huntington beach to orange commute (Costa Mesa, Seal Beach: how much, home, construction)

[sleepaholic]

I am considering a position in Orange, and was told my the employer that the commute from the coast (long beach/huntington beach/seal beach) would be 20 minutes with no traffic., is this really true?
I want to live some place with other young singles, things to do, as diverse as possible in OC, and also closer to the ocean. I don't really think Orange would be the best place for me - what do you thing?
thanks in advance. . .

[dennismpat]

Originally Posted by sleepaholic

I am considering a position in Orange, and was told my the employer that the commute from the coast (long beach/huntington beach/seal beach) would be 20 minutes with no traffic., is this really true?
I want to live some place with other young singles, things to do, as diverse as possible in OC, and also closer to the ocean. I don't really think Orange would be the best place for me - what do you thing?
thanks in advance. . .

Yes, 20 minutes from Huntington Beach to Orange with no traffic is possible. However, with morning rush-hour traffic expect it to double to about 40-45 minutes on the 22 Freeway.

Your ideal place that you describe sounds like Huntington Beach, Seal Beach or Costa Mesa would fit the bill, but not Orange, which is inland.

[rivkadr]

Have you driven the 22 lately (i.e. within the past 2-3 weeks)? Now that they've finished the majority of the construction, it's a snap. There's hardly any traffic, even during rush hour.

[dennismpat]

Originally Posted by rivkadr

Have you driven the 22 lately (i.e. within the past 2-3 weeks)? Now that they've finished the majority of the construction, it's a snap. There's hardly any traffic, even during rush hour.

No, I haven't, because nowadays I don't have any reason to go out that way. I used to work in Orange a few years ago and would take the 22 going east in the morning and west in the afternoon. What kind of improvements have been made? More lanes? Because back when I was driving it, the 22 was a parking lot starting at Magnolia (on the eastbound side in the morning). But that's great to know the 22 doesn't have the problems that plagued it before!

[rivkadr]

What kind of improvements have been made? More lanes?

Oh yes! It's about 5 lanes wide in most areas. They're still doing some work from about Bolsa Chica to Magnolia, so it's still a little sluggish there sometimes (but not bad -- it doesn't actually stop, it's just slow compared to the rest of the highway), and I'm not sure how much they're going to actually widen there, because it doesn't look like there's much space to actually widen out. But once you hit Brookhurst (going East), I think it is, there's suddenly 5 lanes of glorious space, and it's smooth sailing. I usually only take the Eastbound 22, but I assume the West 22 is the same way.

Can you tell I'm excited? After sitting in construction for the past several months, and it taking me 90 minutes to get home some days, it's so awesome to get home in 25 minutes nowadays.