Where do tree hugging, vegetarian liberals belong in OC? (San Diego: living, shop)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

DH and I are tree hugging, liberal, ethical vegetarians and parents of two little girls in our mid 30's. We grew up in Detroit, moved to San Diego where we lived for 10 years and then moved to Santa Cruz for 3 years. This past summer we moved to Chicago and we're completely miserable. We miss California something terrible. We are moving back in 3 weeks. DH prefers southern to northern California so to be fair to him I am researching Orange County (I'm not a fan of San Diego or LA due to the air quality issues). But I hear that it is conservative and that would not be a good fit for us. Are there liberal parts of OC? I hear Laguna Beach is liberal, but is it relative? People say that Austin TX is liberal too and I'd say it is for TX, but not compared to actual liberal towns (Berkeley, Santa Cruz for example).

Our priorities in order:
1. Very safe, clean neighborhoods (read: no gang or drug activity)
2. Clean air
3. Great public schools
4. Like minded people
5. Close proximity to health food stores (Trader Joes, Whole Foods type)
6. We'd like to be able to afford to buy a modest home at some point in the $600K-$650K range.

I was hoping to get some direction and input from the locals as well. Thanks in advance!

have not read any of the responses, but would guess you really do not belong in Oc period, maybe one of the beach areas, but no place else.
By the way, I love Trader Joes and miss it so much now that we don't live in Trader Joes land, but it really isn't a true health food store, you are living in a dream world. Any store can claim "health food" but few really are.

I think there may be other parts of the state that will please you more than OC> I am a little bothered by a comment you made: like minded, shouldn't your kids be exposed to all ways of thinking??
You can not protect them from others views foever.. Are you worried that if they hear others views on life you may lose control?

Nita

[Fontucky]

Thank you for the explanation. So Cal liberalism (especially in OC) can't hold a candle to the Nor Cal version. To put it bluntly, you ain't gonna find it here, even in Laguna, which is undergoing demo shifts itself.

Just look at the election returns from OC as they pertain to Prop 8. I include a graphic for your convenience.

Your people aren't down here. You hear that, DH?

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I am a little bothered by a comment you made: like minded, shouldn't your kids be exposed to all ways of thinking??
You can not protect them from others views foever.. Are you worried that if they hear others views on life you may lose control? Nita

I think it is a very normal thing to want to raise your children around people who share your same core values. It isn't anything to get offended over. If teaching our children the values of compassion for all living creatures, caring for others, taking care of the planet, doing what you can to make the world a better place, having priorities in the right places etc... is controlling, then so be it!

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Thank you for the explanation. So Cal liberalism (especially in OC) can't hold a candle to the Nor Cal version. To put it bluntly, you ain't gonna find it here, even in Laguna, which is undergoing demo shifts itself.

Just look at the election returns from OC as they pertain to Prop 8. I include a graphic for your convenience.

Your people aren't down here. You hear that, DH?

lol! Thanks Fontucky!

[Charles]

What about the employment situation? Where will that be? (This may have been mentioned in other threads but I don't remember.)

[jaynetarzana]

If we were in southern California, DH would work out of Pomona.

[phloxy]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I am a little bothered by a comment you made: like minded, shouldn't your kids be exposed to all ways of thinking??
You can not protect them from others views foever.. Are you worried that if they hear others views on life you may lose control?

Basically, nearly everywhere in the entire world is a place where commodification of animals is promoted and considered the norm. For people who choose not to use animal flesh or secretions, their homes are the only refuge. So the kids are getting plenty of exposure to many different views every time they watch TV or walk down the street. I don't blame parents like this for wanting to raise their kids among like minds. People are often quick to ridicule or can be really insensitive toward those who choose this lifestyle.

[Mach50]

We met a few people like this in OC, who claim to be "tree hugging vegetarian liberals"....However come to find out, they aren't really being "tree hugging vegetarian liberals" to help others, they are basically just trying to limit how many times they eat junk food and want to shop at the latest store with "Green" or "Environmental" in the title...

Nothing like NorCal can be found down in SoCal...trust me it's 2 completely different souls.

[OC Investor2]

Where do tree hugging, vegetarian liberals belong in OC?

-In the departure terminal at JWA catching the next flight to Nor Cal.
-I-405 N heading to West LA/ Santa Monica
-Fullerton train Depot catching the next surfliner to Santa Barbara.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

I am researching Orange County

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

If we were in southern California, DH would work out of Pomona.

That sounds pretty bad. Are sure you (but ask your husband) want OC? Google maps says 90 minutes one way in traffic and that's from Irvine - anything further south would be worse.

Any differences between liberal vs conservative are in the noise compared to the hassle of the commute.