Commuting from Corona to Orange County

[c30vtec]

Hello prime,

I've been house hunting for quite sometime and noticed the pricing in Corona homes to be way cheaper. For those who live in Corona, my question is if its worth the drive-traffic for exchange of a newer-cheaper home? I work in the Anaheim area and have all of my friend near by so i will be driving to the OC area almost every day.........I just dont want to regret it later on i guess. Help if you can thanks, Aaron.

 

[sicarius82]

From what I can tell (google maps), you will need to take 91W to 55S. In the mornings from 6-10, good luck. Coming back, 55N to 91E from 2-6/7, even worse. 91 freeway sucks major nuts. You sir, will have to wake up super early, get to your job's parking lot, and take a 2hr nap. There is a toll road for 91 going to 55 and vice versa, which at some instances a car pool lane. Those are hit or miss.

I feel for you if you do this drive. Corona is a nice place, but driving between the IE (Inland Empire) and OC, 91 really really needs to be expanded.

91W going to 55S in the mornings suck for 2 reasons.
- 55S gets jammed a lot
- The 91/55 interchange makes going onto the 55S 2 lanes, while 91W is 3-4

55N to 91E in the afternoon/evening sucks because:
- A bunch of people from Irvine/South OC take the toll road CA-241/261 which bypasses 55, and onto the 91. That will slow traffic down from there all the way back and cause huge delays all over 55N to Newport Beach.
- After the toll road, traffic lightens up a little bit, but then you have everyone going to I-15S, which will jam up again.

If you have to make this drive, I feel for you. I'm fortunate enough to be going the opposite direction.

Try the drives out first before you decide to purchase the house.

 

[NSXrunner]

I agree with sic. Test the drive first. If you can, stay at a motel for a week and see how you like the commute. Then think, you will be doing this, every day for the rest of the time you live out there. If you can deal with it, then you are good to go.

I attempted the exact same experiment when I thought about getting a place in Lake Elsinore, then commute to Irvine. Those 2-3 hours a day add up. One hour to and one hour from. Thought about the annual wear and tear on the car, extra fuel cost. Nope, no house. Stuck renting in Aliso Viejo for now.

 

[c30vtec]

I will actually be taking the 91W to the 57N and my schedule varies. I do know that from 11-1 going to the OC is not that much traffic.

 

[sicarius82]

Ok, so you'll be going on the right side at the 55/91 interchange. Again, good luck, and try the drive out first hand.

 

[tpagannsx]

I live right off the 15 and 91 in Corona. I've been doing the drive to Irvine and Lake Forest areas for over 7years....and I won't lie....it SUCKS!!! BUT....you are right....you do get a lot more house than you would in OC. I've gotten use to the drive....and now know how to plan my drives to OC or LA. So it really comes down to what is more important to you....Big House or not having to spend hours in traffic. Since you will be driving into Anaheim from the 91w to the 57n....and just depending on where off the 57 in Anaheim....you will be able to take a street off the 91 or 57 to get around some of the traffic....and maybe even from the 71. So like Vu said try it out first....and I would check out your route to work and alternate street routes just incase of an accident....the 91 is notorious for accidents. Good luck!!!

 

[Big_D]

The 91 West isn't so bad as long as you get there by 5:00 a.m. Is that considered early? I commuted from Temecula to Torrance for a few months and it was killer. Don't do it with the NSX unless you want your left leg to be twice as big as your right. :wink:

 

[bboxer]

Funny you ask. As I write this, I am sitting in my backyard on a hill in Yorba Linda looking down at a stretch of the 91 starting at Weir canyon and heading east to Corona. it is 8pm and I see a line of stationary red lights, about 3-4miles long, maybe longer...and it is not moving.

 

[Miner]

One way to look at it is divide your commute time by your work day, and see how much it impacts your salary. For example, an hour commute (each way) on top of an 8 hour work day makes your work day 10 hours, or 25% more work for the same pay, not to mention the time lost. Plus having to drive to the OC for your social events. And this simple equation doesn't consider petrol and wear-and-tear on your car.

Then again, if you like driving, and don't mind the pretty terrible 91, it could be worth it.

Miner

 

[ilya]

One word. FastTrack. I can't live without it. I live in Corona near the 71, and I fly down to OC and back across the toll roads and down fastrack. I drive all over the place and my trips down to OC are not bad at all. You can also take it all the way to the 55. The problem with it is you can't exit halfway. So as long as you get on around the 71 where it starts and stay on it all the way until it ends past the 55, you can go a long way at normal freeway speeds.
If you need to exit half way, like at the 90 Imperial Highway, it's worthless because it won't let you off. Whenever I get stuck on the 91, cursing the gods the entire way, it's because I either had to exit or enter it somewhere in the middle of where fastrack starts and ends and couldn't use it.

 

[c30vtec]

One word. FastTrack. I can't live without it. I live in Corona near the 71, and I fly down to OC and back across the toll roads and down fastrack. I drive all over the place and my trips down to OC are not bad at all. You can also take it all the way to the 55. The problem with it is you can't exit halfway. So as long as you get on around the 71 where it starts and stay on it all the way until it ends past the 55, you can go a long way at normal freeway speeds.
If you need to exit half way, like at the 90 Imperial Highway, it's worthless because it won't let you off. Whenever I get stuck on the 91, cursing the gods the entire way, it's because I either had to exit or enter it somewhere in the middle of where fastrack starts and ends and couldn't use it.

Yea i was looking at the fast track option, i guess they have the monthly and or the prepaid right. Im looking for homes right off the Green river road exit and not passing Main st off Ontario.How do you like it in Corona and how long have you lived there.

 

[ilya]

Corona is pretty big so it depends where you live. The closer you are to the 71, the shorter your drive will be. Green River Rd is right there where the 71/91 meet. It's only a few miles to either the fastrack straight down the 91, or the 241 toll road which cuts straight across into Orange County via the 133. If you can stay on either the fastrack and the toll roads, you make good time. Get stuck on the 91 and like everyone else says, may as well pull out a book and keep yourself occupied. So I'm not saying your commute will be a walk in the park, but if you are going the right way, fastrack helps A LOT.

I like it great in Eastvale, it's a nice community. It's a lot harder to buy a house here than you think unless you are paying cash. A friend has been trying to buy a place here now for months. The prices are so good they are disappearing to investors, who are paying cash and buying them from under legitimate home buyers who want to live there. Every time he puts in a bid, that seems to happen. Cash is king in this down market.

 

[c30vtec]

Corona is pretty big so it depends where you live. The closer you are to the 71, the shorter your drive will be. Green River Rd is right there where the 71/91 meet. It's only a few miles to either the fastrack straight down the 91, or the 241 toll road which cuts straight across into Orange County via the 133. If you can stay on either the fastrack and the toll roads, you make good time. Get stuck on the 91 and like everyone else says, may as well pull out a book and keep yourself occupied. So I'm not saying your commute will be a walk in the park, but if you are going the right way, fastrack helps A LOT.

I like it great in Eastvale, it's a nice community. It's a lot harder to buy a house here than you think unless you are paying cash. A friend has been trying to buy a place here now for months. The prices are so good they are disappearing to investors, who are paying cash and buying them from under legitimate home buyers who want to live there. Every time he puts in a bid, that seems to happen. Cash is king in this down market.

Oh wow, yea i've been having the same problem here in OC. I started around mid Jan and i keep getting outbidded by someone paying cash! Its crazy.