Safe, Good Weather, Less Sprawl (Santa Ana, Anaheim: rent, houses, employment)

[dvduval]

Hello, I first just want to say how wonderful this forum has been in helping us with our searches. We have been working through some different possibilities and now have decided we will be moving to Orange Country about November 1, having lived in Atlanta for most of our lives and then Santa Clara for the last 15 months. We live Santa Clara, but just want to see more of California.

We have been looking at different neighborhoods that are:
1. Safe
2. Good temperatures year round (reason we are NOT moving to Thousand Oaks)
3. don't have a feeling of urban sprawl
4. can get 1100 sq ft for less than $2000 in a relatively new building (ex. 1995 or newer)

Our top candidates right now are:
Aliso Viejo
Foothill Ranch
Lake Forrest
Laguna Niguel

Any other areas we might want to consider?

For example, are places like ...
Irvine
Santa Ana
Irvine
Anaheim
Orange
Costa Mesa
... lacking in some of the above qualities compared with our top picks? Anything else that comes to mind that fits into our parameters somewhat?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by dvduval

have decided we will be moving to Orange Country about November 1
We live Santa Clara, but just want to see more of California.

What a luxury, able to move just to see more of California.
Where are your jobs? (Here it comes, "We work from home in our jammies.")

[robbybee]

Charles, you make me laugh...

Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo. Hard to escape the sprawl if you want to live near the coast.
Not too sure about Foothill Ranch. I am willing to bet that it gets pretty warm there in the summertime, but you are very close to a big chunk of open land in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

[dvduval]

Originally Posted by Charles

What a luxury, able to move just to see more of California.
Where are your jobs? (Here it comes, "We work from home in our jammies.")

The fact of the matter is that I am indeed in my jammies, sir.
(and it is 12:45 pm and going to the pool next)
We do work from home and are dedicated to what we do.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by dvduval

The fact of the matter is that I am indeed in my jammies, sir.
(and it is 12:45 pm and going to the pool next)
We do work from home and are dedicated to what we do.

Charles envies the “work from my home in my jammies” brigade because he has a horrible commute.

[dvduval]

Originally Posted by pacific2

Charles envies the “work from my home in my jammies” brigade because he has a horrible commute.

Understood, and been there and done that many years. Any more suggestions beyond what I named?

[Count David]

The irony is that the places you've listed as "top candidates" are nearly the definition of urban sprawl.

I'd be looking in and around Newport Beach for the best weather.

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by dvduval

Hello, I first just want to say how wonderful this forum has been in helping us with our searches. We have been working through some different possibilities and now have decided we will be moving to Orange Country about November 1, having lived in Atlanta for most of our lives and then Santa Clara for the last 15 months. We live Santa Clara, but just want to see more of California.

We have been looking at different neighborhoods that are:
1. Safe
2. Good temperatures year round (reason we are NOT moving to Thousand Oaks)
3. don't have a feeling of urban sprawl
4. can get 1100 sq ft for less than $2000 in a relatively new building (ex. 1995 or newer)

Our top candidates right now are:
Aliso Viejo
Foothill Ranch
Lake Forrest
Laguna Niguel

Any other areas we might want to consider?

For example, are places like ...
Irvine
Santa Ana
Irvine
Anaheim
Orange
Costa Mesa
... lacking in some of the above qualities compared with our top picks? Anything else that comes to mind that fits into our parameters somewhat?

You need to come down for a visit and take a tour.
Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange is older and more city sprawl like, while South Orange County is the mother of all suburbia! Nice though...
Maybe check out San Clemente since you wouldn't have to brave the freeways in the morning... nice there, smaller town feel, but the newer areas are in the Talega area.
Maybe come down on a Saturday night and stay into the first part of the work week so you get a feel of the area in both weekend and everyday mode. Although you'll find traffic any day of the week!

Have fun you lucky dogs!

[Coldjensens]

As said, South OC is all urban Sprawl, except some of the beach towns.

The following places are different:

Old Town Orange - old fashioned small town feel. Kind of a stuck in the 1950s sort of place. It is wonderful. Schools are not great, but they are decent. Movies are often filmed here becuase it is quaint. Nice feeling of community. (note: old town is different than the rest of Orange).

Silverado Canyon. A former mining town, hunting camp and mineral springs resort. This is an unusual place. Nestled in the Cleveland National Forest. Many homes are a bit crammed together and small, many are converted cabing from the camp/resort days. Pretty secluded. Neat place. You have to take precautions against fire risks and make sure you do not rent or buy in a place where rocks or mud may come crashing down into your house. The C.N.F. is a wonderful place and it is you backyard here. Orange Schools. The commute to civilization is down a long twisty turny road that is fun to drive but can get annoying day after day. Learn to plan ahead and stock up to minimize trips. Hotter in summer than coastal OC. Colder in the winter too. Not by a lot, but it can be 10 degrees different.

Laguna Beach. Neat arts colony kind of place with a small town feel. Very touristy, very expensive.


Santa Ana. Orange County's only real city. It is 88% Hispanic. A large portion of the population is comparatively poor. Lots of great architecture. Houses are cheaper. You need ot be careful which area you choose. Some parts are really awful. Schools are not great, but option are available.

San Juan Capistrano. Sleepy little beach town. Pretty far from anything.

Balboa Villiage. IN the summer a crazy tourist place. Cram packed and busy all the time. IN the winter, sort of a small town feel. after a couple of years everyoen will know you if you get out much. Expensive.

Downtown Fullerton. A bit of a little downtown. College town. Much of the residential area is just more sprawl, but a bit older and less conformity. Less crammed in. Not as "nice" to some people (i.e. less conformity).


As mentions, most of the rest of OC defines suburban sprawl. The areas are considered "nice" because of the conformity. Most areas are nearly identical. It you visited eac place once, then visited again, you would have no idea which town you are in. Most residents do not know where one place ends and the next begins. Thus, it does nto much matter which place on your list you choose. Theya re all about the same.

The closer to the beach you are, the better temperatures you wil have. The further away, the hotter it gets in the summer. Irvine and Santa Ana often get nice breezes of the ocean. Probably othe places as well, but as you go inland, it gets hotter. Yorba Linda for example is intolerably hot to me. Silverado Canyon gets very hot, but there are lots of trees and the creek, so it is not so bad, besides it is such a neat place to live, that the heat could be overlooked.


Good Luck/

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

The irony is that the places you've listed as "top candidates" are nearly the definition of urban sprawl.

Huh????

Aliso Viejo is a high density community of about 46,000 with lots of land set aside for parks. It's a very tiny city, designed so that everyone is within 3 miles of Town Center. Just to put things in perspective, Irvine has about 200,000 (+/-) people living within its 64 sq miles.

What is Urban Sprawl?
Urban Sprawl is low density, automobile dependent development beyond the edge of service and employment areas. It is ubiquitous and its effects are impacting the quality of life in every region of America, in our large cities and small towns.
]http://www.policyalmanac.org/environment/archive/urban_sprawl.shtml