A Look at Redlands Richest and Poorest Neighborhoods

Redlands is a rich and diverse city that is home to everyone from students on Ramen noodle budgets, to blue collar families, to high-powered attorneys. We take a look at two neighborhoods that are on opposite ends of the financial spectrum.

An Enjoyable Quiet

• Census Tract: No. 85
• Borders: The area directly south of Interstate 10 from Highland and Redlands, southeast to the Riverside County line. It includes areas of Yucaipa.
• Average earnings per household: $115,142

Up on the rolling hills off of Sunset Drive, the only thing that interrupts the relative calm is the occasional barking dog.

“It’s one of the things my wife loves about this area,” said Todd Fitzpatrick, resident of Sunset Drive. He stood outside his home watering a small pot of plants that adorned his modern home.

For the Fitzpatricks, home for the last six years has been amid the more affluent homes in the hills on the east end of the city, on Sunset just west of Wabash Street. Most of the homes in his tract were built in the 1960’s and ’70s. It is a community of manicured lawns and expensive cars.

Fitzpatrick is a middle school teacher. His wife has a dance studio in Redlands. Their neighbors are teachers, attorneys and caterers. One area resident, who asked not to be identified, said one resident has several classic cars. Another couple was retired and traveled. Many have second homes and leave for the summer, the resident said.

“We’ve had really great neighbors,” Fitzpatrick said. The real estate market collapse did change the face of the community a bit as a lot of the houses were left empty and when they finally sold, they sold for a fraction of what their original value, he said.

“There’s a lot of people on the street and they are very, very nice,” Fitzpatrick said. “We don’t see them much, maybe a couple times of year.”

“Otherwise it’s pretty quiet,” he said.

Friendships Make A Neighborhood

• Census tract: No. 84.04
• Borders: Church Street on the west, Colton Avenue on the north, Judson Street on the east and Citrus Avenue on the south
• Average earnings per household: $33,164

The difference between the neighbors in the hills and the ones surrounding the home shared by Jayson Madore and Cody Price, is that when you yell at them, they hear you.

“They can’t ignore you,” Price said. “And then you become friends.”

The two friends have co-owned their Jeremy Court home for three years. Their house is located in what the U.S. Census has tagged as one of the poorest tracts on the city, with an average household income of just over $30,000 per family.

“Hey we’re doing pretty good,” Price said with a laugh after learning of the Census figures.

Regardless of the designation, the neighborhood is one of “pure awesomeness,” the two said.

Madore is a musician who plays with the band VOLCANO, and lends his skills to a number of other bands as well. The home features a number of musical instruments. The men gathered with friends in an outdoor patio area trying to beat the heat.

Their neighbors are mix of people, which makes the neighborhood all the more fun, Madore said. Nearby, they have everyone from a supervisor at Enterprise Rental Car to firefighters, paramedics, audio video techs and Trader Joe's clerks. They have one neighbor they call Crazy Bob, whom they consider in the cool class of people.

With the University of Redlands and Redlands High as part of the tract, a lot of students can be seen in the area. The tract also includes a senior community, a mobile home park and sets of older apartments. They have the imperfect sidewalks that have been cracked and lifted by tree roots.

“The best thing about this neighborhood is, unless there is a band playing in the front yard or something, no one calls the cops,” Madore said. “It’s always, ‘Hey can you turn it down?’ And that’s respected.”