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Old 06-12-2013, 12:14 PM
 
7 posts, read 7,493 times
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Moving from Chicago to Irvine and looking for recommendations on places to live. Below is some background information

29 year old male moving with my girlfriend
We do not have any children and like to be around the energy or nightlife
She is a hair stylist at an upscale salon so will probably be working in Orange County
Would like to close to the beach, but don’t want the commute to be overtly difficult
Price Range: 1500-2K a month for a 2 bedroom

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Last edited by dougshankman; 06-12-2013 at 01:12 PM..
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Old 06-12-2013, 04:00 PM
 
Location: The East
1,557 posts, read 3,304,946 times
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Why Irvine? It is not a 'energy' or 'nightlife' place. It is conformist suburbia. If you want real nightlife by the beach try Miami.
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Old 06-12-2013, 05:06 PM
 
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No night life in Irvine besides restaurants and bars in those restaurants (that i've seen). But seems a really pleasent life style. Getting to LA to party would suck. Maybe costa mesa?
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Old 06-12-2013, 05:40 PM
 
Location: LA/OC
1,083 posts, read 2,169,887 times
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You may want to consider something closer to Newport if you want a nightlife.
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Old 06-12-2013, 06:52 PM
 
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I'm moving next week. I did some research and Northern Costa Mesa by South Plaza seems like a good spot. Check out The Enclave. There's several bars and clubs in that area, Sutra, Shark, Proof, etc.

I've hear Huntington beach is nice too.
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Old 06-13-2013, 08:40 AM
 
7 posts, read 7,493 times
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Sorry if I wasn’t clear in my prior post, but I am moving for work. My company has an office in Irvine and that is where I will be based out of. What are the biggest differences between Huntington Beach and Newport Beach? Thanks for the useful information. Looking forward to additional commentary.
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Old 06-13-2013, 09:02 AM
 
Location: RSM
5,113 posts, read 19,759,649 times
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Huntington is younger - teens-30ish crowd, very much a frat atmosphere.
Newport is older, potentially more refined(or just snooty). Newport Peninsula is a different vibe(old town beachy)
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Old 06-13-2013, 09:10 AM
 
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Is the commute any better or worse from either location? From previous threads and doing some research I have narrowed it down to Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Would love a ranking given the prior information I provided. We (me and my girlfriend) will go out there not knowing anyone so I would welcome a destination where it would be easy to meet people. Hobbies include going out to dinners, casually drinking and exercising to name a few.
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Old 06-13-2013, 12:00 PM
 
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
5,888 posts, read 13,003,171 times
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Newport and Costa Mesa have easier access to the 55 Freeway.
I lived in Downtown Huntington Beach and worked near the Airport. My travel time was about 35 minutes, taking mostly surface streets. When I decided to ride my bicycle it took about an hour.

I'm partial to Huntington Beach (and have lived in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach).
I would recommend three areas:
Downtown: Residential, Bars, Restaurants. Just make sure you are at at least 10 blocks away from downtown crazy.
The Harbour Area: Quieter, Walkable to the beach, Wetlands and Harbor. Bikeable to Downtown and Seal Beach) Good mix of residential Single family and multi-tenant homes. Good variety of restaurants.
Bella Terra: New Apartment Development within a "lifestyle center" Movies theatre, Costco, Whole foods. Higher end shopping. Mostly Franchise eateries (with a few good mom and pop dining on Edinger and Beach Blvd.) Longer Bike Ride to Beach -Bolsa Chica would be the easiest to get to.


Costa Mesa is a mix of Latino/White.
East Side: (Newport Beach Adjacent) is relatively white and cheaper than Newport Beach,
West Side: Is more Hispanic (but ethnic enclaves change by each block) Good variety of Restaurants. Very good Mexican food.
Nightlife is centered around Triangle Square.
South Coast Plaza Area: Apartments and a High end shopping center. Very Good Restaurants. Performing Arts Center.


Newport Beach is essentially divided into
Corona del Mar:Higher end residential and Shopping
Newport Coast: High-end residential
the Peninsula: Lots of dining and Bars. North side is party central (gets old after a while) , south side is more high end residential.
the Harbor Area (Back Bay, Islands, Mariners Mile) Variety of high-Mid end housing. Shopping and Dining
Fashion Island: Shopping and Dining
Newport Heights: Older part of Newport Beach. Mostly single family residential and shops.

You can use this map as a reference: http://www.visitnewportbeach.com/inc...aloneMapSM.pdf
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Old 06-14-2013, 03:57 AM
 
Location: 'Bout a mile off Old Mill Road
591 posts, read 820,339 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matzoman View Post
Why Irvine? It is not a 'energy' or 'nightlife' place. It is conformist suburbia. If you want real nightlife by the beach try Miami.
Orange County, CA kicks the living snot out of Miami-Dade County, FL everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. Miami is a third-world cesspool.
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