Job Prospect in Orange, CA

[YYZ]

I have recently been asked to consider a job in Orange, CA. Wondering if there is a town in the county that could be the place for us.
-I'm from NY but we live in the Mid-West now; wife is from SB, CA.
-Mid 30’s, married, no kids. Don’t need a “great for raising a family” town.
-However, I have an allergy to lead, black jacks and shillelaghs, and fists in general.:o
-Love the outdoors and fishing in particular (anyone say kayak fishing Dana Point...:drown).
-Prefer progressive University types to conservative family values folks (but love all people :rolleyes:).
-Play guitar but don’t need a huge music scene.
-Prospective job is relatively economy proof.
-Still believe tone is largely in the fingers.

Since it's a new job, I'm not sure we'd be pre-approved for a mortgage out the gate, but if we could purchase I'd prefer to keep things around ~$450k.

We're going out that way in a few weeks to get a lay of the land. Areas to check out? Anaheim Hills? Irvine? One of the Lagunas? Huntington Beach?

[sfarnell]

-Prefer progressive University types to conservative family values folks (but love all people :rolleyes:).


Laguna Beach. The rest of OC is pretty conservative.

[VCuomo]

Laguna Beach. The rest of OC is pretty conservative.I don't think you'll find much for $450K in Laguna...

I live in North Tustin, right next to Orange. There are plenty of cities in the general area of Orange that would work for you - Tustin (including North Tustin and Tustin Ranch), Irvine, Costa Mesa, and Anaheim Hills. Not to mention the South County area, if you don't mind a commute. And, since Orange is in central OC, you should also include northern OC cities such as Placentia, Yorba Linda, and Brea in your home search.

Your major problem will be price - $450K puts you in fixer-uppers, condos, and townhomes - not nice move-in ready detached homes.

And, in general, OC is pretty conservative. If you want so-called "progressive University" types, Irvine or Laguna is probably where you want to be.

Best wishes, and welcome to the area!

[Charlie48]

Go North of the Orange Curtain to Long Beach. The great undiscovered city in Southern California. Yes, it's not really undiscovered if 400,000+ people live there, but there are some really nice neighborhoods not too far from the beach and a lot of progressive people in the area. I could help you with neighborhoods. Lived there for three years and still work there. PM me if you want to.

[greyhound]

Let me assure you there are plenty of "progressive" people just about anywhere in California. Just find a place you can afford within commuting distance of your job.

[straightblues]

I live in Long Beach and agree with the comments above. Look into Seal Beach and Belmont Shores area of Long Beach. Orange is about 30 minutes in the morning commute from this area.

Orange also has a historic district around the traffic circle/down town area that is cool. Chapman University is there. Fullerton has some cool 20 and 30's homes in certain areas as well.

Stay away from Anaheim Hills and Irvine. Too stuffy.

[YYZ]

Thanks for the info. Will look into Long Beach and follow-up w/ pm's as I can.

In talking with friends, acquaintances, etc. I have observed some polarization in response to the how do you like the OC question. Not a lot of neutral. It seems to be either the best place or “I can’t wait to get out of here,” and I'm hoping that income is not the central factor in the equation.

Finally, a recent debate with the Mrs. is whether we should push to buy now w/ the soft market. As an SB native, she can recall when prices went out of sight and she's hoping we don't get priced out of the market should it return to the pre-2008 days. Any comments would be welcome.

[silencer eleven]

I really like Irvine and Villa Park is nice, but its going to be tough to find a house for 450k

Long Beach is a really cool city, but commuting from there could be awful, depending on where the new job is.

[straightblues]

Finally, a recent debate with the Mrs. is whether we should push to buy now w/ the soft market. As an SB native, she can recall when prices went out of sight and she's hoping we don't get priced out of the market should it return to the pre-2008 days. Any comments would be welcome.

I'm in the real estate business. I think you still have a little bit of time. But we are at a low and the rates are the lowest ever right now. If I were you, I would rent for 6 months and figure out the best city for you then buy.

