Garden Grove, Anaheim, Fullerton... (Santa Ana, Irvine: for sale, rent, houses)

[whitechocolate86]

What's up with Garden Grove getting hate..."Garden Grave, Garbage Grove...", it appears to have some nice schools (on paper) and a good middle class vibe...surely Anaheim has some good neighborhoods in it, right? Fullerton...come on Fullerton has to have some good stuff going for it, right?? I really want to see the Fullerton Fox Theater when I get out there.
Everyone knows Santa Ana has its illegals...aren't there talks about the city getting gentrified...people even talk about it having a good business climate...as long as you don't intend to send kids to schools there

[EscapeCalifornia]

Garden Grove - most of it is garbage grove. The only part that's nice is the far west end with the zip 92845 I believe. People who live there are quick to say they live in "West Garden Grove" so you know they don't live in the crappy part.

Anaheim - sort of like garbage grove. Most of it is crappy, except for the eastern part (Anaheim Hills).

Fullerton - probably the best of the three. They're redeveloping the old downtown. The nicer areas have largely become Korean neighborhoods and that's where the better schools are.

[Donn2390]

Garden Grove gets it's bad name due to the fact it is largely an Asian population. Many of the residents left when the Asians moved arrived in such large numbers. Like all towns, it has it's good area and it's bad areas.
To say Anaheim is a bad town is ridiculous. it is a huge city with almost a half a million people. There are some very wealthy areas, and some poor areas, like any large city.
Anaheim Hills is the high rent district of Anaheim, and Peralta Hills is the high rent district of Anaheim Hills. Multi million dollars home flourish. I can't even afford to drive through Peralta Hills..!
For the most part, Anaheim is a great city. They have a fantastic tax base, with D-land, Anaheim stadium, the convention center, it goes on and on. They are swimming in tax money, so they keep the town in super condition . If the town ever got run down, Mickey Mouse would kick their butts..!
Fullerton it a much smaller, nicer, older town. I loved going to the Fox Fullerton in the 60's when it was in operation. It has been closed for many years. There has been a renovation project going on for the Fox for probably 15 or 20 years. They have collected millions to restore it, but are still short of their goal. The project has taken so many years, the cost keeps going up.
I lived in Fullerton for over 30 years and love the place. My first apt was in Anaheim, when I was a pup, so I know both towns very well. Pick the right spot, and you can't lose with either town.
Fox Fullerton Theatre | Contact the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation
Good luck, have fun.........

[antibes]

Originally Posted by whitechocolate86

What's up with Garden Grove getting hate..."Garden Grave, Garbage Grove...", it appears to have some nice schools (on paper) and a good middle class vibe...surely Anaheim has some good neighborhoods in it, right? Fullerton...come on Fullerton has to have some good stuff going for it, right?? I really want to see the Fullerton Fox Theater when I get out there.
Everyone knows Santa Ana has its illegals...aren't there talks about the city getting gentrified...people even talk about it having a good business climate...as long as you don't intend to send kids to schools there

Believe it or not, but you have to be extremely careful if you drive in Garbage Grove. I always thought it was a myth that asian people "can't drive". Its not. Every time I pass Garbage Grove I nearly get into an accident. They don't use turn signals, they don't look before they pull right in front of you within a 1-2 inch margin, they force themselves ahead of you if there's a traffic clogg with so much resentment and condensation I feel sorry for these people.

No wonder its earned the reputation Garbage Grove.

[mdmagana]

I don't care for Garden Grove and would not live there. It reallys isnt that bad... but for Orange County it is kind of dumpy in places. (I grew-up in the Fullerton/Brea area.) I would not live in Anaheim either, but most people don't realize that for a city of it's size, it is actually very safe. It is not as nice as the surrounding areas. Fullerton is easily the best of the three, but stay away from the area boardering Anaheim. The rest of it is great.

[msmoni]

Hi, As someone who moved to Garden Grove in 1952, and is here again, it has always been called Garbage Grove, that isn't new. And yes there is a large Asian population, also Hispanic, and white, probably equal numbers of each. But lately in the area where I live, basically central near the old downtown, I have seen a lot more signs of gang tagging, which isn't good, and a lot of the neighborhoods look rather shabby. I would say there isn't much charm here. But like anywhere, there are good areas and bad, and at least there is diversity, both ethnic and economic, which you don't find in some areas in OC. I think the schools are good, and the Regional library system that GG is part of is fantastic. It all depends on what you want.

[GGsince67]

I have lived in GG since I was a child. It still has some nice areas but they are few and far between. Being called "garbage grove" is nothing new and for years I fought the title and defended my hometown. Today I can no longer do this.
The gang problem is showing it's ugly face just about everywhere (Mexican tagging according to police.) And "clown houses" are popping up everywhere as well (three or more families in one home.)
Our mayor, William Dalton, is pretty useless.

We are finally putting our home up for sale--who knows how long it will take to sell--and leaving California. We're sick of it.

[OChomepro]

As a former Garbage Grove Argonut who grew up there in the 1950s and 1960s, I have a lot of fond memories of the area. It has changed just as many areas do as they age. I've lived in south Orange County pretty much since 1980 and it's changed alot since then as well.

[killer2021]

Originally Posted by OChomepro

As a former Garbage Grove Argonut who grew up there in the 1950s and 1960s, I have a lot of fond memories of the area. It has changed just as many areas do as they age. I've lived in south Orange County pretty much since 1980 and it's changed alot since then as well.

Yea it is has changed for the worst. Rich leaving and poor moving in. you know what that means.

[fipster]

I think that people will always be partial to where they grew up. In Orange County, Santa Ana is always known to be poverty stricken. I think the same pretty much goes for Anaheim. Of course the east side is nice, but the area where the majority of the population lives is pretty ghetto. Garden Grove is mostly working class except for the west side. As for Fullerton, it's basically north county and totally inland, so I don't know much about it. I think that White people tend to gravitate towards the coast - such as Huntington and Newport. Asians prefer the suburbs of Fountain Valley and Irvine. Hispanics like the hills in Orange and Tustin. Whereas everyone think Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Garden Grove are somewhat lower class. As for me, I think Fountain Valley is the ideal central location. It's not too far from the restaurants and shops of Westminster and Garden Grove. It's close enough to the beaches of Huntington and Newport. And it's within driving distance to the colleges in Costa Mesa and Irvine.