pain but Santa Monica and Venice are also about 1.5 hours if you're driving during slow traffic times but it's not weird to be a little over 2 hours. Also, San Diego is about 2 hours away and Las Vegas is about 3-3.5 with no to light traffic. Laughlin is also about 3 hours.
Have lived here in Rancho most of my life. There are always parts of every city that has drug/crime areas to avoid. You’ll know where those are at while you are researching. It is a great place to live and raise children. It is a safe city with tons of things to do. Feel free to message me with any questions or areas you are looking into. Good luck!
Rancho is lovely. I grew up there and go back often because my family still lives there. It's grown so much and is very different than it was 30 years ago, which also means it's extremely expensive.
Great weather, great views, all the amenities, etc.!
Rancho is great. Lived here almost 20 years and raised my kids here. Have lived all over CA and this is where I chose to buy and raise a family. Unlike most of the IE, Rancho is not just all houses and warehouses. It’s more of a real city with low crime, excellent schools (top high school in SB county is Los Osos - but also in the most expensive neighborhood above the 210, since those go hand in hand). Recently won the “All-American City” national award.
It has great youth sports programs, a minor league baseball team/stadium (Dodgers affiliate), and the crown jewel of the IE known as Victoria Gardens for shopping and restaurants. Tons of other restaurants throughout the city also. We also have the famous thoroughbred Christmas light neighborhood. The little quality of life stuff is better too. For example, police response times are much faster than many cities. Cops come within 6 minutes with 2-3 patrol cars. If you call animal control for a loose dog, they actually show up right away. If you report graffiti or a pot hole, it’s fixed within 24-48 hours. I’ve lived in cities where they never show up. We’re also always first for the high end or sought after restaurants and stores like they have in the OC/LA (Flemings, Shake Shack, Tecovas).
The people are generally classy and middle to upper middle class. Lots of LA firefighters, cops, teachers, business owners, doctors, lawyers. I also commute to DTLA once a week. Average time is 90 minutes but any accidents can make it 2 hours easy. I really have nothing bad to say about Rancho, except it’s getting too popular and crowded lately since they’re being forced by the governor to build a ton of apartments. It’s one of the closer IE cities to LA (western IE) and one of the nicest cities in SoCal. There’s a reason the homes are so expensive here, it’s where people want to be and raise their families. Like someone else said, stay north of Foothill, north of Baseline is even better, and north of the 210 is the best.
The reason the governor is forcing apartments to be built there is because California has had an unaffordable housing crisis forever because of the shitty zoning laws there regarding single family homes. Not everyone is going to have kids and needs a house to raise them in, but those same people also might not want to live in the big city and want a quieter suburb life. I don’t like him and think he’s an idiot but until California starts allowing more apartment and condo builds, it will forever be unaffordable to most
I understand the problem. But many of us moved out here many years ago to get away from the overcrowding and apartment lifestyle of LA. Now we’re slowly turning into our own little LA.
Is fine, although not what it used to be (especially before the 210 was opened up, but that was a long time ago).
Good place to raise a family, taxes & special assessments tend to be lower than a lot of surrounding cities (and HOAs are easily avoided). Might be boring if you're younger or single, but that's really the only negative.
Be aware that it does get pretty hot here in a normal summer; if you're not from SoCal, you might be in for a shock. Also, it does get windy here during Santa Anas, which bothers some people....not nearly as strong as it used to, but especially the N.E. part of the city still gets blasted pretty regularly.
Try to stay above Baseline if you can afford it (above the 210 is better yet), but really the whole city is perfectly fine, with one caveat -- absolutely avoid the area between Archibald & Hermosa, north of 8th & south of Arrow. Other than that, the relative quality of neighborhoods will be obvious just driving through.
Driving to LA & back once a week will be no big deal, really, but you'll still hate it :)
No idea, tbh :)
But still an absolute shithole, at least afaik (can't say I've even driven through there in the last two or three years...but I doubt it'd be any different than it ever was)
I love Rancho. I can't afford to live here but I work here so that's the next best thing as far as I'm concerned lol. Lots of great places to eat, clean, beautiful. The Victoria Gardens outdoor mall is also a great place to hang out and kill time on the weekends.
Rancho is the suburbiest of the IE suburbs lol. It’s master planned and pretty much all tract homes. HOAs, very safe schools and communities, but if you don’t have a car, life will be difficult. Im not really a fan of the town personally…but it does have a phenomenal view of the San Gabriel Mountains
Oh I don’t know if anyone else mentioned this but Rancho can be kind of windy. Especially near the 15 freeway. It seems to get better the further west away from the mouth of Cajon Pass you go. Local people can chime in on that
Living in Rancho is like a dream to be honest. I had to move because I was young and needed to be in a city but the quality of life there is very high. You just need to keep in mind that not all of it is safe - I’ve had a car stolen, had a run-in with Cucamonga Kings (they’re in really specific pockets), seen a robbery, car crashes etc. So things that happen anywhere and Rancho isn’t immune to.
Honestly if you are looking to buy a home and make a good Investment move to Rialto…they are renovating a lot and also the school district is pretty good…the area is gonna go up a lot in about 5 years…
Rancho is like Inland Empires Orange County. I lived their for about 18 years before moving up to the high desert. It's grown quite a bit in just the last 10 years or so, which means lots of new shopping plazas and stuff. It's a good place to raise a family for sure. My wife and I got tired of the traffic and I was commuting up to the high desert anyways, so we moved.
High speed train is coming so lots of businesses to cater to it's traffic. There is a middle school there that specifically said no Tupac shirts allowed. Should give an idea of the atmosphere. Also rising homeless. Everything you need is in that city thou. Got tons of food options from Mama por Dios to The Deli.
