Riverside, CA- The good, the bad, the ugly

[sk!mom]

DH has out of the blue been offered a job in Riverside. He's not been looking for a job and we've had no thoughts of pulling up stakes from the only city we've ever lived in together.

On the one hand, DH already has a job that he loves. He appreciates that since it certainly hasn't always been the case in his 25 year career. However, this new offer would be a substantial raise and would be working for a great boss from his past.

But we live in a low COL area in Texas and I suspect that the COL in CA would eat up the increase. I'm a teacher with only 8 years until retirement eligibility. Not sure what would happen with that if we left the state. Also not sure how difficult it would be to get a teaching job in CA.

Another thing is that DD15 is half way through high school so not an ideal time to move her.

Given all that I find myself thinking that it would be a new adventure.

Hey, and it's close to Disney!

So tell me about Riverside.

 

[gr8leg8]

Good luck with your decision,

sounds like a tough choice.

 

[JaymeC]

The first thing you should know about Riverside is that it will feel as if you just got dropped into the strip-mall-center-of-America. Really. That's just the feel it has to it. Being in TX I assume you're used to the dry heat, be aware that Riverside is going to feel an awful lot like Texas. It's not near enough to the coastline to have that cooling/warming effect that LA and San Diego proper get.

As far as cost of living goes, I've only lived in San Diego, not Riverside itself but my two cents on this topic. Be prepared to pay a LOT more for housing. You can look online to see about how much. Gas will be slightly more than what I'm used to, and I assume higher than Texas. Food prices, in my experience, were about the same honestly. And there's a TON of yummy fresh foods year round. Make friends with someone with an avocado tree. Mmm. I miss those things fresh. The cost for things like clothing and toiletries and what not was not significantly higher if at all. Really, the biggest increase is for your home. Land is at a premium in California still.

Something I don't know if you considered is the climate as far as the personalities you'll be interacting with. I grew up in the midwest, have lived on the west coast and Japan, and now I'm in NC which has a bit of east coast and a bit of southern feel to it. Some days I wonder at the fact that it's all considered the same country. I'm not sure what TX is like as far as the feel for how people treat each other, but I remember being surprised in SoCal that when I first arrived I would smile and say hello to people (Ohio upbringing!) and would receive a surprise look back. That's not to say the people are mean or anything, they're just people, but the socially accepted norms are slightly different. Similarly you have to remember how much of a social safety net you're leaving behind. For our family we were dealing with military moves so long that we didn't expect to have family and friends nearby, but if that's something you're truly going to miss don't do it.

But it is close to Disneyland. And really, San Diego has a ton to offer. LA has a bit to offer (not one of my favorite cities, but it has it's plusses) and the desserts can be absolutely fascinating in their own right. You'll be close to Vegas which is better than just for gambling as well (we don't gamble and used to go all the time). As I almost got off on a tangent on, I love SoCal food And it is lovely being close to the SoCal beaches, even if the Pacific tends to be a little on the cold side. Dh's entire family is from the San Diego/Riverside/29 Palms/etc. area and there's a reason they all stay there despite the cost of living. Really, if dh and I were at a different point in our careers we'd be back to SoCal in a heartbeat.

 

[starry_solo]

Skimom - please send me a PM. I work in Riverside, CA and can tell you a lot.

The unemployment rate in Riverside / Inland Empire is hovering around 12%. If you don't like Riverside, is there an option to go back to TX?

Housing market has dropped dramatically (not to pre 2003/04 prices though). You can still get a good deal in Riverside unless you want a brand new home and then, those are ridiculous prices. Try to get a single story home. Orangecrest, Woodcrest, Canyon Crest are the areas you want (as well as Wood Street homes).

DON'T go to Moreno Valley for the cheap homes. DON't live off of Market Street (Downtown Riverside) for the newer homes built in a crappy neighborhood.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I lived there and I did not like it.

 

[furb & dez]

I'll put this as kindly as possible...

Riverside is a pit that makes living in Texas look attractive.

 

[cnj]

We live an hour from Riverside. It is in the middle of nowhere. People here look down on it. I do not know how to say this kindly: It is trashy. It is very expensive to live in California. They tax you on everything.

Teachers here have been laid off. There are talks of more cuts to come. We are the worst school system in the United States. I would think it would be impossible for someone out of state to find a teaching job here.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I agree with you about the school system. If you have to drive from Riverside to Orange County the freeway is awful. I dont miss the traffic.

 

[dreamin_disney]

The good......Delia's Grinders...yum!

The bad.....traffic and the 91 fwy

Maybe take a mini vacation and visit, that way you can see if its a place you will be happy with.

Good Luck!

 

[SandrA9810]

California has the highest unemployment rate out there. I doubt there's many job openings for teachers.

Even in Modesto, which is the middle of no-where and a lower COL than other major cities of California, it's still more expensive than Dallas, TX. It's more in line with Miami prices, without anything great like Miami. The recession hit just as hard here as any other place in America.

A) I wouldn't take your child out of high school, unless she's used to moving around a lot.
B) You've worked this long for a good retirement, why ruin it? I'm sure you've got a pretty decent pension/retirement plan going for ya.

If the offer is still around in 8 years, than take a flying leap of retirement fun. You'll have nothing to loose. But right now, you show no indication of wanted to really move to Riverside other than a fleeting moment of "that would be cool".

 

[MAH4546]

Riverside is a dump. Housing is pretty cheap there, the market collapsed, even worse than Los Angeles. On a happy note, it's only about 30 miles from Disneyland.

 

[sk!mom]

Thanks for all the responses. Based on them and the research DH and I did last night, I don't think he's even going to take it any farther.

We're happy where we are. No reason to rock the boat!

 

[sk!mom]

California has the highest unemployment rate out there. I doubt there's many job openings for teachers.

Even in Modesto, which is the middle of no-where and a lower COL than other major cities of California, it's still more expensive than Dallas, TX. It's more in line with Miami prices, without anything great like Miami. The recession hit just as hard here as any other place in America.

A) I wouldn't take your child out of high school, unless she's used to moving around a lot.
B) You've worked this long for a good retirement, why ruin it? I'm sure you've got a pretty decent pension/retirement plan going for ya.

If the offer is still around in 8 years, than take a flying leap of retirement fun. You'll have nothing to loose. But right now, you show no indication of wanted to really move to Riverside other than a fleeting moment of "that would be cool".

Your comments are very close to our discussion last night.

I'm too close to retirement to leave the state. DD has never moved at all. Our home is paid off and the only house she's ever lived in.

As I said, this offer came as a surprise. Probably the only reason we discussed it at all is because out of the 5 jobs DH has had in the 27 years since college, the two he stayed at the longest (10 years at one and 10 and counting at his current) and enjoyed the most were both unsolicited job offers.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[queenbetsey]

been living out here about a half an hour from down town Riverside. Work for a school district out here. Can't wait to retire and get the heck out of here. Thinking that driving one of those friendhip boats for WDW would be just the thing.
You have made a good choice. Teachers at best are facing furlough days so teaching jobs are scarce here.