Young single professional reloctaing from Nor CA...need advice (Long Beach: apartment, rent)

[missnorcal]

Hello everyone,
I currently reside in the Sacramento area and am considering a move to Orange County in the near future. I am familiar with parts of Orange Co because my parents grew up there and we visit multiple tines a year. I've always loved it there and always knew I'd end up moving down at some point. I just love the vibe, the weather and honestly it's a lot less boring then Sac for someone my age!

I was recently down there visiting over Memorial Day weekend and my cousin, who lives in Ladera Ranch, said I would be miserable down there if I lived anywhere but Newport Beach. She said everything else is suburbia and I wouldn't find any people my age who don't already have families (she is married with 2 kids so LR is perfect for her). I have to say I am unfamiliar with Newport area, other than it's uber expensive. I was thinking that Costa Mesa would be a good place to look, especially East Costa Mesa which I believe borders Newport. I need some help zoning in on the areas that would suite me: I'm a 25 year old single female, I will have (or am planning on having ) a professional office job, I'd like to live in an area with younger people but I am not looking for straight up party college town vibe (which I hear is the peninsula area), somewhere safe with plenty of things to do, somewhere somewhat affordable although I know I'll most likely need 1 or 2 roomies.

One thing that caught me off guard that my cousin said was that the only way to meet people my age is to have a waitressing job.....which in no way would work for me!! I would only move down there if I could line up a stable professional job in my industry (which I know is a feat in itself!) I want to live in an area with a higher concentration of young singles and just enjoy my life down there because it's an awesome area, I'm not moving down there to party. And advice is helpful. Thank you!

[skyway31]

Originally Posted by missnorcal

Hello everyone,
I currently reside in the Sacramento area and am considering a move to Orange County in the near future. I am familiar with parts of Orange Co because my parents grew up there and we visit multiple tines a year. I've always loved it there and always knew I'd end up moving down at some point. I just love the vibe, the weather and honestly it's a lot less boring then Sac for someone my age!

I was recently down there visiting over Memorial Day weekend and my cousin, who lives in Ladera Ranch, said I would be miserable down there if I lived anywhere but Newport Beach. She said everything else is suburbia and I wouldn't find any people my age who don't already have families (she is married with 2 kids so LR is perfect for her). I have to say I am unfamiliar with Newport area, other than it's uber expensive. I was thinking that Costa Mesa would be a good place to look, especially East Costa Mesa which I believe borders Newport. I need some help zoning in on the areas that would suite me: I'm a 25 year old single female, I will have (or am planning on having ) a professional office job, I'd like to live in an area with younger people but I am not looking for straight up party college town vibe (which I hear is the peninsula area), somewhere safe with plenty of things to do, somewhere somewhat affordable although I know I'll most likely need 1 or 2 roomies.

One thing that caught me off guard that my cousin said was that the only way to meet people my age is to have a waitressing job.....which in no way would work for me!! I would only move down there if I could line up a stable professional job in my industry (which I know is a feat in itself!) I want to live in an area with a higher concentration of young singles and just enjoy my life down there because it's an awesome area, I'm not moving down there to party. And advice is helpful. Thank you!

Gosh, people are really...never mind.

There are lots of ways to meet people your age. I do agree that the beach areas are the places to be. Think recreation. Volleyball etc. There are co-ed sports leagues (ok, I can only confirm them in LA and SD counties as I haven't checked OC yet) that you can play in and they are loaded with young people looking to have fun and meet others.

[djl4107]

missnorcal when are you thinking about moving?

[killer2021]

Your friends are full of it. You know how densely populated OC is? and these people are saying you have to live in xyz part of the city to meet people? Baloney! Those areas are just known to be party areas which is why they recommend living there. However, since you aren't rich, and newport is mainly for the wealthy or big spenders I would say just try and focus your efforts on finding a place to live that you can afford. You can always drive to the nightlife. However, you don't want to be poor or living paycheck to paycheck just because you wanted to live in yuppie newport beach.

[Raelyn28]

I am sure you will get ripped apart when you say such things!! LOL!!

Originally Posted by killer2021

Your friends are full of it. You know how densely populated OC is? and these people are saying you have to live in xyz part of the city to meet people? Baloney! Those areas are just known to be party areas which is why they recommend living there. However, since you aren't rich, and newport is mainly for the wealthy or big spenders I would say just try and focus your efforts on finding a place to live that you can afford. You can always drive to the nightlife. However, you don't want to be poor or living paycheck to paycheck just because you wanted to live in yuppie newport beach.

[nmnita]

oh my, it sounds like your cousin has a totally different idea about OC than most. If living near the beach is your thing and you can handle it, look toward some parts of Long Beach or even better Redondo Beach, Manhattan or similar places if the commute won't be too rough. there are some other areas that are not on the beach you may want to consider. Have you asked any of the people you will be working with? You should find no problems meeting young people, and you don't have to be a wait person to do so. Usually apartment houses are filled with a younger group. That would be the first place to start.

Nita

[skyway31]

Agreed that Redondo through Manhattan beaches would also be good options. Great social life there and very affordable if you rent with roommates. Which is very common there and its fairly easy to find good roomie options.