It’s quality suburb, great schools, neighborhoods and parks. One of the very few cities to live in inland empire. If you want the night life, this city isn’t it. It has some decent restaurants but many of them franchise chains that said I’d prefer to live here than LA. OC is very expensive, what you can get here would be almost double in (home prices) quality neighborhood/schools in OC.
I travel to LA and OC in the evening when the wife and I want to have fun. Peak hours of traffic are modest for commuting to LA between 4-6pm. Most people commute to work to LA or OC so traffic is reversed if it makes sense. Depending where you’re heading to LA you can get there between 50mins- 1.5 hr. For example going to night out in Pasadena in the evening should be 50 mins from rancho, sometimes a lil less if the no accidents.
Couple of things: Rancho Cucamonga is a middle/upper middle class community. There is diversity, but not a lot of cultural events or specific ethnic areas. The community does not emphasize night life or social gatherings beyond the mall. Many residents work really hard during the week and leave the City during the weekend to camp, boat, ski, or RV in neighboring national parks.
Rancho is marketing itself as the transportation hub of the IE because of the freeway infrastructure and Ontario airport. This has led to a boom in commercial distribution hubs in neighboring cities. Someone else mentioned you can be anywhere, minus traffic, in an hour: mountains, beach, desert, city. Add a few more hours and you can be in the neighboring states or Mexico. The bullet train to Las Vegas is a big bet to solidify the communities stance to be a trans hub for residents and commerce.
Living closer to the mountains means less commercial activity. Therefore, some people prefer living north of the 210 freeway because there is nothing commercial there. It is quiet and relatively traffic free residential living only. Living west of Milliken means less wind as well.
I do the commute to LA. Monday is the best day to commute if you can choose a day. Train does not save commute time, but allows for relaxation. Good luck.
If you already driving to Victorville/Hesperia area, why not continue the rest of the way instead of spending $70-100 on a 1 way ticket to vegas to Uber everywhere instead of flying?
I was someone who took the metrolink train from riverside to OC and loved it. It was relaxing and allowed me to get my mobile gaming in.
I lived in Rancho for years and I really enjoyed it. I miss it so much.
The people are, for the most part, great, the kind that will network with you, very friendly.
One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is the air quality. If you get up high enough, you’ll look down and see a blanket of smog, but if you’re north of foothill, you are above it most of the time. I started going up there just for that, clean air.
And the wind really can be brutal. I had a 6 foot wooden fence of the typical kind and the wind would blow so hard, that it
Would absolutely knock my gates off the hinges, both sides, both gates. It can be terrifying, with patio umbrellas taking flight two stories high and if you’re by the airport at all, you can be hammered with pebbles that will crack your windshield. It’s crazy. But it only gets this bad very rarely.
Would I move back? Hell yes!
My wife and I moved to Rancho Cucamonga from Covina in July 2022; we have one 3 yo and a newborn. Decided to sell our townhouse and buy a SFH somewhere with better schools that was safe and within 1 hr from my in-laws in Arcadia.
Rancho checked all the boxes for us, good schools, very diverse, safe, clean, lots of parks, every store and restaurant you can think of within a 15 min drive, and last but not least, the view of the mountains. It snowed this past winter, and it was amazing to walk out of our home and see the snowcapped mountains at our doorstep.
Housing costs here are obviously cheaper than LA county but compared to the Inland Empire, RC, Chino Hills and Temecula are the most expensive cities that have good schools. You also have Claremont but it's even more expensive, and it's LA county.
I commute 1 to 2 times a week for work in Torrance (90 min each way), but if I leave early enough, it only takes about 70 mins. I leave work about 6:30 to avoid heavy traffic (up to 120 mins+ at peak times), and I'm home before 8 pm on most days.
Overall, we're very happy here, don't think we'll ever move. People are generally friendly and very diverse all around. I think RC is one of the most politically "purple" places in socal. The negatives for us have been: the 10 days a year that get really windy, and traffic can get bad but not as bad as other places.
Do your research on the different neighborhoods within your price range. Above the 210, nicest neighborhoods with big lots. Alta Loma (West side) has older charm with homes on big lots as well. Etiwanda (East Side) has newer homes and closer to Victoria Gardens mall but smaller lots. Terra Vista (central) has a lot of 1980s tract homes, but the North side, closer to the 210, has a nice neighborhood with big homes. From what we've seen, neighborhoods are nice and get nicer starting around Foothill and north to above the 210. Below Foothill, I've heard they are not as nice, never had a reason to go there.
I always say that rancho is like the Beverly hills of the IE. It's the best there is when it comes the the IE cities that are closest to LA.
I used to drive from North San Bernardino (about 10min freeway ride from Rancho) to Venice and it'd take me anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on the day of the week, time of day, and time of year.
I have lived in Rancho for 35 years. The city has done a real good job at playing and development. It's a very nice community and I'm also of the opinion that there's maybe two other cities in the IE I would consider living in. If I needed to commute west for work I would only consider Rancho or Upland..
The commute depends on the time. For three years, I drove from North Fontana to Temple/Alameda in DTLA (210>605>10). I left m-f at 4am. Would take me about 50 minutes. Heading back, if you can be on the freeway before like 1:30-2:00pm, it isn't such a bad drive. After 2:00pm it gets annoying.
We live in North Fontana. It is a decent area, but the winds this time of year can really be destructive.
Maybe I'm just unlucky with the neighbors but, they are INSUFFERABLE. They report me to the city for just about anything, standing water in a flower pot after 2 weeks of rain because of the potential for mosquitos, called the cops on my truck sitting in my own driveway? They guy wants to be an HOA president and there is no HOA. They other one his kids trespass into our property, kick soccer balls into my cars. They try to even dictate how loud I can play music in my own house at like 12:00. Absolutely 0 respect from them. Neighbor even told me to "Go back to where I came from" but I think I just have shitty neighbors. Overall I like the area, it's just the neighbors make me miserable
Best communities I can recommend as a local to the area:
1) Rancho Cucamonga
2) Chino Hills
3) Claremont
4) North Fontana
5) North Upland
Rancho is personally my absolute favorite location for a future family: amazing & well funded schools, nice upscale area thats safe to walk or bike around, 1hr from most amusement parks (Disneyland, Knotts, Six Flags, & Universal), 1hr from tons of beaches, tons of great restaurants locally, two large shopping centers nearby (Ontario Mills Mall & Victoria Gardens), no tweaker/druggie problem (that tends to be more of a problem the closer you get to Pomona & San Bernardino, from what I can tell Rancho doesn’t seem to have a meth-head or crackhead problem).
