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Moving To Claremont? Here’s What You Should Know…
By Tisza Major-Posner | January 13, 2008
Hi All,
As the New Year begins folks tend to think about moving to a new home and some will think of moving to Claremont. Some will be coming for school, some for work and some just because it is a great place to live. As a resident, here are some things that I think you should know before moving to Claremont.
1. Claremont is warm… and cool. Although many of our streets are named for famous College’s in the east (Radcliffe, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.) and we are nestled in the Foothills, our weather is much more like the Desert than the mountains. Things get warm here, really, really warm and summer is more of an late August, September, October even November thing than June, July, August. So be prepared. If you don’t have central air, a box fan would be good, an air conditioner would be better. And when winter does come it can get bitterly cold. You won’t need it often, but a good warm jacket will come in handy when winter finally arrives.
2. Claremont is an intellectual town but not a stuffy one. Casual attire is fine in almost every restaurant and there are a whole lot of them within walking distance of the Colleges. Everything from Sushi to Tappas, Greek, Italian, East Indian and good old All American Comfort foods can be found within a four block radius. Some restaurants deliver and most don’t require reservations.
3. Grocery stores are not plentiful, but they are diverse. Von’s on Mills and Baseline, Wolfe’s Market on Foothill near Indian Hill, Sprouts also on Foothill at Mountain and soon a Trader Joe’s to be located on Foothill at Indian Hill are all available and most are open pretty late. Sprouts is like a more inexpensive Whole Foods offering locally grown produce, vitamins and a terrific bulk foods section. Wolfe’s Market has a deli that just can’t be beat. Most of the stores offer specialty foods as well as the usual grocery store fare.
4. Parking on city streets is restricted and cars will be ticketed if they are parked on the street for longer than one hour between 2 AM and 6 AM. You can contact the police department at (909) 399-5411 or (909) 399-5415 to request an exemption if your car, or that of your guest, must be parked on the street after hours. This exemption is available free of charge three times per month per residence.
5. Claremont is a stop on MetroLink. So… getting to and from Los Angeles or even San Bernardino is as easy, efficient and eco-friendly as hopping on the train. There is a large park and ride lot right near the station and there is also a covered parking structure there as well. Both are free for your use and are patrolled by our volunteer community patrol.
6. Claremont is pet friendly with a wonderful dog park just on the outskirts of the Village. In addition, most rental homes allow pets as well. Talk to the landlord before you move Spot or Fluffy in of course, but since most homes in this community are indeed “homes” with yards, pet ownership is encouraged.
7. The Fourth of July and the last Saturday in October are both big days around here. The Fourth of July is when our annual parade is held down Indian Hill Boulevard. Featuring floats sponsored by local civic organizations, marching bands, families on decorated bicycles and kids in decorated wagons and Americana galore, this is one event not to be missed. But, be warned that this is our demi version of the Rose Parade and folks stake out spots for viewing early. Also, remember that on Parade day Indian Hill will be closed to through traffic from Memorial Park to just beyond Harrison for a couple of hours.
The last Saturday in October is when Village Venture is held. Village Venture is a huge craft fair which takes over the down town Village area. Artisans from all over the Southland bring their wares to show and sell. It is a huge event that is wonderful fun for all ages. There is no admission, and parking is free. Also, this is the weekend that the Claremont Library always does their annual fundraiser book sale. Aside from all the other benefits (not the least of which is knowing that you are helping support the Library) it is worth becoming a “Friend of the Library” in order to be able to shop the sale the day before it opens to the public.
8. Our schools are all topnotch. From kindergarten to the Colleges, Claremont’s schools can’t be beat. Folks come from all over the world to attend our Colleges and from all over the surrounding areas to get their kids into our public schools.
Word to the wise here, if you are considering moving into Claremont in order to have your kids attend the award-winning public schools, do your homework and make sure that the area you are moving into is serviced by the school you want your kids to attend. Oh, and if you can’t find your perfect home in Claremont (you haven’t talked to me :-), consider looking at some of the areas bordered by Pomona as a few of them are part of the Claremont school district. I can happily help you suss out those neighborhoods (and Pomona tends to be a bit less pricey than Claremont).
9. Claremont is a “green” city in more ways than one. As a designated “Tree City, USA” for over 22 years in a row so far, Claremont is green in appearance. Tree-lined streets are the norm here and many homes have citrus trees in their yards, harkening back to the city’s agricultural past.
As for the other “green” title, Claremont works hard to encourage eco-friendly behaviors. The recent renovating of the Packing House is a great example. Instead of tearing this historic building to the ground, a great deal of time and effort was spent preserving the existing structure and adding sustainable elements that will allow this early twentieth century building (which was the birthplace of the Citrus Consortium that ultimately became Sunkist) to continue to be a vibrant and viable part of the community it helped to create.
10. A good local resource for information… that’s where I come in 
If you are considering a move to my community feel free to give me a call at(909) 837-8922, even if you are not looking to buy or sell a home yet I would be happy to show you around.
Take care and have a wonderful day!
Topics: General, Buyer Must Read's |
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January 14th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
[…] Route 66 Living has a list of ten things you need to know about Claremont if you happen to be moving there. The tenspot includes: […]