Nervous military family moving to OC in August

[Broadmoor]

Welcome to OC, Foreverbuckeye and many thanks for your husband's service to our country. Please consider our neighborhood of Broadmoor in central Tustin -- right near the 5 & 55 interchange. Homes here are considered very affordable relative to Orange County. If you like 60s midcentury modern architecture, that's the style of homes in here. We've got a homeowners' association, a community pool and two small parks. There's a public school and a private school, both within walking distance. The neighborhood is modest, but real people can actually afford to live here. Many teachers, nurses, city employees, veterans and retired folks make up our little community. More info on the neighborhood and Broadmoor homes for sale or rent are shown on our Myspace page at:
www.myspace.com/broadmoortustin

[foreverbuckeye]

Thanks everyone for all the good information. I think we are going to start out with military housing at Seal Beach temporarily until we can find something larger. Does anyone know when schools begin out there?

[bhcompy]

september. week after labor day.. typically on wednesday. los alamitos unified school district. you'll be very happy here

[Fontucky]

foreverbuckeye, are you nervous because you're relocating, or because you're coming to Orange County?

[foreverbuckeye]

Thanks! That really helps, since we won't be there until the 2nd week in August.

[bhcompy]

i would contact them now to see if you can register your child.. i believe the district is open until the end of the month.. saves confusion. if you're going to be in the city of seal beach the school is mcgaugh elementary. if you're going to be in los alamitos there are a handful of schools the child could be assigned to

[oc2nyc]

I would not look in Lakewood it is not as nice an area as it used to be.
You can find something within the high end of your budget in Los Alamitos, which probably has the best school district, but Garden Grove itself has some nice areas, and Cypress is very family oriented as well. Westminster is predominantly Asian, and the next closest would be Fountain Valley or Huntington Beach, both okay, but a longer commute. Good luck with the move!

[foreverbuckeye]

Thanks for all of the good information. The Navy housing office will be showing us several homes from which to choose, so armed with all of this information, we can hopefully make a good decision. We are most nervous about the cost of living there! We are coming from Alabama, where it is very affordable, and have always been in the midwest, so this is a really big move for us. This might seem like a bizarre question, but what could I expect to pay for highlights in a modest salon? My hairdresser is teasing me about $500 highlights!! I have paid anywhere from $60 in Ohio to $100 in Alabama.