Slow pace, fast growth in Menifee

In the southwestern Riverside County community of Menifee, miles of dirt roads still crisscross the dusty valley. But the area has begun a period of explosive growth, with developers snapping up swaths of rolling, boulder-studded grain fields and transforming them into a sea of houses.

Gold boom, housing bust

Menifee traces its history back 125 years to a minor Gold Rush triggered by quartz miner Luther Menifee Wilson, followed by decades of dry farming, said local historian Thomas Patterson. The area began to grow in 1989 with the master-planned community of Menifee Lakes, but the housing recession of the 1990s stalled significant development for nearly a decade.

Drawing card

Buyers priced out of San Diego County’s housing market have been flooding into Temecula and Murrieta for the last several years.

With those cities nearing build-out, developers have moved north, with plans to build more than 20,000 homes in the Menifee area over the next several years, according to Al Fleischer, a Realtor with Rancon Real Estate and a Menifee resident since 1990. Several developments are planned with lakes, and a number of gated communities are in the works as well.

Unincorporated

Because Menifee is unincorporated and its boundaries are not officially set, Riverside County does not gather housing data for it. Based on U.S. Postal Service data, the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce estimates there are 7,376 households in Menifee and nearly 22,000 people.

Insider’s view

Residents laud the slower pace of life in Menifee but complain about growing traffic congestion and the lack of commercial development. Many typically drive 20 minutes or more to Temecula, Moreno Valley or Hemet for dining and shopping.

The Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce is spearheading an incorporation drive to give residents more control over development. A study to determine whether there is enough revenue to support incorporation is expected to be completed this summer. Depending on its findings, incorporation of Menifee and neighboring Sun City and Quail Valley into the new city of Menifee Valley could go to a vote in March, according to Julie Johnson, chief executive of the chamber.

Higher education

Menifee is home to a booming branch of Mt. San Jacinto College. Established in 1990 as a satellite, Menifee Valley Campus now attracts 60% of the college’s 13,000 students, according to Bill Marchese, public information director of the college.

Hot spots

Menifee Lakes is a master-planned community with three lakes and a 36-hole golf course and country club. It started Menifee on its growth path 15 years ago, and homes on the lakefront and golf course are still considered prime real estate, along with Ryland Oasis, a gated senior community with access to the golf course and clubhouse.

The real estate market in Menifee is hotter than it’s ever been. Realtors report bidding wars and homes selling above asking price within days of listing. Two-bedroom homes that cost $90,000 five years ago are now selling for $310,000. Four-bedroom, two-bath homes start in the mid- to high-$300,000 range. Mobile homes on an acre or more of land start at $350,000, and custom homes start at about $600,000, Fleischer said.

On the market

As of mid-May, there were 52 listings of single-family residences and mobile homes on the market, ranging from $130,000 for a mobile home on a 7,000-square-foot lot to $1.45 million for a 3,379-square-foot custom home with pool and guesthouse on 5 1/2 acres, says Debby Phistry of Tarbell, Realtors in Menifee.

Historical values

Single-family detached resales:

Year...Median Price

1990...$150,000

1995...$118,000

2000...$155,000

2002...$210,000

2004*...$302,000

*Year to date

Report card

Menifee is served by the Menifee Union School District, with five elementary and two middle schools, and by the Perris Union High School District. The elementary schools’ 2003 Academic Performance Index scores ranged from 685 to 817, based on a scale of 1,000. The middle schools scored 695 and 755, and Paloma Valley High School scored 725.

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Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; Rancon Real Estate; Tarbell, Realtors; Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce; https://www.menifeevalleychamber.com ; https://www.mvic.org ; https://www.rancon.com ; https://www.phistry . com; https://www.menifeeusd.k12.ca.us ; https://www.msjc.edu .