Shall we move from Seattle to Orange County? We're torn! Any advice on ARTESIA or SIGNAL HILL? (Irvine: buying a house, neighborhood)

[TwinMom06]

I agree with those who recommend living close to where you work. The less you need to sit in traffic, the happier you each will be. Monrovia is far from Irvine, so if you live near one of your workplaces, then one of you will be driving the long commute. It is analogous to one of you working in Seattle and the other one working in Olympia, but the traffic is at least 4 times worse during rush hour.

I am not sure what kind of adventure you are looking for. I agree that Irvine and surrounding communities are very sterile. Actually, Irvine was built as a model planned-community that many suburbs around the country have used as a template. It is described in many urban planning textbooks. That is why there are so many gated, pre-fab communities there. If you want to live near the beach, the beach areas best for young couples are around the South Bay (Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach), and Santa Monica. The Belmont Shore in Long Beach is a nice area for young couples looking to live in a diverse area. However, commute from those places may not be ideal for where you two will be working.

Have you considered living further inland in a city that is half-way between where you will both work? There are nice communities in Diamond Bar and Brea. They are suburbs by definition, but not as sterile as Irvine. On the weekends, it would be an easy half-hour drive to Newport Beach. Lake Arrowhead is approximately 1 hr away. Diamond Bar and Brea are more affordable than some of the coastal areas, but still very nice and with character, and you will be able to get more for your money. Plus, if you plan to have kids, you don't need to worry about the public schools there.

Unfortunately, I don't have the "ideal" place to recommend for you. I hope you get a chance to look at the different towns people have suggested. You may want to rent for a while until you decide where you want to live.

[egyptianheidi]

Hi all-

Thanks so much for all of your valuable advice. We still haven't decide for certain about re-locating from Seattle. BUT, we may both be able to work in Irvine and avoid the Monrovia/Irvine commuting issue! If that works out, we're thinking of living in Lake Forest. We've found a couple of great homes that are very reasonably priced there. I believe that would only be a 15-20 minute drive into Irvine...? Correct?

Cheers.

-EH

[pootie562]

Originally Posted by dennismpat

Hey, Pootie562---

I grew up in Cerritos WAY back when it was a cow town, complete with the barnyard aromas. You sound like you might be in college, so this is definitely before you were even born! In fact, the neighborhood I lived in is located next to what is now Cerritos Towne Center, the Center for the Performing Arts, the Cerritos Sheraton and all those office buildings clustered around it.

Regarding your comment in bold print above--I agree that Cerritos is overpriced as far as real estate is concerned. However, I'd like to know what areas of Cerritos you consider "sketchy"? Could you please give the nearest cross streets. Thanks!

The areas in Cerritos to watchout for is from del amo and pioneer to del amo and bloomfield these homes are in the Artesia high school district which also serve east lakewood and hawaiian gardens. Mainly when cerritos borders Artesia down pioneer and norwalk across the block is artesia where the house are soooo much cheaper than across the street in cerritos it is seriously overpriced. I used to live off pioneer and artesia where stater brothers is nd our car was stolen in the drive because of constant passerbys circling the neighborhood, we were at the end of a cul de sac!!

[SoCal Person]

I've been out of Orange County for years and others here know far better, but to me Lake Forest to Irvine would be a very nice commute. Plus you won't be stuck in this stifling hot inland area.

Years ago I was in Lake Forest, and it was a great little city. I haven't been there in a long time but last time we went we ate at a wonderful Peruvian restaurant. It may still be there, in fact!

Good luck to you.

[Blue_Sky]

I would also recommend East Long Beach/Los Altos area over Signal Hill too. The area near El Dorado Park is nice too. It's close to 605 and 405 freeways.

The commute to Monrovia via the 605 would be tough though. You can't beat the weather.

As for Artesia, I've driven through several times. As I recall it has a large Indian and Asian population. That's about all I can say about it.

[949-714]

I grew up in Lake Forest (El Toro to us old farts) and my parents still live there. If you work in Irvine, your commute could be anywhere from 10 - 25 mins depending on where in Irvine you end up working. Generally LF is pretty safe and boring, but it's a pretty good jumping off point to go on adventures around OC and beyond.

I live and work in OC and could not imagine having to drive these freeways during rush hour.

If you have any questions about the surrounding area please don't hesitate to ask as I am generally pro-OC despite the problems. Oh and it can pretty HOT in Lake Forest in the summer time....just an FYI

Tootles

[ethan5000]

Artesia and Signal Hill are not even in Orange County.

[RainydaysGirl]

P.S. Stay away from L.A. county. I wouldn't even think about Artesia or Signal Hill unless you own a firearm and aren't afraid to use it.

[dennismpat]

Originally Posted by pootie562

The areas in Cerritos to watchout for is from del amo and pioneer to del amo and bloomfield these homes are in the Artesia high school district which also serve east lakewood and hawaiian gardens. Mainly when cerritos borders Artesia down pioneer and norwalk across the block is artesia where the house are soooo much cheaper than across the street in cerritos it is seriously overpriced. I used to live off pioneer and artesia where stater brothers is nd our car was stolen in the drive because of constant passerbys circling the neighborhood, we were at the end of a cul de sac!!

When I was about to enter my junior year of high school, my family and I moved to the part of Cerritos you mention above (walking distance to Artesia High School, off Norwalk Blvd. and Del Amo). However, the high school I was attending (Cerritos H.S.) allowed me to continue going there until I graduated. I used to walk my dog on Del Amo Blvd. in front of Artesia High, but then, this was back in the late 70s.

Sorry to hear about your car getting stolen! That must be one of the worst things to happen, especially in SoCal where everyone has to drive.

[maddy1001]

Originally Posted by dennismpat

Hey, Pootie562---

I grew up in Cerritos WAY back when it was a cow town, complete with the barnyard aromas. You sound like you might be in college, so this is definitely before you were even born! In fact, the neighborhood I lived in is located next to what is now Cerritos Towne Center, the Center for the Performing Arts, the Cerritos Sheraton and all those office buildings clustered around it.

This is going to sound like a strange question but here goes. I used to work just off Norwalk Blvd next to the 91 freeway entrance. There used to be a coffee shop/restaurant (like Denny's but local name) right there and they used to serve a great pita sandwich - I think it was some kind of picadillo filling or it could have been a mediterranean filling. So I'm looking for anyone who knows the coffee shop/restaurant and maybe even worked there or cooked there. I really loved that sandwich and have been trying for years to duplicate it. Since you said you grew up around there, I thought maybe you might remember the place. ??? If I had the name of the place I might be able to track down info. Farfetched, I know. Just a thought.

Thanks
Maddy