RN considering move to Fullerton area (Santa Ana, Irvine: fit in, real estate, apartments)

[catwoman66]

I have family in Fullerton, and the surrounding area & have been there to visit several times. I am considering moving out there. I would live in an apartment and this would be an opportunity to spend more time with my family and at the beach. I would not be looking to stay longer than five years or so, and would not want to purchase a home there. I have some specific questions about the area;

1.) My sister has lived out there for years and HATES it. I cannot understand why. She says that it sucks because of; crowding, traffic, illegals, high cost of living. She says it is not the Southern California of her memories. I understand the area has changed, however to a visitor like myself from Kansas, it seemed like paradise every time I was there. So, DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY LIKE LIVING THERE???

2.) My price range for an apartment would be around $1500 per month. What will I be living with at this range? The aparments on Yahoo listings look and sound great! However, I have read on here that college kids and their NOISE can be a problem. Is this something I should expect to encounter in this price range? Could I find a clean, pest free (roach free), safe place to live for this amount?

3.) What is up with the illegals? I'm not talking about the politics; I know it is a hot topic. Please don't digress too much into the whole issue on here, remember, I am asking for opinions to use to make a very important decision in my life. We cant change the fact that there are illegals living there, what I want to know is, other than the fair/not fair argument, why do people mind living around them? My sis says that you do not know where they came from or who they are (Mexican prisons/criminals). Are you afraid of them? Would I be living in a dangerous situation at the price range listed above?

4.) What is the dating scene like out there for a divorced woman in her late 30s to early 40s? In Kansas, it sucks. There are nothing but rednecks and hicks around here. I would like to meet some nice, well educated, EMPLOYED men in my age range or older. Is this something that is realistic out there?

5.) What makes Southern California conservative? When I was there, I saw thong bikinies, a nude beach, and a stylish punk rock server with multiple tatoos at the LA Hard Rock Cafe, among many other sites. This is not conservative to someone from Kansas. I am much more liberal than most people here; I'm vegan, and very much a free thinker. I think I would fit in better in Northern California and may pursue that someday, but that is not where my family is located. I don't have a problem fitting in around the stuffy atmosphere in KS and so I cant imagine it would be a problem out there, but I want to know what in the world they mean by "conservative" when they refer to the area. Are there Bible thumpers hiding in the bushes? Does Jimmy Swaggert have a resort out there? I just don't get it. Educate me please.

6.) Does anyone know about nursing out there? What are the jobs like? I am an RN with a Masters degree, and I would just want to find a nice 12 hour shift hosptial position, preferably in psych or step down from med/surg, but can work in any area at all. My degree is in psychology and I may attend Cal State at Fullerton to get a second Masters in nursing. Any RNs with any comments out there?

Thanks in advance. ANY and all comments will be greatly appriciated.

[MisterDuke]

1. Yes, traffic is bad. Live close to your job or be prepared to suffer.

2. Yes, you should be able to find something very nice in the Fullerton area for $1500 a month. In general, you might want to keep away from the immediate vicinity of CSUF and the big apt towers in downtown near the junior college. They draw a lot of people who are living on their own for the first time... with all the issues that entails.

3. Why do I mind living around illegal aliens? First, I'm not really sure who the illegal aliens are (though there are apparently many people in OC who assume that everyone with brown skin has entered this country illegally). How exactly would you know the citizenship status of every person you see at the mall or grocery store or church?

4. There is somewhere around 6 million people living within an hour of Fullerton. There are plenty of ways to meeting new people.

5. So Cal isn't conservative, it's moderate. There are areas that lean a little left or a little right. Orange County used to be firmly conservative, but now it is moderate, leaning right.

[catwoman66]

Thanks! It is nice to hear some positive comments like that & a different viewpoint than what I frequently hear from my family. Anyone else have anything to add?

I would really love to hear from someone in healthcare. I'm wondering what nursing is like out there.

[LAMelanie]

I have plenty to add.

