“I’ve grown weary of defending the area to those who have a macro view of the region so I will sit that one out for now…”
Despite your comment above, I would like to know your take on the area. If have posted your views before on this topic at piggington’s, just point me to them so you do not have to type them again.
Being an outsider (to Temecula – I live in Irvine), I may not know as much about the area as others on this forum; I, however, have a more positive view of this area as compared to some of the recent posts.
One of the reasons is schools; I feel that if you have only ONE factor to consider to gauge an area, then it should be the API index of the schools. Good schools attract good demographics and good demographics push up the school rankings. It’s a positive cycle. It has happened in Cupertino and in Irvine — these are among the best school districts in California. Temecula has very high API rankings, certainly the best in Riverside and San Bernardino counties put together.
The demographics is certainly better than other parts of Inland Empire; wineries and casino make it a touristy destination too. The afternoon breeze too is definitely and important factor … If you compare those factors with, for example Corona and Lake Elsinore, Temecula certainly stands out.
As far as real jobs are considered, I think everyone is right that there are few good jobs in the area. But that is true for most (if not all) of Inland Empire. If there were jobs too along with the above positives, then Temecula prices would have been more like those of Cupertino and Irvine!
I might be way off in my opinions as compared to facts, but mine’s a bird’s eye view. I would certainly appreciate everyone’s comments on this topic.