Getting its title from the Tongva word for “sandy place,” Rancho Cucamonga’s climate lives up to what you'd expect based on its namesake. With nearly 300 sunny days per year and Mediterranean weather year-round, the weather in Rancho Cucamonga is a SoCal experience. With proximity to the gorgeous San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forests, a variety of beaches, and, of course, Los Angeles, you’ll have more than enough outlets to enjoy that year-round warmth.

As is the case with most of California, living in paradise will cost you a pretty penny. Housing costs are not just well above the national median, but the San Bernardino County median as well. Not only will your house cost you, but other necessities like food, taxes, gas and more will be expensive as well. It’s a bit cheaper than LA, but that’s like saying something is a bit cooler than an August afternoon in Rancho Cucamonga: it’s not saying much.



SoCal Climate

LookyLOO Review of Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga is often described as one of the more “mellow” and “sleepy” suburban corners of the Los Angeles area. Like the rest of that area, a car is a necessity for living in Rancho Cucamonga due to the general sprawl and lack of public transportation, although what you can reach with that car likely will make this worth it. 

Spending time outside is a big pastime for residents with a variety of local parks in addition to the aforementioned San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forests, and beaches. Rancho Cucamonga is popular with families, which can be attributed in large part to its great public schools and comforting safety scores compared to the rest of the area. For young professionals and those without kids, however, Rancho Cucamonga can feel isolating. Residents complain that there’s not all that much to do at night without driving into LA. It would probably make more sense for those without kids to stick closer to LA.

If you want to see what happens in Rancho Cucamonga check out the [calendar of events](https://www.cityofrc.us/events).

We highly recommend visiting Rancho Cucamonga and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) 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](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well

Lifestyle 

If you’re a parent looking for a new home in the Inland Empire (east of LA) then Rancho Cucamonga is an excellent place to start your search. It has better homes and better schools in an area that will let you take a breather from LA or San Diego madness but you still get to enjoy the SoCal weather.


Best Of The Inland Empire

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**KevinTheCarver**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Rancho is one of maybe 3 or 4 cities in the entire IE I would ever consider living and raising a family in. Schools are good (by CA standards), amenities are good, close to public transportation, relatively affordable housing (again by suburban CA standards). It also hasn’t completely sold out to warehouse developers like neighboring Fontana and Ontario.

For more reviews of what living in Rancho Cucamonga is like from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/rancho-cucamonga/reviews)

 SoCal costs

Reviews of Rancho Cucamonga from Locals

Rancho Cucamonga is primarily a bedroom community but there are definitely apartment and condo options in the downtown area and near commercial areas. If you need/want to live in the city for work or access to the mountains to the east then targeting downtown is your best option. Restaurants and bars and coffee shops exist throughout the city but certainly the densest concentration is downtown. Perhaps most importantly to many, the train station in Ranch Cucamonga is just a 40 minute ride to Downtown LA so whether for work or social you can avoid traffic and take the train.
- Downtown


Young Professionals

Downtown

Heritage Park, on the northern side of the city, is an amazing neighborhood to start your search. First, it’s beautiful, with walking trails, horseback riding and a mix of modest (although still pricey) homes to monsters that come in well over a million. Like much of Rancho it has excellent schools. Etiwanda is another great option, particularly well known for its school district, the area is also cool for its wonderful winery, and great newer neighborhoods. Terra Vista is another great neighborhood with the best park in the city, Central Park. It acts as a neighborhood center, with ponds, rolling hills and plenty of space for the kiddos to play. If you favor golf then check out the Red Hill neighborhood. Homes line the golf club, or you can also target the ones that run alongside Red Hill Park, another perfect park. It has a duck pond, baseball fields, play structures and everything the little beans could want. 
- Alta Loma
- Etiwanda
- Terra Vista
- Red Hill


Families

Alta Loma

Rancho Cucamonga

**fackyouman**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Living in Rancho is like a dream to be honest. I had to move because I was young and needed to be in a city but the quality of life there is very high. You just need to keep in mind that not all of it is safe - I’ve had a car stolen, had a run-in with Cucamonga Kings (they’re in really specific pockets), seen a robbery, car crashes etc. So things that happen anywhere and Rancho isn’t immune to.

**KevinTheCarver**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Rancho is one of maybe 3 or 4 cities in the entire IE I would ever consider living and raising a family in. Schools are good (by CA standards), amenities are good, close to public transportation, relatively affordable housing (again by suburban CA standards). It also hasn’t completely sold out to warehouse developers like neighboring Fontana and Ontario.

**yeah-sure-ok**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Rancho has many different neighborhoods to choose from depending on what you’re looking to spend. Most are “middle-class” homes though, so you’re looking at spending some money. I’d recommend looking at some houses online and using the websites local filters (one of them has a crime filter—maybe trulia?) to get a feel for the neighborhood. Lots of big box stores, chain restaurants, and malls nearby.

As for LA… I wouldn’t ever count on a two hour drive. I commuted from this area years ago, and two hours was a great day. Traffic on the 10 sucks. BUT the Metrolink is a great option, and there’s a convenient station in town.

**iskin**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Rancho Cucamonga is growing rapidly and it will be the city in the IE along with Ontario. Those two places are turning into economic powerhouses for the IE. But RC is much nicer for housing. RC has a ton of parks. Traffic is becoming quite bad during the rush hours and public transportation is pretty crap around the city. The metrolink can take you right into downtown LA in a little over an hour and is worth it if that is where you're going but getting anywhere else around LA in a reasonable amount of time will require driving.

During the off hours driving from Rancho to other SoCal hot spots is usually about 1 hour. DTLA, Huntington/Newport Beach, Disneyland, Angel Stadium, Dodger' s Stadium, Universal Studios, Temecula, Lake Arrowhead, the desert, Big Bear (a little further). Plus, you're close to Mt Baldy of you want to tackle any of it's hiking trails. Going west of DTLA can be a pain but Santa Monica and Venice are also about 1.5 hours if you're driving during slow traffic times but it's not weird to be a little over 2 hours. Also, San Diego is about 2 hours away and Las Vegas is about 3-3.5 with no to light traffic. Laughlin is also about 3 hours.

Rancho Cucamonga, California

Get Your Kicks On 66

Looklyloo Score: 86

Reviews

What's it like to live in Rancho Cucamonga?