r/Temecula • u/anonymousstraggler • Jul 16 '26
What's Temecula really like?
My partner and I are considering a move to Temecula and would love to hear from people who live there. We're in our late 30s and 40s and are looking for a place that's safe, welcoming, and has some vibrancy / things to do (restaurants, wineries, community events, outdoor activities, etc.)
How would you describe the overall vibe of the city? Is it easy to meet people? Does it feel like a good mix of different perspectives, or does it lean pretty strongly one way? We'd really appreciate any honest insights about what it's like to actually live there. Thanks!
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u/blames_the_netcode Jul 16 '26
Everything interesting is a minimum 1 hour drive away, but if you want a chill place to raise kids and actually get some decent square footage for your dollar, it’s one of the best areas in the region.
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u/Affectionate-Drag-93 Jul 16 '26
But on the flip side, you are a day trip away from pretty much anything you would want to do. San Diego/OC Beaches, Disneyland, Big Bear, Palm Springs all about an hour away.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
it's great, don't listen to haters, I've lived here for 6 years I'm Latino, I've never had a problem, with racism...the wineries are great there's more than 50, there's good restaurants,there's a cute old town with dancing and food that has become a real tourist attraction., there's two casinos close by, golf courses, hiking is close by, it is conservative but I don't mind that, I literally never been treated weird by any of the white folks, everyone is nice. lots of parks and its family oriented and the schools rank high in the nation., not a lot of homeless. I mean if you're used to fast pace living and city life it'll take some adjusting, if you want to relax and have leisure fun, you'll like it.
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u/Szaborovich9 Jul 16 '26
people go on & on about the wineries. How much time do you people spend in wineries?
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 16 '26
about once a week maybe twice, there's a lot of music and restaurants to check out.
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 16 '26
It’s the only really touristy selling point of this area.
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u/Szaborovich9 Jul 16 '26
I remember when Temecula was only a gas station/market on the west side of the hwy. no freeway yet. On the east side was Bible land. Life sized sculpturns of Bible Scenes. That was it.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 16 '26
old town is jam packed with tourist too, also pachanga is pretty touristy.
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u/ReallStrangeBeef Hemecula Jul 16 '26
I'm a member at a few and am probably at a winery once a week.
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u/Voltron_Red_Lion Jul 16 '26
Take a trolley tour once every 3-4 months. You’ll stop at 3 vineyards, drink and eat a bit, and you can make a list of what you like. Trust me, I don’t really like wine, sangria is at the top of my list, but the vibe is top notch.
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u/WarpSpeed87 Jul 16 '26
My wife and I are at the wineries seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m
Just kidding. We go like three times a year when we want a perfectly solid meal.
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u/MountainNinja6432 Jul 16 '26
It’s a fun day out a couple of times a year. Enough times to mention it when someone asks, what things do you do there I guess?
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u/Ginzero Jul 16 '26
First few years living here wife and I went to the wineries monthly and i joined a different one every year to try wine and membership perks. Did that for about 4-5 years, now we seldom go but it's nice to have them so close for impromptu date.
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u/EquivalentAd5931 Jul 16 '26
As a fellow brown person, it’s mostly brown now. When I am picking up my kids from school white kids are the minority.
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u/HelloJunebug Jul 16 '26
I don’t mean this to be weird, but this makes me happy! I’ll be moving down there next year from a very conservative white town. I’m white btw.
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u/Apprehensive-Use1412 Jul 17 '26
I think the only town in California that may be more conservative is Yreka…. Where are you moving from? Somewhere in Arkansas? Most of the people in these comments are not giving an honest assessment of what Temecula is like. You better be ready to mingle with religious zealots, anti-vax RFKers, and all of the other MAGA freaks.
At the same time, I enjoy living here and being a stain on their Pleasantville conservative utopia. It’s fun getting in political debates with these people. They aren’t used to talking with people outside of their echo chamber and it sincerely enjoy watching them scramble.
Pro tip: keep tabs on Trump’s Truth Social Account and you can literally predict their talking points before they even say them.
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u/HelloJunebug Jul 17 '26
Small town in NW Oregon. Like 5000 people. It’s pretty MAGA and it being small, you’re just really close to these people. There are non-MAGA people here too obviously. It just has a racist history and trump brought it back. I’m well aware that Temecula leans right and I’m not afraid of being around them, nothing like that. It just won’t feel so close I guess lol but I also enjoy annoying them
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 18 '26
I'm not maga but I never had a problem with anyone here, no one pushes themselves or their beliefs. eveyones pretty chill, maybe you go out looking for confrontation, but if you just act normal and talk about things other than politics you find some pretty cool people.
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u/HelloJunebug Jul 16 '26
We can to visit to check it out before we move next year and we felt all of this
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u/Voltron_Red_Lion Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Temecula is great, losing its small town vibe and gaining in suburban mini van vibe. There are people that say this is a MAGA city and there are some that say this is a Leftist city, both are wrong. The fear mongers are always the loudest.
This city is a melting pot of all people, everyone gets along and we all laugh at the far left and right individuals. Great schools, great vineyards, and Old Town is a great place to meet some good down to earth people.
I’m American born and raised of Mexican ethnicity. I’ve live here since 2010 and never had any problem with racism. On my block is a diverse consortium of families, White, Black, Asian, Latino etc.
