[quote=Blissful Ignoramus][quote=eclipxe]A reasonable distance to you might not be a reasonable distance to others.[/quote]

This is true, but it’s a huge limitation, and as soon as gas prices go back up, it’s a major economic factor as well.

By “not just the short term” I mean extending beyond the current bubble. A lot (not all) of this area is going to turn into slum/ghost town in the coming years. At the same time, it’s not a bad location and eventually the area will grow to accommodate the housing. For now, however, I think it’s fair to say that Temecula’s location is much more of a minus than a plus, and will be for some time. Those for whom that is not true can live like kings and queens. Or maybe Emperors and Empresses of the Inland Empire.
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I agree – it is currently an economic limitation and high gas prices will have an impact. It is also an opportunity to encourage much more job growth in the area. Despite the recession, there are segments of the economy (healthcare and biotech mainly) that are expanding and the area is poised to capture at least some of those jobs. I recently read about Murrieta’s shift in focus from housing to jobs. I’m paraphrasing but a councilman stated “we have enough rooftops, it’s time to get businesses”. How successful will this be? Time will tell, but tax incentives and stronger area marketing to businesses will help relieve our dependence on commuters.

A slum/ghost town? What are you smoking? There are several less desirable areas just as far flung, if not more-so in Southern California. Once those areas become slums I’ll give your prediction a bit of concern but come on.

I feel the location has its downsides but it is also somewhat of a positive. The area is close enough to provide commuters access to Orange County, San Diego and Riverside job centers. Compared to other far flung exurbs (Lancaster/Palmdale -> LA jobs, Victorville/Hesperia/Apple Valley -> LA jobs, Corona -> OC, Riverside jobs, etc) Temecula has a definite location positive and allows commuters to hedge their bets when it comes to job choice and access.

Temecula/Murrieta also has a competitive advantage over many other cities for telecommuters. Verizon FIOS allows for much smoother connectivity for remote access and video conferencing. One of the main factors that has allowed me to telecommute in my last two jobs has been the cheap, fast and low-latency connectivity to my home offices. Regular old cable and DSL internet connections don’t provide enough bandwidth or quick enough access times to make full-time remote access comfortable enough for certain job tasks. Dedicated lines get rid of the reliability and latency issues but are expensive and limited in bandwidth. FIOS is a near-perfect solution and is currently limited to a handful of cities (Temecula/Murrieta included)