Gay in Orange County (San Diego, San Francisco: neighborhoods, living in, moving to)

[BearLaker]

I have searched the internet repeatedly to find out if there are any areas in OC that are better for an older gay couple. So far...not much luck.

My partner and I are moving to be near my family and would like to hope that some areas of OC are seriously gay-friendly.

Or would we be better off in the Long Beach area?

We are looking for someplace safe, since we are both retiring (read:aging!)

Also, we would only be in CA in the winter...so summer heat is not a concern.

Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Fontucky]

Laguna Beach is, hands down, the most gay friendly city in OC, and has been for many decades.

EDIT: And when I say gay friendly, I mean seriously gay friendly, on par with San Francisco.

[Mach50]

Definitely the Laguna Area, if the beach is too expensive you could try something near there. But overall OC is not the most progressive county. You might seriously consider living in Long Beach or even Hillcrest in San Diego. If it is any indication I would say there is about 100-1 "Yes on Prop 8" signs here in OC.

[BearLaker]

Thanks for the input. I heard that Laguna used to be very gay, but that all the bars closed and the yuppies started moving in. Unsure if that's true or not.

We considered SD but it was so far from anything and you have to get on the expressway to go anywhere.

We were also considering Irvine because it's not a long drive to LB or LA, and the train stops there. Plus they have lots of tennis facilities, which we like.

There also seem to be bars/clubs and community in the Santa Ana area...but I hear it's not the best place to live.

Any other observations are welcome! Thanks!

[AnUnidentifiedMale]

Aliso Viejo has become one of the gayer cities in Orange County, but it has a very suburban/family-oriented feel to it.

Originally Posted by BearLaker

I have searched the internet repeatedly to find out if there are any areas in OC that are better for an older gay couple. So far...not much luck.

My partner and I are moving to be near my family and would like to hope that some areas of OC are seriously gay-friendly.

Or would we be better off in the Long Beach area?

We are looking for someplace safe, since we are both retiring (read:aging!)

Also, we would only be in CA in the winter...so summer heat is not a concern.

Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

[OC2Jax]

Originally Posted by BearLaker

We were also considering Irvine because it's not a long drive to LB or LA, and the train stops there. Plus they have lots of tennis facilities, which we like.

There also seem to be bars/clubs and community in the Santa Ana area...but I hear it's not the best place to live.

You won't like Irvine...WAY too many right wing types there. I lived there for one year...couldn't wait to leave.

Santa Ana actually has a fancy, rich area off of Flower Street, but you have to drive through the hood to get there. Not recommended to be in Santa Ana.

Just watch out for neighborhoods in Long Beach. I graduated from CSULB and the neighborhood around it is nice but several blocks north on 7th St. it gets seedy. The closer you are to the ocean, the better and more expensive it is. There is a scene there, though.

You can pick up a copy of the OC BLade at Borders Books or read it online to find out more about the scene in OC. http://www.gayblade.com

The east side of Costa Mesa is nice...anywhere off of Irvine Avenue between Mesa Drive and 17th Street. And you have access to Back Bay where the bike paths are. There are tennis courts across from TeWinkle Park (across from OC Fairgrounds near the skatepark), but you have to pay to play there.

Good luck!

[BearLaker]

Originally Posted by OC2Jax

You won't like Irvine...WAY too many right wing types there. I lived there for one year...couldn't wait to leave.

Santa Ana actually has a fancy, rich area off of Flower Street, but you have to drive through the hood to get there. Not recommended to be in Santa Ana.

Just watch out for neighborhoods in Long Beach. I graduated from CSULB and the neighborhood around it is nice but several blocks north on 7th St. it gets seedy. The closer you are to the ocean, the better and more expensive it is. There is a scene there, though.

You can pick up a copy of the OC BLade at Borders Books or read it online to find out more about the scene in OC. http://www.gayblade.com

The east side of Costa Mesa is nice...anywhere off of Irvine Avenue between Mesa Drive and 17th Street. And you have access to Back Bay where the bike paths are. There are tennis courts across from TeWinkle Park (across from OC Fairgrounds near the skatepark), but you have to pay to play there.

Good luck!

Thanks for your input!

I was surprised to hear you say that about Irvine since they are one of the few areas that carried Obama and NO on Prop 8. So MANY other places were RED on the OC Register's map!

[AzianCalFullertonStudent]

Originally Posted by Mach50

Definitely the Laguna Area, if the beach is too expensive you could try something near there. But overall OC is not the most progressive county. You might seriously consider living in Long Beach or even Hillcrest in San Diego. If it is any indication I would say there is about 100-1 "Yes on Prop 8" signs here in OC.

There's a lot of Yes on Prop 8 signs in the Long Beach area too. However, there's a gay pride parade there, so check it out.

[cobmw]

West Hollywood.

Seriously why all these posts about needing a gay area? Do you plan to fly a gay flag for the world to see? Should we proclaim an area as "non gay friendly". How about we just live our lives without these special distinctions?

[BearLaker]

Originally Posted by cobmw

West Hollywood.

Seriously why all these posts about needing a gay area? Do you plan to fly a gay flag for the world to see? Should we proclaim an area as "non gay friendly". How about we just live our lives without these special distinctions?

I don't really think we need a gay area, but we definitely need a gay-friendly area.

We simply don't want to end up with a group of neighbors that hate us because we're gay; who don't want us to join the country club; who won't come over for dinner; who don't want us talking to their young children, etc.

We don't fly a flag, but we DON'T want to hide.

No one needs to proclaim a "non gay friendly" area. I can assure you that the gay people living in your communities already know where those areas are, just like we do where we live now.

But I appreciate your idealogy...it would be a great world!