Recently spent time in Orange county and enjoyed it! (Los Angeles: homes, square footage)

[goolsbyjazz]

Just stopped by to say my wife and I stayed in Orange last week as I was on a business trip and we liked what we saw. Took trips through Irvine, Orange, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach and aside from traffic (which was only bad at times) it was fairly easy to get around. The people were friendly, the pace was relaxed (aside from Newport Beach) and there was so much to see and do.

Long story short, we will visit again.

[Chava61]

Orange County is definitely a nice area!

[sacreole]

I concur. I just came back from a 4-day getaway in Newport Beach. I had an awesome time. Glad you enjoyed your visit, goolsbyjazz.

[urbancuriosity]

Orange County hasn't gone the way of LA and SF yet. There is still a degree of normalcy here.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by urbancuriosity

Orange County hasn't gone the way of LA and SF yet. There is still a degree of normalcy here.

To be fair, despite its density, OC is essentially suburban (with the exception of a few pockets) i.e. it’s an apples to oranges comparison. That said, there isn’t much to dislike.

[CamThomas]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

To be fair, despite its density, OC is essentially suburban (with the exception of a few pockets) i.e. it’s an apples to oranges comparison. That said, there isn’t much to dislike.

I don't even think OC is that dense. And the traffic is decent.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by CamThomas

I don't even think OC is that dense. And the traffic is decent.

It’s a myth it isn’t that dense relative to its lack of an urban core in favor of newer ‘pockets’ and the image of suburban sprawl/its many beach communities. Actually, however, OC is more densely populated than twenty-something states, and the only county in California with a higher density rank is SF. Consider Anaheim, Irvine, and Santa Ana; also keep in mind the far reach of the Long Beach/LA metropolitan area, as a whole.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

It’s a myth it isn’t that dense relative to its lack of an urban core in favor of newer ‘pockets’ and the image of suburban sprawl/its many beach communities. Actually, however, OC is more densely populated than twenty-something states, and the only county in California with a higher density rank is SF. Consider Anaheim, Irvine, and Santa Ana; also keep in mind the far reach of the Long Beach/LA metropolitan area, as a whole.

I'm not here to argue that Orange County isn't densely populated, but it's the smallest county in California and a high percentage of the land is suitable for housing.

The parts of Los Angeles County that are flat and close to the coast are also very densely populated. The "less densely populated" parts of Los Angeles County are mountains or desert. Of course, there are not so many people who want to live way out there.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by saibot

I'm not here to argue that Orange County isn't densely populated, but it's the smallest county in California and a high percentage of the land is suitable for housing.

Yeah; hence my point: despite its density (and the fact it’s second in the state to SF), it’s an apples to oranges comparison regarding Urban Curiosity’s previous post - particularly relative to its lack of an urban core. That said, I’m certainly not complaining/arguing - even if the beach community homes are packed in like sardines and require three stories to support any sort of square footage.

[OUgrad09]

Basically, it’s not dense in an urban (NYC) way, but in a suburban way. But that’s SoCal as a whole, not just OC. Not a lot of undeveloped land remains. Most new housing is mixed use multi family repurposing of underutilized parking lots or retail. Have to go all the way down to Rancho Mission Viejo to actually find new SFH builds for the most part.