I am a native southern Californian (Orange Countian) and I live in Irvine right now. I will tell you flatly if you MUST live in Fullerton, live in the Sunny Hills area. It is the only halfway decent area there. Downtown Fullerton and DT Brea have nightlife you will probably like. If you don't want to live in SH then Brea would be the next best place. 1500 will get you a very nice apartment because of all of the vacancies that we have with the influx of people leaving.

Yes, we are conservative. Fullerton is a college town, so you might find more liberal people there, but not significantly more.

Fullerton has plenty of illegals. It is a problem here and at least part of the reason that we are having financial problems. Also accounts for a lot of the crime. I would suggest reading The Orange County Register for more information on this. Pay special attention to some of the comments. That will give you additional idea on how we feel about the illegal hispanic population. This will correct itself as jobs become less and less available and they leave the state. There is a huge population of hispanics in Fullerton. I promise you they are not all legal immigrants.

[diggler86]

1) People are here for two reason the first is climate and the second is activities. The major drawback is cost of living. You may be in for a shock from Kansas, I suggest you look at real estate if you plan on buying. Its tough without a dual income. Very tough, but also may be better than some other large cities (NY, SF, etc).

2) You should have no problem finding a nice place for $1500. I live in Brea and that is my rent for month-to-month, if you sign a lease its cheaper. I would recommend not signing up online though, sometimes you need to see the location in person.

3) I have NEVER experienced a problem with illegals or illegal related crimes. Not even so much as a bad look. Obviously stay away from bad areas. I have found SoCal to be much friendlier and safer than most other major cities I have lived/visited/worked, in all income areas. My only gripe is that everyone should pay taxes (we have high state tax here btw).

4) You will probably find more potential dates. Whether or not they want to commit, may be a different story.

5) I dont find Socal conservative AT ALL. I grew up conservative and really think its very liberal here. Most people I meet tend to be on the liberal side, especially the younger crowd. Just the same as any major city. Personally I wouldnt mind if they were a tad more conservative.

6) Nursing is in demand everywhere

[Donn2390]

I lived in and around Fullerton for 50 years. it's a great town, lots of good areas..
If one were an unhappy person, or had a bad experience there, they can say otherwise, but I never saw anything to discourage me. I lived there from teen to retiree... You can't go wrong there.
It's the person, not the place that makes one happy. If you try hard, you can be unhappy anywhere...

[Coldjensens]

We lived in OC for 18 years. It is a great place if you are single and especially if you are young (20-25 or so). Many people find it less than ideal for raising a family (although others think that it is perfect).

It is a very very busy place. Full of hustle and bustle. Every kind of resturuant or store that you can imagine are within a few miles of your house. That is really exciting and pleasant for singles and/or young uns. Later, some people (including us) get tired of everyone always being in a rush. Everyone is focussed on how late they are to whatever the next thing is that they have to be at. Everything is crowded. Traffic jams, and waiting in line are the norm. Driving around looking for parking will become one of your major past times. Most people are frenzied and tend to be inward focused becuase of it. That is the down side.

Orange County is basically scrub desert. Pretty much anything that is green was planted. Most of Orange County is fully developed. Houses, buildings, roads parking lots etc take up almost all of the real estate. There are quite a few parks in sothern Orange County. That is one of the reasons that it is often considered more pleasant. there are wilderness areas within half an hour of Fullerton. At first, Palm trees seemed magical. Later they began to appear to be telephone poles with a green puff at the top (where are the real trees?"). The "rivers" do not have water in them and the "lakes" are man made ponds most of which have the water died green or blue. the ocean is real though and very pretty if you cna find parking (go early and it is no problem). If you like man made gardens and lawns, it is wonderful. If you like natural beauty, you will have to travel to see it.

The "problem" with illegals is mostly perception I believe. People are afraid of what they do not know. They see "mexicans" doing things that they find odd and that is frightening. We lived in Santa Ana (a very left leaning place on most issues by the way). Santa Ana is 80% hispanic. Our neighbors were mostly wonderful once we got to know them. We did have a problem with some friends being afraid to come and visit us. My most loyal friend is a "Mexican" I think that he is legal. Not sure, don't care. He is a great guy and he would do anything for me.

