Relocate to Irvine, CA or Cary, NC

[robbybee]

SoCal is far more culturally diverse than NC - but far more expensive as well. You also have to consider your girlfriend's options when choosing a new location. I would imagine that there would be more opportunities for an aspiring interior designer in SoCal than in NC...

[miyu]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Maybe your hair was sticking up funny or you had broccoli in your teeth.

Hah! Not two days in a row. I got the same looks 10 years later when I visited Cape Cod (and was the only Asian in the establishment) and my husband even commented on it. It's definitely not my imagination. I don't really like to accuse people of being racist and even if they were I wouldn't care. Maybe they were just not used to seeing Asians, hence the stare/glare.

[LAjorge]

Irvine is the safest city in southern calfornia. Irvine is gorgeous, it has palm trees and skyscrapers you should really move to Irvine California.

[clokverkorange]

California is an expensive place, Orange County is in the upper 5% of rents / purchase prices, and Irvine is one of the most exclusive and upscale regions in Orange County. Your dollar won't go very far there. However, it depends on your priorities - if you want to live in a safe, rigidly policed city that has a very strong city council and a stable economy, Irvine is one of the best places in the OC to settle in. If you want a lot of land, a big house, and don't mind seasons, North Carolina is probably the better choice. They're VASTLY different places. Lately Irvine has been making a move towards attracting young, hip, wealthy couples away from places like Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda, so there's a large downtown area, acres of parks, and some cool recreational stuff (like tethered hot air balloons and stuff). It's also a hop-skip-and-a-jump from some of the best Beaches. During the winter you can hop over to Newport and go whale watching for $15 a person. Or you can scoot over to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Fullerton Arboretum, Downtown Fullerton - the list goes on. When I was in North Carolina (I was only there two weeks, however) it was a constant struggle to find something to do. We ended up watching a lot of movies. That and it was super humid the whole time i was there, even at night. The scenery was gorgeous though, lots of open space and not a lot of tract "cookie-cutter" housing to speak of. Personally though, I prefer mountains, but that's just me.

Hope that helps a little.

[pjnugget]

Thanks for all the great advice. The Company in Irvine called me today and they are going to move on to 2 LOCAL candidates bc they want someone who can start immediately. I'm pretty impressed I was able to get that far in the interview process and have 2 different positions that I was interviewing for in the same company and they are going to contact me should anything else fits my background. I am also glad I didn't have to burn a bridge if I had decided to go with the NC job instead of the job in CA. At least there's still option in the future to move out there. So it looks like I will either stay in CT or move to NC.

[liespe]

Originally Posted by pjnugget

Looking to leave the snowy and cold Northeast and relocate to either Cary, NC or Irvine, CA. Currently interviewing for jobs in both cities for about the same salary (65-70k). Would move with future wife who is in Interior Design but she currently works part time so she can move and find a job somewhere. We would like to raise a family in both cities. I know both towns are similar in crime rate, schools, community, etc. but wondering what would be the better move. Also posting this on the NC boards to get both unbiased opinions.

Hello - my family and I have lived in Newport Beach for 8 years, which is the city just south and west of Irvine. I can tell you that the price of living here is high (higher in Newport than in Irvine). Also, the Irvine schools are very well respected as being the best by far, in the whole area. Irvine has a very large asian population (mostly Chinese) with entire shopping centers full of Chinese shops, restaurants, banks, etc. There is huge academic pressure there on the kids who attend the best schools but pay a price with burn out. It is one of the largest planned communities in the whole country with wide open spaces devoted to parks. Would you be living in an apartment or a house? Many of the apartment communities are owned by the Irvine Community and are very expensive. If you have any other specific concerns / questions, let me know. I'm happy to provide a perspective. My family and I are planning on relocating to Washington DC soon so I know I will have some of the same questions in a different thread.