Moving from Texas to Orange County Help--taxes, phone, all! (Santa Ana: best city, sales)

[TXtoCAL]

Hello City-Data folks,
I'm moving this month from Texas to Orange County, CA.

I need some help! I'll be moving into a rented condo.

Where and from whom to do I get electricity, gas, telephone, and cable. How much do they run?

What kind of income tax is charged in CA? Texas has only sales tax. Is the income tax on income, or income and things of value (car, etc).

What are the best places to live in Orange County? I've looked in Mission Viejo, Huntington Beach, Laguna Hills.

Thanks in advance for all of your help. I so much appreciate this site.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Electricity - So Cal Edison
Gas - The Gas Company
Telephone - Verizon or AT&T depending on area (but I'd just use cell phones) Can also be supplied by cable company
Cable - Time Warner or Cox depending on area

The landlord should tell you who to contact to put service in your name.

Costs vary widely with usage. You might spend $30/mo on electricity or you might spend $200/mo. Gas is pretty cheap since you don't need that much heat out here. The more inland cities will get hotter in the summer so you'll need more AC in the summer.

Income tax is withheld from your paycheck. The rates are very progressive so you'll be in the higher brackets before you know it. You'll pay a property tax on your car when you register it every year. The amount depends on the age and original cost of the car.

Any the cities you mentioned are fine.

[TXtoCAL]

Thank you!

[missionhome]

The best place to lives depends on your personality. Huntington Beach is really popular with young people in their 20's who want some active nightlife and love the beach. There are lots of surfer type hangouts in the downtown area of Huntington.

Mission Viejo is a lot more suburban (although inland Huntington is pretty suburban too). It can seem sort of family oriented for some young people but it is a really pretty area with lots of lush green trees and parks. It is very very safe and their are lots of outdoor activities in the foothills. Laguna Hills is pretty much similar to Mission Viejo, just with different political boundaries.

So, if you can describe what you are looking for in a city it might be easier to find a match for you that would be your "best city." Then we can point you in the right direction and help you choose a city. Sample questions we may have are "Where will you be working," "do you prefer beaches, hills, lakes, etc..," "what kind of nightlife do you want," "are you looking for people your age," etc.....

[Purely Percherons]

Escape covered it nicely. And yes, the three cities you mentioned are places I would consider if I were contemplating a move back to O.C. All three of the areas you mentioned are surrounded by good if not exceptional shopping, dining and entertainment. Laguna Beach is an artists haven ...art galleries, cafes, ambience & cultured events. Laguna Beach is quite a charming atmosphere and be prepared to struggle in traffic especially on the weekends in these areas. Be prepared for heavy traffic and commute times in general at any time, any day. In either three of these places, you will enjoy some prevailing ocean breezes making for slightly cooler days and a bit more comfortable compared to inland. Best of luck to you.

[killer2021]

The general idea on the best place to live is: South Orange County and near the beach.

Avoid Santa Ana at all costs.

rent starts at about 1,300$/month.

[TXtoCAL]

Thanks all for your help.

I will be working around the area with the home office in Irvine near Tustin.

Being out of the 'smog zone' is very important. My resident's salaray won't be much, so I need as inexpensive a place as possible in Orange County. I would like south rather thank north, so Mission Viejo and surrounding seem good.

[killer2021]

Originally Posted by TXtoCAL

Thanks all for your help.

I will be working around the area with the home office in Irvine near Tustin.

Being out of the 'smog zone' is very important. My resident's salaray won't be much, so I need as inexpensive a place as possible in Orange County. I would like south rather thank north, so Mission Viejo and surrounding seem good.

Rent starts at 1,300 at least. If you need cheaper you need roommates.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I don't think you're really going to escape smog anywhere in LA/OC/IE although south OC is probably better than LA or north OC.

[missionhome]

South Orange County is all pretty nice and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I guess it is just a matter of finding a condo you really like and can afford. Culturally, South OC is pretty much all the same except for San Clemente and Laguna Beach which have a slightly more distinct beach culture. The rest of the cities are more or less the same. Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, etc.... are pretty good areas. The smog is not as bad in my opinion. The area is very hilly so the smog isn't really visible because you can't really see the horizon since there are usually hills in the way. My husband does Mission Viejo to the Irvine Spectrum area and it takes him fifteen to twenty minutes. I would imagine the Tustin end of Irvine is a little bit longer.