Some parts of OC are very Blue. Santa Ana, Laguna Beach, are the examples that come most readily to mind.

We did see some wierd things (like peeing on the front lawn), but that was not universal. We also saw a lot of overcrowded houses. As far as crime goes, look it up. Santa Ana, the biggest and poorest city in OC is slightly better than average for US cities of its size last time I checked. At one time, for several years, it was the safest city of its size (around 1996 plus or minus) I will let you in on a little secret. Make some "mexican" firends. Their family parties are a blast and put stuffy white people parties to shame.

If you are frightened every time you see anyone who looks "mexican" and you walk around looking scared, you have a better chance of becomming a victim. If you embrace your neighbors and get to know them, you all can look out for each other. You have to watch out though, there is a bad element amongst the immigrant population. We did see some drug deals and some major busts in our neighborhood. There were two shootings within a few blocks of us during the 10 years that we lived in Santa Ana. Crime was not an huge issue for us though. Just use common sense and be careful. what made us leave was schools, the made hustle and bustle that just will not stop, lack of nature, family, and the general moral atmosphere.

The term "mexican" is a generalization. OUr neighbors wer from Mexico, Costs Rica, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Honduras, Tonka, Viet Nam, Korea, China, Sweden, you name it. However the majority were of hispanic origns. But you cannot generalize about them, they are all different. Some good some bad. Some wierd, some "normal"

There is a bit of a materialistic "plastic" atmosphere that is prevalent in OC. For example, our daughters were ridiculed for wearing fake UGG boots to school one time. Just one example, but the concept is common. Things like that happen everywhere, but it is much much more prevelant in OC than it is where we live now. You can ignore it, get used ot it. participate in it or hate it, but it is there.

Fullerton is a great place in my opinion. It has a bit of an old fashioned downtown. A great pizza place. Some nice houses. A few good schools. It is centrally located with good access to freeways and the train.

I like Old Town Orange better. It is very near Fullerton. Santa Ana is not far away if you ahve a pioneering spirit, but I would not recommend some parts of Santa Ana for a single woman. there are some parts of Fullerton, Orange, Irvine, anywhere that I would not recomment for a single woman.

South County has lower crime and more parks. Apartments there will be newer and more expensive. I find most of south Orange County boring. Most places are cookie cutter subdivisions and stip malls. It looks like a giant stepford to me. You cannot tell when you move from one city to another. With a couple of exceptions, they are all the same. However other people love that kind of place. It is certainly filled with low crime neighborhoods and some decent school districts (and quite a few parks).

In my estimation, the best part of living in OC is the proximity to mountains, beaches, desert, and wilderness areas. A short drive takes you to foothills, the beach, the cleveland national forest, a trail to a waterfall, the trail to the bridge to nowhere, etc. A longer drive takes you to Kings Canyon/Sequoia, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce national parks, Yosemite, Gold rush country (white water rafting), Mexico. . . You will never run out of things to do, just do not ever try to go anywhere on a Friday evening.

Nursing opportunities shold be good. We know a few people who are in nursing at CHOC (Childrens Hospital of Orange County) or St. Joes in Orange and at Hoag in Newport Beach. All are pretty good hospitals in our estimation. There are plenty of other good hopsitals all over the place, and it seems that everywhere needs good nurses.

As far as dating, there are lots and lots of dating opportunities. Most of the opportunities are for people who are skinny, athletic, and blonde. However there are lots of available people. The divorce rate is pretty high so it should not be hard to find single men your age. You may find that many of them are divorced for a reaosn, but there must be some good ones out there. If you are Christian, join a church. Some of the mega churches have thousands of members and even have social/dating orginzations.

If you go there expecting to like it, you probably will. If the charm wears off after 18 years, you can always move. With a nursing background, you are very mobile.

[catwoman66]

Thanks guys! Your comments have been very, very helpful!