irvine or cerritos to raise kids and buy home?

[NaplesRes]

Originally Posted by raj2009

could be naples was facetious! but it's hard to make decisions when people give opinions that are different. atleast on the web where we can't see them or hear their tone . iwould appreciate if people give more serious replies considering the fact these are life changing decisions for me.

You got me. It is just that you were playing into the Irvine crowd by worring so much about home break-ins. Whenever someone says they are looking for a safe area with good schools the Irvine folks insist there is no better place. I for one find Irvine as unappealing as any city in all of OC. Getting back to your question, if I were you and had to split that commute I would look at the places I suggested originally. East Long Beach (El Dorado Park is where I would start) or Los Alamitos. Both are very safe, have great schools, are in your price range and have some uniqueness to the houses and general area. And for you, they are centrally located given your two commutes.

[veg8]

Originally Posted by NaplesRes

Yes. Irvine was ranked the safest city in the US. If you move to socal, and you do not live in Irvine, you will most likely have your home broken in to. You do not want to take that chance now do you. And as far as schools, I would simply find the school with the highest API score. If it is not in your district, apply for inter-district transfer.

If you simply looking for highest API scores then Cerritos (985) and Cypress (983) would be perfect since Whitney High in Cerritos has the highest score in LA county and Oxford Academy in Cypress has the highest in orange county.

If you are looking for the highest SAT scores then Whitney (2004) is the highest in the state for public schools, Troy High (1911) in Fullerton is 3rd Oxford (1903) is 5th and University High in Irvine (1861) is 10th.

[raj2009]

are there any other good residential places apart from cerritos between city of orange and culver city

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by raj2009

are there any other good residential places apart from cerritos between city of orange and culver city

How about Diamond Bar? Diamond Bar High ranks a 10. Rowland Heights may also be worth checking out.

Diamond Bar High test scores

Example House

Diamond Bar, CA to Orange, CA

Diamond Bar, CA to Culver City, CA

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by raj2009

are there any other good residential places apart from cerritos between city of orange and culver city

Long Beach, Lakewood, Los Alamitos, Cypress, western Garden Grove and northwestern Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, some others along the western 405/22 route. Commute would of course be the 405 or 605-105-405

As far as the poster above mentioning Diamond Bar, I would avoid simply because that area(57/60) is one of the worst traffic areas in rush hour(probably second worst to the East LA interchange).

You could also look along the 91 corridor east of the 605(and tack on Downey to boot). Parts of Whittier, La Habra, La Mirada, Brea, Fullerton.

Either way, the further into OC you go the harder the commute it will be to Culver City. Downey would probably offer the best middle ground, but Cerritos is the most upscale area in the middle(or coastal Long Beach/Seal Beach if you elect for the 405/22 route)

[Coldjensens]

old town Orange. A great place to live. The schools are average, but they are good enough if your kids are smart and well parented. (Do you really want them in an insanely competitive school? Invest in psychology clinic stock). I am not sure, we all want the best for our children, but I wodner whether high test scores or other criteria really make a school better for our children. We were in Santa Ana, our children were at the top of their class and that motivated them becasue they wanted to stay in the top. It was nto easy. The top kids in their school were very bright. The difference is that there were a lot more kids who were no where near the top. So what? You kids are only going to have so many friends and acquaintences. If they are bright students, they will hang out with other bright students no matter where they are. They got a good education. Their national test scores were in the top 10-%. They had good friends, they were on a winning academic competition team. So did we need to move to a "Better" school district? (We did, but was it necessary?). Becasue they were in a "low income" school district, the programs that were available to them were amazing.

I have long been an advocate of chasing the best possible schools for our kids, but I wonder whether that is really meaningful.

Anyway the short of it is that my suggestions is that you pick the community that you like best with the shortest commute possible. Then use your extra time to do things with your kids, help them with their homework, discuss school and friends, go camping, etc. You involvement will do more for their academic advancement than any school ranking ever will.


Keep in mind that crime statistics are generalizations. A town may have had a mass murder in a corner fo the city. That may have been a one time event that in no way woudl ever impact you, but it would shoot the crime statisics way up. There may have been a burgulary ring that was very successful for a time. There may be one bad neighborhood in an otherwise great city, or you may find a couple of really nice neighborhoods in really terrible city (we did). You need to look at more than generalized statistics and averages.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by capoeira

How about Diamond Bar? Diamond Bar High ranks a 10. Rowland Heights may also be worth checking out.

Diamond Bar High test scores

Example House

Diamond Bar, CA to Orange, CA

Diamond Bar, CA to Culver City, CA

The OP works in Culver City. From Diamond Bar or Rowland Heights to there would STILL be a brutal commute.

Raj, have you thought about Torrance? There are a number of good middle and upper-middle class neighborhoods there. I don't know specifics about crime and schools, but I have heard anecdotes on the positive side and it would be a much less brutal commute....I think it would be worth checking out.

[raj2009]

yes i did think about torrance. but the other commute for my spouse would be difficult -from torrance to orange . i am looking for a good place to buy home between orange and culver city. irvine and cerritos are good places but i want to look at more options.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by raj2009

irvine and cerritos are good places but i want to look at more options.

Here's a list of Orange County high schools with an API 7 or higher.

California School Ratings, school profiles, test scores - Orange County