Considering a move to our mountain paradise? You’ll need to walk in with your eyes wide open - our lifestyle is not the modern, fast-paced, urban society one associates with the rest of southern California. In other words, it’s not for everyone.

Read this Top Ten list and see if these good and bad points agree with your lifestyle:

1. We live above the smog. This is a huge plus! And you can see it every day when you look down the drop-off towards the valley: the thick grey/brown smog most southern California residents forget they live in.
2. All cars are required to carry snow chains in the winter. They don’t have to be ON your tires, but you at least have to have them in your car. Police will do checks on snowy days to make sure you have chains and will send you back down the hill if you do not.
3. You really do need a 4 wheel drive car to live up here - our winters are no joke - the roads are steep, narrow, and covered with ice & snow for many days during the season. You will also need a strong back for frequent shoveling of your driveway, or else, like a lot of folks, pony up for a snowblower.
4. At least you really don’t need air conditioning for the summertime. While we do get a few hotter days, we can get by nicely with fans. Unlike in the valley below, where not having air conditioning is an actual health concern.
5. There’s no actual home mail delivery. You have to get your mail from the local post office. Crestline residents get a free PO Box. You can check your box at any time, but for packages you need to come in during the post office’s posted hours. Packages sent Fed Ex and UPS can be sent to most home addresses, however. Unless you live on an access road like I do!
6. It’s an easy commute to San Bernardino. It takes only 15 minutes to drive from “Top Town” in Crestline to the bottom of the hill down Highway 18. 50% of Crestline residents do commute down the hill, every day.
7. Shopping is limited. We don’t have a Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Costco or even a decent movie theater. Blue Jay has a Rite Aid and Arrowhead has a Stater Brothers, and that’s about it for the big chains.
8. Crestline is a bowl. The lake and downtown are at the bottom of the bowl, occupying the only flat space. The rest of Crestline, Cedar Pines Park and most of the Valley of Enchantment lie on very steep lands. Houses here are built into hillsides. Huge back decks take the place of yards for most of us. Flat entryways are considered very desirable, whereby the main floor is upstairs and bedrooms lie below. Actual car parking is at a premium, with many homes sporting dangerously steep driveways or no driveways at all.
9. We DO have a good, close-in hospital in Lake Arrowhead.
10. This is a phenomenally beautiful place to live, with clean air, pine trees, blue lakes, great views in every direction, tons of sunshine, wildlife right off our decks, cool summer breezes, good schools, pretty parks and nice people.

For the right kind of person, Crestline is paradise. Thus, this article on what to expect if you’re considering a move up here becomes important.

Runner’s Up Point on Info to Know:

• Fire danger is a huge concern here. Houses burn down to the ground here on a regular basis (ie - a big fire occurs a few times in every decade). You might be forced to evacuate at any time during the fire season. While this is a crucial thing to know about mountain living, this fire danger is actually just as high ANYWHERE in southern California. We don’t have it worse than, say, people living in San Diego or Santa Monica. Most people think “earthquakes” when they think of California, not realizing that fires are a much greater worry for us all. Being prepared is a way of life here.

Stumble it!