Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have read a lot of posts on the Orange County forum about how "family friendly" Orange County is. In sum, this is what I have read:
"Family friendly" - good schools, clean, safe, lots of other families around.
"Non family friendly" - California schools are not good in general, cost of living is too high, there is too much traffic, there are gangs, the culture is too materialistic, recreational activity is more geared to young adults and not children.
Clearly, this is a subjective topic and there are really no wrong or right answers. However, I am curious to know more about what people think about the "family friendliness" of Orange County. Specifically, I would like to know exactly what it is about bad traffic that makes the area non-family friendly and exactly what it is about tidy, gated communities that makes the area family friendly.
With that said, I will make some observations. Though I am in my twenties (and do not have kids) and do not live in Orange County, I think it is a very interesting place that represents the twenty first century upper middle class culture of this country very well. I have lived in a variety of places and have traveled throughout this country and no matter how many times I read on this forum that Orange County is so much "different" from newly-developed upper middle class areas in the rest of the country, I really do not find that to be true. Here are some specific things I'd like to know:
Materialism and increased consumption of luxury goods seem to be characteristics of just about any upper middle class place in 2008 America. What is so different about how these characteristics manifest themselves in Orange County? How does this affect the upbringing of your children?
Why are gated communities seen as being conducive to raising children? Are they really that much safer than non-gated communities? And wouldn't it be an inconvenience for children to have to check in with guards and pass through gates when going to another gated community to visit a friend? And speaking of this, isn't it child-UNfriendly to live in a place that is very spread out and automobile-dependant?
Why is the minimal presence of gangs in Orange County an issue? Why are there so many mentions of gangs on this forum if Orange County is so safe? Is this just an unfounded fear?
Why do some people say that Orange County is great for young people but not for children? It seems like in a place with such a high percentage of children/families and presence of community recreation facilities and sports leagues, a child would have plenty to do. I'm curious to know why some people seem to think that places like suburban Denver, Salt Lake City, and Raleigh are better for children and families than Orange County.
I know this is a long post with several questions, but I'm just curious to know the thoughts of people who have experience living in Orange County or raising a family there. I'm looking forward to hearing a diversity of opinions!
WOW! Those are a lot of questions to answer and a lot of comments to speak on.
First off...all I will say is Orange County is a large area with many diverse cultures and communities. That said, I think saying OC is materialistic is only true in some areas like Newport and Laguna Beach. Very few people in Garden Grove and Santa Ana are materialistic and they encompass far more of the population than Newport and Laguna.
Parts of OC have a lot of money. Not like the rest of the Country as I have traveled and lived in many places, but truly a lot of money. I left OC based on this. It drives cost of living up.
Again, it all depends on where you are. if you were in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Costa mesa, Tustin, Fullerton, Brea, Parts of Orange, Cypress, Irvine, lake Forest and some others, you would find very family friendly areas. However, places like Santa Ana, Anaheim, Westminster, Garden Grove and Stanton may not be what a lot of people consider family friendly. Depends on your family I suppose.
You cannot compare OC to a city because you are talking about a County that borders San Diego, Riverside and LA. it is very large and has many different aspects to it.
I realize that Orange County is a very large COUNTY with millions of people and not just a city or neighborhood. I realize that a working class neighborhood in Santa Ana is very different from an area like Nellie Gail Ranch, Newport Coast, or Coto de Caza. With that said, I constantly read and hear people talking about Orange County as a whole and what is good and bad about it.
I know that my series of questions isn't specific and that I'm not asking something like "What is the street with the best views in the Pacific Hills development?" I want this thread to be more about social commentary than anything.
I appreciate your response, but I am curious as to why you say Hungtington Beach and Fountain Valley are family friendly but say that Westminster and Garden Grove are are not. What are the reasons?
I asked a lot of questions originally with the intention of giving this thread direction. You can response to any or all of them, they're just to get your thought process going and to lend some specificity to a question that would otherwise seem vague and open-ended.
When you say "parts of Orange," which parts of Orange are you referring to? If there are good and bad parts of Orange, where are they? I am thinking of possibly moving there, so I am curious. Thanks.
Hey crisp444 I will try to tackle your questions...
We moved here from NYC 3 years ago with a small move up to Silicon Valley in the middle.
OC is a strange place to describe, OC is called the Orange Curtain for a reason, people here seem to have a pact to be "do gooder republicans" however, at the same time very materialistic and irresponsible with money..showing it off, hence the "fake" feel emanating that we hear about so much.
