Moving to CA. (Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Anaheim: housing, rent, travel)

[TheStarLiesWest]

Young couple with one child looking at NorCal, but considering SoCal too. I was completely turned off to the overinflated, socialite infested LA metro, but I never thought about OC, I honestly though it'd be more expensive. Buying a house is not important for a long time, we don't go out and party and don't need a tremendous night life, but we do want safety for ourselves and our child. I am a musician and do desire to find other musicians, and we really don't need a lot.

We do however want nice weather, that palm tree beauty, and lots of options for things to do on the weekends. We can adjust to cost of living but we'd prefer to not spend too far over $1500 monthly on an apartment. I've heard Huntington Beach is incredible.

Any thoughts, or should we stick to NorCal?

[jessemh431]

Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, and Laguna Niguel

Check these out.
orange county craigslist > apts/housing for rent: search for "laguna"

Aliso Viejo
orange county craigslist > apts/housing for rent: search for "aliso viejo"

Irvine
orange county craigslist > apts/housing for rent: search for "irvine"

Mission Viejo

San Juan Capistrano

San Clemente

Those are the safest cities with the best schools in the OC. Pretty much everything in the southern part of the county.

[TheStarLiesWest]

Thank you for the insight! We're looking at all of those places as I type this. We've always heard of how safe Irvine is, and it seems affordable for us for the most part in a lot of places. Does California law state that two adults and a child MUST get a 2 bedroom? A one bedroom sure would be cheaper.

How's the job market in Irvine and the vicinity? Being close to LA, I figured I could work in LA if I had to, but the commute would be legendarily horrible, I assume.

[jessemh431]

Nope. No laws. I just thought you would want more room, but if you can handle a 1 bed, it would save tons of money and you could probably get a nicer area. The job market in OC is pretty good, but I don't know how it is for musicians. Most jobs and corporations are in northern OC, like Fullerton, Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, etc. Is that the career you are looking into? If not, what is it? If it is, one suggestion could be to become a music teacher because there are many rich children in the OC so their parents can afford music lessons for them. You may want to check that out if you want your career to be in the music industry.

Personally, my favorite of those areas in Mission Viejo. Irvine has the best proximity to LA, so if you expect to travel into Los Angeles County a lot, I would suggest Irvine, one of the Lagunas, and Aliso Viejo and stay away from southern OC because the drive will be horrible from down there.

[TheStarLiesWest]

Well, we were hoping to get a one bedroom because that would really help us out being transplants. Professionally, I'm in college for an IT degree and I work in telecommunications right now. I have experience doing marketing/sales, customer service, and a lot of computer or technology related experience. I can adapt, I'm not worried at all about it.

It is great again to know that we can opt for a one bedroom. We'd be better off that way and save some money, that's such great news that it's helping us solidify our decision that much more. Thank you so much.

Think I could find work out there?

[ysr_racer]

I work for Verizon Wireless, we're always hiring.

Verizon Wireless - Careers

[jessemh431]

OMG YES!!! There is no where else in the country where you have such a good mix of tech, customer service, and sales. If you went into customer service, you could live pretty much anywhere.

Mission Viejo would be my number one choice.
orange county craigslist > apts/housing for rent: search for "mission viejo"

Then Brea.
orange county craigslist > apts/housing for rent: search for "brea"

[TheStarLiesWest]

What do you do for Verizon Wireless ysr_racer?

And jesse, if that is the case, then maybe I've finally decided where I personally want to go. I've always had the dream, and now I have most all the information that I need. I've always been good at adapting to current markets wherever I went, and I'm hoping I'll do well for myself out there as well.

On a side note, I'm an aspiring writer and screenwriter. ;P

[jessemh431]

Well good luck with writing . The writers in LA and NYC are currently on strike and may be for a while.

The thing I like about Mission Viejo is that it is a city filled with tons of rolling hills covered in homes. I love living on hills. If that is not your thing, don't choose Mission Viejo. If you like flatter terrain, you might want to try Dana Point or San Juan Capistrano.

[TheStarLiesWest]

Nah, rolling hills are beautiful to us, and it's very safe too from what I hear. That's important for our child. We just want a good proximity to the stores we utilize and whatnot, that's all that's big for us. No nightlife, partying, huge, big scene is necessary.