Looking for opinions on areas around Anaheim (Los Angeles, Santa Ana: rentals, violent crime)

[ashmfro]

My husband is considering applying for the Anaheim Police Department. We currently live in North Dakota where he has been an officer for 10 years in a supervisory role.

We are familiar with the South Bay Area, but not much outside of that immediate area. I know that Anaheim is south of LA and the SB but I'm wondering which areas of Orange County would be best to look for rentals in . Our budget would be about 2800-3000 and we would need 3 bedrooms, preferably, a single family home, as we have a special needs son who can be very loud at times. It would also need to be within 40 driving miles of the city of Anaheim

Is this doable on our budget? I have found some rentals in Orange County that fit this criteria but without knowing the area at all, I'm not sure which suburbs/cities to avoid.

[saibot]

OK, I'll get started by asking if you are sure about the 40 driving miles. That is considered quite a long way in SoCal and with the inevitable traffic, would likely give your husband a horrendous commute. The closer you can live to his work, the happier you will be.

On the other hand, a 3-bedroom SFR for under $3000 is something of a stretch in OC. You might get lucky and find a house for about that amount in Buena Park, Placentia, or Brea, to name a few. It won't be new and it won't be big, but it would work. I would be wary of going south (Garden Grove, Santa Ana can be sketchy, and farther south than that will start to run out of your budget and/or make for a miserable drive).

My dad worked in Anaheim all the time I was growing up, and we lived in La Habra. You may hear negatives about that city, but where we lived (near the Whittier border), it was quiet and safe, and definitely more affordable than most OC cities.

You might want to start looking in the Corona area. You are much more likely to find something in your budget once you get out of OC.

[ashmfro]

Thanks for the input! The 40 driving miles is just a stipulation of the department. Definitely would prefer a closer commute. Most of what I've found in our price range is in Brea, Yorba Linda, and Cypress. I hadn't looked in corona, but I'll give that a shot. It's so hard because everyone has very varied opinions about the same areas. We are thinking it might be best to just fly out together when he interviews and do some looking and talking to locals to get a better handle on what will be a good fit for us.

We live in North Dakota, but are no stranger to crime unfortunately. When the oil boom hit, drugs and violent crime skyrocketed and didn't leave when the oil work did. We figure, if we're going to deal with crime and soaring cost of living, we may as well do it somewhere with more opportunity for our children and in place we can be outside for more than 3 months a year!

[saibot]

Crime is not such a problem here, outside of a few pockets. Cost of living definitely is. People from out of state tend to have dreams of living at the beach, which of course is unaffordable for almost everyone. If you are all right with the more inland areas, your options really open up. Corona and other areas just inside Riverside County, or eastern LA County, are going to be (much) hotter than the coast. Otherwise, they are not so bad. You will definitely be dealing with heat for longer than you do in ND, but of course it never gets very cold and most of the year is quite pleasant.

[ashmfro]

We are trying to evualate this decision as logically as possible. We know that we cannot afford to live on the beach of really even a city right on the coast, and that's ok. Inland summers are quite comparable to North Dakota summers temperature wise, we just have the humidity that they don't.
We would rather deal with hot summers and livable winters than having 6 months of below zero, 3 months of never knowing what we're going to get and then 3 months of hot summer.

We go in with or eyes wide open to the fact that all of California is not Los Angeles or the beach. We aren't looking to live the beach bum life, we just really want to go somewhere with more opportunity, better climate, and better access to things we enjoy and things we need.

[saibot]

With that attitude, you will do very well in north OC/Inland Empire. It gets a bad rap because it does get hot and it's not the "California beach lifestyle," but again--really not so bad and quite livable. If I were you, I would cast a wider net looking at rentals and then come back here to ask about specific areas. You might also ask in the LA and San Bernardino/Riverside forums, making it clear that you need a reasonable commute to Anaheim.

Good luck!

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by ashmfro

We are trying to evualate this decision as logically as possible. We know that we cannot afford to live on the beach of really even a city right on the coast, and that's ok. Inland summers are quite comparable to North Dakota summers temperature wise, we just have the humidity that they don't.
We would rather deal with hot summers and livable winters than having 6 months of below zero, 3 months of never knowing what we're going to get and then 3 months of hot summer.

We go in with or eyes wide open to the fact that all of California is not Los Angeles or the beach. We aren't looking to live the beach bum life, we just really want to go somewhere with more opportunity, better climate, and better access to things we enjoy and things we need.

The traffic from Corona would be bad. Stay as near to his work as you can.

[that1spazticchik]

Originally Posted by ashmfro

Most of what I've found in our price range is in Brea, Yorba Linda, and Cypress. I hadn't looked in corona, but I'll give that a shot.

Don't do Corona. I can't speak for the area, but the commute would be absolutely insane and not worth it. The 91 freeway is no joke.

I am very familiar with all the three cities you mentioned. All three are safe areas with fantastic schools. Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them. I grew up in the Cypress area. It is a fantastic city. It's also got the easiest commute to Anaheim, so that's where I'd go, personally. However, Yorba Linda and Brea are fantastic, as well...I actually live in Placentia, which borders both of them, and I am just as happy here as I was in Cypress. I haven't price checked in awhile, but I'd go with whatever housing you can find that is within budget and has the things you're looking for (3 bedrooms, single home, etc.) Good luck on your housing search.

[Electrician4you]

Corona isn't as bad as it was after the widening. You should be able to find something in your price range.

[NewbieHere]

Fullerton and Buena are close by. Maybe some part of Yoruba Linda.