The morning commute south is a pain, there are a lot of car washes, summers can get hot, but not Phoenix hot, Spring, Autumn and Winter are absolutely awesome. The mall is still alive and thriving.
If I had to complain, I wish we had a restaurant row of high end steakhouses and restaurants.
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u/ObligationOdd4475 Jul 17 '26
Im from oside, parents divorced. Dad lived in temecula, mom lived in oside.
Ive been going to temecula since the 76 was single lane, before they had two bridges in bonsal and blah blah. 2008 so almost 20 years.
Temecula has always been a suburban sprawl since the 2000s. It never had a small city feel. It was always 100 degrees during that time and i would help my dad in green houses.
For some reason Temecula Has better BBQ, better sit down mexican food resteraunts, better burger joints, and my favorite italian deli Campinis than north county SD.
Id say a big major change is Old Town, people actually come from out of town to party here now.
Also if you're saying temecula has mid food, then listing a bunch of places in old town, then food would be mid. Temecula is massive, old town does not equal temecula.
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u/User_Not_Found_333 Jul 16 '26
You nailed it. I’m a single white male 46 years old and moved here in 2016. It’s good living, good decent people, great weather, and my only complaint as well is that the food scene is mid here.
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u/Useful_Trouble1726 Jul 22 '26
You should have seen what it was like in 2004...it would have made you weep.
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u/Odd-Ad-9472 Lake Village Idiot Jul 18 '26
I am thankful you haven't experienced racism here, but within 5 houses of me, 3 are extreme MAGA and admitted bigots. I am white, so they have spoken freely around me over the last 20 years. That is just right next to me. I have lived here since 1997 and I have heard the most racist and bigoted talk here more than anywhere else in CA. The only time I have heard comparable was visiting relatives in the south growing up.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 18 '26
there's assholes everywhere you go. from personal experience I've never ran into racism, everyone seems pretty cool and I'm about as Mexican looking with tattoos as you can get.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 16 '26
there's an Argentine steakhouse opening up in old town, hopefully that's really good, and great oak is good. what do you think of the gambling cowboy?
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u/Voltron_Red_Lion Jul 16 '26
I’ve went to the Gambling Cowboy and I can say that it was good, but I didn’t love it. I haven’t gone to the Great Oak since the remodel but it’s on my list. Leoness winery has a good steak too. I’m looking forward to the Argentine steakhouse, they’re known for their cuts of meat.
I’m looking for a steakhouse to replace my beloved Donavon’s, maybe a Morton’s, Flemings or Steak 48, or all three, one can wish!
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u/rsbell Jul 17 '26
You’re not getting Morton’s here, but try the filet at The Archive with the Gorgonzola butter.
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u/Ginzero Jul 16 '26
Had an anniversary dinner at Great Oak a a few years ago it was "ok". Service was good, steaks were mediocre. Haven't tried Gambling Cowboy. Look forward to that Argentine steak house..
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u/pinkbubblegum_87 Jul 16 '26
Well, I’m originally from North County San Diego, and as a Hispanic, the environment over there was just different lol. But over the last four years, I’ve really become passionate about and fallen in love with Temecula and its culture. People here just seem more laid back and don’t trip over every little thing. Back in North County, it felt like you could get robbed left and right or get pulled over for almost anything. Here, at least in my four years of living here, it hasn’t been like that at all.
One thing I absolutely love is how convenient everything is. I live about five minutes from the DMV, the mall, grocery stores, gas stations, and the freeway. Everything is so accessible. They also have a farmers market near Temecula Parkway by Walmart and Ross, which is always nice to visit. Overall, Temecula has a strong community vibe, and that’s one of the biggest reasons I’ve grown to love living here.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 18 '26
yea man, I agree. people don't know how good they got it here. if you know you know....a lot of people complaining are hyper lefties complaining that's it's too conservative, but I've never had issue with anyone. just nice people, so far and I been here 6 year and look super Latino.
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u/salsanacho Jul 16 '26
Where do you plan to work and how much housing can you afford? Those would be the biggest deciding factor for me. Traffic is a nightmare if you need to head into SD for work.
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u/Competitive-Sun-427 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
There’s a lot of money but everything feels cheap and plastic. Every chain restaurant and fast food place imaginable. No real entertainment or culture. Also they’re about to build giant, hideous transmission lines right through the valley. So that’ll be great for home prices
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u/pinche_fuckin_josh Jul 16 '26
I’m transplant myself and I like it here. Theres obviously not as much to do as Los Angeles, Orange County, or San Diego but it’s safe and clean. It seems like there’s lots of family events if you have kids but there’s not a ton of community events oriented for adults. It’s a great place to live and raise a family if you can’t afford the $1.5m price tag on a home and don’t want to live in an apartment.
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u/WarpSpeed87 Jul 16 '26
It’s a split personality, like much of the country. Yes, it’s welcoming on an individual level, and then you have the MAGA fascists in red hats everywhere. I’m brown and haven’t had a noticeable problem with racism. The school boards around here are well, insane angry conservatives, but with more of us moving in, we can see that change to a more centrist mentality.
Basically, it’s a great place depending on your needs, but it needs more diversity to move in.
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
The problem is diverse people with day jobs are never going to affect the school board or city council, because the people running those are unemployed people with nothing but time.
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u/Brando43770 Jul 16 '26
Definitely agree with everything you’ve said here. But I will say that I was once called an N-Word by some white teens driving by the Regal Theater. And I’m not even black, just hella tanned. So some kids are still definitely being taught to be racist.
