Housing Hunt Help- Seal Beach Area Commute (Long Beach, Huntington Beach: rentals, homes)

[COtoOC]

We are planning a move from Colorado to the North OC area this June. I've been looking on rental sites and have more questions than answers about where I can live with reasonable commute proximity to the VA Medical Center in Long Beach (work). We have two in elementary school, so schools matter quite a bit, but so does being home at a reasonable time in the evening.

It seems like there are more family homes to choose from/lease in the Garden Grove and Orange areas versus the Seal Beach area, but I'm nervous about the CA-22 commute to the VA.

I would appreciate any advise on this topic of location, as well as how to best locate a property and secure a lease.

I will report to the VA at 7:15AM and leave aproximately 4:00PM Mon-Fri.

Thank You,
Jeff

Areas we've considered but know little about:
Seal Beach
Cypress
Rossmoor
Westminster
Huntington Beach
Los Alamitos
Garden Grove
Orange
Naples Neighborhood
Belmont Shore Neighborhood

[EscapeCalifornia]

Irvine, Los Alamitos districts rank best in O.C. | schools, school, high - News - The Orange County Register

[COtoOC]

Thanks for the article, any thoughts on commute tolerances?

[NaplesRes]

Naples and Belmont Shore are very nice. You should also check out El Dorado Park and Park Estates in Long Beach if you like larger homes, yards, etc.

[COtoOC]

Thanks for the suggestion on El Dorado and Naples, do you have any suggestions on finding a good property for-lease in those areas? Seems they do not pop up on the typical sites. Thank You.

[COtoOC]

Any takers on the CA-22 Commute from Orange to Long Beach?

[bhcompy]

The problem is that the interchange you will be using (405 to 22/7th street) is closed until sometime this year. That will kill your commute to some degree temporarily. You'll want to live somewhere you can drive surface, like eastern/coastal Long Beach, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, western Garden Grove, Cypress, etc. All of those areas meet your school criteria.

As far as finding property for lease: Pennysaver, the local papers(Los Alamitos Sun, Grunion Gazette, Long Beach Press Telegram, etc), Craigslist(just be thorough), and Westside Rentals(pay service) have the listings generally. Most of these areas either have small property management companies that administer the properties or are owner rented, and really the best way to rent is to drive the neighborhoods you like.

[KBlack2595]

orange, anahiem wesmenster gardengrove all good place orange is great and i near the 22 and i dont know what the person is talking about the interchage but where the 22 and 405 meet is not closed unless its night and would be easy to get around on side streets by just wesmenster street or katela past it

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by KBlack2595

orange, anahiem wesmenster gardengrove all good place orange is great and i near the 22 and i dont know what the person is talking about the interchage but where the 22 and 405 meet is not closed unless its night and would be easy to get around on side streets by just wesmenster street or katela past it

The 7th Street bridge is being rebuilt. You cannot get from the 405N or the 22W onto 7th Street into Long Beach.

[bm22]

The location of the Long Beach VA hospital gives you a great opportunity to live near work in beach close areas with great activities/weather and good schools. The area also has some relatively affordable housing options. I would not personally consider Orange (for this situation) unless there is some incredible underlying reason that we do not know about. The rest of the list looks like a good one. I'm sure the LB locals can help with specific neighborhoods that are good and very close to the hospital.