[quote=FlyerInHi]BG, I don’t think you’ve been to San Gabriel lately. The area is heavily Chinese now and prices are more than San Diego for comparable inland areas.[/quote]
Yes, I have. In fact, I’m headed back up there this weekend for a dinner.
From my observations from the ground, more than half of the inland LA County corridor are predominantly White with Latino or predominantly Latino with White or predominately Filipino depending on town/city. The Chinese have concentrated themselves in just a few areas.
Yes, the few towns/cities there which are now predominantly Chinese have RE prices which have ratcheted up in recent years. But none of these areas can be compared to inland areas of SD. Firstly, they are 40-50 miles from the Santa Monica Pier. That would place them in Campo and points east (the mtns) in San Diego County. Yes, it tends to be hot 8-9 months year and A/C is necessary. It is heavily trucked (esp on I-10) but the residential environments in the Brea/Pomona/San Gabriel corridor are not spoiled like many inland areas of SD County. Secondly, it is not subdivision hell as SD County is, its views remained pristine and it is comprised mostly single family homes with a few scattered well-managed condo/townhome developments. Thirdly, the older housing stock there have typical lots of 7000 – 12,000 sf. Even most two-bdrm houses have ample lots. This is true even heading west towards Pasadena (West Covina, Baldwin Park, El Monte, LaVerne, etc.)
The RE values hold up well there because of proximity to well-paying jobs, the many transportation choices available, the large stock of well-built single family homes on generous lots, multiple shopping and entertainment venues, and, most importantly, its leadership consciously deciding NOT to destroy their environment by randomly issuing dozens of subdivision permits.
OTOH, their neighbors to the east, San Bern and RIV Counties have both sold out to Big Development which ruined their environments and literally bankrupted the City of San Bernardino. Because of this, the difference (livability) between LA and RIV/San Bern Counties is night and day.
I like the area very much and feel a savvy buyer can get a lot of bang for the buck there but ppsf there is higher than SD because a typical SFR there is smaller in size than those in SD County (due to age).
However, I personally would prefer to “retire” in a CA city/town with a population of ~50K or less (mtns or wine country). I wouldn’t even mind a town with a 1-2K population with a 15-20K pop city/town within a half hour drive to shop and do errands in.