I grow up in OC and loved it. I moved to LA for college and work. OC is a great place to raise a family in. LA is a little more diversified.

[Joe Robinson]

Long Beach is great, but one thing that might not be obvious given the name of the place, is that, there is no beach in Long Beach. The whole of the coastal area of Long Beach is ringed off from the ocean by the LA/Long Beach Harbor breakwater. There is sand and there is water, but water pollution is an issue owing to the lack of circulation. The real beach starts up again at Seal Beach.

There is a huge Calfornia University campus in Long Beach, but you would not call it a college town. It's a commuter school. But hey, I'm a proud 49er, class of '89.

[mslugano]

Not sure what your current State tax situation is but do calculate this into your decision. I lied in So Cal for 13 years from 1988 to 2001 and loved it but it's expensive. The last 5 years there, I lived in Belmont Shore and Naples Island (before that, Manhattan Beach) and they were perhaps the best years of my life.

[mslugano]

Long Beach is great, but one thing that might not be obvious given the name of the place, is that, there is no beach in Long Beach. The whole of the coastal area of Long Beach is ringed off from the ocean by the LA/Long Beach Harbor breakwater. There is sand and there is water, but water pollution is an issue owing to the lack of circulation. The real beach starts up again at Seal Beach.

There is a huge Calfornia University campus in Long Beach, but you would not call it a college town. It's a commuter school. But hey, I'm a proud 49er, class of '89.

The beach along Belmont Shore, while not open ocean, is great and Seal Beach is a two minute drive while it takes all of about 7 minutes to get to Huntington Beach. (How far is it from Thousand Oaks, Joe?)

[coldfingaz]

I'm in the real estate business. I think you still have a little bit of time. But we are at a low and the rates are the lowest ever right now. If I were you, I would rent for 6 months and figure out the best city for you then buy.

I grow up in OC and loved it. I moved to LA for college and work. OC is a great place to raise a family in. LA is a little more diversified.

This is great advice. The interest rates should last for a few more months, but likely not forever. The rebounding of the housing market in general will take longer. Definitely a nice time to buy, but I'd try to figure out where exactly you want to be & what you can afford first.



The beach along Belmont Shore, while not open ocean, is great and Seal Beach is a two minute drive while it takes all of about 7 minutes to get to Huntington Beach. (How far is it from Thousand Oaks, Joe?)


Huntington Beach to Thousand Oaks is quite a hike... like 90 minutes or so under best case scenario. During rush, I wouldn't even want to project.

I understand the polarization, which is even evident in this thread... some claim Irvine is stuffy, others claim it's more progressive than much of OC. That's where my brother lives now... nice house & all (though pricey), great 'hood for the kids to grow up in, etc., but I guess better him than me.

[Joe Robinson]

The beach along Belmont Shore, while not open ocean, is great and Seal Beach is a two minute drive while it takes all of about 7 minutes to get to Huntington Beach. (How far is it from Thousand Oaks, Joe?)

I live 9 miles from the coast now. That from TO to Leo Carillo. If I want to go north, I'm about 1/2 an hour from Ventura. I miss the Ocean quite a bit.

Prior to moving to TO I lived 1/2 a block away from the beach in Redondo for 16 years. And as I posted, I went to LB State. I know Long Beach just fine, and I like the city a lot, but I don't call an enclosed body of water in one of the worlds busiest port complexes a functioning beach, by California standards. Since I spent many of my years surfing up and down the CA coast, I do know what I'm talking about.

[Millul]

Well, I spent 2 weeks in Orange 2 months ago and I have to say it really is a nice town, especially the Chapman/Historical district area.

Laguna is pretty cool, too, but it definitely looks expensive!

[rolltide]

Chapman students run in their underwear down the main street in Orange around finals week so I'm pretty sure it is considered progressive. The oRange Circle is a great little place and the Haven Gastropub is amazing. Watson's is an institution. I wouldn't stray too far from your work base, especially if you have to hit the 91 freeway at any point.

