Temecula vs. Murrieta vs. Menifee
This is probably one of the most important blog posts you will read if you plan on moving to these three cities. Temecula, Murrieta, and Menifee are growing rapidly and are, in our opinion, three of the best places to live in the Inland Empire or even Southern California. In this blog post and video, we will go over in detail the pros and cons of each city. By the end of this blog post, you will have a very good idea of home prices, population density, schools, amenities, and safety.
Traffic
If you’re comparing traffic to many other cities throughout America, these cities will be nightmarish. When it’s compared to Southern California in general, it’s not that bad.
In Menifee, the Newport exit is the worst area for traffic in all three cities. Mornings, evenings, and lunch hours are horrific on this exit all three cities. Mornings, evenings, and lunch hours are horrific on this exit. In my opinion, the city did not do a great job with infrastructure. They need another exit.
Traffic also gets bad in Temecula on the 15 freeways, depending on which way you are traveling and what time of day it is. When the 15 splits with the 215 freeway, this is where traffic is backed up. The worst time to travel on the 15 freeway is at night after work going north when traffic starts getting heavy before the south end of Temecula. If you can stay away from this area during this time, your life will be a lot happier.
Putting it all in perspective, all three of these cities are not horrible when compared to other places in Southern California. Menifee, Murrieta, and Temecula have a landmass of about 130 square miles and a population of around 300,000. To put that into perspective, Riverside, the most well-known city in the Inland Empire, has a population of over 320,000 and a land area of only 80 square miles.
Schools
We do not have kids in any of these schools, but past clients, internet reviews, and rating point towards a really good school system in both Murrieta and Temecula. Many of my blog posts about specific communities in Temecula point out the ratings of the local schools. One of the great things about Temecula is how close both elementary and middle schools are too many of these communities. You can expect no more than a five-minute drive for both elementary and middle schools, regardless of what community you live in.
Menifee is going to be a different story. This is strictly going off overall ratings and test score ratings, but they are not very high throughout Menifee. If you do have kids and schooling is important, you might want to look into Murrieta or Temecula. If not, I’m sure there are some private options in Menifee.
Future Growth
Temecula
As of right now, in 2021, there is one major housing project called Somers Bend being built. If you would like more information, check it out here. When it comes to Temecula, one positive is that population growth will be put in check to some degree in the future. There are zones or lots in many parts of Temecula that range from one to twenty acres. This keeps the population down and builders away from stacking homes upon homes in small areas.
On the west side of the 15 freeways, you have to go to De Luz. This is an agricultural area, and I think the minimum lot size is 5 acres. We also have Meadowview and Los Ranchitos, which are more horse areas. For Temecula to grow in terms of population and more homes, they are going to have to go far east, past the wineries. There will be a point where people won’t want to be that far from the freeway or civilization.
Murrieta
As I mentioned earlier, both Temecula and Murrieta have very similar populations and land masses. In regards to future growth, I think Murrieta might have a little more room for homes and population growth. Murrieta does have a renowned horse area called La Cresta. This is on the west side of the 15 freeway. They also have a very nice private golf course called Bear Creek.
For the new home developments in Murrieta, click here.
Murrieta is a city that I would invest in. It is very beautiful, has excellent schools, and is very safe. I do think that Temecula will always be more valuable in terms of real estate. the biggest factor being the wineries. As wine country grows, home prices in Temecula will follow.
Menifee
Menifee probably has the most growth in regard to new home developments. As you will find out, the building is getting farther and farther away from the 15 freeway. Yes, some of these home communities are very nice with a ton of amenities, but it will take you 15-20 minutes to get to the 15 freeway. You need to keep that in mind if you are driving every day. Driving in Southern California can get old very quickly, so I do suggest limiting time in your car whenever possible.
For new home developments in Menifee, click here.
Amenities
All three of these cities have a lot of amenities; it comes down to what you like doing.
Starting in Temecula, we have the wineries, Old Town, the casino, and hiking trails. I don’t know if this is accurate, but I believe Temecula and Murrieta have more things to do outside. It feels a little less crowded. I also think that Temecula has a prettier landscape when you are out doing things. There are lots of hills and beautiful views.
One of the huge benefits of Temecula is that most of the communities have HOAs that include pools, hot tubs, tennis courts, basketball courts, etc. I have done countless videos on different communities throughout Temecula, and some of the facilities are beautiful and resort-like. During the hot summers and beautiful spring and fall, these facilities give families so many options to be outside and enjoy the beautiful Southern California weather.
