I moved from Akron to the IE a year and a half ago.  I looked at Rancho when moving out, a lot of my coworkers live there, but I ended moving to a place closer to work.  

A few notes:

Rancho, in my opinion, is overrated.  Its all chains and strip malls, and somewhat overpriced.  

Guns... outside of the obvious laws, there isn't nearly the same culture that Ohio has.  Not as many nice stores, not as many ranges.  

The outdoors and food are what makes the place.  If you like those you'll be happy.  I went back to Ohio for the first time in two years this winter and I can tell you that I've become completely spoiled.  I've forgotten what it was like to check the weather religiously before planning or doing anything.  The insanely good produce available year round is awesome, and the foodie culture here takes advantage of it.  I have mountains and beaches within one hour that completely out class anything on the east coast.  

Good luck if you come out here.  The taxes/gun laws/general cost of everything sucks... but there is a hell of a lot of good stuff if you take advantage of it.

Thank you! It would be a big change, but I had decided to go for it when I got back from my quick trip out here to check things out...so came back in high gear ready to settle stuff here in OH and go but then got told last week I was not able to go since someone else who had more time had decided to fill the open spot. Was just getting ready to close up the tentative connections I had started on CA end, when I just found out the guy who had been offered the position has ultimately turned it down. Position is open, now I am next in line, yet there is still some hangup that may or may not get resolved in a day or two amongst HR. Helluva way to try to plan something...FO, no fo, okay back to FO! oh wait maybe not...

I have still been keeping my eye on this thread, though, and really appreciate all the responses. You guys all helped me decide to go for it...whether I actually get the final green light or not is the question. If I do get the go ahead, (and I should now but the way this thing has been going I'm trying not to get too excited yet) I will definitely have more questions!

I've narrowed my rental search area down to Upland / Rancho area (definitely not crazy about Fontana itself, and Redlands was too far out), so if you all know of a good landlord w/ a property in those areas let me know! (Or a good realtor to work with that may help me find a good place!) I am looking for at least a two bd 2 ba with a bit of a yard that will allow pets, and want to stay under $2,000. I will start back up checking Zillow...

Thanks again for all the input. Hearing that the SB county sheriff's office was CCW friendly was also big part of my decision to come out there...now if I could just get the official go-ahead instead of the yes, no, yes, maybe not but probably yes...

I also saw some nice places in the older section of Riverside, but did not check out what was available for rent there and what areas those were in.

That may have been the wrong smiley to use...those posts may me laugh and shake my head so hard at the same time that I pretty much swallowed my coffee wrong...there is no "I don't think so and by the way you owe me a new monitor" smiley but it was still funny. And a good distraction from the stress I am under right now.

I actually just need the "runs around waving hands in air like a crazy person" googly-eyed smiley as my go-to response for anything on arfcom or real life for that matter for the next few days since I am pretty much in a stressed-out holding pattern right now until final verdict is pronounced...

hum....lets see what we can do





How did we do? The stress is temp, maybe sit down and make a 3,6,12 month plan so you have something to look forward to once the verdict is announced. Moving is never fun, going through similar job pains myself so I get it. Recoil therapy, driving, or a drink helps ....just not in that order or at the same time

Need any pointers just ask


(Single most post of smilies in my life )

Don't do it. If your into guns and being left alone ca is not the place to be

Nailed it! That one pretty much looks likes a window into my brain these days! Too funny!

Glad we could all get a sneak peak inside!

thank you for trolling our forum and adding nothing constructive.  have you nothing better to do in MT?  guess not.  

All right, CA, IT IS ON! I got OFFICIAL confirmation that I will have that job in your fine state so I am on my way and plan to stir some pro 2A shit up in your f-ed up state (or at least participate civilly in any grass-roots movements you guys already have going)!

