Monrovia, CA Knowledge

[mtelliott]

Wife is getting inquiries from a company based out of Monrovia, CA. Can anyone tell me what it's like there? We're currently based in Denver and doubt we would leave but would like to know more. Anyone know:
- What cities are good there
- What school districts are excellent there
- What the average house price is
- Is the housing market going up or down
- Is the area safe

Michael

[SteveStromberg]

It a place that you commute to from home not live in . Hot and Smoggy in the Summer.

Local Paper

http://www.sgvtribune.com/

[mtelliott]

So, where do you live if you work there? I'm talking 30 - 45 minute commute max. Schools are important to me.

[tabs]

The best cities to live in the area that are good value for the life style are....Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Clarmont, Upland and Alta Loma....all are within 20 miles or so along the foothills and has excellent freeway access...next time you see the Rose Bowl and pan the mountains....thats where you'll be, by living in those cities.In my opinion the best of the lot are... Glendora, a little out of the way town, pushed up agianst the foothills , that hasn't changed much in the last 50 years. The downtown is going strong...nice small shops.... low crime and excellent schools...I grew up there among the Orange and Avacado Groves 1958 to 1973...Mother and Daddy lived there till 1988... Gotten pricey

Clarmeont....has the colleges and an active downtown, it's a bit upity there, good schools relativily low crime has a number of proffessional athletes living there....pricey.... Snoop Dogg has a Million Dollar plus home there...

Upland...San Bernardino County which is a plus...good schools, low crime, upscale city, pricey...bedroom community... Euclid Blvd runs through it...was mentioned in Raymond Chandlers Big Sleep novel back in 1939...as one of the most beautiful Blvds in the world....good place to live...I lived there for 8 years...

Altal Loma...Rancho Cucamonga...not quiet as pricey as Upland but quiet, low crime. good schools... San Bernardiono County...which has better value for the money vs LA County.. horse property...I lived there for 13 years

Upland and Altal LOma...both has quick access to Ontario Airport..which is a breeze to get into and out of...

YOu can't go wrong with any of the citys I have mentioned including Monrovia..Monrovia has alittle smaller houses since it was developed a bit earlier...

For current pricing check the cities by zip codes...Right now Alta Loma is a bit more expensive than Las Vegas... $650K should buy 3000 sq ft...on 1/2 acre lot...

Housing prices in LA County I would say have topped out...Upland has probably topped out and Alta Loma is close...so there is downside risk....but that true of ALL OF SO CAL

[tabs]

Let me clue you....Glendora, Clarmont and Upland have ALOT of old money kicking around in them....It's not flash Beach money either...but power money....

However I know a couple of guys that are in the 250M $ league that have left Upland for Las Vegas...simply the taxes got to be too much for them....one still has several houses in Upland and commutes with Las Vegas via his Gulfstream...the wife takes the Gulfstream to get her hair done in CA....

[mtelliott]

Does he need somebody to take care of his house while he's gone? I have two young children, a beatiful wife, and an 82 Targa that I restored myself!!!

And I thought I was in sticker shock when I moved from Ohio (median house price of $100K to Colorado (median house price of $270K).

Thanks for the info on cities. Like I said, doubt it would happen but I like to plan for all posibilities.

Michael

[tabs]

Try 311K for San Bernardino/ Riverside counties...here in LV it's up to 303K....

[KNS]

I used to live very close to Monrovia. Very good schools, nice homes and there is an old Main Street type downtown (lots of movies filmed there). I believe current home prices are anywhere from 300k to over 750k and rising. Very close to the San Gabriel Mountains which I miss very much.

[Sonic dB]

Monrovia isnt bad at all....nestled near the foothill mountains... If you dont like it there you can move 5 minutes west and be in Sierra Madre, which has some pretty damn nice neighborhoods.

[techweenie]

I have a friend who lives in Monrovia. Very nice little town with that 'small town' downtown area. Rare in So Cal. It's big in hot rod/vintage American iron culture. Not many businesses there, aside from some big car dealerships.

[mtelliott]

So, what is the temperature truly like? Coming from the mountain air of Colorado, I'm not sure I'm in to hot and smoggy. When it's 90 here, there's very little humidity and a 20-minute drive into the mountains will lower the temperature 10 degrees.

And where do people go skiing in California?

[techweenie]

The air is quite a bit cleaner than Denver's (but what air isn't)?

Monrovia is adjacent to the Angeles National Forest, I believe, and a short drive from three ski resorts.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Monrovia is hotter than hell. I'd avoid it. Actually considering moving ANYWHERE in SoCal is kind of a bad idea right now given the housing prices.

[techweenie]

Hot?

Not particularly:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Monrovia-California.html

[Hugh R]

Average housing price in Los Angeles County is around $410K. Average gets you a 30-40 year old 1,800 sq. ft. house on a 100' by 100' lot. Monrovia, Pasadena area you can double that. I live in Santa Clartia which is 25 miles west of Monrovia and a very nice, safe area. The 210 freeway from here to Monrovia is a pretty easy drive at rush hour.

[techweenie]

Hugh is right. Valencia is a good choice. Very nice community that was master-planned to provide community transportation via walk/bike paths. The main downside is freeway on-ramps that have been overwhelmed by people commuting to jobs outside the community.