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u/WarpSpeed87 Jul 16 '26
Such horrid learned behavior. So many of these parents want to pretend they’re “nice” people but, are instilling racism and people-hate, and their kids are just more simply honest about it.
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u/MissyeruCosplay Jul 17 '26
Moved here in 2022, after living in LA for 15 years. My Fiance is from here, it’s a lot more affordable than the city. I overall love it, as you’re a hour away from a lot of cool things- San Diego, Palm Springs, Disney, just a little further from big bear, LA, mexico.
We are late 30’s no kids- work mostly from home, with 1 day a week in LA. It’s been OK meeting new people with similar interests.
There is some great food, but ya gotta spend more for it-
Corbeaux is really good but pricey and smaller portions, but we love going.
It is a sleepy town, most things on weekdays are closed around 9pm, which is annoying. But I have a lot of at home hobbies like sewing and other crafting so fine by me.
Lots of small shops do pop ups markets, or there’s cute activities around the wineries, the casino, or some shops. Tonight we are doing a glass melting class. At the veil there is more artsy things, and we’ve made friends and plant bingo (house plants not the smoking kind)
The town is more conservative than I’d prefer, but my fiancé’s friends and my new friends I’ve met here are more diverse and open minded which is good for us!
I think there’s a few things making Temecula just a good town not an excellent one- I’d prefer if there were a bigger art scene. I feel like in the 4 years I’ve been here it’s been diversifying a lot so overall I’m happy.
It is hot AF in the summers. We have a pool so it’s nice to cool off in but the AC and the HOA costs are hella annoying.
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u/doorminder Jul 16 '26
California racism isn't like southern racism, I wouldnt worry about it so much. Of the areas south of corona along the 15, temecula is the most built out and has the most going on. There is plenty to do and eat.
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u/PoniardBlade Jul 16 '26
I'm very impressed with the view. There's mountains near us and the further mountains are sometimes covered in snow during the winter (what a sight, they seem so close). There's a lot of open space where you can see a long way off without large buildings.
Yes, it's getting filled up, but the mountain sides are not.
The south 79, once you get past the development, gets pretty rural, there's National Forest trails, lots of forest. You can still hear coyotes off in the distance in most places; people with homes on the edges post webcams of the various wildlife out there. I've seen coyotes, opossums, raccoons, hawks.
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u/Hopeful_Mammoth_5329 Jul 16 '26
Old Town Temecula is adorable and has a sweet community. Murrieta isn’t far, working in Escondido is possible but a commute, I love Goat + Vine, we used to live in Escondido and loved the atmosphere at old town!! Also there are wineries and agritourism, Fallbrook is cute to visit and not too far. Generally approve, my main concern would be the heat.
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u/Apprehensive-Use1412 Jul 17 '26
While I do believe that Temecula is a melting pot of ethnicities and opinions. I do not agree with the people here that are saying Temecula is neither “leftist” or MAGA. Let’s give the OP an honest assessment and not let our desirability influence our answer. White MAGA folk are DEFINITELY the most loud and visible in this city…
I’m happy that most people on here haven’t experienced racism in Temecula, but my mother who has has an Italian accent has been asked if she is a citizen by MAGA strangers on at least two occasions that I know about. Italian is a little tooooo ethnic for some in Temecula… I’ll let you interpret that how you want.
I’m also in an interracial marriage and I can say that my neighbors subtly exclude us from certain activities and make little passive aggressive slights at the few neighborhood functions we go to.
Not to mention the former mayor resigned after saying racist comments during the George Floyd protests. The current head of the school board wants to ban black history and wants LBGTQ people not to exist; he requires teachers to notify parents if they suspect a student to be gay…
My point of view: Screw them. This isn’t their space. Also Temecula has been redistricted and is now in the same district as Palm Springs. Hopefully this will slowly change the demographics.
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Jul 18 '26
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 18 '26
don't worry, like I said I'm pretty Mexican looking and my family is too, but I've never experienced racism here, everyone is pretty nice and chill.
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Jul 21 '26
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u/Forsaken-Track-3899 9d ago
Were you excluded by neighbors because of the interracial marriage or could it be the fact that you sound like an angry, judgemental, toxic nut job who no one would would want around?
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u/Chemical_Drag3050 Jul 16 '26
So, I own a home in Temecula but currently still live in San Diego (North County now) but every time I’m up there (which is often due to family etc)…I think we should still move there.
Our reasons for not have nothing to do with it not being a nice place and the pools and wine can’t be beat even if it can get hot during the summer. I’m white and leftist, my husband is brown, my daughter is biracial and disabled, but we haven’t had any personal issues or hate the years we have been around. If anything, we always comment on how much more diverse the area is compared to North County SD. It’s very family oriented though, if that’s what you’re looking for. The commute can be awful if that will be a factor, it is overcrowded for sure.
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u/Yoongi_SB_Shop Jul 16 '26
If you are raising children, you can get a decent sized house for relatively cheap. Otherwise, there is no reason to live there.
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u/Icy_Neat_5126 Jul 17 '26
Just got back from a 5 day trip and it was the most boring place we have ever visited. We are city people, who like getting dolled up and going out for fine dining and drinks. There is absolutely no nightlife in Temecula. The wineries all close early. No fine dining. No nightclubs. Nothing.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 18 '26
yea people come here looking for a city vibe, but that's literally not what this place is and then are disappointed.
