Where do tree hugging, vegetarian liberals belong in OC? (San Diego: low crime, home)

[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!

[EscapeCalifornia]

Laguna Beach, but not on that budget.

[jaynetarzana]

You never know, after this whole mess shakes out, it might be quite possible.

[Fontucky]

What's an ethical vegetarian?

[bhcompy]

the question is do you want to be with like minded people or do you want to live where people dont give a crap and wont get in your face?

i have some friends with the exact same traits as you that just wanted to live somewhere where they could raise their kid in peace and they bounced around areas like santa monica, san francisco, etc and eventually changed directions and tried out rossmoor. after spending time living here, they found rossmoor to their liking because it was quiet and they could do what they want without people bugging them about what they chose to do personally(tattoo'd and pierced vegan surfers) eventhough rossmoor is generally a conservative area voting wise. western oc coastal/near costal cities have a surferish mentality. much more live and let live, regardless of look or belief. i would also consider seal beach, though you may be priced out of seal.

as far as amenities:

Food: Sprouts is in Rossmoor Center, Trader Joes is 5min away, and Wild Oats is across the street from Trader Joes
Schools are top notch
Low crime, no real drug or gang problems to speak of
Near the beach, so air quality is good

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

You never know, after this whole mess shakes out, it might be quite possible.

it might be, but established affluent areas are holding on their value much better than newer areas/outlying areas, and laguna is established

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

What's an ethical vegetarian?

We're vegans for animal rights reasons, not health, although we enjoy the health benefits of the diet as well.

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.[1][2] Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind.[3] The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are an ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights, the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns.[4][5][2] Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources required for animal farming.

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

the question is do you want to be with like minded people or do you want to live where people dont give a crap and wont get in your face?

i have some friends with the exact same traits as you that just wanted to live somewhere where they could raise their kid in peace and they bounced around areas like santa monica, san francisco, etc and eventually changed directions and tried out rossmoor. after spending time living here, they found rossmoor to their liking because it was quiet and they could do what they want without people bugging them about what they chose to do personally(tattoo'd and pierced vegan surfers) eventhough rossmoor is generally a conservative area voting wise. western oc coastal/near costal cities have a surferish mentality. much more live and let live, regardless of look or belief. i would also consider seal beach, though you may be priced out of seal.

as far as amenities:

Food: Sprouts is in Rossmoor Center, Trader Joes is 5min away, and Wild Oats is across the street from Trader Joes
Schools are top notch
Low crime, no real drug or gang problems to speak of
Near the beach, so air quality is good

We want to be near like minded people. It is important to us that our children are around people who share the same values. We lived in San Diego for 10 years and it was way too conservative and from what I understand much of Orange county is even more so. I know that Northern California is a better fit, but DH needs a little more convincing.

[EscapeCalifornia]

You're not going to find Santa Cruz or Berkeley in OC.

[jaynetarzana]

Thank you!!!!!! My point exactly. Thanks for the replies everyone. As always, very much appreciated.