"The Staff" get bused in from Santa Ana, Riverside and L.A. cities to work for these "rich" people. Then back behind their curtains. Of course whenever you have spoiled rich reject offsping there will be gangs, sort of like Malibu's Most Wanted. When they mix with "the staff" we have some problems. But gangs are not so bad really.
It is basically family friendly considering "The Staff" are bused in, the communities are master planned to keep all the riff raff outside the buffer zone.
I don't know how a single young person would enjoy themselves here unless they surfed all day for their job, there is really nothing here to do except the outdoors like Hike, Bike, Surf...besides that it seems everyone goes to the mall :/.
There are some very positive things about OC...
I will say OC Suburbia kicks some serious Suburban ass, it is probably the model for Suburban living, people who just want to live life with no challenge what-so-ever to their lifestyle. The reason people think other suburban areas are better for families is because those other places are cheaper, that's about all.
The downside to living in a resort like OC is that it is not very realistic with the rest of the country, so kids are brought up a little "different"...
So I was born and raised in Orange County my whole life until college. I was trying to get out - just like the last post stated - that OC is not lumped into one category. Are you (Previous poster) trying to tell me that the majority of residents in Sanata Ana are "do gooder republicans"? Far from it. Ther is no money in most of Santa Ana. Did you know that 18% of the population of OC cannot afford their rent/mortgage?
My point was to point out cities of OC and not lump it together. HB and Fountain Valley are family friendlt because they offer some of the better public schools, are less crowded, have many parks and beaches for families to choose from. Like i said places like Garden Gronve are not un-family friendly it just depends on your family. in Santa Ana you are more likely to live next to a multi family house that was designed for a sigle family home. Because of COL it happens all over the place. People in Santa Ana are not even on the same planet as those in Newport.
OG...You're right. most people lump up OC as one wonderful or hated place depending on the poster. i agree that is wrong in general. It's like any other metro area. LA has Inglewood and Santa Monica within 20 minutes (minus the traffic of course ) of each other.
People are just confused and think that amazing weather is woth more than anything. to them it's worth a $4,000 mortgage or $3,000 a month rent and drive an hour each way to work in traffic. To them it's worth not having a lot of money. Most people in their 20's that reside in OC are broke and live paycheck to paycheck. only few people can really afford where they live. One more reason why Riverside exploded years ago and now they are falling apart. OC, in general, is a family friendly place based on decent schools and lower crime rates than surrounding counties. But, you have to choose the right city for your family. No offense but I have some Asian friends that live in Garden Grove and the chose to live there because it's family friendly for them. However, when i have visited in the past I have been called named, had stuff thrown at my car by Asian gangs and to me that is not family friendly because I am not Asian. OC is very diverse and knows how to keep itself separated very well. On the outside one might think OC is a very racist place and that might be true, but no for the reasons one would think. it’s not a bunch of white people with money being racists (although they are just as guilty) it is also the Mexicans in Santa Ana and Anaheim. It's the Asian communities in Westminster and Garden Grove that do not want white people just as much as some fancy Newport area does not want them.
Sad but true as they say. While being so diverse, OC is maybe one of the most segregated areas I have ever lived. Costa mesa is the most diverse city in my opinion as the mix is generally equal and the residents are slightly younger and with less money, but enough to live somewhere nice.
I know your post wanted more, but I am replying to the other posters as well.
This could be an interesting post so let's hear them all...
We followed five other familes that we knew and were followed by another three in leaving OC in part to look for a better place to raise a family. Everyone says the same thing. They are looking for somewhere that is "more wholesome" Hard to describe what that means unless you are one of the people who feel that way. A very large percentage of our friends who have pre-college age kids have left, all for the same reason. None left becuase of the expense. They lived in all different areas of OC and came from all different income levels. All of our friends who have no kids or grown kids still live there.
The concern is not just about OC, but really about all of Southern CA.
We moved for a lot of reasons. Mostly to be closer to family. However the "more wholesome atmosphere for the kids" thing was second on our list.
Most of my work still comes from California and I have to return about 15-20 weeks of the year. Often I am glad to be back. Other times I hate it (not just being away from my family, sometimes I just do not like it in OC). However I am almost always glad that we took our children away from the area. We worried about our children all the time when we lived in California, not just for their safety, but for what they may be seeing or getting involved in. We have very very good kids, they had mostly good friends, but we still worried all the time. Now we worry about them less often. Again it is virtually impossible to describe why. A lot of it comes from living in a smaller community where almost everyone knows each other.