I also have to give Menifee credit; many of the new home tracts they are building have similar amenities to what Temecula has.
Convenience
Convenience is extremely important in Southern California. Whether it’s your job, groceries, restaurants, activities, or even gas stations Because of traffic, all of these things are very important to have close to your home. It does make a significant difference in the amount of time you spend in your car.
The second part of convenience is where you are employed. In my opinion, even if you like Temecula more but work in Riverside, I would personally live in Menifee. Me, I hate being in the car; I feel like it’s a waste of my life, and being strategic about work and where you live will save you hours per week.
We live in Temecula’s northern outskirts because we commute to Riverside more frequently than we do to the south. If we were commuting for work to San Diego, as many people in Temecula do, I would live in the south part of Temecula.
Cost of living
I’m not going to spend too much time on the cost of living when it comes to these three cities because they are all relatively the same except for housing costs. Where the cost of living does differ is when you compare Southern California to other parts of the United States. Taxes, gas, vehicle registration, and parking All of these things add up, and when you compare it to other parts of the United States, it is more expensive. Remember, you are paying a premium for being in the sun for 340 days a year.
Golfing
Within 20 to 30 miles of Temecula, there are a plethora of golf courses, all of which are reasonably priced and rarely overcrowded. One of the things that frustrated me about living in Orange County was how expensive the golf was and how long it took to play a round.
Just off the top of my head, I can think of 15 golf courses within a 15-minute drive of my house in Temecula. During the week, you can usually play a round for $30–$40. On the weekends, the average cost might range from $15 to $20.
Safety
This has been a huge topic throughout the United States over the past year. Many people are moving from huge cities to the suburbs.
There are many places in Southern California where I simply wouldn’t live. The once-loved beach cities of Southern California are not what they used to be. Before leaving San Clemente for Temecula, petty theft, drug use, and homelessness were out of control. Unfortunately, this is true in many areas throughout Southern California.
It was a definite breath of fresh air moving to the southern Riverside County area. Of course, you’re still going to get the odd car break-in, but Menifee, Murrieta, and Temecula are as safe as you’re going to get in Southern California. It’s crazy that you can have three cities in southern California with a median home price of around $500,000 and still be safe.
Of course, you’re still going to get the negative Nancy, who has lived in Temecula for the past 30 years and has seen it change dramatically, talks constantly about how crime is rampant. In my opinion, all three of these cities are great options, and as long as you use common sense, you won’t have any issues.
Retirement
Being in real estate, you hear about retirement communities often. It seems every state talks about how theirs is the best place to retire. I agree that in many cases, one size does not fit all. Tax breaks are sometimes important, as are healthcare, home prices, and, of course, the weather. If you are a retiree and want great weather, awesome golfing, state-of-the-art hospitals, and every amenity imaginable at your fingertips, this area is definitely where you need to check out. Yes, it is going to be more expensive, but when I compare it to every place that we have ever traveled to throughout America, it is still number one for us.
Arizona is crazy hot in the summer, Texas weather is humid and unpredictable. We just got back from Florida, it was February, and couldn’t believe how humid it was. I can’t imagine what Florida is like in the summer. In my opinion, the Temecula, Murrieta, and Menifee areas have some of the best weather in America. Yes, it does get a bit hot in the summer but it is not unbearable like many parts of Arizona. We have constant Sunshine, the average temperature is going to be 70 to 85 degrees and when it does get hot, hang out at your community pool if you don’t have one yourself.
Future investment
First, you need to be aware that, with regard to the real estate market, California has Hills and Valleys. within 10 years, your house can be worth an astronomical number, and then poof, it’s gone. Everybody needs to understand that this can be both a huge upside or downside depending on how you look at it. For us? It’s a great opportunity when the market is down to buy a rental or start rehabbing homes. When the market is up, it’s always scary putting money into real estate in Southern California remembering what happened in 2008.
Having said that, I think because of all the factors we have discussed in this article Menifee, Murrieta and Temecula are going to be great investments in the long run. All three cities have so much to offer and continually grow. people are actively looking to move to these three areas and I don’t see it stopping for many years. As long as we have great schools, safety, weather, and affordability compared to other parts of Southern California it’s always going to be a destination where people want to relocate to.
To sum everything up, if you have any interest in moving to Southern California and want a truly great area to live in that is relatively stress-free, all three of these cities are great choices. Hopefully, this blog post brought some light to an area of Southern California that doesn’t have the notoriety or Prestige that many others have but is truly a Hidden Gem.
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