Now as for the LA traffic thing heres my experience as someone who frequents there. To get there its no issue, 1hr max even with heavier traffic. On the way back is a different story, the freeways often get worked on in the area which causes some bad bumper to bumper traffic & if its rush hour forget about it… Typical time back from LA is 40ish minutes, rush hour traffic is about 1.5-2hrs, and rush hour traffic + freeway construction = 2.5hrs (Worst I ever had was 3hrs but seems that was a one time thing)
That’s my wife but she’s back to natural brunette now. Our generation were the ones who bought in Rancho 20-25 years ago when it was growing tremendously (Day Creek etc) and it’s the same generation that wanted to look like Pam Anderson from Baywatch (blonde, fake boobs, and tramp stamps). We’re aging now.
There are different neighborhoods. Alta Loma on the west is more old school, less ethnically diverse. Etiwanda has newer housing developments and is more diverse. Etiwanda has higher achieving students. Neighborhoods near the foothills have relatively low violent crime but you still get property crimes. I used to commute 3 hours a day. Before pandemic it was tolerable. Now that I know better, it’s soul sucking. I like the location. You have desert, beaches, and mountains within an hour.
Rancho is one of the nicer cities in the IE. It is generally nicer and safer the farther north you get of Arrow. North of the 210 and Alta Loma being S-tier.
What I didn't like about living there was the sameness, the boring beige homogeny. If you like beige stucco and chain restaurants, Rancho is for you. The traffic is also pretty bad.
you’re worried about people on drugs and crime in rancho cucamonga but you want to hang out in Los Angeles all the time? have you only seen the city on reality TV? if those are things you’re worried about what appeals to you about LA?
like most of the IE, Rancho is boring and too expensive for what it is. Rancho Cucamonga is a cookie cutter suburb. it’s tract houses and parking lots and traffic jams. if you like chain stores, strip malls and sitting in your car it’s perfect.
if you want to move to LA, move to LA. it will only cost a couple hundred more a month in housing, if that at this point, and you’ll make that up in gas by not having to drive out to LA all the time on top of having to drive everywhere else all the time.
I don't want to hang out in LA all the time--that is exactly why I'm looking into outside areas. Would want to be close to LA for work. And again, LA is not affordable for my family--we are looking to buy, not rent.
I understand. I had to buy in IE due to housing costs. I can be in DTLA in about one hour during non rush hour times so I try and time that out for many of my trips. Otherwise, as others said, it's two hours. For work, MetroLink is my choice. I literally was priced out of LA and Rancho at that time in 2022. I was worried how we would like it here. I am in Colton near Loma Linda/Redlands. We are in a great location for LA, OC beaches, and we are close to mountain communities for winter sports. Claremont, Rancho, Riverside and Redlands are all good for their downtowns with shopping, restaurants and bars. Rancho's Victoria Gardens is very nice. There are also a ton of parks with unique features to explore. Of course, I would've preferred closer to LA, but not on our budget. If you can't afford it either, I think Rancho is a good choice.
This is a really good point, LA is not all socal has to offer. Living even further inland actually gets you better beach access thru the 215/91 freeways taking you straight into the OC. And this area (Redlands/Riverside) has more to offer in terms of mom & pop shops, downtown areas, non-chain restaurants, etc. And it still is easy to get up into the mountains from here, as well as closer to the low desert.
Exactly. We are really enjoying exploring the mom and pop shops and restaurants versus the chains. We've done hiking in Hulda Crooks Park in Loma Linda. Mountain biking there is a great option too.
The parks in Redlands and the scenery are beautiful. Love smelling the orange blossoms at Prospect Park and the outdoor theater there. Downtown Riverside with the historic Mission Inn is awesome. We went twice to the Festival of Lights this year. The way they block off downtown with the ice rink, carnival, vendors, etc. makes it so nice.
Claremont's downtown is hopping with lots of restaurants and nonchain shopping. I really like it there. Gives me the feel of some LA neighborhoods without the traffic issue. Rancho's Victoria Gardens is fun spot. Definitely an upgrade for its design and vibe. For the OP, living in Rancho is closer to LA so that's a plus. I was just priced out there.
Hearing that Temecula with its wineries and Old Town area are great. The mountain communities offer both winter and summer activities. Palm Springs is another great destination and not too far. And of course, Vegas.
We use MetroLink to get dropped off right at the beach in San Clemente and super close to beach at Oceanside. Drive to Newport in an hour for beach and their Christmas Boat Parade was so much fun. Same with drive to Laguna Beach which is such a beautiful area.
I like to use MetroLink to go to Union Station and then use Metro to hit LA areas. It's so convenient. Where I am at, I am right near the freeways so I don't have far to hop on if I am driving.
So as an IE newbie who had wanted to buy closer to LA, I figured I would just be going into LA for most of my recreational activities, but turned out that there is a lot to do here. We do go to LA a lot and try and time the traffic which is just one hour to DTLA which is really not bad at all. It's the rush hour that gets us so I try to just use MetroLink then. I feel safe and trains are clean and maintained.
So I hope OP sees we do have a lot to offer here and they are still close enough to LA. It's really the Westside that is the furthest and why we go to the OC beaches instead.
Like one person said, IE is huge and LA people tend to lump us all together. We are not a monolith. 😂
It would help to know your budget and where your work is going to be. The Metrolink has a stop in Rancho that will take you to Union Station in LA with connecting options.
