Chino Hills

Chino Hills is number 68 in Money Magazine's 2005 "100 Best Places to Live" and in Money Magazine's 2006 Best Places to Retire!

Chino Hills is an upscale newer California community in San Bernardino County built over hills and valleys on the borders of Orange and Los Angeles Counties. Schools scores are high, crime is low and the commute is better than most cities in the area because of its prime location. As of 2007, the estimated population is 74,502 people. For a full list of demographics, visit Sperlings BestPlaces.com.

General Information About Chino Hills

Brief History: Massive growth in Orange and Los Angeles Counties drove many of the dairy farms over the hills to the Chino area. In 1969 the 60 freeway was extended bringing suburbia to this part of the county as well. Chino Hills doubled its residential units in the 1960s from about 700 to about 1400. In the 1970s, the building boom began and by the 1980s, over 10,000 new residential homes had been developed, most of them single detached homes.

The growth in Chino Hills demanded leadership and the City of Chino was ready to annex this area. The townspeople were split on the idea of annexing to Chino or incorporating as a new city. In 1991, after a successful local election, the townspeople incorporated Chino Hills into a legal city and placed planning controls in the hands of a locally elected city council. This new city is 46 square miles and that is only slightly smaller than San Francisco.

In the 1990s, development continued to progress with an additional 8,700 homes and some apartments. There is the old section in Los Serranos, but overall, Chino Hills is a new city. Almost 80 percent of the housing has been developed in the last 25 years. The new tracts came in as master-planned neighborhoods which encourages quick access to freeways, identifies school and retail sites, buffers residential streets from heavy traffic and often includes a recreation center.

Currently, our beautiful city has about 30 parks with trails, equestrian centers and sports activities, including roller-hockey rinks, soccer, softball and baseball. The new six field Big League Dreams baseball center is a major attraction and is popular with the local Little League and soccer organizations. The city recreation department sponsors many activities for children and adults.

Four-lane arterials wind through the city and move traffic quickly to Highway 71. Ontario airport, the major center in the county, is within a drive of 15-20 minutes. Chino Hills enjoys a half-hour drive to Industry, one of the job centers of Los Angeles County. The Chino area is separated from Orange County by the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. Carbon Canyon Road snakes through the hills and deposits motorists near Brea, Yorba Linda and Highway 57 (Orange County job market). This is a shortcut that residents in the Carbon Canyon area would probably like to have closed, but it is handy! The Chino Hills State Park is located in Carbon Canyon just before the entrance to Brea and is huge! It spans over 11,000 acres with over 60 miles of hiking, biking and horse trails.
The Shoppes at Chino Hills...a unique downtown urban village style shopping mall anchored by Trader Joe's, Barnes and Noble was complete in May 2008 and features such restaurants as PF Chang's, Yard House, California Pizza Kitchen, and Wood Ranch BBQ. The new civic center and police headquarters were completed in the Fall. The Commons at Chino Hills, another shopping center was also completed in the Fall of 2008 anchored by Lowe's and Toys R Us and featuring such restaurants as Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ, BJ's Restaurant and Brewery, and Pei Wei. More restaurants and retail shops are to come. The center is located near Highway 71 at Romona Ave. Our city continues to grow, but a building moratorium is in place to protect our beautiful hills and views. The new Greg Norman golf course is now open in Carbon Canyon within the Vellano development of 200 home upscale homes. Vellano, a private country club community features homes developed by Shea Homes, Brookfield Homes, Barratt Homes and Sovana Custom Homes.  

Future:  According to City Planner, Jeff Adams, a majority of the city will probably be built out by 2010. More residential units may be added to Peyton Drive and Eucalyptus on the vacant land East of the community park. Street expansion along Peyton Drive and the connection of Eucalyptus Avenue to Peyton are under way to reduce congestion in the area. Retail development along the 71 freeway will probably continue in the next five years and three new residential developments will also be completed, including the KB Home project south of Woodview Road with more than 200 homes, and Villa Borba, which will have three phases of homes totalling 351 homes south of Pine Avenue. The current real estate market conditions may bring delays.

In ten years Chino Hills will be putting final touches on development, filling in areas farther away from the central portion of the city with smaller retail units. With the conclusion of rapid development since its incorporation in 1991, the city will really begin to see the benefits of sales tax revenue, according to City Manager Douglas La Belle. The city is expected to be completely built out residentially in ten years and commercial development may follow.

Chino Hills continues to be one of the most desirable communities in the Southland with its beautiful rolling hills, equestrian facilities, upscale homes and shopping, and ideal location bordering Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles Counties. For more information about Chino Hills or homes for sale, contact Gail...(909) 952-9515