Places to live in the OC?? (Irvine, Orange: sales, lawyers, law school)

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

Maybe try Troy High in Fullerton?



For a room in a shared house, that's still on the expensive side for N. OC

Don't think that the op was looking to rent a room in a shared house for his "family" However there are some places where they cram a whole family into one room in a shared house. Who knows?

[ragnarkar]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Don't think that the op was looking to rent a room in a shared house for his "family" However there are some places where they cram a whole family into one room in a shared house. Who knows?

It's true but still sarcasm.

[phpound]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

It's true but still sarcasm.

Sorry! Did mean the price range of $600k to $750k! Not sure where you would live on rent that low anywhere in CA.

Thanks for the advice!

[Invicta67]

The common piece of advice we have received to our similar questions is live as close as possible to where you work.

We have looked at High Schools in the area and found Laguna Hills to be very accomodating and Dana Hills reasonably so - but then we are moving from out of state.

For sure, you're moving to a great area - good luck & enjoy

[loveorangecounty]

Another area to consider is Ladera Ranch. The homes do have character and not as boxy as other areas. Schools are great but would steer away from homes zoned for San Juan Hills High School (just my opinion).

[ragnarkar]

Originally Posted by phpound

Sorry! Did mean the price range of $600k to $750k! Not sure where you would live on rent that low anywhere in CA.

Thanks for the advice!

What are you talking about? Plenty of places to rent rooms for $500 to 800 in OC.. Fullerton, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Tustin, Santa Ana, Orange, even Irvine.. Craigslist is flooded with them.. I lived in one of these ($600/mo) until I found an apartment here..

I've never paid more than $650/mo to rent a room anywhere in CA..

Although that's not definitely not suitable for a family..

[Ol' Wanderer]

Originally Posted by phpound

I have a young teenager so schools are important but not sure I like Irvine. Everything seems so precise or "boxy" there.

I lived in every city in OC for 26 years, but when my daughter started high school, I purposely moved to Irvine so she could attend Uni High. That was in the early '90s, and Uni was ranked #8 in the country for test scores, college acceptance, and extracurricular activities. Irvine at that time (and for many years afterward) was among the safest cities in the US. Those things were my top priorities back then.

I raised two children while living in Irvine as a single parent and had not a moment of worry. Graffiti was non-existent, since anything created by graffiti artists was removed within a few hours with just one phone call from one resident. Curfew for teenagers was enforced throughout the city. There wasn't a mall for kids to hang out, and parents' support system was unsurpassed. Teachers were excellent, curriculum was challenging, peer pressure was positive. My daughter and three other students in her class were offered scholarships to prestige universities at the beginning of junior year; all four accepted the offers and left for said universities without attending their senior year in high school. (Three of them came back for the prom. Can't blame them; there's priority and there's priority! )

Almost every student in her class is a successful professional now, and though living all over the country, they are still a close group of friends.

Irvine was boring then and is still boring now, but my daughter moved back there after graduate school because it was still one of the safest cities for single women to live alone. She's married now and without children, so perhaps her view will change a bit.

For me, if I have to do it over again and knowing everything I know now, unless things have changed drastically, which I doubt, I still would not live in any city in OC but Irvine.

[Avalon08]

This place is called Orange County. If you want to move to "The OC," that is up in Hollywood or perhaps Universal City.

LOL....I thought the same thing when I saw the title of the post. Wondered if anyone else besides me would comment. I lived in Orange County for two years, and no one called it "THE" OC.

I remember when my realtor was driving me around the Aliso Viejo area house-hunting. There was one spot where you come upon this vista of rolling hills, COMPLETELY COVERED with housing. She said that it just takes the breath away of some house-hunters, and not in a good way. I prefer the homes in Northern OC for their character....even the 1960's tract homes seem to have more character than the miles and miles of "sameness" in Southern OC.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Charles in PGI

I lived in every city in OC for 26 years, but when my daughter started high school, I purposely moved to Irvine so she could attend Uni High. That was in the early '90s, and Uni was ranked #8 in the country for test scores, college acceptance, and extracurricular activities. Irvine at that time (and for many years afterward) was among the safest cities in the US. Those things were my top priorities back then.

I raised two children while living in Irvine as a single parent and had not a moment of worry. Graffiti was non-existent, since anything created by graffiti artists was removed within a few hours with just one phone call from one resident. Curfew for teenagers was enforced throughout the city. There wasn't a mall for kids to hang out, and parents' support system was unsurpassed. Teachers were excellent, curriculum was challenging, peer pressure was positive. My daughter and three other students in her class were offered scholarships to prestige universities at the beginning of junior year; all four accepted the offers and left for said universities without attending their senior year in high school. (Three of them came back for the prom. Can't blame them; there's priority and there's priority! )

Almost every student in her class is a successful professional now, and though living all over the country, they are still a close group of friends.

Irvine was boring then and is still boring now, but my daughter moved back there after graduate school because it was still one of the safest cities for single women to live alone. She's married now and without children, so perhaps her view will change a bit.

For me, if I have to do it over again and knowing everything I know now, unless things have changed drastically, which I doubt, I still would not live in any city in OC but Irvine.

Your desription of Irvine pretty much fits nearly every south oc city. Does it matter if the school is 8th or 17th or even 151st? It really makes no difference. A good school is a good school. Does it really matter if one town is .002% safer than another? Safe is safe. Tiny increments really make no difference. Besides, if safety is paramount, go live out where they do not need to lock their doors. (Yes, such places really do still exist). Anyway there is not much difference between Irvine and say Mission Viejo or Aliso Viejo etc. Just pick the place that you like.

[Ol' Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Does it matter if the school is 8th or 17th or even 151st? It really makes no difference. A good school is a good school.

It mattered to me when I raised my children, and I'm sure it still matters to a majority of parents today.

There are good schools, great schools, and excellent schools. Wanting to attend an excellent high school is the same as wanting to be in a top-tier law school rather than just any good law school that doesn't rank very high. There is no dispute that graduates from Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford have better picks of employment over UCLA, USC, or Duke.

Excellent high schools with excellent teachers, challenging curriculum, and great support system for and from parents make a huge difference in whether the students would get into their colleges of choice or just settle for second or third best.

Of course, there are students from good schools and even not-very-good schools who get into great colleges, but the percentage is not as high as with students in great and excellent schools where focus in success is one of the top goals.

I'm not saying other schools in other cities in OC do not teach their students that success in education is an important goal. I'm saying that when I had the choice between the best, the second best, and the third best, I picked the best for my children. I had no regret then, and I have no regret now.

My daughter also had no hesitation when I presented her with the choice between Uni High in Irvine and Sunny Hills in Fullerton, even though Sunny Hills was a very good school and most of her friends from middle school went there. Even within Irvine, we had the choice between Uni, Woodbridge, and Irvine High (there were only three high schools then). She picked Uni, because Uni was better than the other two.