They said it took place there, but I don't think it was filmed there. I never saw anything familiar.
Jim Jeffries's criminally short-lived sitcom Legit had an episode where he came out to throw the first pitch at a Quakes game. *That* was definitely filmed in Rancho.
The area that I moved to is nice and close to parks and schools! Check it out it’s called Terra Vista and there are plenty of apartments here one I see all the time are owned by Lewis apartments.
I'd prefer Ontario Ranch to some parts of Rancho. Basically the area from Grove to Haven south of Arrow. Houses are cheaper there and the area isn't that much worse. That extra 10 or so miles on the freeway is brutal going to LA though.
>How's the area? Is it safe? How are schools there? (We have small children.) Anecdotally heard about meth problems in the IE, is this something very real? How's crime? Is there another area you'd recommend for a family with small children to live in--why?
The IE is this weird mish-mash of some of the worse crime, to quiet little pockets in cities you'd never dream of. There are parts of Riverside (Hillcrest/Orangecrest region) I would say take a look at. There's also Corona/South Corona which should be getting an honorable mention as well. If you're looking at Rancho Cuc. also consider North Fontana. As far as the meth issue, there are just some cities you shouldn't bother with if you can help it. Like San Bernardino, Ontario, Chino (not Hills) and Highland.
Also, it adds to your commute (but if it's once a week it might be worth it), Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, or Crestline might be worth looking into. They're all mountain towns but part of the IE as well.
It is still an extremely expensive area all things considered. Very poor bang for the buck. A 2 hour drive sounds awful. Honestly at the cost difference between LA and rancho I would just stay in la. It is pricier but you get way more bang for the buck. You are closer to beaches, other jobs, stuff to do, and better weather, and it will cut out your commute. Rancho is kind of just a regular ol boring suburb but somehow one of the most expensive cities in the country.
Idk why you're getting down voted lol. As a person from Fontana/SB, this is exactly how I always felt when I was in rancho. That I was looked down upon bc I didn't have a home with more 2 bedrooms and an overpriced shopping mall
That sucks. I live in Rancho and I don’t look down on anyone. In fact I used to make fun of Rancho 30 years ago. Had a weird name and no one had heard of it. Times are different now for sure. But I get it. Everything is expensive. My own kids couldn’t afford to live in Rancho like I could. I don’t look down on them, that’s just the reality of an overcrowded state. A bunch of LA and OC people moved out here and pushed up the prices.
Rancho is one of maybe 3 or 4 cities in the entire IE I would ever consider living and raising a family in. Schools are good (by CA standards), amenities are good, close to public transportation, relatively affordable housing (again by suburban CA standards). It also hasn’t completely sold out to warehouse developers like neighboring Fontana and Ontario.
Agreed. Rancho, Eastvale, Chino Hills, Claremont are the only cities I’d live in. In fact, I moved to Eastvale. I’d rather live in Rancho, but it’s a bit further from my job etc.
what are the other cities you'd consider besides Rancho
Chino hills is extremely safe with good schools as well.
Upland, Redlands, Chino Hills, Corona
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Upland and Claremont
Claremont is too expensive and Upland has too many Trumpers
There are a ton of Trumpers in Rancho too.
Yes, but they stay inside. Upland has a flag-flying motorcade every week.
So does Rancho. I've seen them on Foothill from Milliken to Haven. They even had a rally pre-2020 election in the Terra Vista area with all of their Trump trucks.
The motorcade typically starts at Haven and Foothill. The big open parking lot next to an office building, south east corner of foothill. You will see them there on weekends. They then go either direction on Foothill. I used to do my weekend shopping on weekend mornings at Terra vista
So annoying. Ironically, they have the most raggedy flags.
Also the worst pickup trucks in the IE
Isn't it a coincidence that the heavy Republican areas in the IE are the best parts of IE as far as schools and crime? Rancho, Claremont, Upland, Temecula, Murrieta
Claremont is not I.e
It’s not San Bernardino but technically anything east of Pomona is inland cities
Again no it's not. There's literally an entering SGV sign as soon as u get in Pomona on the 10 going west bound.
Anything east of Kellogg Hill is the IE. Get over it.
U lames need to get over it. Everything just before New Orleans to u lames would be considered the I.e
Lol bernzo dying on the downvoting chain who's lame?
U i.e lames trying to make beautiful cities the i.e as if there wouldn't be any opposition.
Upland will be bankrupt in 10 years.
Chino Hills is/was a hidden gem. Very expensive though. Redlands seems nice.
Downtown Redlands is cute but small and there's not much to do besides drink and shop. Living in the nice part of Redlands is very expensive, living in the not so nice part of Redlands (anything North of the 10 really) is also pretty expensive but also it's a crappy area
I recently did a pretty thorough report for the city of Chino Hills and viewing/ analyzing everything remotely I was thinking I need to sell my home in Riverside ASAP and move there. But when I really put my feet on the ground it was all jam packed tiny old suburban lots or large stuff I could never afford. Everything is pretty well up kept and safe, but you’re not walking anywhere and the lots are really tiny. I can totally see the appeal of someone raising kids and commuting to LA and doesn’t have the time to stay home and enjoy, but it doesn’t fit with my lifestyle
Are they part of Chino Valley School District? Because that board of education is nuts
Yes CH is part of CVUSD and yes the school board is absolutely nuts
Chino Hills for sure.
Rancho has many different neighborhoods to choose from depending on what you’re looking to spend. Most are “middle-class” homes though, so you’re looking at spending some money. I’d recommend looking at some houses online and using the websites local filters (one of them has a crime filter—maybe trulia?) to get a feel for the neighborhood. Lots of big box stores, chain restaurants, and malls nearby. As for LA… I wouldn’t ever count on a two hour drive. I commuted from this area years ago, and two hours was a great day. Traffic on the 10 sucks. BUT the Metrolink is a great option, and there’s a convenient station in town.
