OC is a great place to live!!! (Orange, Newport Beach: real estate, jobs)

[tstwahine]

I grew up in Laguna beach and Aliso Viejo... Im now stuck in Iowa City, Iowa for school... ugh. Thats all i can say... and no one can really understand where im coming from..they cannot believe that i was on my highschool surfing team....there is NO good mexican food here... no in n' out... no Trader Joes (the worst!)... plus smoking is allowed in restaurants and bars... disgusting.
I only get to come back home on winter and summer breaks... its so hard...so different.
On a funny note... tons of the kids that go to school here want to move to where im from...i think thats all good and all...but its already so crowded!
When people find out im from CA...specifically orange county they freak..ive even been called a liar and was asked to show my license (they saw it and shut up).
Im 100% landlocked here... its hard when you grew up 5 minutes from the ocean...whew!
So for those of you there now... Im jealous...but il be back in late may!!!

[nevercoldcall]

Originally Posted by newportbeachsmostwanted

There was a real estate agent who ran an advertisement on Newport Coast. The ad was a drawing was of Newport Coast Dr. It showed one way out of Newport Coast. It forked into two roads-one to Laguna-one to Newport. The hit line was to the effect of, "Life's decisions are tough."

Awesome! We go for morning walks at Crystal Cove almost every day and I sent my family a home video of the "Newport Beach/Laguna Beach" sign at the bottom of Newport Coast Dr ... that just killed them, back in crappy NJ ... lol

[dennismpat]

Originally Posted by tstwahine

I grew up in Laguna beach and Aliso Viejo... Im now stuck in Iowa City, Iowa for school... ugh. Thats all i can say... and no one can really understand where im coming from..they cannot believe that i was on my highschool surfing team....there is NO good mexican food here... no in n' out... no Trader Joes (the worst!)... plus smoking is allowed in restaurants and bars... disgusting.
I only get to come back home on winter and summer breaks... its so hard...so different.
On a funny note... tons of the kids that go to school here want to move to where im from...i think thats all good and all...but its already so crowded!
When people find out im from CA...specifically orange county they freak..ive even been called a liar and was asked to show my license (they saw it and shut up).
Im 100% landlocked here... its hard when you grew up 5 minutes from the ocean...whew!
So for those of you there now... Im jealous...but il be back in late may!!!

Makes you appreciate what you left here in California, doesn't it? Especially not having a Trader Joe's. That's just criminal!!!

[BrentusMaximus]

Originally Posted by tstwahine

I grew up in Laguna beach and Aliso Viejo... Im now stuck in Iowa City, Iowa for school... ugh.

are you there on a wrastling scholarship or something?

I'm from MN dude, live in TX now, moving to OC next month. I understand your Midwest blues.

[fairweathergolfer]

I'd love to hear how your trip turns out. Hope all goes well.

Originally Posted by Roma

nevercoldcall,

That's great to hear you love the OC. I will be there in less then a week looking at homes in our price range. (seeing what you get for the money) I can't wait.
We won't be buying right this second because we have to sell our home in Texas first but hopefully soon.

[Roma]

Originally Posted by fairweathergolfer

I'd love to hear how your trip turns out. Hope all goes well.

Thank You Fairweathergolfer,

I loved my trip. I stayed in Newport Beach and I had a beautiful bay view room. I just fell in love with the whole area. I wrote on here in another post that the whole area was beautiful and pristine.
People were very friendly and seemed very outgoing (which I like). Everyone seemed out and about. Walking, jogging, biking, strolling along, walking their dogs and window shopping.
I of course had to go shopping at Fashion Island and visit Balboa Island (love).
My Realtor took me to look at homes in Laguna Beach (a quaint and cool area on the coast), Laguna Niguel and Dana Point, all which where nice areas.
But what I found out, only after staying there, is I really liked the Newport Coast/Crystal Cove/Newport Beach area. I can't afford what I want in that area but it was what I would call a perfect spot for my husband and I. We just need a couple more million dollars of which we don't have. LOL.
I need to go back for a longer period of time to see all the areas and to get a better feel for them. I only had a couple of day. (not enough). So many choices.
I'm very jealous of the people living there (in a good way) and I hope everything works out for us so we can say one day that we live there too.
There is nothing like it, it's very impressive and I felt right at home.

[tstwahine]

Originally Posted by BrentusMaximus

are you there on a wrastling scholarship or something?

I'm from MN dude, live in TX now, moving to OC next month. I understand your Midwest blues.

Actually Im a female... i never really knew much about wrestling before i came here... its huge here...i have no interest. I came here because I got my education paid for. I went to USC and Boston U before this.

I miss BU...but at least i get to go back home to the ocean on breaks.

[fairweathergolfer]

I hope everything works out well for you too!

Thanks so much for sharing the details of your trip. What struck you as more perfect about the Newport coast/beach area versus the others? Were there a lot of places that had Mello Roos? The housing is already so expensive, I can't even imagine paying on top of that and taxes each year. Although without Mello Roos they are generally more affordable then other areas where we are looking (in our present neighborhood on the westside LA and Santa Barbara).

Which area appealed to you regarding the housing after your first favored selection of the Newport coast area?

Hope all transitions wonderfully for you. How exciting to one day move back!

Originally Posted by Roma

Thank You Fairweathergolfer,

I loved my trip. I stayed in Newport Beach and I had a beautiful bay view room. I just fell in love with the whole area. I wrote on here in another post that the whole area was beautiful and pristine.
People were very friendly and seemed very outgoing (which I like). Everyone seemed out and about. Walking, jogging, biking, strolling along, walking their dogs and window shopping.
I of course had to go shopping at Fashion Island and visit Balboa Island (love).
My Realtor took me to look at homes in Laguna Beach (a quaint and cool area on the coast), Laguna Niguel and Dana Point, all which where nice areas.
But what I found out, only after staying there, is I really liked the Newport Coast/Crystal Cove/Newport Beach area. I can't afford what I want in that area but it was what I would call a perfect spot for my husband and I. We just need a couple more million dollars of which we don't have. LOL.
I need to go back for a longer period of time to see all the areas and to get a better feel for them. I only had a couple of day. (not enough). So many choices.
I'm very jealous of the people living there (in a good way) and I hope everything works out for us so we can say one day that we live there too.
There is nothing like it, it's very impressive and I felt right at home.

[Roma]

Hi fairweathergolfer,

The whole area is outstanding. I need to see more. But from my quick visit I felt that the Newport Coast/Newport Beach area was something I want to look into more. So to be fair, I need to see more.
We are 40 year old retirees. We want a ocean view home. We used to live oceanfront in Oxnard. We were involved in saving seals, dolphins and other animals and birds at the beach. We will be doing the same in the OC.
I loved the location of Crystal Cove. It is right off the PCH. Shopping/Traders Joe's is on the corner. Everything my husband and I will need for our everyday life is all very close by. The location just seemed perfect.
I liked Laguna Beach and looked at several homes there but I felt it was not the right place for us.
I liked Dana Point and Laguna Niguel too but I need to see more.
But you know how you get a feeling for something, well, that is the feeling I got in the Newport area.
I don't know much about Mello Roos taxes but some of the homes I saw had them and some did not. I don't want to pay anymore taxes then I have too either. It really does seem to vary from home to home.

Roma

[Angel Bear]

*Singing the Midwest Blues*...Live near 2 Trader Joe's...but, no surf...landlocked, no good tacos, etc., etc.

Our goal is to be in OC by end of 2008