Another relocation thread for the OC from the East Coast (Santa Ana: real estate, for rent)

[CopperKid]

I've been perusing the OC forums and had to throw my hat into the ring on relocation recommendations after reading the pros/cons of Cali life. A bit about me:

- I'll be moving from the East Coast (Washington DC) and am rather used to exorbitant real estate/cost of living prices.
- I make $130,000/year and am single in my mid 30s.
- My job is 100% telecommuting so rush hour traffic is a non-issue for me.
- I plan on budgeting $2500/month on rent and do not plan on buying.
- I will have a car and a motorcycle.

With all that said, which city in OC would be the a good fit for me? I tend to enjoy dining out, bars, lounges, beaches (to an extent), etc...you know typical single bachelor life. I've been looking at Laguna, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Huntington, Newport, Irvine.

I'm tending to lean towards Irvine since there's so much good Asian food apparently. Is my allocated budget for rent enough to go on? Will there be an sticker shock that I should expect in terms of cost of living?

Thanks!

[CaliRestoration]

You should be okay from a financial perspective.

As for the "single bachelor life", OC is probably not the best place for that. Why OC? For the single bachelor life, you'd probably be better off in West LA or close to the general area. OC for the most part is either high end burbs, or lower end burbs. There really isn't much in between. Singles usually travel to LA County to get their night life fix.

Irvine does indeed have a lot of asian restaurants, DJ Plaza is okay (but extremely crowded), then you have the asian market around Walnut and Jeffrey which has a Ranch 99 and many Chinese selections. But Irvine for the most part closes up around 9pm except for a few areas.

As a single looking to meet other singles and maybe experience the dating scene in SoCal, West LA would be a much better fit.

[CopperKid]

Thanks for the insight! I suppose I should redefine what I mean by "typical single bachelor life". I'm not into the clubs and partying it up (too much), but would like to be able to meet people in more low key, laid back ways. I hear the OC has tons of cool bars and hang out spots without being as "douchey" and pretentious as LA.

I've been to LA a few times and I must say I don't like it much, even if the dating scene is supposedly better. Just not my type of people and environment. Coming from the East Coast, we tend to prioritize education and schooling over entertainment/design/arts etc, so I've felt really out of place in LA as the culture is way too different.

[pacific2]

I would recommend Newport Beach over Irvine since it's more interesting. You could also drive the short distance to Irvine if you needed an Asian food fix.

It's also true that OC singles have LA as part of their itinerary when it comes to night life. From what I've read, Santa Ana has also been added to the list. Still, don't forget about places like San Clemente, etc.

Basically, you park (rent or own) in OC, and travel around as needed for recreation; including nightlight, hiking, boating, or whatever.

BTW, as you are in your mid 30's, I doubt that the younger Huntington Beach crowd would appeal to you.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by CopperKid

Thanks for the insight! I suppose I should redefine what I mean by "typical single bachelor life". I'm not into the clubs and partying it up (too much), but would like to be able to meet people in more low key, laid back ways. I hear the OC has tons of cool bars and hang out spots without being as "douchey" and pretentious as LA.

I've been to LA a few times and I must say I don't like it much, even if the dating scene is supposedly better. Just not my type of people and environment. Coming from the East Coast, we tend to prioritize education and schooling over entertainment/design/arts etc, so I've felt really out of place in LA as the culture is way too different.

You should be fine in OC. You might want to try Laguna Beach, as well as Newport.

[CopperKid]

Newport Beach, I'll have to look into it.

Speaking of driving. I don't know how big Orange County is but DC is 8x8 (approximately 64 square miles) getting from the burbs of MD and Va is usually a 10-15 mile drive, depending on where you live. Getting to the outer reaches of MD/Va usually is like a 35 mile drive. For example, from DC to Baltimore is usually a 45 minute drive at worse.

I know in Cali, you have to drive everywhere, but just randomly google mapping distances to the different cities in OC, it seems I have quite a distance to go between them. Is it stupid to assume I can get around from the different cities within an hours time? Say from Newport to Irvin or Santa Ana to LA? Cali is huge compared to where I'm coming from so I'm trying to understand what's a reasonable drive.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by CopperKid

Newport Beach, I'll have to look into it.

Speaking of driving. I don't know how big Orange County is but DC is 8x8 (approximately 64 square miles) getting from the burbs of MD and Va is usually a 10-15 mile drive, depending on where you live. Getting to the outer reaches of MD/Va usually is like a 35 mile drive. For example, from DC to Baltimore is usually a 45 minute drive at worse.

I know in Cali, you have to drive everywhere, but just randomly google mapping distances to the different cities in OC, it seems I have quite a distance to go between them. Is it stupid to assume I can get around from the different cities within an hours time? Say from Newport to Irvin or Santa Ana to LA? Cali is huge compared to where I'm coming from so I'm trying to understand what's a reasonable drive.

Incidentally, Irvine is about the same size as DC, and it can be a pain traveling around there.

I once worked in Washington, and I remember the commuting headaches. FWIW, or not, I moved here from Manhattan. While Orange County certainly doesn't have "real" mass transit, it's not hard to get around South OC. It's not a long a drive to Central OC, either.

For example, I can be in Laguna Beach in about 10 minutes. It takes me about 18 minutes to make it to Newport Beach. If I decide to go to Dana Point Harbor, I allocate about 15-18 minutes. For San Clemente, I can count on it taking about 15 minutes. I rarely go into Irvine unless it is to see my dentist.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by CopperKid

Thanks for the insight! I suppose I should redefine what I mean by "typical single bachelor life". I'm not into the clubs and partying it up (too much), but would like to be able to meet people in more low key, laid back ways. I hear the OC has tons of cool bars and hang out spots without being as "douchey" and pretentious as LA.

I've been to LA a few times and I must say I don't like it much, even if the dating scene is supposedly better. Just not my type of people and environment. Coming from the East Coast, we tend to prioritize education and schooling over entertainment/design/arts etc, so I've felt really out of place in LA as the culture is way too different.

There are a few spots to visit in OC that I can think of off the top of my head where it was cool to drink and socialize, but I still feel that those places were more sleepy than entertaining IMO, and the selection of singles was generally lower than what I would notice in LA.

But if you don't mind slimmer hunting grounds, and less selection, OC might work in a pinch. Costa Mesa, Newport, and North OC would be your best bets.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by CopperKid

I've been perusing the OC forums and had to throw my hat into the ring on relocation recommendations after reading the pros/cons of Cali life. A bit about me:

- I'll be moving from the East Coast (Washington DC) and am rather used to exorbitant real estate/cost of living prices.
- I make $130,000/year and am single in my mid 30s.
- My job is 100% telecommuting so rush hour traffic is a non-issue for me.
- I plan on budgeting $2500/month on rent and do not plan on buying.
- I will have a car and a motorcycle.

With all that said, which city in OC would be the a good fit for me? I tend to enjoy dining out, bars, lounges, beaches (to an extent), etc...you know typical single bachelor life. I've been looking at Laguna, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Huntington, Newport, Irvine.

I'm tending to lean towards Irvine since there's so much good Asian food apparently. Is my allocated budget for rent enough to go on? Will there be an sticker shock that I should expect in terms of cost of living?

Thanks!

I would avoid Laguna Beach. Nice beach area and downtown, but only 2 real roads in and out and the traffic can be horrific especially in Summer.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by expatCA

I would avoid Laguna Beach. Nice beach area and downtown, but only 2 real roads in and out and the traffic can be horrific especially in Summer.

He wouldn't have to travel out of Laguna Beach every day.

Originally Posted by CopperKid

- My job is 100% telecommuting so rush hour traffic is a non-issue for me.