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As for subdivisions with ONLY older families ,I don't know of any .I have a friend living in Crown Royale (a subdivision of older 3000+ sq ft homes ) ,and I've noticed that they don't have any kids there (the whole subdivision is one street ),but it's hard to tell which subdivision has kids and which doesn't .The senior ppl in south OC live in leisure world ( city of Laguna Wood &parts of the Laguna Hills city ),don't worry about the kids here there is a lot to keep them busy with all the parks ,the playing areas in the mall,the YMCA(swimming pool,soccer/basketball/fitness center/ballet classes/wall climbing),the Jumpin and Jamin ,Chuck E. Cheese .Every time I go with my daughter to the Laguna Regional Park all I see there are families with kids ,or kids with their nannies.
If you buy in Mission viejo then the lake is the best thing for kids ,if you don't and have friends who live there.. u can purchase (through them )a 1 day pass ,$2/guest.I always do this through my gf who lives there ,and if u move here ,it will be my pleasure if we can take the kids sometimes to have fun there.The lake has sand beaches where (unlike the real beaches ) the kids can really swim there.Also the lake has picnic area with barbecues and a playground.The surrounded area outside the lake has a shopping center with few restaurants overlooking the lake and its open to public no matter where you live .That will be like 5-10 miles from Laguna niguel (depends which part of LN).
Seriously there are tons of activities for kids in OC .There is the water park in Irvine (Wild Rivers) ,you can purchase an annual pass ,or ticket for one day pass there .
both the Fashion outdoor mall in NB,and the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine will be close to you and they have many events for the families and playing areas for the kids . http://www.stockteam.com/newport5.html
The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana is another fun and informative place for the whole family (especially the kids).
The boomers also is very fun for the kids .
In close by San Juan Capistrano there is a place called Bridges Training Stable that offers horse riding lessons for all ages .There is another one in Laguna hills but I dont remember its name .
The YMCA (for the cities of LB,Alsio Viejo,and Laguna niguel ) is located in Laguna Niguel ,that's a plus if you live in LN .I have to drive (2 times/week)now all the way from north LB to LN to take my daughter to her ballet class in the YMCA .
Also if you buy a house located at La paz(between crown valley & Aliso Creek) there is a walking trail goes under the street(La paz ) to the Laguna Regional Park .There are many good newer houses without the Mello Roos there in subdivisions like Rancho Niguel (pool&spa ..houses start from the mid $600s),Sunshine (small park for the kids ,houses strart from the lower $700s ),and Niguel Ridge (houses strt from the lower 700s,associ.fee is only $80/monthly).
If the noise bothers you,then you wanna keep away from the area close to Cabot st &Crown Valley(where Costco is ) .The train is passing through this area and you can hear its noise if you live there .
One of the best public elemntray school in whole OC is Laguna Niguel Elementary school ,its a newer school with rating of 10.. and everyone in LN and surrounding cities trying to enroll their kids there ,it is very hard to find a place there for your kid if you don't live within its area .Check their site :http://www.capousd.org/lnes/.It (broken link).It is like enrolling ur kids in a prv school for free .
Another good school is Moulton (my daughter will be going there next year ),the area is nice and the school is excellent ,rating is 8 and its a blue ribbon school . Site :http://www.capousd.org/mnes/index.htm
George White Elementary School is a great public school located at Golden Lantern&Chapparosa Park Dr .The Chapparosa park is next to the school (1 bloc) .the park site :http://ci.laguna-niguel.ca.us/index.asp?SID=463.
If u like I can upload some photos of the area for you
I love South/Central Beach side of OC mainly for the safety issue ,and for the school .If one can afford it ..then its the best place to be in (if not then it doesn't worth the stress).For me safety ,schools ,and anything related to raising kids are way more important than nightlife/liberal or conservative/democrat or republican/ shopping .
If anyone has any similar infor on HB or Irvine/Tustin that would be great too (Central OC)
We have just moved to California from Michigan 7 months back and bought a new house in Tustin (bordering Irvine) in Columbus Grove. This new house with 5 bedrooms cost us about 1 million dollars.The Irvine area is pretty good, family point of view. It has good places, parks, malls and restaurants. Also it is quite a good ranking school district. My kids are almost 3 and 6 and in my opinion Irvine is a good place to live if you have kids. Irvine was ranked 7th safest city in USA by a survey recently.
Consider reading this post ? There are many truths in this writing but I have to say I have my own opinions of all these topics.
