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Old 03-20-2011, 04:12 PM
 
5,381 posts, read 8,690,013 times
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Quote:
If you want a semi-urban, hip environment I would suggest Laguna Beach.

Costa Mesa may work for you too and takes about 15 minutes on the 73.
Laguna Beach on 40K? 73 Tolls from Costa Mesa, plus gasoline prices, would eat a big hole out of his wallet.
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Old 03-20-2011, 04:13 PM
 
Location: Monterey, CA
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Thanks to everyone for their input.


Quote:
Originally Posted by pacific2 View Post
It might be best to try to get a job in one of those areas.
A good point. Except that in this economy beggars can't be choosers and the job I got in AV is actually a great opportunity (despite the modest beginning salary).

As people have mentioned: it's just a new type of lifestyle to get used to. Having lived in Dallas before, I'm no stranger to driving everywhere.

I will keep my options open and look at beach studios and 1 bedrooms in Santa Ana, Anaheim, and even Aliso Viejo. Why not.


Thanks again.

-Jingjo
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Old 03-20-2011, 04:36 PM
 
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AV is only ten years old, so everyone (adult) here has moved from elsewhere. I have neighbors from all over the globe. I moved to AV from Manhattan and yes, there is an adjustment, but you aren’t confined to the city, and Laguna Beach is adjacent to Aliso.
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Old 03-20-2011, 04:58 PM
 
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pacific2 View Post
Laguna Beach on 40K? 73 Tolls from Costa Mesa, plus gasoline prices, would eat a big hole out of his wallet.
Roommate or renting a room. its doable.

the 405 from Costa Mesa isn't too bad.
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Old 03-20-2011, 05:22 PM
 
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Relax, and walk around Town Center to get a more realistic feel for AV (whether you decide to live here, or not) and don’t let the “beige boxes” fool you. If you are at all into outdoor activities, you’ ll find a lot to do in Aliso and Wood Canyons, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente.
One reason why the freeways are so crowded, is that people in OC are constantly taking advantage of nearby entertainment activities in other cities. There will be more entertainment available in AV in the future once the performing arts center at Soka University opens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBk3x9PSFmE


The Neighborhood Cup (Coffee House)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee4sj4yJ7_A

This thread will provide you with some info about Aliso:
Making the move from UK to Aliso Viejo
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Old 03-20-2011, 06:36 PM
 
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Live near where you work. It makes the most sense since the majority of the time you will be working or going to and/or from work. Save your gas money for weekend trips to Laguna, Newport, LA, Long Beach, etc.

Plus, the girlies will feel better about you if you have a nice place in AV vs. a dumpy place in a more trendy part of SoCal. And you will have more money for dinners and dates!

WIN - WIN
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Old 03-21-2011, 12:17 AM
 
3,889 posts, read 4,543,431 times
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Default I lived in AV

Nothing wrong with living in AV! Gads! You'd have a five minute commute to work and you'd save a lot of gas money, more to have fun with on the weekends!
My husband and I had an apartment there when we newlyweds and it was great... all the daily conveniences, movie theater, book store... yeah it's a hyper developed "chain" typle suburb, but we found the folks there to be very friendly.
We live in Mission Viejo now which is also considered "bland", but we do a variety of fun things that make our life quite tasty!

Besides if you're renting, you can always decide to move later after you've explored the different areas and get to know our lovely traffic!

Good luck!
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Old 03-21-2011, 10:27 AM
 
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
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definitely rent first for at least 6 months and do some heavy exploring. You will soon see the difference between nice areas and the ghetto
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Old 03-21-2011, 04:25 PM
 
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Maybe you will like beach towns?

San Juan Capistrano or San Clemente?

I think on that salary you are really looking at roomates...like $800 max a month.

Something like this:

Room for Rent - No Utilities - Own Bathroom - Walk to Beach (http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/roo/2278293854.html - broken link)
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Old 03-21-2011, 08:40 PM
 
5,381 posts, read 8,690,013 times
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Aliso Viejo is very compact, but dynamic, and it gained cityhood in 2001. Its population increased by about 20% from 2000-2010 (I think that's plenty and hope it doesn't grow any more). It's time to pull-up the drawbridge over the moat.

in terms of drive and ambition, it’s safe to say that these two coffee shop owners are fairly “representative" of the young professionals and entrepreneurs who have moved to AV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT1JwrWYozM

Last edited by pacific2; 03-21-2011 at 09:47 PM..
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