If you are looking for a great place to settle down in Southern California, Corona is waiting to welcome you home.
Corona is located in Riverside County, east of Anaheim and southwest of Riverside. This puts it within convenient reach of both those cities as well as Los Angeles and its outlying cities.
At the same time, Corona is close to some wide open spaces, giving you a best-of-both-worlds experience of life in SoCal.
In this post, we will preview what it is like to live in Corona. You will learn about cost of living, employment opportunities, education, leisure and more.
What is the Cost of Living in Corona?
One of the first things you are probably wondering is what the cost of living is like in Corona. For data, we can turn to Sperling’s Best Places.
Given the fact that Corona is located in Southern California, it should not surprise you that the cost of living is above the nationwide average. But it is lower than the California average.
Sperling’s rates cost of living on a scale where the US average is 100. If a score is above 100, then it is higher than the US average. If it is below 100, then it is lower than the US average.
On that scale, the score for overall cost of living for Corona is 147.6. The score for California as a whole is 149.9.
It is also worth taking a look at cost of living in the surrounding area. Los Angeles, for example, has a score of 176.2. That is quite a bit higher than the cost of living in Corona, making Corona a relatively inexpensive area for this part of California. So, that is excellent news.
While cost of living in Corona is higher than the US average in most categories, it is worth noting that it is actually slightly lower for healthcare.
What is the Cost of Housing in Corona?
When you are in the market for a home in Corona, one of your top questions is going to be, “What does it cost to buy a home in Corona?”
Housing in Corona receives a score of 214.7 on the same scale where 100 is the US average. The rating for California is 234.8. What does that mean in terms of dollars? The median home cost for the US is listed at $338,100. For California as a whole, it is $733,500. For Corona, it is only $654,500. For Los Angeles, it is $912,500.
That means that once again, you are potentially saving a lot of money buying a home in Corona as compared to doing so elsewhere nearby.
Employment Opportunities in Corona
Next, you are probably wanting to know what you can earn when you move to Corona. According to the US Census, the median household income in Corona between 2017 and 2021 was $95,268. That beats the nationwide $68,703 median household income.
Here are some important businesses that have headquarters in this city:
- Fender
- Circle K
- TCL
- Zumiez
- Saleen
- Monster Beverage
- Sterno
As of 2022, here were the city’s top employers:
- Corona-Norco Unified School District
- Corona Regional Medical Center
- Fender USA Corona
- Monster Energy
- City of Corona
- TWR Framing Enterprises
- All American Asphalt
- Veg Fresh Farms
- Kaiser Permanente
- Thermal Structures
Corona Education
Most children living in Corona attend schools that are in the Corona-Norco Unified School District or the Alvord Unified School District. Along with the public schools that serve Corona, there are also some private schools such as Crossroads Christian School and St. Edward Catholic School.
While there are no higher learning institutions directly in Corona itself, there are a number of colleges scattered throughout the surrounding region.
Some examples include Scripps College, San Joaquin Valley College, Platt College, Saddleback College, Pacific Oaks College, Palomar College and others.
Heading toward Los Angeles itself, you can find additional colleges such as California State University Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University, the University of West Los Angeles, Pacific States University, the University of Southern California, and more.
Corona Crime
One thing you will be happy to hear if you are thinking about raising a family in Corona is that the crime rate is low.
Sperling’s reports that the violent crime rate is just 8.2. That is a lot lower than the US average rate of 22.7. The site also reports that the property crime rate is lower than average—32.6 in Corona, as compared to 35.4 nationwide.
Getting Around Corona
The next thing you need to know about living in Corona is how you can get around the area.
For public transportation, you can ride the Corona Cruiser buses. Additionally, you have access to Metrolink, which is a commuter rail that connects you to communities like San Bernardino, Perris, Oceanside and Los Angeles itself.
Even with the high availability of public transportation in Corona, however, most people commute to work via other means.
Sperling’s provides statistics on commuting in Corona, reporting that 1.6% take mass transit, 5.5% work from home, 77.6% drive cars by themselves, and 13% carpool.
While there is a lot of good news about transportation in Corona, one thing you should be aware of is that average commute times can be pretty high. While the US average time for a one-way commute is 26.4 minutes, in Corona, it is 36.7 minutes.
For that reason, we recommend that you direct your home search to properties that are located relatively close to where you expect to work. That way, you can cut down some of your commute time.
How is the Weather in Corona?
Let’s talk about what you can expect in terms of Corona’s climate. You will be delighted to hear it is quite comfortable. Sperling’s uses an index for rating climate where 10 is the best, and the US average is around 7. On that scale, Corona’s climate is an 8.2.
Summer highs can get to be pretty intense at around 93 degrees Fahrenheit during July. But winter lows only drop down to around 42 degrees Fahrenheit in January, which is very comfortable. You won’t see any snow, but there are around 12 inches of rain each year.
Leisure and Entertainment in Corona
What can you do during your time off of work in Corona? Some local attractions that are popular include the Corona Heritage Park & Museum, Stagecoach Park, Castle Park, Montecito Ranch Park, Santana Regional Park and others.
Corona takes an active role in the performing arts. You can attend performances from the Corona Symphony Orchestra, the Corona Dance Academy and other organizations.
Sports fans living in Corona tend to follow Los Angeles teams like the Angels, Dodgers, Clippers, Kings and Lakers.
Speaking of Los Angeles, you can easily hop on the metro and journey downtown to enjoy additional attractions. Examples include the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Santa Monica Pier, Old Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many, many more.
While this is a busy metropolitan area, if you are up for a drive, you can head to some of the surrounding national forests or beaches to spend time enjoying nature.
Of course, you will also find countless shops, boutiques, restaurants, clubs and bars to enjoy throughout the area.
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