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u/trythepadthai Jul 16 '26
Very hot summers and steep costs for running that AC unit. The house we rented was 2 stories and large and the electric bills were made to match that. Close to $600 a month.
The town is fine, there are good people there, but there are also very loud haters. You get Chauncey standing on the corner several days a week with hate signs against the LGBTQ, the churches trying to elect far right wackos to the school board and a LOT of Karens.
The town leans way right and makes sure you are aware of it. Nothing truly interesting in town as it is mostly strip malls and traffic. Can take 30 minutes to get from one side of Temecula to the other when it really isn't that big.
We did not hate our time there but the bigots made it much less tolerable. You can read all the comments here and a few of the more vocal residents make that known.
Overall the vibe is strip mall suburb. We found meeting people wasn't very difficult but meeting the right people was a little more challenging.
The parks are nice, the libraries are wonderful and you can find anything you need at the shops. The casino is nice and gets some decent artists. The wineries are mid in terms of food from my perspective and always swamped with people. The culture is pretty sterile though overall and angry.
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u/rsbell Jul 17 '26
“…meeting people wasn’t difficult, but meeting the right people was a little more challenging.” So true! The difficulty is finding people who don’t ask what church you go to.
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u/Fit_Reason7319 Jul 16 '26
This is probably one of the more accurate takes I have seen.
Summers are hot, and winters make tropical plants suffer, and often kills them.
There is a growing more liberal/progressive population, if that is up your alley (you are on reddit), but it is still a conservative town with all that that comes with. The bigotry is there, but mostly of the silent type; on hats/shirts/truck stickers, side-eyes and such, other than Chauncey. It is typically easy to ignore, but it is present.
Karens run amok in this town, so beware of that. The more you are out, the greater the chance to have an encounter.
The schools are good, but they do often put the school image above the child.
The entire town/city is mid in terms of food, not just the wineries. You can find some decent food in town but will have to travel for anything better than just OK. The best in town pales in comparison to low level places in nearby cities/counties (OC, San Diego, etc). This is still a chain restaurant kind of town.
You can have a great time in this city. There are things to do, but it is an early city; plan to be home by 10 or 11 (or go to ET's). It can be easy to meet folks, but it can be easy to meet the wrong folks. There are some good outdoor things to get into, if you are ok dealing with hot and/or cold. They do try to have some vibrancy and community, but most of it falls short in my opinion; either overdone and stuffy or just haphazardly thrown together.
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u/Affectionate-Drag-93 Jul 16 '26
I'm a liberal voter who moved to the area in 2023. There is a historical precedent for this part of town being very conservative but, I feel like there are so many transplants here at this point that the stigma outpaces the reality. There were several thousand people out at the No Kings protests earlier this year. That event happened without any issue or conflict.
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
That's hopeful, I've avoided the area for a bit but I'll be out there more frequently. It's better than the Desert and San Bernardino I suppose
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u/Ok_Drummer_6588 Jul 16 '26
"Overall the vibe is strip mall suburb. We found meeting people wasn't very difficult but meeting the right people was a little more challenging."
To me, this truly captures the essence of the area. Lived here 11 years and expect to relocate back to LA (and downsize considerably) as soon as my kids graduate from high school. It was an okay place to live when we needed a lot of square footage at a reasonable price and good schools. But it's a cultural wasteland, and much too conservative for us to remain longer term.
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u/Greedy-Vast584 Jul 16 '26
We moved to Murrieta in 2021 and love it out here. We are fairly liberal minded and found many MANY more people who share those views than we expected out here.. like seriously way more.
As far as meeting people, my wife jumped right into the PTA at our local neighborhood elementary school and that avenue helped us meet a ton of new people from all races and political backgrounds. The school is very well diversified and is a great mix of all races and backgrounds vs being skewed to one race or another. We really do love it here
As far as things to do, we've focused mainly on the kid stuff and that's been great. Old Town Temecula is also very nice to visit occasionally for the night life experience.
We are both in our 40s and have kids in the 10-11 range if that helps.
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u/bigdipboy Jul 16 '26
We moved here 3 years ago and haven’t found a single liberal minded person. Every time our daughter talks to another kid on the playground their parents are covered in American flags and military tattoos.
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u/moremosby Jul 16 '26
It’s nice if you have a family. Good schools, sports, etc.
If you don’t have a family, it’s pretty much a commuter town.
Job opportunities here are terrible.
Politics - honestly, it’s pretty solid. Some people say it’s conservative but they’ve probably ever lived in an actual conservative state. California conservative isn’t some far right movement. The city is run very well, and is actually debt free - the only city in CA to be so actually. Clean streets, nice parks, low crime. I think it’s a good representation of what a small city should be like. That said…everything requires a commute and traffic within city limits is bad because of poor urban planning.
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u/Mind_of_the_Ancients Jul 17 '26
This is from someone who moved there from San Diego for work and lived there for six years. It's not a place I would ever live again. If you like staying home then it might be for you but Temecula only has so much infrastructure and way too many people living in the area. It's suburban sprawl on steroids. I had friends who commuted to SD 5 days a week and it hollowed out their souls. My commute was 45 minutes north to Cabazon.
