South oc versus north oc (Long Beach, Santa Ana: bank owned, short sale, real estate)
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I live in South OC, it is a little boring here, but I still think it's nicer than north OC because north OC looks dirty and has SO much traffic! The traffic is not bad down here, I like the coastal areas, the inland areas all look the same but none the less I still don't really like the north... JMHO
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan and Sometimes Orange County CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bhcompy
In general, northern and western OC are known for established suburbs built in 60s 70s and 80s, mostly.
"I disagree completely with the second sentence above."
Funny, I disagree with the first sentence.
What appeals to me about Northern OC are the homes neighborhoods and buildings from the turn of the century through the 1930s. (Unless you meant the 1860s 70s and 80s, but not much really goes back that far, 1890s through the 1930s is where most of the better housing stock comes from.). There are also homes from the 60s 70s and 80s in Northern OC, but newer homes as well. Some areas like Yorba Linda are relatively new. I rarely have any reason to go to Brea or La Habra, so I do nto know much about that area. However, Orange, Santa Ana and Anaheim are loaded with turn of the century craftsman homes and Victorian homes. There are a few in Fullerton, and other places as well (I never really looked at the period of the homes in Seal Beach, too busy looking at the ocean or at peaople I guess). While there are some homes from the 1960s -1990s, that is not what I consider north OC to be known for. What you get in North OC is variety, larger lots, fewer rules and limitation (with both good and bad results), neighborhoods instead of subdivisions (some places), and a few downtowns.
And yes, North OC is not as fresh and clean and new as the south. It is not organized into neat rows of similar looking homes with strip malls thrown in in appropriate locations and trails and parks carefully planned (or thrown in where the land was not suitable for building). South OC is planned, North OC pretty much just happened. Thus, you might have a glass replacement shop in the middle of a residential neighborhood, or a small resturaunt or anything. You may have two parks a quarter miles apart and then no parks for a mile or two. A mall may be plopped down here or there and the downtowns (where they exist) are made up of whatever happened to move in. North OC is more hodge podge.
There are more challenges in North OC. People have to work together more to deal with problems (noise, grafitti, crime, traffic control, code enforcement, etc.). To me that is a good thing. If there are no problems and no challenges, there is no reason for people to draw together. I like to be challenged and involved in m community. However I am not interested in going to an association meeting to discuss Mr. Bradford's grass being 1/2 inch longer than other peoples, or Margery's red curtains not looking quite right withthe colo of her house, not even whether Tommy Jones needs to close his grage door more often, or put his trash cans back in sooner. I prefer a challenge, and opportunity to have a positive impact on my community. South OC presents only an opportunity to conform.
Persepectives are funny. One of the things that bothers me about South OC is the heavy traffic. In my perception there is still heavy traffic in North OC but not like Irvine and Tustin or Newport beach on a summer day. Perhaps it depends on where you go. I mostly frequent Orange, Santa Ana and part of Anaheim and Yorba Linda. I usually do not hit as much traffic as when I venture into Irvine, Mission Viejo, Laguna, Newport, etc. However in South OC, the traffic is planned better. It stays where traffic belongs. In North OC is goes all over the place. The roads were not designed for the current loads and there is a lot of cutting through neighborhoods unless the neighborhoods can get the city to put in traffic barriers.
In South OC there are fewer code enforcment problems because if someone paints their house pink, or puts a sucpture on their lawn, it stands out like a sore thumb and is immedately addressed. You will not see a local scupltor displaying their work on their front lawn, or a painter painting their house to look like a sailboat, because it would not be allowed. To some that is a good thing, to others that is a shame.
By the way, there are a lot of foreclosures in North OC, but I am not sure which has more. The north may have less because there are so many people who have lived there for 20-50 years without moving. hey are not in danger of foreclosure. However in the south, there are more newer homes and therefore people bought them recently when the prices were inflated by the bubble. The North has some recent sales and some new homes (esepcailly in the outer areas like Y.L. Also a lot of people re-financed and bought toys. North OC has more people who really could nto afford a home to begin with and South OC has more people who bought more home than they can really afford. There might be some statistics out there as to which has more foreclosures.
"I disagree completely with the second sentence above."
Funny, I disagree with the first sentence.
What appeals to me about Northern OC are the homes neighborhoods and buildings from the turn of the century through the 1930s. (Unless you meant the 1860s 70s and 80s, but not much really goes back that far, 1890s through the 1930s is where most of the better housing stock comes from.). There are also homes from the 60s 70s and 80s in Northern OC, but newer homes as well.
For no other reason than clarification.
Fullerton for example, is loaded with the early homes as you mention. However homes really started being built in volume in the early 1950's. I know because my father bought in the area in 1952 and I watched the orange groves become homes all around me. I was close to Buena Park and Anaheim and they grew the same in the 1950's. Brea, Yorba Linda and a few other lagged behind and stayed rural longer ( a good thing) as they were farther away from the action.
By the 70's it was all over for the life that OC used to have. Traffic, Crime, Drugs, higher taxes and about everything else you would prefer not to have to deal with, became normal.
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan and Sometimes Orange County CA
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Riverside county is one centimeter from Orange County, actually a bit less than that. The two counties touch each other. Thus, in places, you can travel from one county ot the other with one step. I would have to look at a map, but I think it also touches LA county in places.
You probably need to be more specific than that. If you mean Canyon Lake to Glendale - it is more than one step.
I've only been to South OC in passing over the years and although the landscape is beautiful and there are some good restaurants, I just don't like the sterile manufactured feeling.
North OC has pretty much been my home for a long time and I'm used to it. There are some rough parts but I wouldn't call North OC as a whole "gritty." It's just older. Gritty to me are parts of South LA, Long Beach, Downtown LA and East Hollywood.
Anaheim, Santa Ana, small parts of Fullerton, and parts of La Habra, have some grit, but it's normal. When comparing to South OC, sure you might find some flaws but overall I think North OC has a lot to offer. There's less of a "lifestyle" associated with North OC, because of the working and middle class therein.
It is true that North OC has a lot of homes from that period. I just do not think that is what the area is known for. I do not think we disagree.
Well, being known for it and having it are different things, I'd say. Yes, they exist, but the vast majority of the housing stock isn't what you say. Old Town Seal Beach is known for having century old homes, but you wouldn't say Western OC and assume that this means the same thing as Old Town Seal Beach
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan and Sometimes Orange County CA
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Seal beach is in northern OC.
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