I know a guy working on those Kaiser buildings , at least you must have a well paying job since housing cost is not an issue. I grew up in OC and it's just not my lot in life to be able to continue living in the area that I grew up because it is now unaffordable for me.
We have just moved to California from Michigan 7 months back and bought a new house in Tustin (bordering Irvine) in Columbus Grove. This new house with 5 bedrooms cost us about 1 million dollars.The Irvine area is pretty good, family point of view. It has good places, parks, malls and restaurants. Also it is quite a good ranking school district. My kids are almost 3 and 6 and in my opinion Irvine is a good place to live if you have kids. Irvine was ranked 7th safest city in USA by a survey recently.
How are the (elementary) schools in Tustin? As good as Irvine?
Hello, I thought I would add my two cents on your housing search. I grew up in Irvine not far from your new job and now reside in Foothill Ranch about 20 minutes away from Sand Canyon. All of the areas that have been mentioned are great places. My husband and I have lived in Foothill Ranch for the passed 12 years and love it. Yes, it is a little warmer up here in the summer but it is very nice to sit up against the Saddleback mountain range with some open space "Whiting Ranch Recreational Area" behind us. We enjoy being a little removed from the hustle and bustle of the city and traffic. Foothill Ranch is a very kid friendly community. We have a 3 and 6 year old and have been very blessed to have found some great friends, neighbors and a family orientated community. They offer many fun activites through the city and we even have an Organized Mom's Club that meets and gets all the young kids who do not attend school out and about.
One thing I could consider as you look at these different areas is your commute time. LN is south of Sand Canyon and the traffic in the morning along the 5 freeway is less than enjoyable unless you take the toll road which runs between $1.50 to $3.25 one way. I am personnaly not one who enjoys traffic so I thought I would mention that. The traffic along the 5 freeway either way can turn a 15 minute communte into easily a 30-45 minute drive depending on the time of day.
We are currently looking to move out of CA and can tell you that I would definitely recommend renting before you buy right now. Real Estate hit a high about 3 years ago and in some areas it has come down some. Yes, prices have steadily gone up some over the past few years but instead of property selling in 2 weeks most properties take on average 90-120 days to move. I can tell you that as we prepare to sell our home it will not sell today for what it would have sold for 18-months ago. Be caustious with our real estate and yes Mello Roos and taxes are something to consider. Mello Roos is an added expense but you will find in areas that do not have Mello Roos the home prices will be higher to compensate for that. Many people end up writing off a portion of the Mello Roos which seems to be a gray area according to Accountants..
The El Toro marine based just south of Sand Canyon is in the process of being converted into a Great Park area, housing and light commercial. Also Portola Springs is very close to Sand Canyon. I would check out the Irvine Companies website www.irvineranch.com. They can give you an overview of many of the new home developments and well as an area overview. Quail Hill and Shady Canyon are directly across the street from your job, it is cooler there, new, lots of ammenties and very good schools.
Another great source for homes that are for sale and rent is Realtor.com.
My only concern about Tustin, Santa Ana and even HB would be the school districts. 1st - 3rd grade are 20 students to 1 teacher but K and 4-6 grades usually have 32+ students.
Best of luck, I know from our home search out of state it is an uneasy feeling to be moving to a new area.
If you happen to be looking for a new church when you move I would love to mention our church as well. Saddleback Church, www.saddlebackchurch.com. Our family loves it especially our kids. It is a very relaxed place, with lots of fun activites and ways to get involved in the community and meet new people.
If you happen to be looking for a new church when you move I would love to mention our church as well. Saddleback Church, www.saddlebackchurch.com. Our family loves it especially our kids. It is a very relaxed place, with lots of fun activites and ways to get involved in the community and meet new people.
Isn't your pastor a well-known guy? Or am I thinking of a different church?
Well, he prefers to be known as just another everyday person but his recent book "The Purpose Driven Life" did bring him into the spotlight. Yes, Rick Warren is our pastor.
If you have to go to Orange county, then that's fine. But personally, for 1-1.5Mil, I would live in San Diego. Try Encinitas, it's perfect for the 1-1.5 mil range. The BEST schools (public and private), great housing options, great for familes, and IMO a lot nicer than OC.
To me, it seems that the OC is bland, the inland/Irvine part of it anyway. Just tract sprawl. If that's your thing, than all the power to you, but it's not for me.
Give northern San Diego county a try. I would choose it in a heart beat over the OC, for any price.
