Moreno Valley, California

As with much of the Inland Empire, the region Moreno Valley occupies, the housing prices here are much lower than the coastal region to the west. This cheaper housing has driven LA residents east into Moreno, Fontana, San Bernardino, and the rest for decades. And it remains the primary selling point of Moreno Valley. Average home prices are in the $400k-$500k, and while that may seem expensive to much of the country if you live on the Pacific Ocean, that is darned reasonable and continues to be the reason people move here.

Moreno Valley occupies an odd central position in the Inland Empire. It’s closer to LA than some of the suburban cities but farther from the mountains than others. It’s kind of trapped between the benefits of being on the coast and the benefits of being in the foothills of the mountains. That might be ok, except the commercial scene in Moreno Valley is severely lacking, making this a true bedroom community without the proximity to LA or the mountains to make up for it. You get bored without the quick drive to the more active metroplex or outdoor scene. If you live here and don’t feel like driving some distance to get somewhere interesting, you ain’t gonna like it.

As was just noted, the lifestyle in Moreno Valley proper is pretty nominal. It’s a bedroom community for an extremely diverse population that pretty much all moved there to escape LA. Oddly, Moreno Valley has no real downtown, so you have to depend on neighboring cities to get a taste of bars, restaurants, or shopping in any concentrated area. That will change over time, as in 2020, a 56-acre parcel of land was approved to be a new downtown section of the city. Until then, expect a lifestyle of driving to reach the fun stuff.

We highly recommend visiting Moreno Valley and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

The biggest employer in Moreno Valley for decades was March Air Force Base. This huge armed service population created a vibrant middle class that was the backbone of the area economy. In 1996 it closed for active service and gutted the local economy. Until recently the majority of residents commuted to LA but now with Covid and the rise of a remote workforce Moreno Valley will undoubtedly see a reduction in commuting into the city and likely some rise in population that’s looking for lower housing prices and not needing to make the drive.