lifelong NYC family moving to OC (Santa Ana, Huntington Beach: apartments, renting, condos)

[MarisaT]

Hello - my husband, 2 daughters (14 and 8) and I are moving to the OC this summer for a fabulous career opportunity, but we are diehard, lifelong NYC folk so this is a VERY big deal for us. The job is in Irvine and we are hoping our older daughter will go to the Orange County HS of the Arts (in Santa Ana) as she is in a preeminent arts and academics high school in Manhattan now. I am already beginning to accept I'm not going to be able to replicate NY life but want to make the segue feel as comfortable as possible. (I've never lived without a doorman for perspective)!

Do you have any suggestions in terms of neighborhoods that marry interesting families (we are somewhat liberal and Jewish - I know not the typical profile in the County!), community oriented so we can meet people, not too cookie cutter, proximity to commercial life... And ideally flavor of CA beach life (if we're going to do this might as well). We saw Newport Heights and thought that could be an option? Do any families live in apts/condos? Other thoughts? Good school for my younger one is a need as well.

Please keep any comments back positive and constructive - in trepidatious enough! Thank you so much for your input.

[OCerik]

What's your budget?

More inland you go, more cookie cutter it is in general (at least in southern OC), so you'd probably want to look at the beach cities, assuming your budget allows it. Maybe Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Huntington Beach. Laguna Beach is the most liberal out of any of these cities.

Yes plenty of families live in apartments and condos.

Not familiar with that High School at all, but if it's in Santa Ana, you'll have to make that commute into account, because traffic in the morning sucks. Is going to that school set in stone?

[MarisaT]

Thanks so much for your reply. Orange County HS of the Arts is a US news and world report gold school which makes me comfortable relative to what we are leaving behind - it's a magnet that draws from all over - so I do think that's a near definite. I'm a little worried about all the driving as I'm currently a subway/cab girl and a walker! I know that will be 1 of the biggest adaptations. I like Laguna but based on above think it may be a little too far south for us. Welcome any other thoughts and thank you again!

[payutenyodagimas]

not a problem if you live in Irvine..just allocate 1 to 1 1/2 hr to drop her to school then go to work

[dexter14]

Originally Posted by MarisaT

Hello - my husband, 2 daughters (14 and 8) and I are moving to the OC this summer for a fabulous career opportunity, but we are diehard, lifelong NYC folk so this is a VERY big deal for us. The job is in Irvine and we are hoping our older daughter will go to the Orange County HS of the Arts (in Santa Ana) as she is in a preeminent arts and academics high school in Manhattan now. I am already beginning to accept I'm not going to be able to replicate NY life but want to make the segue feel as comfortable as possible. (I've never lived without a doorman for perspective)!

Do you have any suggestions in terms of neighborhoods that marry interesting families (we are somewhat liberal and Jewish - I know not the typical profile in the County!), community oriented so we can meet people, not too cookie cutter, proximity to commercial life... And ideally flavor of CA beach life (if we're going to do this might as well). We saw Newport Heights and thought that could be an option? Do any families live in apts/condos? Other thoughts? Good school for my younger one is a need as well.

Please keep any comments back positive and constructive - in trepidatious enough! Thank you so much for your input.

Not sure what you are looking for. You say you don't want cookie cutter but then you ask about apartments and condos. You can't get more cookie cutter than apartments and condos. If you want a nice, custom built home in south OC, prepare to spend in the millions. Or...save a lot of money and live in a *gasp* housing tract in one of the nicest and safest cities in the country, Irvine. If you are renting, there are plenty of nice cities to choose from as OCerik already pointed out.

[glowinthedark]

Originally Posted by MarisaT

Hello - my husband, 2 daughters (14 and 8) and I are moving to the OC this summer for a fabulous career opportunity, but we are diehard, lifelong NYC folk so this is a VERY big deal for us. The job is in Irvine and we are hoping our older daughter will go to the Orange County HS of the Arts (in Santa Ana) as she is in a preeminent arts and academics high school in Manhattan now. I am already beginning to accept I'm not going to be able to replicate NY life but want to make the segue feel as comfortable as possible. (I've never lived without a doorman for perspective)!

Do you have any suggestions in terms of neighborhoods that marry interesting families (we are somewhat liberal and Jewish - I know not the typical profile in the County!), community oriented so we can meet people, not too cookie cutter, proximity to commercial life... And ideally flavor of CA beach life (if we're going to do this might as well). We saw Newport Heights and thought that could be an option? Do any families live in apts/condos? Other thoughts? Good school for my younger one is a need as well.

Please keep any comments back positive and constructive - in trepidatious enough! Thank you so much for your input.

I am also a lifelong NewYorker (grew up in Manhattan) who moved to Orange County about 6 years ago. To be honest, what I think you may be be looking for (e.g. Upper West Side, or maybe Greenwich Village with walkability, interesting non-big box stores, culture, non-tract homes, etc) is very hard to find here. The closest that I can think of with your criteria of being somewhat beachy would be Newport Heights, Corona del Mar Village (flower streets), or Laguna Beach. If having a yard is not important to you (coming from Manhattan) then the very small lots in the beach cities may fit your needs well. There are also plenty of beach close condos which are not as prohibitively expensive at the free standing houses in Newport/Laguna. However, both would be quite a drive from OC HS of the Arts. Laguna has a reputation of being liberal compared to some of the other affluent towns in Orange County.

If you don't mind being farther from the beach, you could consider the Old Town Orange neighborhood which is also not very cookie cutter. However, the public schools in Orange are not great--don't know if that is a concern.

[TimTheEnchanter]

Ease into CA life. There are nice apartments in Newport Center Fashion Island where your kids would be in very good schools and Irvine has some very nice higher rise apartments on streets like Jamboree east and west of the 405 that would put you in good schools too.

Temple Bat Yahm is a nice temple in Newport Beach and University is a nice one in Irvine.

[Curmudgeon]

I'm biased but Lido Isle (I was raised there several lifetimes ago) in Newport Beach, or one of the other islands in the harbor, would give you the quintessential, SoCal, beach experience as a harbor beach would be a few moments walk away, Balboa Peninsula and the ocean are spitting distance just across the harbor and shopping is close. It would be a prime location to embark on a new lifestyle of boating - sailing or power - while living in very safe locations. There are some lovely, Mediterranean style homes as well as plenty of re-worked, updated, high-end modern(ized) homes. Now granted, this is based upon the supposition that you can pay for a house at about the $1.7 million dollar range or more.

My parents were both lifelong New Yawkers but managed to assimilate handily.

[BuckeyeAtHeart]

I work in Santa Ana (very near the performing arts high school), traveling from Aliso Viejo. From what I can tell in the morning, there are many families who work out carpooling to/from the school. I am sure if you are interested in this school for your older child, the school would help put you in contact with some other families who live nearby once a decision has been made (home location plus acceptance into the school). Families seem to drive from all over.

If you are looking for apartment living and are able to afford it, I would suggest just looking in Irvine. You already seem accepted that your lives will not be the same as what you have in NYC.

Definitely plan a trip out here ahead of time so that you can drive around to/through the various cities to get an idea of what is available. Of course, it will help if you have an idea of your housing budget at the time and get connected with a realtor who can assist you (renting or purchasing).

[ysr_racer]

Hey I'm Jewish, but not liberal by any means. When you husband gets here if he wants to go to the shooting range or smoke a cigar, ping me and we'll meet up.