Moving to South OC, couple with one toddler. Where is better? (Mission Viejo: apartment, for rent)

[Sought OC mom]

Hi there! We are a late 30's/early 40's professional heterosexual couple with one toddler. We will be moving to south OC from Palm Desert CA. My husband got a job in Mission Viejo and we are trying to figure where to live. We are very high energy, high activity people. We love outdoors, dinning out, socializing, shopping, the beach, etc. Of course one of our first priorities are good schools and lot of activities for our son. I'm scare Mission Viejo or Ladera Ranch would be too secluded? Little options perhaps? I felt so limited in the desert area What about Dana Point or Laguna Niguel? Is Laguna Beach too crazy during season? Thank you so much for your advice. I would love to hear from locals!

[dexter14]

As always, your budget will determine everything. Whats your budget?

[loveorangecounty]

I don't think Mission Viejo or Ladera Ranch are secluded. Both are very family oriented and a great place to raise kids.

[bowneline]

Originally Posted by Sought OC mom

We are very high energy, high activity people. We love outdoors, dinning out, socializing, shopping, the beach, etc.

Laguna Beach and Newport Beach or probably the two places where people in OC live who share your same lifestyle interests -- if they can afford it.

But, like the poster said above, it all comes down to price. There are some neighborhoods you would probably love, but at bottom end for renting (for a family of 3) you are looking at $2,750+ per month for a small little back house or duplex apartment. For many, living in an amazing place is worth that (it would be for me), but it might not be for you.

Newport would be a pretty long commute, unless you took 73 toll road every day and your husband happened to work just off Crown Valley Parkway, or somewhere around there.

Laguna would be better, but still a little bit of a trek, unless maybe you lived very close to Laguna Canyon Road (still taking 73) or South Laguna, where you could take Crown Valley up.

The traffic in Laguna and parts of Newport can be tough during certain times during the summer, but I personally wouldn't let it turn you off too much. I commuted to work through Laguna this morning, and the road was pretty clear at 8:30am all the way down PCH, and out through Laguna Canyon Rd to the freeways. And, outside of July and August, traffic is not much of a factor at all.

If you are looking for the second tier of beach cities, with more reasonable prices, I would reccomend Dana Point and San Clemente.

[LuvSouthOC]

Dana Point is no longer a second tier beach city, at least not in my opinion. It is gentrifying at a fast rate. Not much will be within reach of middle class buyers in the near future. When I say gentrifying, I don't mean dual income yuppies. I mean really wealthy buyers.

[saibot]

Nothing in south OC is secluded, except maybe Laguna Beach. Mission Viejo is centrally located to your interests, so since your husband's job is there, I'd look there first.

[pacific2]

It sounds like you would really like Laguna Beach, but there isn't much available there in your price range. Check Redfin.com for listings.

[LuvSouthOC]

I've yet to see the budget, which of course is critical to this discussion. There is no sense in discussing the areas you are interested in if your budget doesn't permit living in them. These areas are generally pretty expensive.

[pacific2]

Unless I'm mistaken, there was an earlier post, maybe now deleted, with a budget.

I'm probably right since the OP was active just before my 08:30 PM response."Last Activity: Today 08:19 PM."

There was nothing unusual about her post, and I can recall it almost verbatim.

[OCerik]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Dana Point is no longer a second tier beach city, at least not in my opinion. It is gentrifying at a fast rate. Not much will be within reach of middle class buyers in the near future. When I say gentrifying, I don't mean dual income yuppies. I mean really wealthy buyers.

Yup. Dana Point is changing very, very quickly. There's construction going on everywhere, and there's about to be a lot more when these developers start their projects that they've already been permitted for. Majestic's project is going to change the look of downtown quite a bit, and they'll be starting later this year I believe.

I don't know if the OP is talking about renting or buying, but I think Dana Point is a great investment right now if you can afford it, I suspect prices are going to skyrocket in the next few years to near Laguna Beach levels.

Of course you can't really go wrong in any of South OC. Just take a drive down and spend some time in each city, see what feels comfortable to you.