San Clemente and other beach cities (Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel: real estate, apartments, crime rate)

[sandiegosurfingmom]

I am looking to buy a house in the next year and would like some advice on the OC. Are there parts of San Clemente that are "bad"? I have found some nice houses that we like close to the beach but I am wondering why they seem so much cheaper than those comps in san diego (encinitas, leucadia)? Am I missing something?
THank you

[Cattknap]

We have friends who used to live within walking distance to the beach in San Clemente. They were a young married couple of one new baby - their neighborhood was a mix of apartments and homes - lots of partying, lots of young people drinking and hooping it up late at night, no parking and some people not taking very good care of their high priced real estate. They moved inland a bit into a nicer, newer (more sterile) subdivision.

[RobE]

The area right around El Camino Real has some bars that can be kinda dodgy at night. There has been the occasional fight between Marines and hispanic gang members. There is a bad area of San Clemente and it has been hit by more illegal immigration that has driven up the crime rate. So go inland a bit and you will do better. But the crime rate in SC is still better than Newport Beach, for example, overall.

[moonsavvy]

Capostrano Beach is a good area, stay away from San Juan Capistrano. Dana Point is nice, Laguna Niguel is nice, San Clemente is nice. If you want coastal, you will want to check out those places. Inland is, well... inland.