Moving To Irvine - Job Transfers (Anaheim, Huntington Beach: apartments, rentals, condo)

[RandomHuman]

I think I love this Web site/forum! My husband and I are to move to the area as my job is transferring me to the Irvine office. This all just came about and obviously there is much to figure out. I know absolutely nothing of the area. We are NYers who moved to FL and HATE it. So this move is possibly a very wonderful thing! Anyone I have ever encountered at work, either here in FL or in NY who came from CA was quite bright, witty, and worldly. So I look forward to more of that.

I guess I figured this forum would be a great place to start to ask some of the first of the jumble of questions that are flying around my brain.

First off, we need a rental. A 2br. Can anyone recommend a place? We have two 4-lb Yorkies. My job is on "Discovery", which may be the street name or may be the name of the development the office/bldg is in. Does anyone know this place or what neighborhoods are close by it? Someone at work told me it "would be better to get a place in 'Costa Mesa' b/c it's much more affordable." But she did not know how far away that is, so...

Maps will help, of course, but again, this all just happened and we have not even beGUN to do our research. A few other issues?

My mother-in-law lives with us and needs to be able to get to her daughter's house each weekend. Her daughter (remarkably) has just been transferred to a place called "Huntington Beach." How long will that trek take? Does anyone know? I will probably drive her each Friday.

Hm...what else?

Well, it is probably very rude of me (not to mention boring to you) to overwhelm a forum with a zhillion questions. I greatly appreciate any information/advice anyone will offer up. Thank you so much! You are very kind.

I can be reached at: randomesthumanever@yahoo.com

[EscapeCalifornia]

Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa are right next to each other. There's a street named Discovery in Irvine by the 405/133/5 interchanges, an area known as the Irvine Spectrum or El Toro Y (named for the 405/5 merge). Travel times from the Spectrum to Huntington Beach during peak hours can run up to an hour or possibly more depending on where exactly you HB you're going. The Spectrum to Costa Mesa would be a little shorter. There's tons of apartments in the area. Most (all?) of the ones in Irvine itself are owed by the Irvine Company. They're nice but expensive. There really is no bad area in Irvine so that's not an issue. Although you might want to avoid the area right around UC Irvine unless you enjoy college students for neighbors. Costa Mesa should be cheaper than Irvine but you'll have to check out each complex a little more carefully because some areas and complexes are not that great.

[5FLgirls]

HI Randomhuman. My husband took a transfer here in June from Florida and we love it. People can be nicer here. We like it alot! We've spent more time outside here than ever before in FL! If your job is near the Irvine Spectrum, you'll be working close by my husband and we've found that living off the toll roads is a costly but great expense. The peace of mind it saves is worth the cost per month. The toll roads are less traveled and can have good scenery. We live in SOC because we found it more topographically pleasing than the Irvine area but people live everywhere here. I haven't been to Huntingdon yet but it is probably a bear to get to on the freeway on Fridays. Maybe try to travel there during off-peak times? You never know when people will bottleneck. Looking at maps will help but won't do much until you actually visit and do the drives yourself. Mapquest can help with driving times but you have to factor in traffic on the freeway. My advice to you is try to find a place where you don't have to live off the freeway.

[Parrotpaul]

Originally Posted by RandomHuman

I think I love this Web site/forum! My husband and I are to move to the area as my job is transferring me to the Irvine office. This all just came about and obviously there is much to figure out. I know absolutely nothing of the area. We are NYers who moved to FL and HATE it. So this move is possibly a very wonderful thing! Anyone I have ever encountered at work, either here in FL or in NY who came from CA was quite bright, witty, and worldly. So I look forward to more of that.

I guess I figured this forum would be a great place to start to ask some of the first of the jumble of questions that are flying around my brain.

First off, we need a rental. A 2br. Can anyone recommend a place? We have two 4-lb Yorkies. My job is on "Discovery", which may be the street name or may be the name of the development the office/bldg is in. Does anyone know this place or what neighborhoods are close by it? Someone at work told me it "would be better to get a place in 'Costa Mesa' b/c it's much more affordable." But she did not know how far away that is, so...

Maps will help, of course, but again, this all just happened and we have not even beGUN to do our research. A few other issues?

