Areas of San Clemente for young family (Orange, Fullerton: for sale, real estate)

[Emmabear]

Hello,
I'll be relocating to SoCal after a year off (spent five years in LA before coming to Canada for a year.). I love LA but I've outgrown it's "scene", I'm 29 with a 14 month old son and I'm looking for something more wholesome. I want a beach town, small town vibe where we can meet people, with family oriented events, parks etc. I like the older, quaint areas but safety is my main concern. I'm looking at San Clemente: is this a good fit? I work from home so no issues there and I've heard good things about SC preschools. What about the nuclear plant? Is that a concern, and is it why real estate in SC seems much cheaper? We will be renting, up to about $2k for a two bedroom, nothing fancy. What areas are best, by the beach and walkable to coffee, shops etc? Also, are there retail shops in SC or is it a commute to San Juan Capistrano for things like Ralphs, Trader Joes, Target?
Thanks kindly.

[Emmabear]

I should mention too, I'm not moving until next Spring and will make a visit to the area first. I just want to know which areas to check out while we are there.

[SoundsGood2]

Originally Posted by Emmabear

What about the nuclear plant? Is that a concern

Good question!

[coo77]

The nuclear power plant, IF there was a disaster (unlikely, but anything is possible) actually is a danger to all of southern Orange County. As far north as southern Mission Viejo is in the area that would be evacuated in the event of a fallout. Here is info from Southern California Edison: SCE - Public Safety

City information regarding the plant: http://san-clemente.org/sc/standard.aspx?pageid=578

[pacific2]

What about the nuclear plant? Is that a concern

The jury is still out on that question.

Published: Feb. 18, 2011 12:00 a.m.
Study to examine cancer risk near nuclear plants | cancer, nuclear, study - Local - The Orange County Register

Are people who live in San Clemente more prone to cancer than people who live in Fullerton? And does their proximity to San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station have anything to do with it?

Those are the fundamental sorts of questions that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Academy of Sciences will try to answer in a new study, “Analysis of Cancer Risks in Populations Near Nuclear Facilities.”

The brain trust of folks who'll be running the study will hold their first public meeting Thursday in Washington, D.C. That brain trust includes 19 people with lots of credentials after their names, including five with California ties.

Some feel that this study has been a long time coming. It's been 20 years since the federal government tried to determine whether living near a nuclear power plant is bad for your health and concluded (in what has been derided as don't-worry-be-happy fashion) that it's not bad for your health, and all's well.

That 1990 report by the U.S. National Institutes of Health-National Cancer Institute has been attacked as deeply flawed – problems this new study is meant to correct.

MOD CUT

But there are many problems with that approach, critics said:
The 1990 report tracked mortality rates based on where people died, rather than where they lived before getting cancer.

Tracking deaths – rather than how many people actually got cancer – may downplay the full health impact of living near a reactor (because many cancer patients, after all, survive).

[Emmabear]

Very interesting article, thank you for that. I agree that it seems flawed to use place of death rather than years living in close proximity to a nuclear area, but cancer is so prevalent these days that even our diets, the air we breathe and contaminated groundwater are likely just as offensive. I do worry, as a mom, about the nuclear facility but it seems that SC is such a beautiful town that I'm willing to overlook it since it doesn't seem to be a direct threat.
Are there bad areas of SC? We would like to be by the beach, able to walk there if possible and able to walk to coffee/shops. I like the older buildings, nothing fancy and I'm not into the tract housing like Talega, though I'm pretty stoked that they're going to have Target. which area seems best for reasonable rent, as well as proximity to beach/shops? I'm looking at SouthEast is that about right?
Also, is there crime in SC? How safe is it generally? The schools seem great, so that is a strong factor, but safety is my other concern.
Lastly, is there a good rental website other than craigslist (which I find a bit shady)? In LA, we had Westside Rentals, is there something similar for OC?
Thanks everyone.

[pacific2]

I do worry, as a mom, about the nuclear facility but it seems that SC is such a beautiful town that I'm willing to overlook it since it doesn't seem to be a direct threat.

