ralph, Murrieta and Temecula are about a tie, it’s preference and proximity, we are splitting hairs when we compare them. Murrieta is well run, it has less revenue sources than Temecula (car dealers, mall, etc.) but it is fine. As far as safety, it is the safest in the county and in 2007 it was the 44th safest city in the United States, you can leave the body armor at home, despite the anectdotal stories, the stats tell another tale.
Purely from memory, the overall stats are about 19 crimes per thousand per year, in S.D. county, only Ramona and Poway are in that range, with Ramona being slightly better but both are smaller, but for a city of 100k, I know of none locally that compare.
It did grow more during the bubble and has more repos, if I wasn’t already established in my hood, I’d look seriously at it. If you commute to the south, the 215 can be frustrating, but it appears to be under construction, however freeway projects seem to take forever no matter where you are. Bear Creek is one of the nicest places anywhere, but expect to pay a hefty premium, it’s the I.E. version of Rancho Santa Fe.
