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Kber

(5,043 posts)
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:28 PM Jul 2014

Not political: I need some reassurance from my DU peeps in CA

My son, born and raised in NJ, has decided that his dream school is Pomona in Claremont, CA. He's been almost assured of admission if he applies early.

I don't know CA at all, except that y'all have earth quakes, fires, and probably locusts, but not 100% on that last thing.

So, what's the scoop on that neck of the woods?

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Not political: I need some reassurance from my DU peeps in CA (Original Post) Kber Jul 2014 OP
Pomona is a very good school, one of the Claremont Colleges. CaliforniaPeggy Jul 2014 #1
Traffic, urban spraw. It's basically part of the LA sprawl, but the school is what counts. NYC_SKP Jul 2014 #2
Smallish, college town - very nice Joanie Baloney Jul 2014 #3
Great school oldandhappy Jul 2014 #4
Great school rufus dog Jul 2014 #5
Don't worry about fires or earthquakes; it's a great school and he should go if he can. Shrike47 Jul 2014 #6
It's a built up part of LA county. LeftyMom Jul 2014 #7
Grew up on the east coast and came to CA for college. abelenkpe Jul 2014 #8
As a mom, that's not exactly reassuring Kber Jul 2014 #14
The LA Times had a series not long ago called abelenkpe Jul 2014 #18
Notice how nobody talks about their plague of locust? FreedRadical Jul 2014 #9
See, I knew that might be a thing! Kber Jul 2014 #17
Not quite the surface of the sun... Iggo Jul 2014 #10
The town of Pomona is kind of rough, but the school is a good one SoCalDem Jul 2014 #11
Interesting, thanks! Kber Jul 2014 #16
Take it if you can afford it. Good school. Nice area, lots of stuff to do. nt bemildred Jul 2014 #12
No offense to New Jersey, but your biggest fear should be that he won't want to come back. Warren DeMontague Jul 2014 #13
No offence taken Kber Jul 2014 #15
I have friends in Claremont, who love it there. Warren DeMontague Jul 2014 #24
Good schools, but.. denbot Jul 2014 #19
Shitty suburb on the outskirts of LA taught_me_patience Jul 2014 #20
Excellent school in a great community. cbayer Jul 2014 #21
Ontario Airport - I have been racking my brain for the last 2 days to remember Kber Jul 2014 #22
As a New York transplant, Iwillnevergiveup Jul 2014 #23

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
1. Pomona is a very good school, one of the Claremont Colleges.
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:34 PM
Jul 2014

My daughter went to Harvey Mudd, which is another of the Claremont Colleges.

They are private, and pricey. But they offer excellent education to those who get in.

I would encourage him to go for it!

Pomona is the oldest of the group, I believe.

Yes, we have earthquakes and fires, but they are not numerous or frequent.

I would encourage you to Google Pomona College for more info.

And congrats to your son! I hope he goes there and thrives.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
2. Traffic, urban spraw. It's basically part of the LA sprawl, but the school is what counts.
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:37 PM
Jul 2014

I moved to New York City sight unseen for the full scholarship and the school, never regretted it.

I wouldn't worry about quakes and fires where that school is.

Joanie Baloney

(1,357 posts)
3. Smallish, college town - very nice
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:41 PM
Jul 2014

The college is beautiful and appears safe. The town itself sounds wonderful:

Claremont is a college town on the eastern border of Los Angeles County, California, United States, 32.5 miles (52.3 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. Claremont is located at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Claremont Colleges are located here. The population, as of the 2010 census, is 34,926. Claremont is known for its many educational institutions, its tree-lined streets, and its historic buildings.[2] In July 2007, it was rated by CNN/Money magazine as the fifth best place to live in the United States, and was the highest rated place in California on the list.[3] Due to its large number of trees and residents with doctoral degrees, it is sometimes referred to as "The City of Trees and PhDs".[4]

The city is primarily residential, with a significant portion of its commercial activity revolving around "The Village", a popular collection of street-front small stores, boutiques, art galleries, offices, and restaurants adjacent to and west of the Claremont Colleges. The Village was expanded in 2007, adding a controversial [5][6] multi-use development that includes a cinema, a boutique hotel, retail space, offices, and a parking structure on the site of an old citrus packing plant just west of Indian Hill Boulevard. Some critics say that the expansion negatively altered the original, small-town feel of The Village.[7]

Claremont has been a winner of the National Arbor Day Association's Tree City USA award for 22 consecutive years. When the city incorporated in 1907, local citizens started what has since become the city's tree-planting tradition. Claremont is one of the few remaining places in North America with American Elm trees that have not been exposed to Dutch elm disease. The stately trees line Indian Hill Boulevard in the vicinity of the city's Memorial Park.

The Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank, is located here. Several retirement communities, among them Pilgrim Place, the Claremont Manor and Mt. San Antonio Gardens, are also located in Claremont.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont,_California

=JB

oldandhappy

(6,719 posts)
4. Great school
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:43 PM
Jul 2014

Really good school and if he can get in it will be a good experience for him. Maybe far from home? Hope you will plan to come for parents weekend. Temperate climate, no hurricanes, flood surges, snow, ice, hail!!! Funny all the things we hear about each other's places. Buildings are built to code and code includes sway factor for earth quakes. Fires mean we have excellent teams of firefighters and destroyed budgets. But rarely are people hurt nowadays. Have not seen any locusts recently, smile. We have some air pollution, drought, a balanced state budget, a super majority in both houses of the leg and a Dem gov. We have Disneyland, Sea World, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge, lovely beaches, excellent surfing, great skiing, Amtrak runs the length of the state, and mostly we are friendly. If you can swing it, catch a discount fare and come on out and see for yourself.

Hard to see your baby want to go so far away.

 

rufus dog

(8,419 posts)
5. Great school
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:45 PM
Jul 2014

It is LA with all the good and bad that goes along with it, and the good far outweighs the bad. In less than an hour he can be at the beach or in the mountains. Downtown, Pasadena, Newport Beach, Laguna, Hunington Beach, all a short drive. Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, San Diego a couple hours.

Shrike47

(6,913 posts)
6. Don't worry about fires or earthquakes; it's a great school and he should go if he can.
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:48 PM
Jul 2014

I went to one of the other Claremont Colleges, took classes at Pomona. Great profs, good collegiate town.

LeftyMom

(49,212 posts)
7. It's a built up part of LA county.
Wed Jul 2, 2014, 11:52 PM
Jul 2014

Wildland fires would only be a problem in the sense that smoke might drift in and muck up the air for a few days. Earthquakes are a potential problem anywhere near LA, but quakes frequent enough to cause significant damage are not exactly a weekly thing, and even in very serious quakes the risk in a well-built structure is low. The weather is lovely. Statistically he's at far more risk driving around the NE in the winter than he would be from any natural disaster CA has to offer.

Fly out and visit in the fall sometime, see if he likes it before he commits. You'll be reassured and you'll get a nice trip out of the deal.

abelenkpe

(9,933 posts)
8. Grew up on the east coast and came to CA for college.
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 01:51 AM
Jul 2014

That was back in 1990. It's heaven here. I'm never going back. Don't worry. Claremont is a really nice place. Sort of a college town filled with many brilliant, creative people. Too far from the beach for me though...Very hot in the summer.
Come visit! Hope you both like it here.

abelenkpe

(9,933 posts)
18. The LA Times had a series not long ago called
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 11:07 AM
Jul 2014

Mapping LA. It goes over population, average income, schools, crime statistics and little snippets of history for each neighborhood in and around LA. It might help to inform you about the area and surrounding neighborhoods. Maybe google LA Times Mapping LA Claremont? From there you can check other surrounding areas too. It would be better to live in Claremont than in Pomona. (Advice from my cubemate who has houses in both.) And Pasadena or Glendale would be doable as well.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
11. The town of Pomona is kind of rough, but the school is a good one
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 04:01 AM
Jul 2014

you can use city-data & find out about the area

crime rate is kind of high...but it IS a democratic area

I used to work nearby...Phillips Ranch.. It's a nicer area for him to live in

http://www.city-data.com/city/Pomona-California.html

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
24. I have friends in Claremont, who love it there.
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 05:12 PM
Jul 2014

I'm more of a Northern CA type than So. Cal myself (rather big distinction, there) but I think I did get accepted to a couple of those schools even though I ended up going somewhere else.

One thing I'd say in all seriousness, like the Earthquake thing-- it's just a background fact of life. You prepare for it as best you can like you would any other emergency, but day to day it's generally not a big deal. The fires are the price you pay for living somewhere with so much sunshine, but again California is a very big place. It may seem like the whole place is constantly on fire, but in reality those are usually contained to certain areas. Worst complaints my Claremont friends have had in recent years around fires has been air quality from smoke.

One benefit I think to being out that way though is I think the general pollution level is less than it is right in the LA basin. I could be wrong, though.

 

taught_me_patience

(5,477 posts)
20. Shitty suburb on the outskirts of LA
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 12:03 PM
Jul 2014

He should come to Long Beach State. It's a good school and in a cool and affordable city, that is fun and diverse.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
21. Excellent school in a great community.
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 12:08 PM
Jul 2014

The Claremont colleges are all excellent and provide tremendous opportunities to share resources.

It's a great community with a very politically active element, including a community of retired missionaries who are pretty radical.

It's a little over an hour to the beach and 30 minutes to a skiing mountain.

The town, Claremont, has a lot of great little restaurants and shops. It's completely walkable and on the commuter train route from downtown LA.

The town and area are safe and the weather is OK. They do get the occasional shake and some fires in the nearby mountains, but nothing serious.

If he has the opportunity to go there, I would take it very seriously. If you are unsure, it's worth a visit. Ontario airport is really, really close and has flights to just about everywhere.

Kber

(5,043 posts)
22. Ontario Airport - I have been racking my brain for the last 2 days to remember
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 12:11 PM
Jul 2014

Which airport the rep from Pomona suggested. It was Ontario - thanks!

Iwillnevergiveup

(9,298 posts)
23. As a New York transplant,
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 12:16 PM
Jul 2014

I would have to say send him right along! If he's attending for school year 2015, by that time the Gold Line train should be completed, and he can ride in air-conditioned comfort all over L.A. County. No worries - we'll look after him.

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