northern oc vs southern oc (Los Angeles, Orange: military, housing, diversity)

[x_isee]

orange county: north or south.
which, in your opinion, is better and why?
lots of feedback please!

[punkrocker27ka]

south orange county is much nicer. a much more suburban feel to it. less traffic. streets are kept in better shape. but it also lacks frequent bus service. everything is much further apart. and it is costlier to live here. and some could argue that it lacks diversity and character that north county neighborhoods have. each are good in their own different ways.

[cityx]

Originally Posted by x_isee

orange county: north or south.
which, in your opinion, is better and why?
lots of feedback please!

Depends a lot on what you're looking for. North OC is generally the older part of the county and is more densely populated. There are some nice areas like parts of Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Brea, and the City of Orange (Orange is more central OC I think). It can get quite warm in NorOc especially in the above mentioned cities, and the air quality is somewhat worse because it's more inland and closer to metro Los Angeles.
South OC is great almost everywhere. Freeways are wider overall, more open space, and with cooler sea breezes. Plus, I think the cities in the south are much safer, newer, and has a more "appealing" lifestyle especially the towns of Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, and Dana Point. If you can afford to live there - go for it!

[AK_Photographer]

Traffic in North OC is horrific while South OC is somewhat more bearable, though still annoying.

[NaplesRes]

A better way to look at this is coastal oc vs. inland oc. Seal Beach in north oc has a lot more in common with laguna beach (south oc) than any inland town like mission viejo, fullerton, or aliso viejo. There are beach towns (coastal) and suburbs (inland) basically. The coastal towns are walkable, have unique shops, and a specific culture. The inland towns are very much your typical suburb.

I guess the one difference between south and north inland suburbs is the south oc suburbs are mostly track housing and are newer.

[cityx]

Also, one thing to remember if you are "weather comfort conscious" is that regardless if you are in the South County or the North County -if you pull more than ten miles inland, away from the ocean, it can get quite warm and the air quality is not as good.

[missionhome]

I do agree with Naples that the beach communities definitly have a more distinct culture. Dana Point is more of the older residents/golfer type of crowd with the mixed in surfers, while San Clemente is very very much a beach city with a laid back culture and surfing and the beach are king. San Clemente is large enough that some neighborhoods like Talega don't really have a beach feel at all though. Hence a culture clash of suburbia with the original San Clemente west of interstate 5 (the beach side).


Geographically though, Dana Point and San Clemente definitly fit into the South County description. While they are different due to the beach vibe, their geographic isolation forces them to be a part of the South County area. They shop at the same mall as people from inland south county, they go to the same churches, their high schools compete against each other in sports, they share movie theaters, their children might go to the same guitar lessons, they go to the same Target, their kids go to the same private schools, and they will cross city borders to eat at each others restauraunts. San Clemente people for example are often seen in a place like Ladera Ranch and Ladera Ranch people are often seen in San Clemente much more than San Clemente people are seen in Seal Beach. Ask a San Clemente kid where Seal Beach is and they probably won't even know!

Also, the suburbanization of South Orange County is definitly present in our two beach cities now too. Just look at place like Talega, Marblehead, the Reserves, or Forester Ranch. If you fell from space into one of these neighborhoods, you would think you are in Rancho Santa Margarita, not San Clemente.

While there are major living differences between south Orange County's inland and coastal cities, they still identify with each other. They aren't mutually exclusive.

[x_isee]

okay thanks for all the help everyone =]
just to tack on another question because i'm hearing a lot of good things about san clemente; are the people there your typical (sorry for the stereotype) bleach blonde, tan, not-so-friends people?

[cityx]

Originally Posted by x_isee

okay thanks for all the help everyone =]
just to tack on another question because i'm hearing a lot of good things about san clemente; are the people there your typical (sorry for the stereotype) bleach blonde, tan, not-so-friends people?

A lot of people in SC fit that bill physically - but I personally have always found the residents there really friendly and laid back. From the military people that live there, to the "beach bums', down to the elderly folks which are especially pleasant. Of course, there are some bad apples everywhere you live but overall, San Clemente is really great albeit a bit more sleepier than the other OC beach cities.

[jksouthbay88]

I like the North more then the South.The Coast is pretty nice too but a big fan of North County OC.