Some communities that I like in the 1-1.5 range are (In northern San Diego county), in my order of preference, Encinitas, Carmel Valley, Poway and Rancho Bernardo. Poway and Rancho Bernardo have schools that are on par with the Encinitas district (San Dieguito Union), but those communities are farthehr inland. Which means you'll get hotter weather in the summer and your not as close to the beach. But you'll also get more house for your money. I'm not sure what kind of house you're looking at, but 1-1.5 is a great price range for Poway/RB. In Encinitas, you'll find a smaller house. If you go for a home that's tract, but very upscale like Encinitas Ranch (5-10 min to the beach), you'll get a 4000 Sqft+ home, but on a smaller lot. If you choose closer to the coast, the houses are smaller, but lots generally larger. They are also more expensive, and west of the 5, 1-1.5 has options, but in that price range I would look east of I5. But if you like a 2000-3500 sqft home on an established area with mature trees and such (which I prefer), it's generally 1-1.5 and up for west of I5 and a bit cheaper east. If you get a smaller and/or older home, the prices come down to around a million or a bit less west of I5. But like I said, look east of I5 in the Encinitas area. You might want to consider Olevenhain, which is a community within the incorporated area of Encintias. It's a bit inland, but unless you live right on the coast, you would consider it to be in a coastal location. It also borders what many consider the top place to live in the U.S, rancho santa fe. You'll get great eucluptyus trees, a large piece of land, it's quiet and a nice house. That's actually the exact place I would go for 1-1.5.
I can't stress how great of a town Encinitas is. I've lived here all of my life, and now that I'm 18 and about to go off to college, I'm devastated to leave. Devastated. It's a great town, and I will be back in Encinitas later in life! Oh, Encinitas includes the communities of Old Encinitas, New Encinitas, Olevenhain and Leucadia. Many people are still confused about where's where....and they've lived here all their lives.
Many people on this board usually can only afford a house that isn't in the 1-1.5 range. But you do! Try Encintias, trust me...you'll leave central Orange County in the rear view mirror.
I can't resist:
Orange County over that? Hmmmm....
***note....my grammer and sentence structure and spelling is a bit off, I've noticed. Blame it on the Xanax and god knows what else the doctor has me on for my anxiety/depression about leaving my hometown.
Last edited by BENZBOY15; 03-23-2007 at 08:56 PM..
Well, honestly... I personally am not a fan of S. OC - with a young kid myself, the whole area just doesn't seem to me to be "kid friendly" and very fake and manafactured. I have just moved from Hungtington Beach.... well, it's been almost 6 months now.. but I digress... HB was a great place in my opinion - plenty of parks, near the beach, and much more relaxed. The schools are good - but as always, it depends on which side of town you move to. Not that there are BAD schools, but some are better than others. For school ratings - I say use www.greatschools.com...
There aren't really any gangs in the area, and there are 3 moms groups in the area, off hand that I can think of. I used to run one myself, through meetup.com and I always had a good turn out.
What I personally love the most about HB is that it is laid back, it's casual, but there is still everything you want close by. Most of the major freeways are accessable, and while the housing costs there are pricey, you could certainly find something in your price range. Also, I felt safe there with my son. This was very important, but honestly, I left my car windows rolled down and opened up every day during the summer and spring for 3 years, and never once had a problem.
For younger kids there are classes through the local community centers - I think there are 3 in the town - maybe 2 - and they have all sorts of community events and such - oh and did I mention the EXCELLENT library??? The children's section is GREAT - and had my son at age 3 begging to take him to the 'liberry'!
I know I am rambling... But all in all - HB is good and you can find what you want.
I can't disagree w/ Momzilla HB is excellent and still well-worth the money. HB library is amazing! I leave my bike unlocked sometimes. Very safe city... So. OC is also great. Just for a different type of person..
Benzboy-I know of a few people currently living in LA/OC and they also grew up in Encinitas and call it "the greatest place in the world."
Last edited by newportbeachsmostwanted; 03-24-2007 at 06:08 PM..
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,it is very hard to find a place there for your kid if you don't live within its area .Check their site :http://www.capousd.org/lnes/.It (broken link).It is like enrolling ur kids in a prv school for free 
Irvine (and Tustin) aren't bad either
Huntington Beach
just moved from Hungtington Beach.... well, it's been almost 6 months now.. but I digress... HB was a great place in my opinion - plenty of parks, near the beach, and much more relaxed. The schools are good - but as always, it depends on which side of town you move to. Not that there are BAD schools, but some are better than others. For school ratings - I say use 