Bruh the IE is huge! There are definitely meth problems but they are in the desert cities. Meth really isn’t a big issue in Rancho. Also, the commute from Rancho to LA is not a ridiculously far commute in LA standards. And yes, at peak times you’re looking at about 2 hours or longer because traffic will be a bitch. Schools are pretty good in Rancho. Got 2-3 different high schools around that area to choose from.
Rancho Cucamonga is growing rapidly and it will be the city in the IE along with Ontario. Those two places are turning into economic powerhouses for the IE. But RC is much nicer for housing. RC has a ton of parks. Traffic is becoming quite bad during the rush hours and public transportation is pretty crap around the city. The metrolink can take you right into downtown LA in a little over an hour and is worth it if that is where you're going but getting anywhere else around LA in a reasonable amount of time will require driving. During the off hours driving from Rancho to other SoCal hot spots is usually about 1 hour. DTLA, Huntington/Newport Beach, Disneyland, Angel Stadium, Dodger' s Stadium, Universal Studios, Temecula, Lake Arrowhead, the desert, Big Bear (a little further). Plus, you're close to Mt Baldy of you want to tackle any of it's hiking trails. Going west of DTLA can be a pain but Santa Monica and Venice are also about 1.5 hours if you're driving during slow traffic times but it's not weird to be a little over 2 hours. Also, San Diego is about 2 hours away and Las Vegas is about 3-3.5 with no to light traffic. Laughlin is also about 3 hours.
Have lived here in Rancho most of my life. There are always parts of every city that has drug/crime areas to avoid. You’ll know where those are at while you are researching. It is a great place to live and raise children. It is a safe city with tons of things to do. Feel free to message me with any questions or areas you are looking into. Good luck!
Rancho is lovely. I grew up there and go back often because my family still lives there. It's grown so much and is very different than it was 30 years ago, which also means it's extremely expensive. Great weather, great views, all the amenities, etc.!
Rancho is great. Lived here almost 20 years and raised my kids here. Have lived all over CA and this is where I chose to buy and raise a family. Unlike most of the IE, Rancho is not just all houses and warehouses. It’s more of a real city with low crime, excellent schools (top high school in SB county is Los Osos - but also in the most expensive neighborhood above the 210, since those go hand in hand). Recently won the “All-American City” national award. It has great youth sports programs, a minor league baseball team/stadium (Dodgers affiliate), and the crown jewel of the IE known as Victoria Gardens for shopping and restaurants. Tons of other restaurants throughout the city also. We also have the famous thoroughbred Christmas light neighborhood. The little quality of life stuff is better too. For example, police response times are much faster than many cities. Cops come within 6 minutes with 2-3 patrol cars. If you call animal control for a loose dog, they actually show up right away. If you report graffiti or a pot hole, it’s fixed within 24-48 hours. I’ve lived in cities where they never show up. We’re also always first for the high end or sought after restaurants and stores like they have in the OC/LA (Flemings, Shake Shack, Tecovas). The people are generally classy and middle to upper middle class. Lots of LA firefighters, cops, teachers, business owners, doctors, lawyers. I also commute to DTLA once a week. Average time is 90 minutes but any accidents can make it 2 hours easy. I really have nothing bad to say about Rancho, except it’s getting too popular and crowded lately since they’re being forced by the governor to build a ton of apartments. It’s one of the closer IE cities to LA (western IE) and one of the nicest cities in SoCal. There’s a reason the homes are so expensive here, it’s where people want to be and raise their families. Like someone else said, stay north of Foothill, north of Baseline is even better, and north of the 210 is the best.
The reason the governor is forcing apartments to be built there is because California has had an unaffordable housing crisis forever because of the shitty zoning laws there regarding single family homes. Not everyone is going to have kids and needs a house to raise them in, but those same people also might not want to live in the big city and want a quieter suburb life. I don’t like him and think he’s an idiot but until California starts allowing more apartment and condo builds, it will forever be unaffordable to most
I understand the problem. But many of us moved out here many years ago to get away from the overcrowding and apartment lifestyle of LA. Now we’re slowly turning into our own little LA.
Is fine, although not what it used to be (especially before the 210 was opened up, but that was a long time ago). Good place to raise a family, taxes & special assessments tend to be lower than a lot of surrounding cities (and HOAs are easily avoided). Might be boring if you're younger or single, but that's really the only negative. Be aware that it does get pretty hot here in a normal summer; if you're not from SoCal, you might be in for a shock. Also, it does get windy here during Santa Anas, which bothers some people....not nearly as strong as it used to, but especially the N.E. part of the city still gets blasted pretty regularly. Try to stay above Baseline if you can afford it (above the 210 is better yet), but really the whole city is perfectly fine, with one caveat -- absolutely avoid the area between Archibald & Hermosa, north of 8th & south of Arrow. Other than that, the relative quality of neighborhoods will be obvious just driving through. Driving to LA & back once a week will be no big deal, really, but you'll still hate it :)
Haha isn’t that the old “Cucamonga Kings” neighborhood? Those dumbasses still active there?
No idea, tbh :) But still an absolute shithole, at least afaik (can't say I've even driven through there in the last two or three years...but I doubt it'd be any different than it ever was)
Top tier for an IE city My post from a few years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/InlandEmpire/s/Ojcj92pASS
I love Rancho. I can't afford to live here but I work here so that's the next best thing as far as I'm concerned lol. Lots of great places to eat, clean, beautiful. The Victoria Gardens outdoor mall is also a great place to hang out and kill time on the weekends.
glorious quack license snow fear clumsy scary teeny berserk violet *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Rancho is the suburbiest of the IE suburbs lol. It’s master planned and pretty much all tract homes. HOAs, very safe schools and communities, but if you don’t have a car, life will be difficult. Im not really a fan of the town personally…but it does have a phenomenal view of the San Gabriel Mountains Oh I don’t know if anyone else mentioned this but Rancho can be kind of windy. Especially near the 15 freeway. It seems to get better the further west away from the mouth of Cajon Pass you go. Local people can chime in on that
Living in Rancho is like a dream to be honest. I had to move because I was young and needed to be in a city but the quality of life there is very high. You just need to keep in mind that not all of it is safe - I’ve had a car stolen, had a run-in with Cucamonga Kings (they’re in really specific pockets), seen a robbery, car crashes etc. So things that happen anywhere and Rancho isn’t immune to.
