The Inland Empire Isn't Just Houses Anymore

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The Inland Empire has remained hot even as other markets in Southern California have cooled. One of the reasons? It's not just houses anymore. Now it's got jobs too.

The story is in today's LA Times:

Denise Entner moved to the Inland Empire last year to get more house for her money. But the commute from Upland to her job in Orange County, sometimes nearly two hours each way, was no bargain.

Fortunately, Entner landed a health care management position in Ontario that cut her commute to 20 minutes, giving her more time with her husband and three sons.

"Now I'm able to cook dinner and we eat at home together," she said. "I'm also saving $200 a month on gas and my car insurance payments dropped 18%."

The Inland Empire's era as just a quiet bedroom community is ending.

The region, often seen as a manufacturing and transportation hub, with less-expensive homes for those willing to commute to Los Angeles and Orange counties, is rapidly moving beyond its blue-collar roots into a more urbane future.

Increasingly, Western Riverside and San Bernardino counties are featuring the type of upscale houses, stores and entertainment long found in Los Angeles and other coastal enclaves. White-collar professionals such as Entner are finding attractive jobs there, no longer commuting westward. Tall office buildings are sprouting, along with more $1-million-plus homes.

-- The Boy in the Big Housing Bubble/Los Angeles and Beyond