***actually, your state's laws and regs are retarded on more than just the gun front so I will probably be spending my time in the pokey and hoping some of you will contribute to my commissary account so I can buy some cell-block necessities at the prison quickie-mart!***

I have been checking a few things about CA rules and regs on stuff besides guns, and so far I have deduced that my vehicle is completely out of regs for CA since it has a mild tint on the side front driver and passenger windows, and that my dash cam might get me arrested for violating CA wire-tapping laws, since CA is a two-party state . OH is a one-party state recording state, and OH does allow slight tints, of ANY color even. (Actually, I always thought OH had overly-stringent window tinting regs, I never thought I'd find a state worse than OH, but apparently I did...) I have stopped reading about any of your other state regs and laws...I do not even want to know how badly I might screw up doing something I took for granted in OH, I think I will prefer to just be surprised, and look surprised for any future booking photos...

Thanks for everyone's contributions to this thread, and I won't even hold it against you during that first few weeks I am sitting in my extended-stay temp accommodations all homesick missing friends and family wondering what in the heck I got myself into. I may need a week or so to get settled in before I really start getting to enjoy all the good stuff your state does offer, but at some point I will be back here asking for more info on all kinds of CA stuff--thanks for all your help so far!

Congrats on the Job!

I wouldn't worry about the window tint laws, mine have been tinted for over a decade and never a ticket. Just remember it's a reason for them to pull you over if they are looking for a reason.

Thank you!

I did not mean to sound quite so harsh in that previous post, I think my nerves and sheer terror got the best of me. I am actually looking forward to this adventure, CA has some amazing things to see and do, and everyone I met in person was really nice and helpful, and you all seem like good guys, so hopefully I can add to the "responsible gun owner" side and do my part to de-demonize scary guns when I find myself talking to people who are unfamiliar with them and more likely to err on the side of caution (in their eyes) by standing firmly in the "must be heavily regulated" camp.

(I have been responsible for at least two women I know here actually getting up their nerve enough to get their CCW, and once they took the basic class found
a) shooting is fun! and
b) all the crazy rules are over-the-top and punitive toward regular people )

I did not convert them into "gun nuts," but people who see the value in having a very-much-needed self-defense tool at their disposal. And they each got an eye-opening glimpse of how hard certain factions are working to make sure they do not get to use any such tool. One of the women actually starts conversations with me about the latest issues in gun laws, etc...she is listening to gun programs on the radio and following stuff online, as well as taking more classes and that is a great start!

They each said that knowing that I (somebody "normal") had a CCW and was able to take some time to show them some different FAs (pros and cons of a few styles, why I carried what I did and what some options they might want to think about were) and talk about why I carried was a huge eye-opener for them, and took a lot of the mystery out of something that was foreign to them. The guys who taught their CCW classes did the rest! I just hope to continue to do my small part in CA, and make some more pro 2A c onverts for you.

(edited for spelling errors, brain is mush )

Congrats! If you enjoy the outdoors even a little you will love it here.

The gun laws and some other things suck and I will work to change them, but there is a lot of good.

As our moderator Paul has penned, paraphrased, "there is more to life than pistol grips on your guns."

If your still moving to our fine city (Alta Loma, aka Rancho Cucamonga) here are a few trail hikes that you might like.

1) Ice House Canyon at Mt Baldy is a really nice hike, very safe and you can go for miles and miles. I think it might even hookup with the PCT towards the east end.

2) North Etiwanda Preserve is kind of kewl. Its close and worth a trip. I'm thinking about taking my son on an over nighter there..

3) The bridge to nowhere, this is a crazy hike mixed with crazy sights and people. Go on a weekend and you can join in on the Bungee jumping.

My wife and I are going to do ice house out to Cucamonga peak soon.  Our house is directly south of it. I want to stand on the peak and get a pic.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Lots of nice trails in the mountains.  Some of the high-country and back-country has been clobbered in the last few years from fires.  The easiest to get to of the highest peaks is Mt. San Jacinto, it's only a few miles from the top of the Palm Springs Tramway.  You do have to watch your acclimatization, the air gets this quick when you do it that way.

If you were ever a Boy Scout, you have to do Baden-Powell at least once.  You'll wish you never see another switch-back when you're done.  All the water, cement and plaques were carried up for the monument, back in the days of wood packframes and tump-lines.  My troop still had a few of the packframes left from the effort because some of the Dad and Explorers had participated.