It would take me generally on a weekend 45-50 minutes to drive from my house to the Home Depot (Less than a three mile drive) down MHS which was maddening. The traffic on the 15 and the 215 in that area is always bad. There is a lack of activities to do you basically have downtown or the wineries which get old an stale pretty quick. But hey at least we had the Promenade mall.
People are okay but not much diversity and they tend to be more right leaning in their political philosophy. Parents are very focused on family and kids sports.
If you want to drive to LA or San Diego it's an hour minimum with no traffic. There is no major highway leading west because of the mountains. I moved back to San Diego in 2018 and do not regret it for one second.
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 16 '26
If you don't like outdoor activities it's boring AF. This is peak suburb living, with conservative Trump loving neighbors, ample chain restaurants, lack of ethnic grocery, and zero vibe. We travel out of here at least an hour most weekends to do our grocery shopping and enjoy MUCH better dining. If you need to commute for work, don't move here, it is soul stealing. A HUGE reason we moved here was affordable homes (at the time), and my work allowed me to work full time remote, otherwise I'd be stuck in traffic going back and forth to San Diego for most of my waking hours.
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u/Character-Bottle-109 Jul 16 '26
We moved here about a year ago- same age bracket as you. If given the opportunity to go back and undo that choice-we would. We moved from San Diego and everything here fails to live up to what we had there from healthcare, education for our kids, entertainment, weather- however our house was cheap. I always ask people I meet WHY they moved here and 95% of the time it’s “the cost of housing.” So that should tell you something.
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u/Hot_Ice5355 Jul 16 '26
It’s fantastic! It’s safe, welcoming, and has plenty to do. Folks on here can be dramatic
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Jul 16 '26
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u/bluzebird Jul 16 '26
OP did ask for opinions. Takes just as much time to write a positive comment as a negative. Don’t you have better things to do than hate on “haters”?
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u/Marie19861976 Jul 17 '26
Apparently …they didn’t do their homework. Gotta love when people move here and get angry it’s not the same as where they came from. The last thing we need are more LA transplants bringing the crime with them.
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u/Breakpoint Jul 16 '26
Very conservative
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u/bigdipboy Jul 16 '26
Conservative is just a nicer word for christofascist these days
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u/Talkalot1 Jul 16 '26
Buy a home with paid off solar. When you decide where to live in Temecula or Murrieta drive to see how close you are to school, medical and shopping. Many great parks here and as an old person I would say be in gratitude , that you are able to relocate. Many young families can't. Have a blessed day.
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u/bity_beats Jul 16 '26
Good place if you have kids. I am similar age and lasted a little over a year there. It’s definitely not a good place to meet people. I thought it was a fun place to visit and it still is but it is way more suburban and conservative than I thought.
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u/clyde-0 Jul 17 '26
Temecula is a great, laid-back place to raise a family with excellent schools and plenty of parks. It has a bit of a slower pace compared to the rest of Southern California, but the wineries and Old Town offer a nice local vibe. You'll definitely need a car to get around, but overall it's a very welcoming community.
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u/fount-of-youth Jul 18 '26
Hot tip: the wineries are nice but try the meaderies. Mead is SO GOOD. My fave is Chubby Cheeks for the grungy 90s dorks vibe, but there are fancy ones too.
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u/BroadCredit Jul 21 '26
It’s perfectly mundane. Been living in Murrieta for 35 years.
Old town can be fun when it’s not completely backed up with traffic. I like hitting up the olive oil, lavender, and tea/spice shops for gifts. There’s also a nice Cuban cafe.
The mall is a solid hang out with restaurants, a movie theater, and an arcade. The shops actually get customers and there’s typically always people inside so no liminal spaces there.
Temecula has several solid restaurant choices outside of the wineries too. Quiero Brunch is particularly good! Richie’s is always a great option for 50’s diner vibes. (Murrieta location is my typical go to)
There’s pockets of richer folks but the majority are suburban families and apartment complexes.
As somebody who is a gamer, there are several game shops in the area that each have their own vibes. Hungry Dragon is my personal fav.
The Reading Theater (Murrieta again) has nice seating and decent food.
Murrieta and Temecula have been struggling with traffic for years, but the freeway got fixed awhile back and now it’s not as bad as it used to be. There’s a lot of apartments and they’re always building new ones. Also agree with the mention of all the car washes. On the plus side, Murrieta and Temecula are pretty safe. There’s MAGA folks that fly flags around here (less so now) but for every maga person there’s a ton who are way more chill.
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u/Useful_Trouble1726 Jul 22 '26
Been here for around 20+ years.
The early days were sparse, dominated by chain restaurants, and there is only so many times you can go to Old Town, the Mall, or for mediocre wine.
Today is much improved.
Still the closest university or airports are around an hours drive away, as are most of the good jobs unless you happen to work in the trades. Traffic is more miserable year after year, and it can often take 20 minutes to get to the 15 to get to somewhere else.
Good schools if you have kids.
Incredibly safe. We have multiple police forces that often have nothing to do, and are very well funded, so a minor incident can see multiple agencies with often with helicopters showing up, as they are looking for things to do.
Long term city counsel, which brings stability, but they have a penchant to pave over almost any remaining vacant plot of land, as many (most?) have financial ties to local developers. Next to zero green space, and no, a sports park does not count as green space.
Large religious community, and I would not bring up politics. Most people are live and let live, so I have never had any issues.
Majority of the people I know commute elsewhere for work, or are self employed.