No one knows the answer right now, so it’s a personal call.

Lastly, is there a good rental website other than craigslist (which I find a bit shady)? In LA, we had Westside Rentals, is there something similar for OC?

Try:

HotPads - Map Search for Real Estate, Apartments and Houses for Rent, Foreclosures and Homes for Sale

Find Real Estate Listings, School and Neighborhood Information and More - Realtor.com®.

[C2ShiningC]

I moved from San Clemente almost six years ago, so please note this info is dated and may have changed.

I rented a small two-bedroom house a few streets south of Pico, on the ocean side of PCH, which is almost all older homes. All thoughout the area, there are small multifamily buildings mixed in with single family homes. This makes for an interesting mix of owners and renters. As I have been both, I have no problem with living in that type of area, but lots of people don't want to live around renters.

In this area, south of Pico, the streets that were known as higher crime areas were around Avenida Pelayo, to Escalones, including the areas around Max Berg Park. As you get closer to Del Mar (the main street), there seemed to be less crime, and once you get to about Trafalgar, I rarely saw those streets in the Sheriff's crimelog. From there on, the neighborhoods are mostly single family and are really nice, especially around Paseo de Cristobal and Avenida Cordoba, which lead down to T Street beach. Then at the southern edge, it gets into more multifamily again.

I felt relatively safe where I lived, but there are gangs in SC just like everywhere else, and many times the police helicopters were buzzing over my house, shining their spotlights in my yard, and I once had cops hopping the fence into my yard chasing somebody - not fun. There was also a crack house busted about 10 houses away from me. Yet the people living on both sides of me had never had any crime affect them, no burglaries, and there were many people that I talked to that had lived in the neighborhood for decades with no problems. You should check the Sheriff's blotter periodically to see what's happening: Blotter Despite this, I think it is a relatively safe place to live, I had no problems going grocery shopping late at night, or walking my dog or walking to the beach - I wouldn't hesitate to move back if I win Lotto.

The beach was .2 miles from my house, down long steps from the top of the bluffs, and across the train tracks (if you live in that area, you will hear the train a lot, I liked it.) Most of the area south of Pico on the ocean side of PCH is easily walkable to the beach. That also means that a lot of that area will be encased in fog during part of the summer, burning off in mid to late afternoon. The fog seems to stop at the 5 freeway - you just drive up Pico to the shopping center with Albertson's and the fog is gone.

I shopped at aforesaid Albertson's on Pico, and at the Ralph's on PCH (you would have to check to see if they still exist). I was able to shop for most things in San Clemente and didn't have to go to SJC for anything except Costco. There is a Trader Joe's in SC, and I dearly miss Rubio's and Pedro's and a little hole in the wall place on Pico with the best greasy chiliburgers called Burger Stop.

I have a friend that rented through Del Mar Realty and really liked them, here is their website: Rental Listings - Search Rental Homes, Appartments, Condos and Vacation Homes for Rent in San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, CA (http://www.delmarrealty.com/bin/web/real_estate/AR269422/RENTALS/San+Juan+Capistrano/1274139778.html - broken link)

I didn't really worry about the nuclear plant, I figure if it blows most of Orange County will be a goner, so why worry? An interesting thing, though, was occasionally hearing the war games going on at Camp Pendleton, it was surprisingly loud and a bit unnerving.

All in all, I loved living in San Clemente, and would love to live there again, but financially it was and is way out of my reach.

Hope this helps.

[pacific2]

You might also want to try apartments.com:

Apartments.com | Find Apartments for Rent, Houses, Condos and Townhomes | Rental Listings

[musicmom64]

c2shiningc is right on re San Clemente and yes the Albertsons on Pico & Ralphs are still open & doing business. Good areas also east on Pico, towards Talega + Talega is very family oriented. More sun, less fog in that area too. I've lived here 8 years & now moving to less expensive area. San Clemente is great, if you have the bucks........