The desert is a great place, but not in hot weather.

the Bridge to Nowhere is on the east fork of the San Gabriel River.  there is gold there too, I have pulled a little bit out.

hiked from my house half way up the front side, one of the coolest hikes ever!

Congrats on the job

It's bad enough illegal aliens are taking our jobs, now we got real Amurricans doing it, too.  (Says the guy what has 2 kids going to work in AK this summer)

Welcome aboard

I've been looking at gun laws in California and would rather use a U15 type stock than a bullet button. The rifle runs as it is supposed to and in a few minutes after crossing into Nevada would be back to evil.

I remember when you left all those 30 rounders at your aunt's house before the ban.

ETA: register to vote. Vote in EVERY election. Help bring California back to freedom.

Probably still snowing.  Maybe he needs to go out and see if the car heater is plugged in.

he got distracted and is now stuck to a frozen-solid piece of livestock.  

"Ralphie, do you know where Flick is?"

This is still going?

Forgot to mention - Fire.  Looks like they happen every several years in an area.  

Look up Etiwanda fire.  Happening right now in Rancho Cucamonga.  I'm in the voluntary evac zone but don't think it will get to me.  At least I hope not.  

Well it probably won't be a problem until it rains up there.  Oh yeah, aren't we supposed to have El Nino conditions next winter.

Now to unpack and start having fun! Thanks for all the advice and well-wishing thus far, I will try not to run y'all over while I am getting my bearings out here (may put a BFL on my car so y'all won't shoot at the idiot driver first before you see out-of-state plates and realize I am just lost!) I have done more u-turns in the past few days than I have in all my years to date of driving.

Lane-splitting bikers, however...you guys better look out for my OH plates until I get used to this, because we DO NOT have this in OH. You all have already scared the PISS out of me on at least two separate occasions! It's one thing in standing still traffic to have a bike come motoring up between the rows of cars, but several times certain bikers have passed me BETWEEN another car while we--the cars--were doing at least 75 and DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY---WTF???!!!) Even a brief lane wobble from me steering to the far side of my lane to avoid a shredded tire in the road would have left me with a motorcycle shaped dent somewhere on my vehicle...that is not cool.

Finally, I saw a banner hanging somewhere a few days ago for some sort of gun show at the Ontario Convention Center. I probably missed it (was it this weekend?), just wanted to know if it is a good one to check out when I can actually plan to be there. (Maybe it is next weekend? Off to google!)

this weekend, went yesterday, it was OK, the .22lr was uniformly $70+/brick.  the cheaper-priced stuff sold out earlier.

still not a bad waste of $12.

Darn. Figured it was THIS weekend. Still getting set up with stuff to be able to live like a civilized human this weekend and probably next, then I should be free to play. Unfortunately, shooting has been the hobby that has taken a back seat these past months while my life has been turned upside down. I will probably have to be retrained. I may even need a spotter when I start up again.  

Thanks for the info, though. Do you know when and where the next gun show is that you Inland Empire guys would not miss? Does the Bill Goodman extravaganza get out here or do you have your own circuit that comes around about once every month or so? Was this weekend's show one that repeats only annually, or more frequently? What "public land" areas are good to go for a drive out and shoot session?

So far, the first 2 weeks here have been rough, and there have been a few times I have been tempted to "turn this car around," unfortunately neither of those times were 3 weeks ago while driving through Indiana or Illinois when it would have been feasible. Chucking all your shit and moving across the continent to where you know NOBODY ain't all it's cracked up to be; I don't care how good your weather is out here.  Still not ready to go shooting yet, too much in turmoil and still not California legal on my favorite pistol yet. Missed a range trip with a few guys from work before I left since I was in the midst of packing, and so scatty I barely trusted myself to get dressed each morning.

ETA dressed with clothes on right-side-out...I meant.

Next show is in Costa mesa, a 40 minute drive from you.  But it is a good show.  Also it is minutes from the beach, so make a day of it.
https://www.crossroadsgunshows.com