Good/Bad about living in Orange County (San Diego, Riverside: fit in, sale)

[marlene915]

Considering a move to Orange County for a job opportunity. We're from Chicago and have always lived in the midwest. I am mostly concerned about good schools for my kids. (The schools seem large there.) Although I have been to LA several times, I cannot picture living in Southern California. Maybe because I was doing "touristy" things while visiting--it just seems like a difficult place to live. I realize it is expensive too, although Chicago is pricey also. Any other thoughts on what I should consider? Anyone else relocate?

[RedNC]

It all depends on where in Orange County you want to live as to what it’s like.
As for schools all of them are over crowded. All of them complain of under funding although at @$10k per student I think they are over burdened by bureaucratic overhead.
If you’re kids are Latino then you will fit in real well, if not then you need to look in the South County area, then the split is 60% Latino 40% other.
Median prices in Orange County is @$650k, but if you think you will find a house for that much think again. For @$650k in an Ok(somewhat safe) neighborhood you are looking at @1100sqft 3br 2bath starter home.
When looking at houses you need to ask if they have HOA’s, Mellow Roose(a non deductible school/road/infrastructure TAX that will never go away could be as high as 2% of sale price each year every year FOR EVER plus your property tax @1.5% per year). Most new communities in South County have this TAX.
Everywhere it is over crowded forget about space. Every freeway is crowded all the time, especially on the weekends and rush hour is IMPOSSIBLE.
The Beaches(sewers) are packed don’t even think of going.
If you’re still considering moving, bring lots of money for the taxes and your Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker on your Prius you will fit in real nicely.

[Win]

OC has some good and bad qualities. I found it to be boring because everyone looks and acts the same there. That is to say, most the women are blonde and everyone likes to act like they have more money than they do. I found it to be boring for the most part ... not sure on how the schools rank though, sorry!

[Mybellegirls]

Oh my gosh, RedNC hit it on the nail! So did the next poster - which is why OC is called, "Being Behind The Red Curtain" to LA folk. Boring...scenery doesn't change, they promote plastic surgery so everyone will look like Barbie, and infidelity is on the loose there. I stopped counting how many rendevous I witnessed - you can tell, trust me. What I do know is that areas like Irvine (where I used to live), Laguna Niguel, or Corona del Mar should you want to be close to the water, are my favorite choices. Rent - don't buy. Invest your funds in Exxon.

[nascarnancy]

Originally Posted by marlene915

Considering a move to Orange County for a job opportunity. We're from Chicago and have always lived in the midwest. I am mostly concerned about good schools for my kids. (The schools seem large there.) Although I have been to LA several times, I cannot picture living in Southern California. Maybe because I was doing "touristy" things while visiting--it just seems like a difficult place to live. I realize it is expensive too, although Chicago is pricey also. Any other thoughts on what I should consider? Anyone else relocate?

What the other replies say are true except that we call it “Living behind the Orange Curtain”. As posted by “mybellegirls” who lived in Irvine I would not recommend that city now. They have had a lot of write up’s in the paper lately and in the next 10 years or so the population of Irvine is going up over 60% in that city alone. They are building on a former Marine base. Because so many more people are working in Irvine they figure that more people will move to the city and then they will be taking the side streets instead of the freeway’s therefore not causing more congestion on the Freeway’s (405/5)??? Who thinks this stuff up? I live in North OC and had a job in Irvine, and I learned how to take the back streets because I just couldn’t take the freeways anymore. I would try to live as close as you can to work. Our school system here in Yorba Linda (a republican city) is really good & that was one of the reasons we moved to the city 14 years ago but still don’t have any kids. I didn’t want to work full time for part time pay which is what would happen if I had to pay for day care. The other thing not mentioned was the smog, nothing like that brown haze hovering on the horizon. Now with that all that said, I am a native Californian and I do love my state but…my husband and I have decided to do “The California Cash Out”. We are moving to Charlotte, NC where my husband’s brother’s family lives and buying a home outright with a minimum of an acre of property. My husband lost his job due to a company buyout (for the second time) and that was pretty much the last straw. We didn’t want to say “what if” in 10 or 15 years so we decided to go for it. I agree with everything RedNC said. There are a lot of “Real Housewives In Orange County” which I am proud to say I am not a part of. Well my only suggestion is to take another vacation to the area you are looking at and take a dry run of that commute in the morning and evening. Will it be worth it every day? Hope everything works out in your favor. Also check out the city web pages for city info/stats. Good luck

[marlene915]

Thanks for the responses. The job is located in South Orange county, if that helps. I am not sure how big of an area it is, and how far south you could live and still have a reasonable commute.

[gmb]

I am a native Californian and it just boggles my mind that new people are still wanting to relocate here. It also cracks me up when people say they are moving here from pricey locations like Chicago or Boston. Don't get me wrong, I understand they are costly cities to live, but it won't be like anything you have ever seen if you move to CA. It is so out of control expensive here and for over $600, 000 you will be getting a crappy house in an ok neighborhood. I am trying my hardest to get out of here because I am tired of living paycheck to paycheck when we make over $90, 000 a year. It makes me sick and it is impossible to enjoy our great weather if you are house poor. Unless your husband will be getting a huge raise, you are going to be in for a real shock.....

[nascarnancy]

Originally Posted by gmb

I am a native Californian and it just boggles my mind that new people are still wanting to relocate here. It also cracks me up when people say they are moving here from pricey locations like Chicago or Boston. Don't get me wrong, I understand they are costly cities to live, but it won't be like anything you have ever seen if you move to CA. It is so out of control expensive here and for over $600, 000 you will be getting a crappy house in an ok neighborhood. I am trying my hardest to get out of here because I am tired of living paycheck to paycheck when we make over $90, 000 a year. It makes me sick and it is impossible to enjoy our great weather if you are house poor. Unless your husband will be getting a huge raise, you are going to be in for a real shock.....

I couldn't have said it better.

[PurpleDoggys]

If the job is in South Orange County, you might consider house hunting in West Riverside or North San Diego Counties. However, the other posters are correct about the housing costs - it ain't cheap! You might try looking in Temecula. It is in South West Riverside County, a planned community and you might be able to pick up a new home for $500-700K, depending on what you are looking for. But unless you have $1M+ to spend, be ready for your house to be on a typical SoCal sized lot - you will be able to reach out and literally touch your neighbor.

[marlene915]

I don't really want to relocate to Southern CA but just trying to learn more. The negative responses are certainly disheartening. My current Chicago neighborhood has a mix of houses. A beautiful new 4-5 bedroom house cost about $1 mil and a 50-year old small 3 bedroom house with a one-car garage would cost 500K. I'd guess our lot sizes are larger but not by much--6000-7000 sq ft.