moving to Irvine in June...any advice? (San Francisco, Santa Ana: salons, apartment complexes)

[Jasminefire]

Hello,

I will be moving to Irvine this June for an internship and was wondering if anybody had any advice about living there. I've never lived in California before but I have lived in New York City and I grew up in New England.

I'm partically worried about how much everything will cost. I lived on next to nothing when I was living in New York and did okay. I'll be living on a bit more than "next to nothing" for my internship but it still won't be a lot.

Also, any advice on things to do, nightlife, etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[killer2021]

My advice: live close to work possibly within walking distance.

[Poptarts]

There is no nightlife in Irvine, you will have to go to Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, all within 10-20 minutes driving time.

The cost of rent is high, check out the following website for rentals. The majority of apartment complexes in Irvine are owned by The Irvine Company. Rental-Living.com - Find an Apartment

Basic costs such as dry cleaners, hair and nail salons cost more than the neighboring communities, excluding beach communities.

Irvine is a wonderful bedroom community for families, lot of parks and very safe. Great place for joggers, bike riders and hikers.

Your best bet for shopping on a budget is to shop outside of Irvine and go to Walmart for groceries and the Dollar Store for basic household supplies. Although Target is reasonable and located in Irvine.

There is a wonderful farmers market every Saturday in the University Center parking lot, across from UC Irvine on Campus Drive.

There is a $2.00 movie theatre at Barranca and Lake.
https://starplex.tstickets.com/starp...theatreid=1013

You were concerned about costs. My electric bill runs apprx $50 per month. I do not turn on any heat in the winter and do not have air conditioning.

The cable service is through Cox Communications. My cable was approximately $60 per month with movies and cable box. I've since cancelled out of rebellion from lousy customer service and now rent Nexflix movies, Redbox movies at Albertsons or read.

Best of luck to you.

[Coldjensens]

If you will have a car, you can save a lot on rent by living in Santa Ana or possibly Tustin or Orange. Be careful about where you choose though. Some areas of these cities are cheap for a reason.

Think of your apartment as a place to hold your bed. As long as it is reasonably clean and safe do not spend your money on a fancy apartment. Just stay busy and you will never be there.

Focus on free outdoor activities and you will have fun and spent very little money. You cna always go to the beach for the cost of parking. You can go hiking at Silverado Canyon, Holy Jim Falls, Red Rock Canyon and loads of other places. There are lots of bike trails in irvine and other areas. For a long weekend, you can go to Joshua Tree; Las Vegas; Zion Canyon; Grand Canyon; Sequoia/Kings Canyon; Gold Rush country; Even San Francisco. All are about 4-8 hours away. PLan well and you will not need much money. Sleep in your car, camp, or just meet someone at your destination.

Stay away from the resturaunt/bar scene or you will be broke in no time. You might want to join a health club. That is a good way to meet people. If you ahve faith, joining a church is a good source of activities and friends that is not costly.

[fipster]

Irvine is expensive to live in. I suggest you rent a place in Costa Mesa or Tustin. Other that housing, everything else should be normal. In terms of fun,

in the day... you can go to the beach, go hiking, kayaking, biking, or running. you can also surf, bodyboard, play sports.

in the night... you can go the bars/clubs in huntington, costa mesa, and newport.

[Jasminefire]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I've been doing some research and it looks as though Costa Mesa may be a good place for me to live. My internship is pretty close to Costa Mesa. Any thoughts?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Jasminefire

Thank you everyone for the advice. I've been doing some research and it looks as though Costa Mesa may be a good place for me to live. My internship is pretty close to Costa Mesa. Any thoughts?

Costa Mesa's very hit or miss. You really need to check out places in person (on the weekend too) to get a feel for them.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Costa Mesa's very hit or miss. You really need to check out places in person (on the weekend too) to get a feel for them.

Sure, but at least there's nowhere in Costa Mesa that I would consider "scary." That can't be said about a lot of places in the greater LA/OC area.

For the OP, here are some pictures I took last year:
Costa Mesa photo tour (and a few extras) part 1
Costa Mesa photo tour (and a few extras) part 2

I think for a young person Costa Mesa is actually the best place in Orange County (which might not say a lot, depending on your p.o.v.).

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Sure, but at least there's nowhere in Costa Mesa that I would consider "scary." That can't be said about a lot of places in the greater LA/OC area.

Yeah I wouldn't call any place in Costa Mesa scary but the quality of surroundings can vary in a very short distance. You can find relatively nice, professionally managed apartments and then a 1/4 mile away you could find yourself living directly under three illegal families crammed into 800sf.

[Morphous01]

Originally Posted by Poptarts

There is no nightlife in Irvine, you will have to go to Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, all within 10-20 minutes driving time.

The cost of rent is high, check out the following website for rentals. The majority of apartment complexes in Irvine are owned by The Irvine Company. Rental-Living.com - Find an Apartment

Basic costs such as dry cleaners, hair and nail salons cost more than the neighboring communities, excluding beach communities.

Irvine is a wonderful bedroom community for families, lot of parks and very safe. Great place for joggers, bike riders and hikers.

Your best bet for shopping on a budget is to shop outside of Irvine and go to Walmart for groceries and the Dollar Store for basic household supplies. Although Target is reasonable and located in Irvine.

There is a wonderful farmers market every Saturday in the University Center parking lot, across from UC Irvine on Campus Drive.

There is a $2.00 movie theatre at Barranca and Lake.
https://starplex.tstickets.com/starp...theatreid=1013

You were concerned about costs. My electric bill runs apprx $50 per month. I do not turn on any heat in the winter and do not have air conditioning.

The cable service is through Cox Communications. My cable was approximately $60 per month with movies and cable box. I've since cancelled out of rebellion from lousy customer service and now rent Nexflix movies, Redbox movies at Albertsons or read.

Best of luck to you.

Who We Are

I was looking at this Irvine Company geez they are a massive company my guess is that it's one family or a few who operate behind the corporation. Wow, now this is wealth.