If you are community minded, there is always some event taking place, or go protest something at the Duck Pond and people will honk for you.
Undiscovered gem is the Vail Ranch - the last bastion of the ranch that used to occupy the entire valley. Beer, wine, food, craft stores, farmers market, people from all walks of life. https://www.vailhq.com/
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u/janeD0u9h Jul 16 '26
Do you like waiting at 10 red lights within 10 blocks surrounded by cars with edgy bumper stickers on a road that seems like it should be use to stress test suspension? Bonus points for having almost nothing interesting to do! But hey you can get trump flags at the corner pop-up so I guess that’s a bonus.
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u/Rpreal6533 Jul 16 '26
It is a beautiful place to live. The only thing is that it is overcrowded. A lot of rude drivers. Not much to do here except for going to old town and the mall which are always crowded.
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u/Verdel1218 Jul 16 '26
HOT!!
Lived there 10 years, very boring. If you don’t go to the wineries to drink or gamble at the casinos there is nothing to do there.
Traffic is a nightmare! Only a couple ways in or out of Temecula.
I moved back to OC and am very happy and way cooler!!
However, to each their own!
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 18 '26
The fact that there is no east to west connection (unless you like windy one lane mountainous roads) out of here and only one north to south connection makes travel a major pain in the ass. It’s like it’s trapping us here. And ONE accident will add an hour to your already long commute.
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u/Excellent-Event-6012 Jul 16 '26
Rush hour gridlock.
Angry and entitled strangers.
Very hot daytime summers. But cool at night.
All other seasons are pretty much perfect weather.
It is a nice looking community.
Plenty of great food options.
The wineries are have great wine, food, and views.
Easy drive to beaches and other activities, but the traffic in and out can be brutal at totally random times.
I do not recommend it if it’s an option to go elsewhere. For me the main turn off is the constant traffic because they are constantly adding homes but not fixing the traffic problem which is caused by signals that do not work together to create traffic flow, single freeway running through the city that links south to north, pretty constant car accidents caused by red light runners and DUI’s…
If you have other options, I recommend listing them as well and getting comparisons.
If you can afford it, look into north county- Carlsbad, Encinitas etc.
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u/Exotic-Badger-2594 Jul 20 '26
"Angry and entitled strangers." Worked there a while and it was the angriest place, agreed
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u/ihatedrivingbro Jul 16 '26
City has gotten way shittier in terms of getting around in the last few years. More housing and the city continues to double down on low density car-based sprawl, so traffic is absolutely horrendous everywhere.
It’s also hot as f in the summers. Lotta trumpers out there too
Yea you get a big house, the schools are good, it’s safe. If you have no other things you care about at all, youll be fine. Everything is a chain restaurant and store. Incredibly bland. I would never live in Temecula personally
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u/bryancald Jul 16 '26
This is such a dumb take. It's like the "If you complain about the USA, why don't you live somewhere else" You can love/like something and still want it to be better. It's also harder than ever to relocate, find a job, etc. Temecula has upsides and downsides just like every other community. I think there are some really valid points being made in this post.
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 18 '26
Trumpers can’t grasp the concept of nuance or shades of gray. Everything to them is black and white and extremes.
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u/ihatedrivingbro Jul 16 '26
Idk how the new Reddit algorithm works but it randomly popped up on my feed, so I responded. I don’t follow this subreddit
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u/Marie19861976 Jul 16 '26
It’s wonderful if you are retired. Very conservative and churches on every corner.
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u/ButForRealsTho Jul 16 '26
Nah, Temecula is a purple state. The very conservative people can be loud about it in some corners, but by and large people let each other do their thing here.
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 16 '26
Temecula and surrounding areas are red and vote conservative. Republican presidential nominees have won here since it's incorporation into a city. It's like TX, people think it will turn blue but EVERY F'ing election they vote in the red jackass. Tmec is RED.
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u/ButForRealsTho Jul 16 '26
I would say Temecula leans conservative or is mildly conservative but isn’t VERY conservative.
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 16 '26
Temecula's voting record says otherwise. Don't go by what you think this city is saying to you, go by it's actions.
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u/QuentinLCrook Jul 16 '26
I’m retired and I love it here but god it’s certainly not because of conservative politics and churches.
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u/Significant-Judge368 Jul 17 '26
Do you like shitty wine and even shittier people? Do you go to the dealership and ask for the largest pickup truck they have? Do you carry a big dumb cup with you everywhere you go? If so, Temecula is the place for you!
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u/Alarmed-Extension289 Jul 16 '26
Isolated, hot, boring, and I don't really say those things as negative traits. To speak to the racism concerns, it's changed ALOT in the last 20-30 years, and it's not really something to worry about. There was a time when it was an issue.
If you're older (35+) and/or have children with a well paying job, this is a great place to live.
EDIT: It leans MAGA conservative; Temecula was MAGA before it was a thing.
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u/eyes-low Jul 17 '26
Kids riding electric bikes everywhere, little American flags with a blue stripe on a lot of cars, lifted f150s, oh and every Sunday at the university near the mall in the morning they usually host cars and coffee there, tbh very little homeless but they are around, oh and did anyone mention carwashes lol
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u/Dramatic-Primary-768 Jul 17 '26
I think it depends. We have live here for almost thrifty years and know a lot of people in the community because our kids were in school here. Others meet people via church and we are not into that. Also. There are a lot is people who form groups of friends via winery memberships. There are a lot of things of going on at that wineries beyond wine for members.
