I don't know a whole bunch about it. We're about an hour and a half away. It is hot during the summer. They have lots of wineries. It's really grown in the last couple decades. I think the suggestion to come out for a vacation is a good idea. About the crime issue, it's considered a good area, but, of course, that doesn't mean things can't happen, as it can everywhere. Good luck in your decision. My hubby is trying to talk me into moving to Oregon, so I know it's hard to decide!

Yeah, it wouldn't be for a few years. I can't leave my current job right now. Also, I'd need to know she is planning on staying there. I'm not packing up forever, only to have her decide it's not working out with her boyfriend and come home. She's wanting me to help her move and after talking (texting) to her late into this early morning she is still not totally decided on going. I know it's going to be hotter than heck in the summer. I lived in Tucson and the Phoenix area before and we camped near Death valley years ago in a tent in summer. I have been looking at places to move to the past couple of years. This is the longest I've ever lived in one place and I grew up mostly in the West. I'm tired of the cold Winters and snow also.

The parts of Temecula that I've visited are really nice. It's not far to the mountains for skiing and snow in the winter, and a reasonable drive to beaches in the summer, but far enough inland that compared to those of us who live near the coast, highly affordable (by California standards). You can drive to San Diego for all that a bigger city has to offer. There are lots of subdivisions and I believe, golf courses, as well as wineries. I would think about retiring there, actually! Yes, factor in your huge air conditioning bills in the summer. Utilities are very expensive where we are in San Diego, so I bet they're shockingly high for someone out of state. But, I think you can still see open space there, too, which is what my eyes would like to see. Good luck!

I've never lived there, but if she's looking for a more liberal place to live, Temecula is probably not going to be first choice as it has little cultural diversity, tends to vote Republican and has a large population of LDS. I would say it's one of the most conservative areas in California.

Temecula is one of the locations of SoCal that exploded in population as the coastal areas became too expensive. There are some very nice areas, but others have degraded--people with long commutes sometimes do not have the money, time, energy or inclination to maintain homes and landscapes during their limited off-work time. Because many commute, there are the expected traffic "issues" common to much of SoCal. It is hot during the summer and whenever heat waves come calling. There has been some problems with flooding, so keep that in mind if house hunting. Although they put on festivals, have many wineries, a casino, golf and things of that nature, here is not a lot of cultural enrichment in the immediate area. Services and such are plentiful. Just my opinion, but it is one of those places in SoCal you live only if you cannot afford to live where you really want to live. But that is in no way meant to mean it is a terrible place or anything. But too hot...

We lived there 38 years ago. The summers are hot and the gunk in the air during Santa Ana winds caused so many health problems for the kids that we moved to the coast. Half the kids in the local kindergarten had tubes in their ears. The surgery was quite common. Winter nights are chilly requiring a coat or jacket. It is a safe, hilly area with wineries and golf courses. Less expensive housing than the coastal communities for sure, but more a bedroom community. San Diego is 60-90 minutes away and Palm Springs is somewhat close. California has a great public community college and university system if she is considering school. I remember a lot of my neighbors could not find good jobs locally and commuted to San Diego, Orange County, or north. Our younger son was born in an Escondido hospital when we lived there. You tend to do a lot of driving to other places, though Temecula has certainly grown since we lived there.

Sorry for going OT, but CA's rep for higher education is no longer worthy of automatic praise. Things have changed a lot and not for the better when it comes to all levels of education in the state.

The University
of CA system is NOT cheap
any longer. In fact, as an example, UC Berkeley is slightly more
expensive than the prestigious private StanfordUniversity
across the Bay:

Google question: How
much does it cost to go to Berkeley?

TUITION AND EXPENSES

Cost of Attendance In-state:
$34,972 Out-of-state: $61,654

Tuition and Fees In-state:
$13,485 Out-of-state: $40,167

Room and Board $15,115

Books and Supplies $1,240

Other Expenses $5,132

(I'm assuming those above costs for room/board are dorm prices. Quadruple them if you are looking to live off-campus, then factor in transportation costs and time.)

The state college system is less expensive but financially stressed. Both systems have woefully underfunded employee pension funds, btw.

HOWEVER, one (actually two) very big advantages are the two polytechnic campuses, both in Southern/Central CA: Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The latter is one of the best schools in the country, ranking high on many factors.

Cars are pretty much a necessity in CA, but definitely if you're going East/West, or living in Southern/Central CA (you can almost get away without owning a car in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sort of,). All through the West Coast, the roads North/South are the major arteries for commercial traffic so they're the eight/ten-lane roads. The East/South driveability isn't anywhere near as good, and as traffic increases the commuter frustration increases exponentially with it.

I agree the wisest thing to do is wait, see how your daughter likes it and try visiting a few times first. CA is a great place to live if you like it, but a lot of people come here and only stay a few years. The reasons for leaving are varied but real: can't afford a home, can't stand the traffic/commute, most activities are expensive (price those Disneyland tickets, wowie!), can't deal with the ever-shifting cultural scene - and very often these days: "if I want a job I have to move".

I sincerely hope your daughter enjoys her new city and gets happily settled! But it's not a given, not any longer (I came in 1969 for good and yes, have seen some amazing changes; some welcome, some not so much).

Temecula is like many inland communities throughout the state that developed as a place for cheaper housing at a great distance from more central and more expensive residential and employment areas. It's pretty nondescript as far as I'm concerned. Summer there is hot in a California, desert sense (not humid). It's better weather than much of the US, also in my opinion, but has more extremes (hotter in summer, colder in winter) than the very moderate coastal areas that are for sure much more expensive. It's not hardly a jumping off point for San Diego activities, given the distance and the time as sheilajoyce describes. Maybe go there and spend a few days in July or August and see what you think.

I'm not sure where your information comes from, jakkom. I wouldn't describe Cal Poly SLO as "one of the best schools in the country". It is the best of the CSU system, yes, but don't forget CSU is the lower funded Tier 2 stepchild of California's higher education program and not on par with the UC system.

Tuition at Stanford is about $46,000 per year. At the UCs it's under $14,000. The costs of most private universities fall in a tight range, meaning, great ones don't cost all that much more than crappy ones. Room and board? Off-campus housing and apartments are often not much more expensive than dorms. My source - three kids accepted at better UC campuses who chose (and I agreed, in each case for a different reason) to go to private colleges.

I was raised in a coastal community in SoCal and can still remember when Temecula was just starting to flourish a bit, now as others have said, it's become quite the draw because housing is somewhat more affordable, but the traffic and long dreaded commutes are the trade off.

As an adult, I've lived in the south and am now in the midwest and I think it could be a bit of a shocker for someone coming from your neck of the woods because it is very different. The heat is very dry, there's a ton of traffic and if you're used to having space between you and your neighbors, you will not get that there. But on the flip side, there is such a huge variety of things to do and places to see that one has little chance of ever getting bored. I think that whether you will like it there or not will depend largely on how that area coincides with your own priorities. If you like very warm weather, don't mind crowds and the idea that properties may always be out of your price range; it could be a good fit.

If you're not planning on doing this for some time still, I would definitely plan a few vacations in the summer there so you could test the waters a bit. It's so freaking hot and those Santa Ana winds are relentless especially during fire season.

The California state public colleges and universities are still considerably cheaper than California's private colleges of any rank. Elmer has it right. Our kids all graduated from various state schools, the youngest from Berkeley. The price there was still a bargain compared to the private universities and colleges.