It is hard to describe what is unwholesome. It is part the endless business and rushing around. It is part the crowdedness and lack of space. It is part the materialism that is so much more prevelant than elsewhere. Sexual pressure is also more intense. It is part an almost insane comptetivieness in the schools, espeically between parents (my kid is better than yours). It is part difficulty in finding truly good schools. It is part a general self absorbtion that is common, or maybe previaling (go shopping in Irvine, Tustin, or somewhere simlar. It seems like most people are not even aware that other people exist). The expense was never really a concern. It is a lot of different things, but no one thing. Some of the issues are more prevalent in certain parts of the county, however some are prevelant everywhere.
I know that there are many other families that feel that OC is a perfect place to raise kids. I do not know what experience they have raising kids in other places. It is really dependant on you and what you want for your family and/or for yourselves.
It is hard to describe what is unwholesome. It is part the endless business and rushing around. It is part the crowdedness and lack of space. It is part the materialism that is so much more prevelant than elsewhere. Sexual pressure is also more intense. It is part an almost insane comptetivieness in the schools, espeically between parents (my kid is better than yours). It is part difficulty in finding truly good schools. It is part a general self absorbtion that is common, or maybe previaling (go shopping in Irvine, Tustin, or somewhere simlar. It seems like most people are not even aware that other people exist). The expense was never really a concern. It is a lot of different things, but no one thing. Some of the issues are more prevalent in certain parts of the county, however some are prevelant everywhere.
This is the kind of answer I was aiming to get. But I have some questions:
You imply that in general people in the OC are more materialistic and selfish than people elsewhere. But compared to where?
A few people on this thread, including yourself, have mentioned that the OC is "crowded" and that this is a detracting factor from family friendliness. How so? It seems that some of the most well-adjusted people I have ever met are from places with very high population densities. Higher population density means more children and services/activites that cater to them closer to you. I mean, just what is it about open spaces and green lawns that make for a better environment for children?
About the business, rushing around, and competitiveness between children and the parents of those children, this seems to be issues afflicting ALL affluent areas of this country. In other words, I don't see how this issue is particular to Orange County. You will get that in Wellesley, MA; you'll get it in Coral Gables, FL; you'll get it in Wilmette, IL; you'll get it in Scarsdale, NY just like you'll get it in Yorba Linda, CA or in any other wealthy suburban locale. All these things that you listed seem to be more about growing up in 2008 upper middle class suburbia than about growing up in Orange County.
I will say OC Suburbia kicks some serious Suburban ass, it is probably the model for Suburban living, people who just want to live life with no challenge what-so-ever to their lifestyle. The reason people think other suburban areas are better for families is because those other places are cheaper, that's about all.
That's an interesting opinion because "suburban" doesn't necessarily have to mean "automobile dependent". In my opinion, the best suburban places I have seen in this country are densely populated and have walkable downtowns. Brookline, MA and Westfield, NJ come to mind. So do Coral Gables, FL and Berkeley, CA. Southern and Eastern Orange County seem pretty isolated (far from "crowded" or "lack of open space") to me... wide roads with endless gated communities... few places to interact with people while walking your dog or taking a stroll. This is what I remember and using the Google Street View feature confirms this.
I think that the downtown Huntington Beach area is one of the MODEL neighborhoods in Orange County. It's walkable and bustling with life. I think that downtown San Juan Capistrano is great as well. As nice as living in a $1,000,000 house in Aliso Viejo or Coto de Caza must be in theory, how isolating must it feel for your kids to have to rely on an adult to bring them to a friend's house or to the store to get a snack? It seems like kids can't do anything down in South County without being shuttled around in their parents' car. Many of those communities are in a physically beautiful setting but the isolation of the built environment seems like a major NEGATIVE when speaking of family friendliness.
Maybe I would consider retiring to Orange County one day, but I honestly think that I would rather raise my child in a lively area than in an exurban gated community. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
I agree with Crisp444. We presently live in one of the more affluent suburbs of Philadelphia. It would be similar to YL or Thousand Oaks. It also is a congested area where some folks are snobbish, but others are quite enlightened. There is an abundance of family activities, shopping, and cultural events. There also is the competitive element, where every other car is a luxury vehicle, where children are placed in preschool at ever earlier ages to get a head start on academics, and where how you dress and appear are rather important. So, every location--and I've lived in NorCal, NYC, Phily, Atlanta, Nova (i.e., North VA), and south florida--has this element. How does OC stand apart even more from these locations? Not sure but would welcome further discussion
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Which parts of Orange are family friendly?
) of each other. 
