Temecula, California

Temecula is a poster child for pandemic migration within California (yeah yeah, we see you Sacramento). It is a beautiful place, with amazing sunshine, great homes and schools, and outdoor adventures galore, but it comes at a notable discount to the San Diego/Los Angeles markets. The median home price is just below $700k and if you’ve looked on the coasts you know that’s a nice deal. It’s a brutal commute to either big SoCal cities if you have to go every day but if you’re a pure wfh’er or just have to go in a couple days a week this should be on your shortlist.

If you were to find yourself in Temecula without a job you're in a pickle. There’s a big casino, and a big school district but not much tech or any other growth industries. The Inland Empire is famous/infamous for its warehouse industry, but those are tough gigs and temporary employment for most. Needing a job while living in Temecula for many means having to commute to San Diego (60 miles) or LA (90 miles) and those are not midwest miles, those are brutal Southern California grind miles. Most who do that commute find a way to leave the house at 5 or 6 am and return by 3 or so to avoid the worst of it. Regardless, it’s something to consider when looking at living here.

Temecula is a suburban city for sure. But its distance from LA and San Diego means it’s one of those crossover places that has its own lifestyle rather than just a classic suburban appendage. It has a downtown called Old Town, a historic district that looks like a scene from an old western movie, but it's also experiencing growth as the city builds out its infrastructure to support an influx of wfh’ers and work from home most-of-the timers. The lifestyle is increasingly more like a rural growth city than a suburban tract development and so locals enjoy more of what’s local than what’s available at a distance. Young professionals would find it boring but families and DINKs looking to buy and have some social life amidst great and more affordable housing like it here. There is tons of outdoor space both in town and nearby so you and the kiddos can live a healthy lifestyle. Palomar Mountain State Park and Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park are in your backyard so a short drive gets you stunning hiking, biking, camping and general outdoorsy play every weekend you’re in the mood.

Temecula also has tons of in-town parks, like Temecula Creek Trail Park, with beautiful open spaces for kiddo and doggo play, and hiking and biking paths for more serious unwinding. The schools are excellent and the town has enough restaurants and pubs to keep the kids full of burgers and the parents full of vino and brews.

The schools in the Temecula School District are excellent, receiving an "A" on niche.com. Families that bail on LA or San Diego are thrilled to pick Temecula as a less expensive alternative for this very reason. There is some variance in the quality/scoring of the schools, with some weakness on the western side of town so if you care about that kind of thing check your neighborhood carefully.