MENIFEE VS TEMECULA
We always have people calling and asking us to compare different cities throughout Riverside County. We thought a Temecula vs. Menifee blog post and video might clear up some questions for our readers and Youtube subscribers. We will go into detail about what each city has to offer: the pros and cons of Temecula and Menifee, schools, home prices, and amenities. At the end of this blog post and video, we will include a free home search. We do not ask for your information, but if you do plan on moving to this area, please keep us in mind.
First, both cities have grown tremendously over the past 20 years. If you ask residents that have lived in these areas for years, they all agree that both of these cities and this area as a whole have totally blown up, and there is still no end in sight. Menifee has a population of about 90,000 and a 74% rate of homeownership. In regards to crime statistics, Menifee is safer than 24% of US cities. When comparing Menifee to California, you are about one-third less likely to be involved in a violent crime than the state of California as a whole.
Temecula has a population of around 100 thousand and has grown over 100% in the last 15 years. It has a land area of around 30 square miles, mixed with rural and urban areas. There are many homes in Temecula with lot sizes between 2 and 5 acres. The crime statistics in regard to violent crimes are lower in Temecula when compared to the state of California. You are about 1/4 less likely to be involved in a violent crime when compared to the state as a whole.
When we talk about Temecula with regard to safety, there are no major issues we can see with either city. If we had to pick one, it would be Temecula. In Temecula, we have literally never experienced even so much as a car vandal. I know it happens, but we feel 100% safe here in Temecula. Even though we only live 20 minutes from Menifee, I don’t want to speak specifically on crime because we have never actually lived there or experienced a long-term stay in any community. It’s one thing to look at statistics, but we feel that the best way to gauge a city is to actually live there. Having said that, I have had many clients who have bought homes in the city of Menifee and have never had complaints.
Home Prices
I will leave you with some stats in this blog post, but in the video attached, I specifically go over median home prices in both Temecula and Menifee over the last 5 years and give a comparison.
Traffic
When it comes to Temecula vs. Menifee in regards to traffic, they both have areas that get a lot at certain times. For Menifee, the exit on Newport Road can be a nightmare. To me, when you drive around Menifee, this is the area that has the most going on in regard to restaurants and shopping but can also get very congested.
Temecula gets traffic near the 15 and 215 freeway splits. Similar to much of California, traffic is bad in the mornings from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and in the evenings from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. In the video, I will show you on a map where each city gets the most traffic.
weather and air quality
With Temecula vs. Menifee in regards to weather, there is not much difference. Yes, you have three or four months of the year when it gets very hot, between 90 and 105, but it’s awesome to wake up every morning to sunshine and warm weather. During the winter months, mornings can get down to 35 to 40 degrees, and we do get some rain from December through February. If I were to guess, during a rainy season, we might get 20 days of rain in those 3 months.
When it comes to air quality, I would say Temecula is going to be the winner. Menifee is closer to bigger cities like Riverside or Moreno Valley. To us, Temecula feels like it has less traffic as a whole. There are nice breezes, and to the south, we have a lot of horse property in Fallbrook and Bonsall. There’s also a great deal of Temecula with larger lots. This just means fewer people as a whole. We feel that Temecula doesn’t get the smog or haze that much of North Riverside County does.
Amenities
Because of growth, both cities are going to have a great deal to choose from when it comes to restaurants, grocery stores, and other things you need for your everyday life. Both Temecula and Menifee will have conveniences like grocery stores that are no more than 5 minutes from many of the communities.
If you’re looking for something to do on a Friday or Saturday night, Temecula is going to be the clear winner. Temecula, California, has wineries, which have concerts and comedy clubs as well as a nightclub. We also have Old Town Temecula, which is great for shopping and more of a fine dining experience.
Where Should You Live?
This really depends on a lot of factors, which I’m going to go over now. First, Menifee is definitely going to be lower in regard to home prices. If you really want to live in this area but can’t afford Temecula, Menifee would be a good choice. If you prefer a more rural setting, both Menifee and Temecula have rural areas with more land and less congestion. These areas tend to be further from the freeway and amenities.
You also have to think about your employment situation. We talk about this a great deal in many of our videos and blog posts on cities throughout Southern California. Because of traffic, you should strategically live as close to where you work as possible. We personally want to spend the least amount of time in our car as possible. If you work in Riverside, Corona, Chino, and Ontario, you might want to consider living in Menifee. It will cut off 30 to 40 minutes of travel time, depending on the traffic. If you are working in the San Diego area, obviously Temecula is going to be a better choice. That being said, if you do not want to spend the extra hundred to $150,000 on a home, Menifee is going to be your obvious choice.
Another thing you have to think about is the school system if you have children. We personally do not have kids in the Temecula School District, but we have only heard good things. Test scores and overall ratings are definitely going to favor Temecula. If schools are important to you, I would lean toward moving to Temecula. We are not saying the Menifee school system is horrible, but it’s definitely not going to be as good as Temecula.
Future Growth
When it comes to Temecula vs. Menifee in regards to growth, both cities are going to have massive future growth. Menifee, because it is more central and affordable while still maintaining a good quality of life. Temecula has so much to offer, like wineries, Old Town, restaurants, and more, that we think it’s almost inevitable that it will become a high-end vacation spot in the future. This will only benefit homeowners, and we’ll raise home prices to levels we have not seen in this area before.
I wanted to finish off by saying Temecula is one of the best places we have ever lived or vacationed in our lives. I couldn’t imagine a better place to raise a family or retire, to be totally honest. There’s so much to do, but you can still have that country-style lifestyle if you would like. We have areas like De Luz, Los Ranchitos, Meadowview, or wine country, with lot sizes ranging anywhere from 1 to 20 acres. If you’re looking for a quiet life away from the noise with beautiful weather, check out these communities.
We also have areas with low tax rates. If you’re looking for communities in South Temecula that have low tax rates that we really like, click here.
Thank you for reading our blog. If you have any interest in moving to Temecula or the surrounding area, please read the Google reviews here for Greenleaf Real Estate & Appraisal.
We are licensed as both real estate brokers and certified residential appraisers. We love what we do and will bring a great deal of passion, experience, and expertise to the table for you.
