by Phillip B. Burum, Executive Vice President, Diversified Pacific,
President, Building Industry Association (BIA) Baldy View Chapter
According to the most recent housing figures released last month, San Bernardino County continues to lead Southern California in housing affordability.
CoreLogic, Inc., a major California-based corporation that provides financial, property and consumer information, indicated that the median price for a San Bernardino County home is $325,000. This means that our median price is less than half of the median price of homes in Orange County and about a third less when compared with all of Southern California.
San Bernardino County remains the most affordable due in large part to the county’s size. San Bernardino County checks in at over 20,000 square miles and is larger than many major industrialized nations such as Holland, Switzerland, Israel, Jamaica or Kuwait. It is also larger than nine American states.
While many of our neighboring counties have population densities measured in thousands per square mile, San Bernardino County’s population density is closer to 100 people per square mile.
Our size offers tremendous diversity in lifestyle options, whether your preference is suburban living in Ontario or you prefer the more rural feel that can be found in the outer reaches of the county’s high desert, San Bernardino offers an abundance of options. The diversity of housing options, coupled with the many scenic and climate options that exist in our area, the Baldy View region may be among the most diverse places to live in our country. In fact, our region’s natural wonders account for a half dozen of the nation’s best-known natural tourist attractions.
Thanks to that massive amount of space, San Bernardino offers three unique and distinct living environments: scenic valleys, towering mountain ranges and spacious deserts. Our valley regions have become some of the most desirable destinations for businesses and residents in the nation. Our desert regions such as the Victor and Morongo Valleys began as resort areas and our county is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges with the San Gabriel Mountains beginning on our western side and the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountain ranges in the east.
Because our county borders Nevada and because of our mountains, deserts, valleys and proximity to Southern California beaches; San Bernardino County offers a host of year-round recreational opportunities. When describing where I live to people that I grew up with on the east coast, I often tell them that I am about an hour away from everything. There is never a shortage of opportunities to fill a day with a new activity. Where else can one spend the morning at the beach, the afternoon in the mountains and still take in a Hollywood movie premier in the evening?
Educationally, not only do we boast some of the best public school systems in Southern California, our region calls home to the Claremont Colleges, one of the most prestigious colleges in the nation. For those not destined for an Ivy League level education, Chaffey College offers great opportunities for students as it consistently ranks within the top ten community college programs in the country.
With everything the Baldy View region has become, it was once the breadbasket of the nation, offering some of the greatest agricultural acreage in the country. Because most of the region held such prominence nationally in agriculture, the majority of the housing stock has developed much more recently than much of Southern California. That means most of the housing stock in our region has been constructed using more advanced technology regarding safety, environmental efficiency and long-term durability. The homes built in San Bernardino today are state-of-the-art and are the safest and most environmentally–friendly homes ever built.
Today, our region’s attributes all add up to the quality of life found in few other places for homeowners and homebuyers and makes the American Dream of Homeownership available to more Americans than any other place in Southern California.
The BIA Baldy View Chapter seeks to advance the opportunity to attain the American Dream of home ownership. For additional information on homebuying, home improvements or the benefits of homeownership, go to www.biabuild.com on the web.
Have a great Thanksgiving.
*****
