San Bernardino, CA Reviews


19 Reviews



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San Bernardino, California is a city located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. It is known for its proximity to the San Bernardino National Forest and its historic Route 66. With a population of over 215,000 people, it is the largest city in the Inland Empire and the 17th largest in the state. It has a diverse population and economy, with major industries including healthcare, education, and logistics. However, it has also faced challenges such as high crime rates and economic struggles in recent years.

John, a resident of San Bernardino for 10 years, wrote on Best Places that "San Bernardino can be a great place to live, but it has its ups and downs. On the plus side, there is a lot of cultural diversity and great local food options. However, the crime rates can be concerning and the job market is not the strongest."

Another user, Lisa, shared her experience living in San Bernardino for 2 years saying, "I moved here for a job opportunity and have been pleasantly surprised by the affordable cost of living. The community is also very welcoming and there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. However, the city could definitely use some improvements in terms of infrastructure and public transportation."

In contrast, Maria who has lived in San Bernardino her whole life, expressed her disappointment with the city saying, "Unfortunately, San Bernardino has been on a downward spiral for the past few years. The crime rates and homelessness have increased significantly and it's not as safe as it used to be. I'm considering moving away for my family's safety."

On a more positive note, Emily, a recent transplant to San Bernardino, shared her experience saying, "I moved here for college and have fallen in love with the city. It has a rich history and the community is resilient. There are also plenty of job opportunities in the education and healthcare fields. Plus, the surrounding natural beauty is a huge bonus."

 based on 19 Reviews
Get to know San Bernardino with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited San Bernardino

Really hot!! - 7/11/2008
Summers in San Bernardino are unbearable. At 8 pm, it is still at 85 degrees so you can only stay inside with the air conditioning. Electric bills are over the roof during the summer too. In the winter, its freezing, waking up seeing frost all over the neighborhood. So the only pleasant seasons are around late fall to Read More

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Very bad climate!! - 7/10/2008
It gets very very hot in the summer, surpassing the 100's on a daily basis. In the winter, its gets to the mid 30's through the upper 40's. In the morning there's frost on the houses' roofs! Electric bills in the summer are very high as expected in this area. I wouldn't recommend living here.
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San Bernardino, Ca - 2/10/2008
Sadly San Bernardino is a dieing city. You can tell from the remaining architecture downtown that it used to be a beautiful thriveing place but now most every business sits empty and crime is abundant. Some would say it has it's good points, but unfortunately the bad outweigh the good. It has very few nice shopping areas, the one mall leaves alot to be desired. However it is close enough to beaches, mountains and deserts to make it easy to escape from on the weekends. The surrounding areas such as redlands, riverside, crestline, and ontario are nice. But San Bernardino is not the best place to Read More

SoCal... A Third World Country - 6/16/2007
My opinions about San Bernardino can also be applied to all of southern California. I moved here in 1980 after 20 years of living in Buffalo, New York & Alaska. At that time I had thought California was my paradise and this is where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I took full advantage of the opportunities available including the beaches, mountains, hunting, fishing, 4 wheeling, dry & warm weather, sunshine, cuisine, college, employment, Spanish history & culture, architecture, botanical gardens, etc... The list has no end. However, this was also the beginning of the illegal immigrant mass migration era into southern California which continues to this day. The strains placed against our hospitals, schools, employment (repressed wages) police, fire, social services, housing, etc... from 12 million illegal immigrants who have no desire to be American citizens and claim 10dependants so that they pay no taxes has had the effect of turning southern California from a wonderful place Read More

Worst of the worst - 7/9/2006
San Bernardino is one of the worst places to live. crime here is unbelievable. we ranked 18th in crime in the entire country! shootings occur all the time. lots of gangs. it is ugly, hot and there is horrible smog six months out of the year. if you are interested in southern california, try the beach if you can afford Read More

Freeway close to greater LA & Orange County--much - 5/24/2006
Housing is still cheaper than many other areas in southern California. All price ranges available from 200,000s to Read More

Been in Apple Valley 4yrs and am ready to leave! - 5/8/2006
It was great 4yrs ago. Affordable, and a nice area. Well, everyone found out that you could get a new house for $100k and moved here from Pomona, Rialto, Long Beach (all bad areas) and crime is here and the local police are out manned. Shootings, crime, people being robbed, rapped. You name it. There is school police in black and white that patrol the school. But when something hapens, they actually run and hide. SERIOUSLY! Currently a house 1700sq ft with a 1/2 acre less than 3 yrs old is $350k. Tired of hearing my kids say, "kid with gun at school, or knife. Someone stabbed! Wife is a R.E Broker and hears time and time again good people moving out because crime is bad. You never see anyone get a ticket, or the police around. Adelanto (neighbor city) Chief of police fired to crime. Did I mention the sex offenders? I think they give them free rent or something! They are very where around the schools. Check out the maps! Phelan (neighbor city) "drug capital for making speed" has Read More

San Bernardino Area - 5/2/2006
I have lived in all parts of California, southern, central, and northern. I have lived in southern cali for the last decade or so, and currently reside near San Bernardino. You will probably hear a lot of negative things about San Bernardino area, and sadly a lot of it is true. There are definitely ghetto areas, but I tend to stay out of those areas and currently live in a pretty safe and nice area and have never gotten robbed or had any problems. As far as the area this is probably one of the cheapest areas to find a house between L.A and San Diego. There are still pockets of nice areas too. I would look into the following cities: Redlands, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, areas of Riverside and Corona. As far as housing, the high desert, Victorville, might be the most affordable area right now, although it is getting crowded fast because of this fact. If you have any other questions about the area, just let me Read More

or surrounding areas - Moving soon - 4/17/2006
I am moving to California in December and looking to live between anywhere level with LA, south to level with San Diego. Work needs me to stay in this vacinity. Of course the cost of living is a factor and that's why I'd like an outside city, but I would also like a nicer, quiet city with good Private schools for my 4-year old who will start Kindergarten and away from crime as much as possible. We will be renting for the first year until we decide we like the area and then buy. $1500/mo sounds reasonable so far but a local can tell me better what cities/neighborhoods this is actually renting. Any help is greatly appreciated. Read More

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