Area Growth Reveals Trends (Daily Bulletin 050706) Coastal Resident Continue to Flock Inland for Homes....

From this report it sounds like people that live by the beach have sold their house for a nice profit and purchased a home and kept a nice profit. The other is just that, they sell their houses by the beach for a million or two and purchase a house that is equally as nice with the excetption that it is not by the beach. It is in the suburbs of Fontana or rancho, and it is either by a Golf coarse or by horse trails in a nice community.

BSRancher...

Area growth reveals trend
Coastal residents continue flock inland for homes

By Leonor Vivanco, Staff Writer

Driving more than 150 miles round trip from his home in Marina del Rey to his job near San Bernardino was beginning to wear on Kevin Chen., "The commute was killing me," he said of the trip, which took three to four hours a day and was made even worse by rising gas prices. Chen, 29, and his wife began talking about whether to leave their leased condo near the ocean, move closer to his job and buy a home so they could begin raising a family. They moved to Fontana in August and become one of San Bernardino County's 41,000 new residents in 2005. Population estimates released this week by the California Department of Finance reveal the county's population grew 2.1 percent in 2005, pushing the county to the brink of 2 million people. The report affirms what many residents have seen in their communities. "It's not surprising if you live out here. You know we're building houses like mad," said John Husing, a Redlands-based economist. The estimates highlight the ongoing trend of residents moving from the coastal counties farther inland, where there's more land for homes that can be built and sold at cheaper prices. "We continue to see the domestic migration out of San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties into San Bernardino and Riverside counties," said Daniel Sheya, a demographic specialist with the state Department of Finance. Affordability plays into why residents are moving to the Inland Empire, Sheya and Husing said. "It speaks to the issue of the growing desire of people to live in an area like this because they can afford the housing, whether it's entry level, middle level or high end," Husing said. After considering buying a home in the Los Angeles area, Chen soon looked east to find cheaper home prices. After researching and narrowing his options, he bought a four-bedroom home in north Fontana for $450,000. A comparable home in Marina Del Rey would have cost at least double what he paid in Fontana, Chen said. The price of Chen's home is higher than the county's median home price of $370,000, said Carlos Rodriguez, senior vice president of the Building Industry Association of Southern California Baldy View Chapter. Home prices will continue to escalate if the housing demand is not met, he said. The county's population is projected to increase by 43 percent during the next 20 years, he said. "The question we should all be asking is, `Where are these people going to live?' " Rodriguez said. "It's imperative local government find ways to maximize developable land for both single-family and multi-family housing," he said. That means eliminating policies that restrict the housing market, like a cap on the number of homes that can be built in a year in some cities, he said. "Otherwise we're going to have to visit our children and grandchildren out of state," Rodriguez said. Even San Bernardino -- a city marred by crime -- saw an increase of about 1,500 residents in 2005 to retain the title of most populated city in the county. "The bottom line is, people are more concerned about what they're going to pay for a house than the crime necessarily," said Jim Mulvihill, an urban planning professor at Cal State San Bernardino. San Bernardino Councilman Neil Derry agreed that crime does not appear to have an impact on the sale of homes. "It's had more of an impact on our image," he said. Residents moving into the new homes near San Bernardino's northern border are changing the demographics of the city due to their higher income levels, said Derry. "The growth is a good signal of the future of San Bernardino and where we're headed as far as revenues, property values, property tax growth," Derry said. Mulvihill said the population statistics highlight the importance of the need for more high-paying jobs in the region. "Unless the jobs come out here, they're going to be commuting," he said of the new residents. More retail is expected to follow the rooftops. The population figures should get retailers to start thinking about coming to the region if they are not already there, Husing said. "One of the things that go with this is a greater range of shopping. You'll see a greater range of activities that will be fun to do," he said. "All the urban amenities will come with this (growth). The price you'll pay is the urban congestion and the death of the rural lifestyle." Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Bill Alexander said the city does place emphasis on providing amenities to its residents so they don't have to travel every weekend. Home to Victoria Gardens, Rancho Cucamonga has been the "recipient of prosperous development," meaning retail, high-end housing and industrial and office developments, Alexander said. The city saw a 5.1 percent increase in its population in 2005 - the fifth highest in the county - and expects to reach 200,000 residents within five years, he said. `'You haven't seen anything yet because when the completion of the 210 (freeway) ties to (State Route) 30 and links all of this southern Inland Empire area together, we're going to continue to see a migration to this area," Alexander said.