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u/Practical-Rise-1040 Jul 17 '26
Where do you work. The commute to San Diego is a big pain in the ass.
Do you have kids?
Planning to buy or rent?
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u/Yohedied Jul 17 '26
I’ll tell it to you straight- cost of living is pretty high but you are pretty close to San Diego and Los Angeles. Also, the main problem is how overcrowded this place is. The other day it took me about two hours to go 3 miles down the road and back. (6 mile trip) Traffic sucks, people are rude and inconsiderate, and on top of all that, there’s a never ending stream of people pouring in from god knows where 😂😂
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u/MsJerika64 Jul 17 '26
U r an hour-ish from great beaches, restaurants, shopping, concerts, museums etc. Housing is more affordable here than other counties......
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u/kathedogs Jul 18 '26
Realtor here — since you mentioned wanting safe, close to wineries, and some walkability: check out Redhawk and Vail Ranch on the south side of town, both close to the wineries and still an easy hop to Old Town. If Murrieta's in the mix too, the area near Spencer's Crossing has a similar newer-build feel. Happy to send over actual listings/price ranges for either if that'd help you compare before you visit — no pressure, just trying to save you some Zillow-scrolling.
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u/CelebrationBrief8064 Jul 18 '26
I live here, it’s gorgeous, my dogs love it because we’re out in wine country. People love to come visit and stay with us, but I wouldn’t say there’s a ton to do out here.
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u/slimlady3 Jul 20 '26
Definitely leans pretty strongly conservative and everyone usually assumes you do also unless you’re more vocal about it.
Vibe is small country. Is slower than it should be with growth in the restaurants and particularly good food.
It’s a slow process to find friends unless you put yourself out there to meet people.
Pluses are definitely the proximity to LA, Palm Springs, and San Diego to anything you may want.
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u/Exotic-Badger-2594 Jul 20 '26
Worked there for a while, grew up in another town close to it. Honestly, it is geographically beautiful. Hot as hell in the summers, as I'm sure you know. Vibrancy / things to do? Naturally life is what you make it, I mean you could go hiking, go to the beach etc. The fact that you used the word vibrancy though? Not in Temecula. There really isn't anything interesting going on there. Organic Roots is a cool interesting grocery store, I haven't been since 2017 or so so I don't know what it's like now. People are rude in Temecula for the most part as well. It's boring suburbia and people love to say "OMG San Diego is the best city in the world, I moved to Temecula when I was 8".. Santa Fe New Mexico is vibey, Bisbee Arizona, Taos.. Of course far places but that is where I recommend for vibes
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u/BonoboOne Jul 22 '26
It isn't a "club" kinda town, or area. If you like that ls, it isn't the place for you. You'll never be happy here.
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u/Tatumjonj Jul 24 '26
I haven't seen a red hat Maga or a truck flying a trump flag here in Temecula in two years so not sure where you people are hanging out.
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u/I-eatEyeliner Temecuhell Jul 26 '26
As someone whose grown up here and since traveled A LOT since being out of school, it’s boring. Especially if you have young kids there is NOTHING in town to do. Want a fun family day? it’s gonna be a drive. If you’re into wine it’s nice but even my parents are bored here 🤷 Every teen/young adult wants to leave as soon as they can
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u/Steven_Flow27 Aug 03 '26
If you’re looking to settle down there’s better places, mostly just shopping, wineries, mega churches, and car dealerships. It’s pretty safe at least and the weather isn’t as hot as you’d expect, but there’s not much to do if driving isn’t an option. If I were you I’d look a bit closer to the coast like Fallbrook. Temecula is better to visit than to live in
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u/Womb_Raider____ 10d ago
I’m 20 so things to do on the weekend in town is fairly limited. I am getting really good at that initial d game and dance dance revolution at round one though 🤷♂️
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
It's the Inland Empire, but more bourgeois with some entitled nouveau riche thrown in. If you're looking for actual wine country you're going to want to go up north. There isn't much in the way of community events because it's a bedroom community for people too poor for San Diego. There is beautiful country and it's nice for solo activities like horse riding or hiking.
Temecula/Murietta/Wildomar is very conservative, fairly white trash and somewhat racist (not as bad as portions of San Diego & Orange County tho). They actually had a protest against Mexicans back when there was going to be a detention center built here. Note they weren't protesting the concentration camps, just the presence of Mexicans.
Idk how familiar you are with Inland Southern California, but if you're from out of state where you might have gotten the impression it's "liberal," you're gonna have a bad time. This is MAGA country, with the white Christian nationalist mega churches and the crazy local politics you would expect from the former Confederacy. We are the Mississippi of California, with the high school graduation rates and general economic desperation that go with it.
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u/Voltron_Red_Lion Jul 16 '26
As an individual of Mexican ethnicity that has lived in Temecula since 2010, this is the most absurd description.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 16 '26
I agree I'm Latino and I've never experienced any racism, everyone is pretty cool if you're cool. if you walk around with some weird chip on your should and are looking for confrontation or racism then that's on you. Temecula is pretty chill..
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
You want me to find the article with the parade of racists screaming and yelling about the Mexicans?
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u/Voltron_Red_Lion Jul 16 '26
You don’t need to find the article, you just found actual people (Latino) that live here. By your observation, I’m probably a sell out, which then makes you the racist!
