Info about San Bernardino County, CA

[JenaW]

DH will be finishing his fellowship in July and we are starting our search for a job. We woud like to stay here in Pittsburgh, but right now there isn't anything available that meets all of our needs. One of the biggest problems is that I can not find a job. (In my pre-mom life I was an OBGYN physician assistant). I have always wanted to do some post-graduate training, and there happens to be a program in Colton, CA at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and Riverside County Medical Center. DH found some anesthesia postings for San Bernardino County Medical Center. I have thought about this before, and in fact was in the process of applying to the proragm when I got pregnant with Natalie. The timing should have been ok, and I would have started the following December after her birth, when she was one year old. However, then my water broke at 22 weeks, and you know the rest of that story, so I withdrew my application. I am not sure it is even possible to do now with 4 young kids, but I know it is now or never, and I am hopeful that this experience would make me more marketable and allow me to find a position where I could work 1-2 nights/week while the kids are still young. I definitely do not want to work full-time anytime in the near future, but alot of my self-worth (unfortunately) is based upon how I perceive how worthy other people think I am, and I think that working might make me feel better about myself, give me a small break from the kids, and overall make me a better mother in the process (am I hoping for too much??).

Anyways....I know NOTHING about California. Is it even feasible to think we could move out there for a year? We would neeed housing close to the hospitals and big enough for us and my parents (they have offered to come with us and watch the kids). I am guessing that the immediate areas that the hospitals are located in are not that nice, but does anyone know about any of the surrounding areas?

DH thinks I am crazy for wanting to move the entire family across the country for a year, but he understands I have sacrificed alot for his education, and that I really want to do this so he is willing to let me apply and see what happens. I REALLY want this experience, but am not sure that all of the "hassle" would be worth it. This is the first step...getting some info about the area.


Jera
Mom to Carter ~ 05.13.03
Madigan ~ 09.28.04
Natalie ~ 09.17.05 (born at 25 weeks!!)
Alexa ~ 11.03.06

[Tondi G]

Ack... just lost a whole long post! here we go again!

I have lived in Los Angeles all my life.... so I know some about CA!

In recent years that whole area has been booming. A lot of people are buying homes out that way and making long commutes to have decent sized homes for their growing families.... for more reasonable prices!

I would research the cities around the hospitals

Arrowhead is in Colton

http://www.ci.colton.ca.us/

http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/

I know someone who lives out in Rancho Cucamonga and she loves it!

Riverside County is in Moreno Valley

http://www.ci.moreno-valley.ca.us/

http://www.countyofriverside.us/portal/page?_pageid=133,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

HTH's you!

I think it might be a stretch with 4 small children but if it is your dream and you think you can manage then I say go for it!

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01 and Aidan 5/4/05

[Dcclerk]

For someone who grew up and continues to live in Southern California, I am surprisingly ignorant about areas outside of my own. I know very little about the area, except when I have gone to visit my husband's extended family. Overall, I'm glad I don't live there, TBH. It gets really smoggy and hot, and it has pockets of relatively high crime. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't commutable areas that were actually quite nice. I drove through a newer development in Yukaipa not that long ago that seemed quite nice, and may be within a distance you could do. Also, for So Cal, it is also much more reasonable in terms of housing prices.

Also, even if it isn't a great place to be, it may be worth it, given your goal. I have to say that I LOVE working part-time and think that I am a much better mom because of it. Good luck in your decision.

[maestramommy]

Housing is incredibly expensive in CA, but there are pockets of newer and more affordable developments, and San Bernadino may be one of them. A former collegue of mine lives in Rancho Cucamonga and commutes to Pasadena, which is a hell of a commute, but she likes it out there.

[jenmcadams]

I went to college in Claremont and lived in Pasadena for several years, but I do know a little bit about the San Bernardino/Riverside area b/c my parents lived in Moreno Valley for a few years and my sister went to University of Redlands. Cost of housing is high, but not as insane as LA, Orange County, etc. I know when my parents lived there they had a nice little 3 BR, 2Bath house in an average subdivision and they sold it in 2000 or 2001 for less than $200K. I think they zillowed their old house recently and it's now worth closer to $500K, so I know everything's exploded since they were there. I think Moreno Valley used to get kind of a bad rap and there are pockets with higher crime, but I always thought it was fine. My Dad commuted to Riverside Airport for his job with the FAA and it wasn't bad, but I think traffic has gotten worse. I would zillow neighborhoods in the area of the medical center and look at craigslists for rentals, etc. to see if it would be at all feasible $$ wise. Southern California is definitely not my favorite place in the world, but it would be totally doable for a year. There are some cool places in downtown Riverside (e.g. The Mission Inn) that are actually pictureesque and you're an easy (<2 hr) drive to San Diego which is great for a quick getaway/day at the beach (you're also that close to the LA beaches, just thought I'd mention the San Diego component)

[shilo]

ok, sorry to hijack the thread, but which of the 5 C's did you go to? i'm a scripsie here. i've always wondered how many 5 college grads were around on the boards... :)

lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[denna]

DH's Uncle is the head of pediatrics at Loma Linda Medical in San Bernadino, the Redlands are a *really* nice community (thats where they live) it is about 20 minutes from San Bernadino (city), and there is also a city thats starts w/ a Y can remember the full name but it is 10 mins from Redlands and is also very nice, and a little less pricey then the Redlands.

HTH

Denna

Congrats! That is wonderful Jera, and I hope you LOVE California it is a great place (although I may be a lil biased being born and raised there).

Good luck w/ this decision

[jenmcadams]

Just to continue the hijack (at least this bumps the post for Jera again right?)...

I went to CMC and my DH is a Mudder -- when did you graduate? My DH graduated in '92 and I graduated in '94. He ended up doing his PhD at Caltech, so we stayed in the area for a few years before I went to graduate school in Chicago. We're in Colorado now. There was a massive thread in the lounge a couple years ago about where people went to school and there were a few other 5 college folks on the boards (one HMC grad and I think a Pitzer grad). Scripps was such a beautiful campus -- I ate at some of your dining halls frequently and had several friends from the Joint Science department and also from CMS athletics who were from Scripps (I played basketball for two years and ran cross country and track for three years). Strangely enough it's actually the only campus where I didn't take a class during my four years at Claremont (I took classes everywhere else - HMC, Pomona, Pitzer, CGS), but my DH obviously did (those Mudders were always hanging around Scripps).

[shilo]

ok another bump for the thread and answers to your question...
i graduated in '98. i wasn't a big fan of so. ca. in general, but loved, loved, loved my time at scripps. i was a human bio major so also spent all my time in the joint sci department. no sports in college, just music, i played in the 5C orchestra all four years. i did manage to take at least one class at each of the 5C's, but the mudd class was pretty funny... it was one of my multicultural requirements - a dances of central and south america class - in the mudd cafeteria :). it was pretty fun.

lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.