Good pockets (zip codes) in Huntington Beach (Santa Ana, Anaheim: apartment complex, houses)

[BreaOC]

The city of Huntington Beach is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, by Seal Beach on the north, by Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to the south, by Westminster on the northeast, and by Fountain Valley on the east. Stanton and Westminster? Not sure that person is as familiar with Orange County as they think they are. In fact considering most people from the Laguna cities think everything outside of them is sub-par, I don't think I would take advise from that poster. Bella Terra is a great shopping area in Huntington Beach, and there are numerous new upscale developments being built in and around their downtown area. Huntington Beach, at over 200,000 people is one of the top 20 largest cities in California, and a city of such size can't possibly all be "ghetto". Like Escape said, it's no Compton. It's no Santa Ana even. Huntington Beach is a decent community and the city is in process of a major revitalization. They don't want to be Newport or Laguna, and that will be a nice change.

[lagunaniguelsheryl]

According to the Thomas Guide, the Stanton border is 3 miles from the 92647 ZIP and Santa Ana is 4 miles. That is extremely close, especially considering that those are the areas he is specifically looking at.

Irvine surpasses Huntington Beach on all levels. It has beautiful homes, great shopping, wonderful parks and landscaping, and AMAZING schools. Huntington Beach has...none of that.


Here is a typical apartment complex in Huntington that I took on my way to work this morning.




Here is one in Irvine that I found on the internet.




And personally, its hard to even tell when you leave Westminster and enter Huntington Beach because they are so physically similar. Of Orange Counties cities and large communities, Huntington Beach is in the bottom 20 of 40 communities evaluated on income. Irvine is within the top 15.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Yeah, that's REAL representative of the city. You picked two crappy looking complexes. Yet the one you posted from Irvine could easily be in HB from the looks of it. You must be so sheltered if you think HB is one big ghetto.

[lagunaniguelsheryl]

I didnt say it was a ghetto, escape. I just think it is more run down than how YOU boast it. You make it sound like god himself came down and blessed the city with perfection. I am trying to bring you and a couple other Huntington Beach natives' comments more down to earth. It is far from the best looking city and I did not take a picture of the worst complexes, these arent even on Slater Avenue (which are even worse). I forget which road I was driving on to get these.

[BreaOC]

OK Huntington Beach was settled in 1784 and incorporated in 1909. Irvine not until 1971. At the time Irvine came into existence HB already had a population of over 120,000 people. Heaven forbid a city over 220 years old have a few run down areas. And no shopping? Maybe you missed it driving down the 405, but this looks like a pretty decent shopping center:

Oh, yeah, but it's not Fashion Island. So I guess it doesn't exist. Sorry you have to drive down such a horribly dilapidated neighborhood to get to work . But 85% of the apartments in HB look like





HORRIBLE isn't it!!!!!!
P.S.- lagunaniguelsheryl, I'm not a native of HB. I just realize that there's respectable places to live outside of south county.
OHHHHH... and while HB is miles from the Santa Ana border, part of Irvine actually borders it directly. Using your logic of a city being near SA making it automatically a horrible place, you better stay clear of Irvine too!!!! LOL

You make it sound like god himself came down and blessed (HB) with perfection... Irvine surpasses Huntington Beach on all levels. It has beautiful homes, great shopping, wonderful parks and landscaping, and AMAZING schools. Huntington Beach has...none of that.

God must have been too busy blessing Irvine with perfection to get to HB, at least according to your post

[OC1017]

Brea, you make no sense. Driving down the roads of Huntington, I see NO APARTMENT COMPLEXES that look like that. You honestly took the best looking one, probably in the Harbour area. You are exaggerating the commenter's words. They (nor did I) say it was a horrible mess, I just was saying that it is far (and I mean far) from the best city in the county.

And no, those apartments are not bad looking. But I will bet you my house that none of those are in the 92647 zip code, where the poster is looking in the city. They are probably in the 92648/92649 zip codes. You need to understand that I am talking specifically about the areas that the poster is looking in, NOT THE GOOD NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY!!!

Stop overboasting this area of south Huntington Beach. It looks as bad as Santa Ana and Anaheim do.

[BreaOC]

I believe it may be you who are not making sense. I presented 5 apartments from numerous areas around HB that all look fairly similar. These apartments are definitely in HB, and they represent the appearance of the vast majority of apartments you will find in HB. And yes, you never used the word mess to describe it, but saying it is inner city in appearance and is going downhill fast or saying that it is an "overpriced dump" or a "craphole" would imply that is what was meant.

[aimsley27]

I just read all of these posts bashing HB. I lived there for 8 years in all areas of the city. I have lived in the "ghetto" areas, the average areas and the great areas. I now live in Laguna Niguel, work in Aliso Viejo and I would go back to HB in a heart beat if I had the chance. I think that if someone wants a town like Irvine, then they don't get the point of a place like HB. I actually think that recently it is becoming less ghetto because of prices for homes over the past 5 years. I witnessed the single and the college age being pushed out for all of the families that were moving in. Like mentioned before, this city isn't only 20 years new like some areas. Parts of the city are older and not as nice. Would I hesitate to be out at night in any of those areas? No. I loved every minute of my recent 8 years in HB. I also lived in Costa Mesa. To me, that has way more not so great areas. I think if someone wants a laid back coastal area that isn't stepford wives central, HB is perfect. I think that all it takes is a drive around the area one afternoon and anyone can see the good and the bad. Give HB a chance!! Surf City!!!

[fipster]

Huntington Beach has great weather. But it is getting rather old. But if you like spending time at the beach, then it's the place to be. Costa Mesa, on the other hand, has nice homes but underperforming schools. Irvine has nice homes and good schools. But it's nowhere near a beach.

1. Stay away from Santa Ana - most of it is bad.
2. Stay away from Anaheim - most of it is bad.
3. Irvine is very nice - most of it is good.
4. Huntington is nice - it's just a little far from the freeway.
5. Stay away from Garden Grove - most of it is bad.

If you want nicer homes, you can always move to South County - it has a very nice, serene, cemetary feel to it.
Come on folks, all great cities are great because of its population size.

Personally, for a middle class family in Orange County, I would choose to live in either Irvine or Huntington Beach.
Actually I lived in Fountain Valley, next to HB and I loved it there.
I live in Tustin, next to IRvine now and I think's it's barely okay.

My place in Tustin is a lot nicer than my old place in FOuntain Valley, but FV was absolutely a better location.

[bob-jenkins]

Originally Posted by fipster

Huntington Beach has great weather. But it is getting rather old. But if you like spending time at the beach, then it's the place to be. Costa Mesa, on the other hand, has nice homes but underperforming schools. Irvine has nice homes and good schools. But it's nowhere near a beach.

Newport Coast has all the positive characteristics you mentioned.

Huntington's beach is not as good as Seal Beach or any of the southern county beaches. Its dirty and dull. Huntington;s schools are getting bad for a large portion of the city.