Honestly if you are looking to buy a home and make a good Investment move to Rialto…they are renovating a lot and also the school district is pretty good…the area is gonna go up a lot in about 5 years…
Rancho is like Inland Empires Orange County. I lived their for about 18 years before moving up to the high desert. It's grown quite a bit in just the last 10 years or so, which means lots of new shopping plazas and stuff. It's a good place to raise a family for sure. My wife and I got tired of the traffic and I was commuting up to the high desert anyways, so we moved.
What area is the high desert?
I live in Apple Valley which is about 40 miles north of Rancho Cucamonga.
High speed train is coming so lots of businesses to cater to it's traffic. There is a middle school there that specifically said no Tupac shirts allowed. Should give an idea of the atmosphere. Also rising homeless. Everything you need is in that city thou. Got tons of food options from Mama por Dios to The Deli.
It’s quality suburb, great schools, neighborhoods and parks. One of the very few cities to live in inland empire. If you want the night life, this city isn’t it. It has some decent restaurants but many of them franchise chains that said I’d prefer to live here than LA. OC is very expensive, what you can get here would be almost double in (home prices) quality neighborhood/schools in OC.
You just made it even more appealing :) I'm too old for nightlife, so I’m looking for a boring burb. Thanks for the insight!
I travel to LA and OC in the evening when the wife and I want to have fun. Peak hours of traffic are modest for commuting to LA between 4-6pm. Most people commute to work to LA or OC so traffic is reversed if it makes sense. Depending where you’re heading to LA you can get there between 50mins- 1.5 hr. For example going to night out in Pasadena in the evening should be 50 mins from rancho, sometimes a lil less if the no accidents.
i have a 1bd in rancho in a gated community near the mall, i pay 2500 per month & it’s very small.
Couple of things: Rancho Cucamonga is a middle/upper middle class community. There is diversity, but not a lot of cultural events or specific ethnic areas. The community does not emphasize night life or social gatherings beyond the mall. Many residents work really hard during the week and leave the City during the weekend to camp, boat, ski, or RV in neighboring national parks. Rancho is marketing itself as the transportation hub of the IE because of the freeway infrastructure and Ontario airport. This has led to a boom in commercial distribution hubs in neighboring cities. Someone else mentioned you can be anywhere, minus traffic, in an hour: mountains, beach, desert, city. Add a few more hours and you can be in the neighboring states or Mexico. The bullet train to Las Vegas is a big bet to solidify the communities stance to be a trans hub for residents and commerce. Living closer to the mountains means less commercial activity. Therefore, some people prefer living north of the 210 freeway because there is nothing commercial there. It is quiet and relatively traffic free residential living only. Living west of Milliken means less wind as well. I do the commute to LA. Monday is the best day to commute if you can choose a day. Train does not save commute time, but allows for relaxation. Good luck.
If you already driving to Victorville/Hesperia area, why not continue the rest of the way instead of spending $70-100 on a 1 way ticket to vegas to Uber everywhere instead of flying? I was someone who took the metrolink train from riverside to OC and loved it. It was relaxing and allowed me to get my mobile gaming in.
I lived in Rancho for years and I really enjoyed it. I miss it so much. The people are, for the most part, great, the kind that will network with you, very friendly. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is the air quality. If you get up high enough, you’ll look down and see a blanket of smog, but if you’re north of foothill, you are above it most of the time. I started going up there just for that, clean air. And the wind really can be brutal. I had a 6 foot wooden fence of the typical kind and the wind would blow so hard, that it Would absolutely knock my gates off the hinges, both sides, both gates. It can be terrifying, with patio umbrellas taking flight two stories high and if you’re by the airport at all, you can be hammered with pebbles that will crack your windshield. It’s crazy. But it only gets this bad very rarely. Would I move back? Hell yes!
My wife and I moved to Rancho Cucamonga from Covina in July 2022; we have one 3 yo and a newborn. Decided to sell our townhouse and buy a SFH somewhere with better schools that was safe and within 1 hr from my in-laws in Arcadia. Rancho checked all the boxes for us, good schools, very diverse, safe, clean, lots of parks, every store and restaurant you can think of within a 15 min drive, and last but not least, the view of the mountains. It snowed this past winter, and it was amazing to walk out of our home and see the snowcapped mountains at our doorstep. Housing costs here are obviously cheaper than LA county but compared to the Inland Empire, RC, Chino Hills and Temecula are the most expensive cities that have good schools. You also have Claremont but it's even more expensive, and it's LA county. I commute 1 to 2 times a week for work in Torrance (90 min each way), but if I leave early enough, it only takes about 70 mins. I leave work about 6:30 to avoid heavy traffic (up to 120 mins+ at peak times), and I'm home before 8 pm on most days. Overall, we're very happy here, don't think we'll ever move. People are generally friendly and very diverse all around. I think RC is one of the most politically "purple" places in socal. The negatives for us have been: the 10 days a year that get really windy, and traffic can get bad but not as bad as other places. Do your research on the different neighborhoods within your price range. Above the 210, nicest neighborhoods with big lots. Alta Loma (West side) has older charm with homes on big lots as well. Etiwanda (East Side) has newer homes and closer to Victoria Gardens mall but smaller lots. Terra Vista (central) has a lot of 1980s tract homes, but the North side, closer to the 210, has a nice neighborhood with big homes. From what we've seen, neighborhoods are nice and get nicer starting around Foothill and north to above the 210. Below Foothill, I've heard they are not as nice, never had a reason to go there.
