Possibly Moving to NEWPORT Beach AREA (Huntington Beach, Orange: fit in, rental, condo)

[INPHX]

My Husband and I live in the Phoenix area, he has received a job offer making around 250,000 working in the Newport Beach area. Is that enough of an income to live in that community or the surrounding communities? I am thinking of everything from housing, ins, food, etc. We have two kids so we also have to weigh into the fact of public schools vs private and so forth. I do not want to move and be dirt poor or have to live paycheck to paycheck. I am also concern with the materialism of Southern Cal. Is that hyped up on TV or do kids really have pressure to have everything or there nothing. Please help us make a educated decision about this area. I realized the cost of living is high but how about everything in general. In Phoenix.

[fastfilm]

I haven't been there lately, but Newport Beach is one of the better spots. There is "beach culture" for the kids instead of the usual urban temptations, and, being a more expensive, nicer, safer spot, you'll have a better caliber of educated kids and the public schools that educated them around anyway. Balboa Island is fun as well.

Your salary sounds fine to rent, and sort of okay to qualify for a mortgage on a very small home or condo. As for quality of life, it sort of depends on what you like to do, how much you like to spend.

Overall, one would think Newport Beach would open more possibilities for your family than Phoenix. I hope the locals chime in help you with specifics.

[Deserter]

I grew up in Newport Beach (on and off) and my parents still live there. I couldn't possibly afford to live there, but you probably could maybe swing it. House prices have topped out right now and many people are reducing the prices to sell. However, even with a buyer's market, you won't find anything under a million.

When I was in high school there (more than 25 years ago), there was a huge amount of materialism and kids could be quite nasty oif you didn't wear the right clothes or carry the right purse. I doubt it's gotten better.

It is a nice place to live with a beautiful beach, plenty of shopping, etc. My parents have lived in practically every neighborhood there over the last 30 years. The two least snobby were the peninsula point and Balboa Island. I really like Balboa Island: cute little main street to look at overpriced merchandise, a couple of tiny grocery stores that you can walk to, a walkway on the bay that runs around the island, a ferry to the open ocean front, people who say "hello", and free bags to dispose of your dog's litter. Parking's kind of a problem at times, but you learn the tricks.

There's also some nice new towns a little inland: Rancho Santa Margarita and Aliso Viejo (my siblings live in these towns) that are a little more affordable and slightly less snobby.

[NativeCA]

Hi Phoenix,

I currently live in Newport Coast... a recently annexed area of Newport Beach's east side. This is a great place to live. People and climate are the best.
Your very nice salary should easily let you buy a house in the 1.5 to 2 Mil$ range (using the California jumbo rule of one-third of the salary is used to qualify for a loan). We live in a guarded-gate community, so crime is non-existant for us.
Both public and private schools are excellent.
As for materialism... there IS a fair dose of that available, but you won't be shunned for not driving a Mercedes (of course, a nice Lexus is entry level :-).
The real materialism problem is the children of people with lots of money, that totally spoil the kids... I'm not sure how easy the kids are to get along with when your kids try to assimilate.
All-in-all, the quality of life is great. You will definitely be glad you moved here.

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

If you're concerned anything at all with materialism stay far away from LA and Orange Counties. Newport Beach is great and all, very safe, and kids here surf instead of joining gangs. However, there is the mentality here that if your parents don't drive a Mercedez Benz, then your worthless.

Needless to say.. i love it. Lived here for 35 proud years. Love being around all the nice cars, and homes. It's my paradise.

[fdickins]

My wife and I have lived in Huntington Beach, next to NB for 17 years. NB is more expensive when it comes to homes but everything else is about the same. We are realtors, have been doing business here for 8 years. If you want serious information about homes, schools, etc feel free to contact us. If you decide to move here you will want to stay! Frank

[Jennifer from Bethesda MD]

My husband and three boys are thinking of moving to Newport Beach bc of the weather and activities that are available there vs. Maryland. Kids are young enough to assimilate and we don't need to be here for work. Just want a better quality of life. Anyone have any advice on what neighborhoods to look at and any other helpful advice? I saw on one of these sites that there are a lot of people that move there and "try" to fit in, not sure what that means. My biggest fear is meeting friends and starting over essentially at 41. Thanks for any help!

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Jennifer from Bethesda MD

My husband and three boys are thinking of moving to Newport Beach bc of the weather and activities that are available there vs. Maryland. Kids are young enough to assimilate and we don't need to be here for work. Just want a better quality of life. Anyone have any advice on what neighborhoods to look at and any other helpful advice? I saw on one of these sites that there are a lot of people that move there and "try" to fit in, not sure what that means. My biggest fear is meeting friends and starting over essentially at 41. Thanks for any help!

Just a suggestion, but rather than tagging on to an 11 year old thread, you'll probably get more replies and suggestions if you start your own new thread. When you do, let people know some of the specific types of things you are looking for when you say "better quality of life" since that can mean something different for everyone. For instance, what type of activities do you and your family enjoy doing? What type of schools are you looking for? It can also be helpful explain why you've focused in on Newport Beach instead of other parts of Orange County.

People on these forums are really good about making suggestions for neighborhoods and explaining the differences between different areas. But, obviously, in the end, only you and your husband can decide if moving is going to be the best choice for your family -- good luck!

(P.S. meeting new people and making friends isn't that much different in California than it is in Maryland. So, however, you've met people in Bethesda will be a good starting point here. I know when my kids were young, I made most of my friends from meeting people through my kids schools and activities. )

[Electrician4you]

Originally Posted by Jennifer from Bethesda MD

My husband and three boys are thinking of moving to Newport Beach bc of the weather and activities that are available there vs. Maryland. Kids are young enough to assimilate and we don't need to be here for work. Just want a better quality of life. Anyone have any advice on what neighborhoods to look at and any other helpful advice? I saw on one of these sites that there are a lot of people that move there and "try" to fit in, not sure what that means. My biggest fear is meeting friends and starting over essentially at 41. Thanks for any help!

Newport is pretty good. We have rental properties there. 250k a year will be plenty to live there. You won't be living paycheck to paycheck unless you decide to join the materialistic side of so cal.
Yes the kids will,pressure other kids to have everything. But there will always be Ahole kids regardless of where you live. As long as you are doing the best you can for your kids that's all you can do.

The materialistic side is really blown out of proportion on TV. Sure there will always be the "since I have a certain car clothes etc I'm better than you". So cal or not. In affluent areas you will always have those types.
Just because your hubby works in NB doesn't mean you need to live there if you feel it's too hoidy toidy.
Fountain valley is a nice boring city that's next to NB and has great schools. So does HB

Most people are friendly. Occasionally you run across a crazy one. Unless you're just a 6foot tall 4 foot wide Ahole you won't have issuesmaking friends. Most people here don't care where you came from

[NewbieHere]

You can rent there but not buy, not with that salary.