I’ve lived in Fallbrook for the past 25 years and own a business in Old Town Temecula. If you’re looking for a newer tract house, great schools, family friendly neighborhoods, close proximity to shopping, or more afforable housing, Temecula is great. It also has horrible traffic problems (plan on at least a 45 minute commute to Camp Pendleton from the Wine Country). It’s also incredibly hot and dry – about 10-15 degrees hotter than the Fallbrook area.
Instead of the wine country, I’d recommend looking at the west side of Temecula in the Deluz area. Deluz borders the north end of Fallbrook, and the west side of Temecula. I have quite a few clients that live in that area and it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s in the hills overlooking Temecula, so the elevation is higher and the climate is more like Fallbrook. Plus, you’re on the opposite side of the traffic nightmare in Temecula, so you’re closer to the freeway than the wine country and there’s virtually no traffic to get on the freeway. Plus, in the event that the freeway is backed up or if you just want a scenic drive home from Camp Pendleton, you can take Deluz Road from Fallbrook and end up in Temecula, bypassing all of the freeway traffic.
Fallbrook is quaint, has an eclectic mix of older and newer custom homes and a charming downtown area. Most of the homes are on an average of 1-5 acres with the exception of those close to town. Falbrook is part of San Diego County, so home prices seem to be a little higher because of that. It’s much quieter and slower paced than Temecula. It’s getting a huge influx of Orange County people looking for a slower pace of life right now. We live between the 15 freeway and downtown Fallbrook on a 5 acre “farm”. It’s a great place to raise kids, get involved in the community, and settle down. The weather is very nice – we get a slight ocean breeze and never really need air conditioning. Re: the previous posters comments about crime – there was a stabbing a few weeks ago, but it was NOT a carjacking, and the two people involved were acquaintances and not from the area. It was a rare, freak thing. Tom Metzger does live in Fallbrook with his family, but he’s been a fixture in town for years. He lives a very quiet life, and most people probably wouldn’t even recognize him. A number of celebrities live in Fallbrook as well – most in the Rolling Hills/Olive Hill/Sleeping Indian area.