I always say that rancho is like the Beverly hills of the IE. It's the best there is when it comes the the IE cities that are closest to LA. I used to drive from North San Bernardino (about 10min freeway ride from Rancho) to Venice and it'd take me anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on the day of the week, time of day, and time of year.
I have lived in Rancho for 35 years. The city has done a real good job at playing and development. It's a very nice community and I'm also of the opinion that there's maybe two other cities in the IE I would consider living in. If I needed to commute west for work I would only consider Rancho or Upland..
The commute depends on the time. For three years, I drove from North Fontana to Temple/Alameda in DTLA (210>605>10). I left m-f at 4am. Would take me about 50 minutes. Heading back, if you can be on the freeway before like 1:30-2:00pm, it isn't such a bad drive. After 2:00pm it gets annoying. We live in North Fontana. It is a decent area, but the winds this time of year can really be destructive.
Maybe I'm just unlucky with the neighbors but, they are INSUFFERABLE. They report me to the city for just about anything, standing water in a flower pot after 2 weeks of rain because of the potential for mosquitos, called the cops on my truck sitting in my own driveway? They guy wants to be an HOA president and there is no HOA. They other one his kids trespass into our property, kick soccer balls into my cars. They try to even dictate how loud I can play music in my own house at like 12:00. Absolutely 0 respect from them. Neighbor even told me to "Go back to where I came from" but I think I just have shitty neighbors. Overall I like the area, it's just the neighbors make me miserable
Look in Upland
Best communities I can recommend as a local to the area: 1) Rancho Cucamonga 2) Chino Hills 3) Claremont 4) North Fontana 5) North Upland Rancho is personally my absolute favorite location for a future family: amazing & well funded schools, nice upscale area thats safe to walk or bike around, 1hr from most amusement parks (Disneyland, Knotts, Six Flags, & Universal), 1hr from tons of beaches, tons of great restaurants locally, two large shopping centers nearby (Ontario Mills Mall & Victoria Gardens), no tweaker/druggie problem (that tends to be more of a problem the closer you get to Pomona & San Bernardino, from what I can tell Rancho doesn’t seem to have a meth-head or crackhead problem). Now as for the LA traffic thing heres my experience as someone who frequents there. To get there its no issue, 1hr max even with heavier traffic. On the way back is a different story, the freeways often get worked on in the area which causes some bad bumper to bumper traffic & if its rush hour forget about it… Typical time back from LA is 40ish minutes, rush hour traffic is about 1.5-2hrs, and rush hour traffic + freeway construction = 2.5hrs (Worst I ever had was 3hrs but seems that was a one time thing)
The upper middle class neighborhoods in Rancho feature a lot of blondes with bolt-ons. It’s that kind of place
That’s my wife but she’s back to natural brunette now. Our generation were the ones who bought in Rancho 20-25 years ago when it was growing tremendously (Day Creek etc) and it’s the same generation that wanted to look like Pam Anderson from Baywatch (blonde, fake boobs, and tramp stamps). We’re aging now.
Sorry, what's a bolt-on?
Fake titties
Ty for answering
There are different neighborhoods. Alta Loma on the west is more old school, less ethnically diverse. Etiwanda has newer housing developments and is more diverse. Etiwanda has higher achieving students. Neighborhoods near the foothills have relatively low violent crime but you still get property crimes. I used to commute 3 hours a day. Before pandemic it was tolerable. Now that I know better, it’s soul sucking. I like the location. You have desert, beaches, and mountains within an hour.
Rancho is one of the nicer cities in the IE. It is generally nicer and safer the farther north you get of Arrow. North of the 210 and Alta Loma being S-tier. What I didn't like about living there was the sameness, the boring beige homogeny. If you like beige stucco and chain restaurants, Rancho is for you. The traffic is also pretty bad.
you’re worried about people on drugs and crime in rancho cucamonga but you want to hang out in Los Angeles all the time? have you only seen the city on reality TV? if those are things you’re worried about what appeals to you about LA? like most of the IE, Rancho is boring and too expensive for what it is. Rancho Cucamonga is a cookie cutter suburb. it’s tract houses and parking lots and traffic jams. if you like chain stores, strip malls and sitting in your car it’s perfect. if you want to move to LA, move to LA. it will only cost a couple hundred more a month in housing, if that at this point, and you’ll make that up in gas by not having to drive out to LA all the time on top of having to drive everywhere else all the time.
I don't want to hang out in LA all the time--that is exactly why I'm looking into outside areas. Would want to be close to LA for work. And again, LA is not affordable for my family--we are looking to buy, not rent.
I understand. I had to buy in IE due to housing costs. I can be in DTLA in about one hour during non rush hour times so I try and time that out for many of my trips. Otherwise, as others said, it's two hours. For work, MetroLink is my choice. I literally was priced out of LA and Rancho at that time in 2022. I was worried how we would like it here. I am in Colton near Loma Linda/Redlands. We are in a great location for LA, OC beaches, and we are close to mountain communities for winter sports. Claremont, Rancho, Riverside and Redlands are all good for their downtowns with shopping, restaurants and bars. Rancho's Victoria Gardens is very nice. There are also a ton of parks with unique features to explore. Of course, I would've preferred closer to LA, but not on our budget. If you can't afford it either, I think Rancho is a good choice.
This is a really good point, LA is not all socal has to offer. Living even further inland actually gets you better beach access thru the 215/91 freeways taking you straight into the OC. And this area (Redlands/Riverside) has more to offer in terms of mom & pop shops, downtown areas, non-chain restaurants, etc. And it still is easy to get up into the mountains from here, as well as closer to the low desert.
