Move from England to Orange County (Huntington Beach, Irvine: low income, renting, crime)

[Mag3.14]

I am from England, and live here with my wife (from the mid-west). She wants to move back to the States (bad weather/family etc), and we have pretty much decided on OC. We were out in Huntington Beach in August looking around and loved it. Probably considering Irvine also, due to jobs, location etc. We have however, been put off by the house prices, traffic etc pretty much all the bad points that you read on this forum.

Is the quality of life really that good? Is the commute from HB to Irvine possible? I am a supermarket manager and don't expect to 'walk' into a high paying job, but if we made salaries of around $70/80k between us, could we survive? how much would we need to earn (ball-park) to get a mortgage, with say a $20k deposit? also, what about vacation time there.. whats the average??
There are so may posts of people leaving california, but surely it can't be all bad?

Sorry to ask for so much info, but it would be great to get some info from people who can give a realistic picture of living in OC rather than visiting there.

Many Thanks

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by ian6479

Most of the negativity you read on this forum about California is total criticism. There's only one huge problem, it's only true for certain areas, that's the key. I don't believe there's much wrong with California, but this is a relocation website, so people do feel frustrated with an area and vent their frustrations on this website. Remember, thirty eight million people do live in California, sixteen million people more than the second most populated state of Texas! Something has had to budge, for this many people still here. Don't be fooled, Huntington Beach and Irvine are perfectly fine, great schools, housing, weather, jobs, and the beach! Huntington Beach to Irvine is probably a 45 minute commute. Vacation time all depends on your companies willingness to give you time off. If you make a salary between you of $70 or $80 K, this is where you'll stand. The median income for both cities can be found on Muninetguide.com. Type in the city, the estimates come from 2000, but the housing bubble has popped a little, meaning prices have gone down.

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

Huntington Beach and Irvine are quintessential Southern California "bubbles." Two cities with a shell that is tough enough to repel any person with bad intentions. Don't get me wrong, neither is free from traffic, air pollution.. or minor crime issues. This is SoCal, but if you want a high quality of life in Southern California-you're going to have to pay for it.

Here it is. Welcome to Southern California.

[vfrpilot]

You can check out home listings on Realtor.com. Currently the cheapest listing is a 2 bed townhome at 400k. IMO, anything close to the beach is a great investment as the area is limited and desireable. Renting might be an option to think about. Sometimes you can find better deals if you are already living in the area. Huntington Beach is one of the nicest places in SoCal.

[actionwoman]

hi my names sarah and im looking to move to calafornia too and im from the u.k so we can share advice if you want.If your looking for jobs theres a really good site www.jobsabroad.com they will help you with work living there and getting there.Im still awaiting a reply but only applied yesterday if you have any tips they would be greatly appreciated!My personal email address is actionwoman@boltblue.com look forward to hearing from you and GOOD LUCK!

[cassaka2]

I will just say one thing....I LOVE ORANGE COUNTY. Great place to live.....too many reasons to list. Almost worth the crazy cost of living.

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

On the plus side, it's a beautiful place. Most likely one of the best looking areas in the country. Just lacking some character(it is all relatively new).

Look for homes built in the 60/70's if you want to buy a home with any character. Laguna Beach has the least cookie cutters. -That would be my preferance. Only thing is-the city is incredibly expensive.


RSM is an incredible community. It was rated as the #1 best designed community in America last year. Unfortunately, all the homes/townhomes are brand new (they look great), but have no character and little attention to detail. A lot of the townhouses look exactely the same.


(I apologize for my grammar mistakes, I'm going to begin to type quickly)


Coto De Caza also has some VERY ugly and expensive concrete boxes. You need at least $2 million to buy a home that doesn't look like neighbors A,B,C,D, and E. $7 million can land you a private pond and a home on 2 acres.


Irvine and most of Mission Viejo(newer) are diversified, but still maintain neighborhood character. Irvine has an exclusive gated community called, "Shady Canyon." This is where Mark McGuire is hiding out in a $5 million dollar mansion. Homes are built with a tuscany influence and overlook hills and the golf course.

Turtle Ridge is a pretty decent Irvine area also. It is west of the 405 freeway and east of the 73. You are close to the shopping at UCI, and have quick access to Fashion Island/Newport Coast/Crystal Cove.

If you follow Newport Coast Dr. west from Irvine, you will reach Newport Coast. Some of the best schools in the country are in Newport Coast. The quality of life is probably #1 or #2 in the OC. There is only one shopping center in Newport Coast-It has a Grocery store, and a few of small necessities. Other than that you are five minutes from the shops/restaurants at Fashion Island.

If you ever wanted to check out some houses, I'd recommend taking a left from Newport Coast Dr. (west) onto Spyglass Hill. This is one of the few ungated neighborhoods. It has homes that have incredible views of the ocean, Balboa, Fashion Island, and Irvine.

Costa Mesa is "cool," alternative, different, and little more vibrant. Although Triangle Square is dead, and Tower Records is now gone. There's a hefty amount of students and low income people living in Costa Mesa. They have also has some Democrats run for office.(didn't win) The Daily Pilot(CM/NB newspaper) often runs editorials from liberals. However, the general consensus is that the overall majority is still very fiscally conservative.


Lastly, one of my favorite place in Orange County is Corona Del Mar. West of PCH, takes on a diversified feel of styles. You could almost mistake some of the homes for being in Rhode Island. There are beach fire pits below, you can walk to the shops on PCH. The owner of the Irvine company has a nice beachfront mansion in CDM. There's a home on the market right now for $70 million-it was on Oprah, Good Day LA, and the Today Show.

From CDM, Laguna is only ten minutes away. (one bummer though: congestion.) PCH is notorious for being congested right as you enter CDM. It is impossible to ever widen due to lack of parking and open space. One possibiltity that may never happen is a tunnel to be built under the congestion. This would allow through traffic a clear ride on PCH.

[aguamarina4u]

Ian I sent you a pm too. Btw, have you guys started your DCF through London yet?