My mother-in-law lives with us and needs to be able to get to her daughter's house each weekend. Her daughter (remarkably) has just been transferred to a place called "Huntington Beach." How long will that trek take? Does anyone know? I will probably drive her each Friday.

Hm...what else?

Well, it is probably very rude of me (not to mention boring to you) to overwhelm a forum with a zhillion questions. I greatly appreciate any information/advice anyone will offer up. Thank you so much! You are very kind.

I can be reached at: randomesthumanever@yahoo.com

If you are on Discovery, you might also want to check out rentals in Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, and Aliso Viejo...all only minutes away from Discovery. In addition the Irvine Co has just built hundreds of up-scale apartments right across from the Spectrum Center on Irvine Center Drive...only about a half mile from Discovery..it's called the Village. All your needs from Starbucks to dry cleaners are incorporated into the complex, and you can walk to the Spectrum Center for every imaginable kind of restaurant and shopping need. It definitely a cool area...I live about three miles from the Spectrum Center in Laguna Woods.

Here's the link to The Village apartments TheVillage It's expensive.

The trek to Huntington Beach every day might be a chore....it isn't that far, but the traffic can get messy. If your mom-in-law is able, there is great bus service she could use, and that would provide some relief for you. If you plan to drive her before 7AM...there should be no problem.

[kturbe]

You'll love it here. Your work is pretty centrally located so you could stay south, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo or north a little Costa Mesa or even East say Tustin, Tustin Ranch all within 15 minutes of without traffic.

Since you have two yorkies you may have some issues with apartments so you may want to consider renting a private condo. These can be found on Rent.com/Realtor.com and/or an Realtor can help of course. The Irvine Company and Equity Apartments are two big companies that own several complexes throughout the area.

Best of luck and if you need any help please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

[shadow42]

I moved out here 10 years ago from Long Island. Looks like if you are working on Discovery, you will be near the Irvine Spectrum...a really nice outdoor mall. As someone already wrote, there have been tons of new apts built over in that area. Apartments here are pricey, so you will have to look around to see what fits your budget. You don't mention having kids, so schools won't matter. When I originally moved here, I lived in Newport Beach which is an awesome area to live in but again will depend upon your budget. After a while, I moved to Costa Mesa which is a bit more affordable, but not quite as nice as Newport. Those two towns are adjacent to once another. Great doctors in the Newport area, also. Costa Mesa is a nice location because it is really in the middle of everything....great restaurants, beach close, adjacent to Irvine and Newport Beach. Huntington Beach is a bit north from this area, but close and easy to get to. Discovery will be a bit further south on the 405 and should be a fairly easy commute, although the traffic is horrible here during peak times. So, I say check out Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Tustin. Lake Forest is a possility and will be south of Irvine, but I am not a huge fan of that area, though it may be a bit less expensive. You really can't go too wrong in Orange County.

[MWJamesLDS]

I lived in Irvine for several years while attending UC Irvine. It looks as if many people have hit on most the points. There is really no bad area to live in South orange County as far as crime or weather. however, you pay for it! The average 3 bed home cost well over $600,000 most near $800,000. Rental apartments in Irvine inparticular is very expensive. Expect to pay at least $1,500 a month for a two bedroom apartment. Most neighborhoods are governed by HOA's. Though that keeps the city clean and tidy, it can be a annoying having the association dictating what you can and cant do with your home. My grandparents in Law, for example, put up a fabric canopy on the morning of the 4th of july for a family event, the next morning the recived a letter form the association threating them with fines for having a illegal structure on the property. Though some people are fine with that interference in their lives in exchange for the clean, pretty, safe, city. Expect to take a min of 30 minutes to drive anywhere!! I used to Commute from Anaheim to Mission Viejo, about a 20 mile drive. Unfortunatly I had to drive through the orange crush, it took a min of an 1 hour to go that 20 miles, often an hour and a half. To get to Huntington Beach on the weekend from Irvine should take about 40 min, depending on where you leave from and go. Remember there is a stop light on every corner and there is no Country. It is city from San Clemente to Santa Clarita (100 mile stretch). Lastly, remember that Irvine as well as the rest if South Orange County is people with money, and many behave as such.