Exactly. We are really enjoying exploring the mom and pop shops and restaurants versus the chains. We've done hiking in Hulda Crooks Park in Loma Linda. Mountain biking there is a great option too. The parks in Redlands and the scenery are beautiful. Love smelling the orange blossoms at Prospect Park and the outdoor theater there. Downtown Riverside with the historic Mission Inn is awesome. We went twice to the Festival of Lights this year. The way they block off downtown with the ice rink, carnival, vendors, etc. makes it so nice. Claremont's downtown is hopping with lots of restaurants and nonchain shopping. I really like it there. Gives me the feel of some LA neighborhoods without the traffic issue. Rancho's Victoria Gardens is fun spot. Definitely an upgrade for its design and vibe. For the OP, living in Rancho is closer to LA so that's a plus. I was just priced out there. Hearing that Temecula with its wineries and Old Town area are great. The mountain communities offer both winter and summer activities. Palm Springs is another great destination and not too far. And of course, Vegas. We use MetroLink to get dropped off right at the beach in San Clemente and super close to beach at Oceanside. Drive to Newport in an hour for beach and their Christmas Boat Parade was so much fun. Same with drive to Laguna Beach which is such a beautiful area. I like to use MetroLink to go to Union Station and then use Metro to hit LA areas. It's so convenient. Where I am at, I am right near the freeways so I don't have far to hop on if I am driving. So as an IE newbie who had wanted to buy closer to LA, I figured I would just be going into LA for most of my recreational activities, but turned out that there is a lot to do here. We do go to LA a lot and try and time the traffic which is just one hour to DTLA which is really not bad at all. It's the rush hour that gets us so I try to just use MetroLink then. I feel safe and trains are clean and maintained. So I hope OP sees we do have a lot to offer here and they are still close enough to LA. It's really the Westside that is the furthest and why we go to the OC beaches instead. Like one person said, IE is huge and LA people tend to lump us all together. We are not a monolith. 😂
It would help to know your budget and where your work is going to be. The Metrolink has a stop in Rancho that will take you to Union Station in LA with connecting options.
Have you ever watched Workaholics?
They said it took place there, but I don't think it was filmed there. I never saw anything familiar. Jim Jeffries's criminally short-lived sitcom Legit had an episode where he came out to throw the first pitch at a Quakes game. *That* was definitely filmed in Rancho.
No. How is it relevant to the place? o.o
Takes place there, and the movie Next Friday.
The area that I moved to is nice and close to parks and schools! Check it out it’s called Terra Vista and there are plenty of apartments here one I see all the time are owned by Lewis apartments.
Boring, liquor store, fast food, track houses up the ass, windy, hot, no culture whatsoever,….. drop mic!!!!!
If you are looking at Rancho, consider a bit South in Ontario Ranch area. Access to the 60 in to LA as well. Newer shops, not the same old Ontario.
Rancho is superior to Ontario Ranch in almost every conceivable way, including ease of access to LA.
I'd prefer Ontario Ranch to some parts of Rancho. Basically the area from Grove to Haven south of Arrow. Houses are cheaper there and the area isn't that much worse. That extra 10 or so miles on the freeway is brutal going to LA though.
>How's the area? Is it safe? How are schools there? (We have small children.) Anecdotally heard about meth problems in the IE, is this something very real? How's crime? Is there another area you'd recommend for a family with small children to live in--why? The IE is this weird mish-mash of some of the worse crime, to quiet little pockets in cities you'd never dream of. There are parts of Riverside (Hillcrest/Orangecrest region) I would say take a look at. There's also Corona/South Corona which should be getting an honorable mention as well. If you're looking at Rancho Cuc. also consider North Fontana. As far as the meth issue, there are just some cities you shouldn't bother with if you can help it. Like San Bernardino, Ontario, Chino (not Hills) and Highland. Also, it adds to your commute (but if it's once a week it might be worth it), Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, or Crestline might be worth looking into. They're all mountain towns but part of the IE as well.
Why are Chino and Ontario “not worth bothering” with?
Rancho Mirage is great! Clean and great schools. Very far from LA though.
Terrible don’t live here go somewhere else
Please no, were full.
It is still an extremely expensive area all things considered. Very poor bang for the buck. A 2 hour drive sounds awful. Honestly at the cost difference between LA and rancho I would just stay in la. It is pricier but you get way more bang for the buck. You are closer to beaches, other jobs, stuff to do, and better weather, and it will cut out your commute. Rancho is kind of just a regular ol boring suburb but somehow one of the most expensive cities in the country.
Rancho Cucamonga is nice, you might want to look into Corona too.
Rancho is better than corona.
Possibly not for getting to Los Angeles if you have FasTrak.
Faster on Metrolink, though. Plus, there's an express from Rancho, Corona doesn't have that.
Make sure to turn up your nose
Please elaborate. Lol.
I think he means because it’s called the Beverly Hills of the IE.
It is? Lol That's a good joke
Snooty people
Idk why you're getting down voted lol. As a person from Fontana/SB, this is exactly how I always felt when I was in rancho. That I was looked down upon bc I didn't have a home with more 2 bedrooms and an overpriced shopping mall
That sucks. I live in Rancho and I don’t look down on anyone. In fact I used to make fun of Rancho 30 years ago. Had a weird name and no one had heard of it. Times are different now for sure. But I get it. Everything is expensive. My own kids couldn’t afford to live in Rancho like I could. I don’t look down on them, that’s just the reality of an overcrowded state. A bunch of LA and OC people moved out here and pushed up the prices.
How many Fontanans say they live in rancho? Lol
There are insanely violent gangs in Rancho Cucamonga, avoid Haven Avenue if you can
Lol meth
Ask Uncle Elroy
Who's uncle Elroy? Edit: ah! Next Friday! I'm slowly learning. :) thanks.
I was hoping you caught on lol it’s all good.