[YYZ]

Getting close to accepting the job offer in Orange. Location of work is essentially where the 5 and the 22 converge. May also have the chance to spend one day a week in Mission Viejo. Flexible hours; a lot of folks don't come in until after 9am most days. With this in mind, thoughts on a commute to Orange from Laguna Niguel or Dana Point?

Flew out to OC a few weeks ago and loved Belmont Shores but I'm not sure if anything there's really in our price range. Not sure if there's anything in Dana Point in our range either, actually. Just like the idea of a small beach town. And really not down with a family centered "all about the kids" neighborhood thing. Like Orange itself but not close to the beach. Costa Mesa seems like a mix between hip and sketchy. Love Hi Time wine store BTW. Lots of cool stuff there.

[Multimoto]

I live in San Clemente in south OC and commute to Irvine every day and its about 35 min. I rent a condo at the moment but there are probably quite a few things available at that price point and not too far from the beach.

My living room view - Thats Catalina Island in the distance.
http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-TPp6V2f/0/XL/i-TPp6V2f-XL.jpg

[YYZ]

Hellava view ther MM? In your opinion, Craigslist the best way to find a rental? Hot Pads?

[It's Time!]

The Irvine Spectrum area has a shit ton of jobs.

http://www.irvinecompanyoffice.com/resources/submarket%20image/submarket/2/submarketmain_irvinespectrum_536x320-100.jpg

http://0.tqn.com/d/golosangeles/1/0/q/d/-/-/HolidayIceRinkHighRes500.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zVVdBEZfVMw/TFXw3Dq9bbI/AAAAAAAAAFE/_J4621MCfGM/s1600/irvine+spectrum.jpg

http://business.transworld.net/files/2008/05/06/active-map-1.png

http://donyahn.com/images/spectrum5.jpg

[ACfixer]

-Prefer progressive University types to conservative family values folks (but love all people :rolleyes:).
-Play guitar but don’t need a huge music scene.


Go away hippie! :D

Seriously, if you can afford to live in the OC you'll find plenty of what you like and plenty of what you don't. Just like anywhere else. Yes, it's pretty conservative in many ways... but there's a pot dispensary on every corner so that should tell you something. Orange is a nice place to live if you enjoy crowds and diversity. A little too busy for my taste.

[Multimoto]

Hellava view ther MM? In your opinion, Craigslist the best way to find a rental? Hot Pads?

I know a guy. Want his info?

[duaneallen]

Orange is a cool little city. Don't worry about OC being too conservative. There's plenty of progressive people here, it just matters who you surround yourself with. I live in Huntington and all of my friends are progressive, so I don't really worry about what everyone else does. A HUGE benefit of living in OC is the much lower abundance of hipsters compared to LA. Besides, LA is not too far away if you want to go up there and enjoy which LA has to offer, which is a lot. You'll love the weather, and you can get to the beach relatively easy. I will say that I personally find the beaches in OC much nicer than LA, not counting Malibu. Also, you CAN get a house in OC for $450 even if it needs a little work.

[paranoid70]

Go North of the Orange Curtain to Long Beach. The great undiscovered city in Southern California. Yes, it's not really undiscovered if 400,000+ people live there, but there are some really nice neighborhoods not too far from the beach and a lot of progressive people in the area. I could help you with neighborhoods. Lived there for three years and still work there. PM me if you want to.

Long Beach is a great city to live. There is a lot of neighborhood pride that is absent in alot of the other bedroom communities present in Southern California.

[YYZ]

Ha! AC, I'll keep my hippy flag furled. Dont mean to sound elitist or something; I'm just hoping the wife won't insist on some suburban blah. Have to say Irvine looks kinda creepy :hide2. DA, sounds like you've got a good life out there.

[dmbandtimmy]

And, in general, OC is pretty conservative.

Nice, didn't know that. I wish it were that way here in LA...