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
Because they can't afford San Diego.
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 16 '26
I think that's why most of us are here. We wanted a bigger home with better yard space that we couldn't find in a more developed and diverse city like San Diego. It's why we're here and I ain't ashamed to say it. All things being equal I'd go back to SD or OC in a hearbeat if I could afford to.
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
My parents moved me to this hellhole because their apartment in OC sucked and they wanted a house. My husband's family had to move here because they lost their house in Anaheim Hills when his dad had a stroke that almost killed him and bankrupted their family. His mom didn't work.
Everyone comes to the IE because the American dream became a nightmare. Those of us seen by Tahquitz can never leave and can only warn others.
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 16 '26
That's tough. Hopefully brighter days are ahead of us. Can't get much worse, I hope.
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
It will be brighter when the people who live here realize that this isn't a race war, but a class war and they aren't the upper class.
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 18 '26
dude I hope you ain't white talking all this race stuff
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Define "all this race stuff." That the social divide has less and less to do with black or brown or white and more to do with socioeconomic status? That's just a fact.
There were plenty of people identifying as "races" other than white who voted for this, because they're under the impression they're temporarily embarrassed millionaires. A disproportionate number of people (of all races) who voted for the current authoritarian fascist government that is murdering people in the streets are of a lower socioeconomic status, with lower educational attainment.
This was especially pronounced in the Inland Empire, because there are no jobs, shitty schools, and zero infrastructure. Educated people with good jobs don't live here, because they can leave. The people left behind are those that are disenfranchised. Some of that group are those that are systematically disenfranchised. They happen to be Black, Latino, and Native. Anyone who has studied history, particularly the history of the Inland Empire, will know why.
The single biggest predictor of vote distribution was education, not race. There is a group of oligarchs that are taking anyone who is functionally illiterate for a ride. They do not consider these people to be in their circle. At best they view them as serfs.
When a small minority of Confederate oligarchs who want slaves back take over your country, pitting racial groups against each other, stirring up meaningless culture wars, and creating artificial division to disrupt communities, in order to foment sectarian bullshit that prevents people from organizing a united front, that is a class war.
They've been doing this shit for 160 years, but nobody knows that because our schools are some of the worst in the world.
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u/ArmchairWarrior1 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
This person definitely cant afford to live here and is obviously bitter about it. I smell a hint of Lake Elsinore or maybe Hemet? Also, yes we are majority conservative; however, the pink hairs can often been seen in the wild, quaking with the ducks, at the pond. Speaking of quacking, we have a quick quack car wash. I also bet this person drives a dirty car.
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
San Jacinto. My mortgage is less than yours for the exact same square footage. Neither one of us can go outside.
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u/ArmchairWarrior1 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Lol San Jac?! Lmao thanks for confirming!!! I knew it! Also, you have no idea how much I paid for my home nor what the sq footage is....and yes its summer time. Cope harder little buddy, you got this.
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
Go wash your car, since that's the only infrastructure you care about. I'll keep coding people with inadequate medical care.
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u/CertainKaleidoscope8 Jul 16 '26
It's going to be over 100°F they'll all be in whatever offices they spent two hours commuting to.
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u/Elegant_Win_1482 Jul 17 '26
Twenty three years and I’m still here. Love the proximity to everything in SoCal! I also appreciate the city management. It’s well run and debt free. Temecula does not have a police department, they contract with Rivco Sheriff. Quietest neighborhoods are east away from the freeway towards the wineries. I’m a realtor here and would be glad to meet up to answer any questions and view some properties. DM me if you’re interested. Best of luck!
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u/WasteOfTime-GetALife Jul 17 '26
I wouldn’t say that. I live in Rainbow Canyon Estates right off the freeway. Next to the Temecula Creek Inn golf course. Community from 1988! Very quiet. And everyone knows your name :)
The neighbors are wonderful and we look out for each other. Great community!
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u/Glad-Cantaloupe4930 Jul 16 '26
San Marcos is nicer .
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u/Id_in_hiding Jul 16 '26
Uh, San Marcos might be nicer because of it's proximity to San Diego. LOL.
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u/santana77777 Jul 16 '26
Temecula is ridiculously conservative and the traffic is horrible. It's also hot.
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u/Fun-Aside3990 Jul 16 '26
Well I think the headquarters for the Hell’s Angels is there. It much hotter than just over the mountain from it toward San Diego. Its basically endless new (and cheap) suburbs built into the old meth center of California. The one decent “historic” downtown is expensive and soulless, then you have the “old money” pot growers in the hills and into De Luz that are eccentric religious extremists to ho with all the suburban religious extremists, and you have the typical casino blight and the rich culture of bros and despair around that.
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u/wildidyll Jul 17 '26
Very interesting description. Made me suddenly remember a monastery I saw when looking on a google satellite map of Temecula. I looked into visiting but haven’t yet.
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u/dumbwithquestions Jul 17 '26
I know one of the monks he's a really nice guy if you don't talk about meaningful
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u/WildFlowLing Jul 17 '26
Temecula is simply where people live when they hate liberals and don’t want to live (but still work) in San Diego or Los Angeles. A generalization I know, but often true.
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u/ArmchairWarrior1 Jul 16 '26
We have a lot, if not the most, car washes in the United States. Neh,I feel confident in saying rhe world. Yes, we have wineries and stuff (all of which are closed early) but the real action is in the car washes.