What he HELL does everyone do in OC to make money?

[capitalist09]

Originally Posted by SoCalCroozer

And just how do you suggest lower classes "priortize" education nowadyas considering the costs of college have risen faster than anything else in life???????? People like you are pretty out of touch when it comes to "lower classes" and blue collar folks. .

That is baloney. You can get nearly anywhere you want if you try in America. There are hundreds of thousands of scolarships and loans for good hearted kids. Besides, the government already HEAVILY subsidizes community colleges and universities. This isn't a free for all. Teachers are providing a service. I don't know why you people always look for hand outs.

The reason we will continue to have lower classes is because many kids today would rather sit on the lazy chair and get fat watching American Idol and are too damn lazy to do anything other than switch the channel. The are more interested in learning how to connect their XBOX than what is going on the the news.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by capitalist09

The reason we will continue to have lower classes is because many kids today would rather sit on the lazy chair and get fat watching American Idol and are too damn lazy to do anything other than switch the channel. The are more interested in learning how to connect their XBOX than what is going on the the news.

Sad but true. Wouldn't be surprised if they learned these habits from their parents who have their faces stuck in gossip magazines, movie star magazines, and other literature of substance.

I closely monitor what our kids watch and how much they watch. There is a penalty if TV commercials aren't muted.

I'd rather have my kid smoke pot once a month than watch 20 hours per week.

[Raelyn28]

Which is why I moved away several years ago. It isn't like that in the three states that I have lived since SoCal.. I do miss certain aspects of Orange County but not that many especially what you are talking about. It is annoying to say the least.

Originally Posted by SoCalCroozer

I'm from the midwest (St. Louis) and lived 7 years in Colorado. I've seen my fair share of wealth and rich people. But having lived two years here in the "OC" and hanging out in Newport, Laguna, Coto, etc. and driving around Nellie Gail and so many other wealthy subdivisions it's sickening how wealthy people are here compared to the rest of the country. I mean what the hell does everyone do around here to justify this wealth and standard of living? Is everyone a doctor, lawyer, business owner, super professional? Some of you wonder why OC and CA in general has such a bad rap well think about it.............the average Californian or more specifically the average Orange Countian is so far out of touch with mainstream America it's laughable. I mean some of the people out here live like gluttons. The gap between the haves and the have nots is most apparent in a county like Orange that's for sure. I've never seen so many BMW's, Mercedes, Maseratis, Ferraris, Bentleys etc. The funny thing is this state is bankrupt. LMAO! It's quite ironic. There are many things I love about Southern California and south Orange County is a very nice place to live. But there are WAY too many out of touch wealthy snobs out here.

There's nothing like watching an OCian out washing their beautiful car or better yet having it detailed by some Mexican teenager all the while wondering to myself when the hell it's going to rain again. After all OC uses more water than any other county in Southern California! Yall are some funny people out here!

[Socalpal]

Originally Posted by missionhome

For the above listed zip codes using Charles' link, here is the percentage of the entire population in a zip making certain ranges (ie: 24.4% of all of Talega makes between $100,000-150,000). It seems the percentage of people making over $200,000 is the group that sets the tone of how affluent an area is:

92673 Talega of San Clemente
$100k-$150k: 24.4%
$150-200k: 9.1%
$200k +: 9.9%

92670: Coto de Caza
$100k-$150k: 25.1%
$150-200k: 14.8%
$200k +: 19.1%

92694: Ladera Ranch and Las Flores
$100k-$150k: 27.6%
$150-200k: 14.9%
$200k +: 14.2% (probably smaller in this economy, suprisingly close to Laguna Beach)

92629: Dana Point
$100k-$150k: 15.2%
$150-200k: 6.9%
$200k +: 7.4%

92677: Laguna Niguel
$100k-$150k: 24.4%
$150-200k: 9.1%
$200k +: 9.9% (more than its coastal neighbor Dana Point, but LN also has more ocean view mansions in Bear Brand, etc....)

92653 Laguna Hills
$100k-$150k: 10.3%
$150-200k: 4.2%
$200k +: 5.8%% (Nellie Gail not enough I guess to pull this up, plus many bought in Nellie Gail 20 + years ago)

92692: Mission Viejo East
$100k-$150k: 22%
$150-200k: 9.4%
$200k +: 8%

92691: Mission Viejo West
$100k-$150k: 20.3%
$150-200k: 5.9%
$200k +: 4.2%

92688: Rancho Santa Margarita
$100k-$150k: 20.9%
$150-200k: 6%
$200k +: 3.4%

92656: Aliso Viejo
$100k-$150k: 19.4%
$150-200k: 6.5%
$200k +: 4%

ALSO:
92657: Newport Coast
$100k-$150k: 17.6%
$150-200k: 9.7%
$200k +: 30.4% (Probably most affluent area of OC)

90740: Seal Beach
$100k-$150k: 12.2%
$150-200k: 4.4%
$200k +: 3.6% (too many retired folks in Leisure World)

92651: Laguna Beach
$100k-$150k: 16%
$150-200k: 7%
$200k +: 15% (little surprised this wasn't higher, expected Newport Coast numbers)

92602: Irvine
$100k-$150k: 38%
$150-200k: 17.4%
$200k +: 7.7%

In that Laguna Beach Zip Code there are more people making 200k+ at 15% (3777) of that zips population than the total amount of people in that Irvine zip code (2600). Irvine is not an "exclusive area" it was built as an "affordable community" with a plethora of cookie cutter tract homes on small lots. There are only a few "exclusive areas" of Orange County and Irvine has a couple nieghborhoods which would fall in this category (Shady Canyon etc) but for the most part it does not have the panache of city like.......Villa Park etc.

These numbers mean nothing there are only 2600 people that live in that Irvine zip code....A lot of the wealth in Orange County are in the Santa Ana Foothills, Villa Park, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Yorba Linda, Orange Park Acres etc....These communities are older and historically have had wealthy populations. RSM, Irvine, Aliso, Foothill Ranch etc are all suburban tract home communities. Compare apples to apples, the only inland communities worth anything in Orange County are the ones in the Santa Ana Foothills and Coto.

[OC Investor2]

Originally Posted by Socalpal

In that Laguna Beach Zip Code there are more people making 200k+ at 15% (3777) of that zips population than the total amount of people in that Irvine zip code (2600). Irvine is not an "exclusive area" it was built as an "affordable community" with a plethora of cookie cutter tract homes on small lots. There are only a few "exclusive areas" of Orange County and Irvine has a couple nieghborhoods which would fall in this category (Shady Canyon etc) but for the most part it does not have the panache of city like.......Villa Park etc.

These numbers mean nothing there are only 2600 people that live in that Irvine zip code....A lot of the wealth in Orange County are in the Santa Ana Foothills, Villa Park, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Yorba Linda, Orange Park Acres etc....These communities are older and historically have had wealthy populations. RSM, Irvine, Aliso, Foothill Ranch etc are all suburban tract home communities. Compare apples to apples, the only inland communities worth anything in Orange County are the ones in the Santa Ana Foothills and Coto.

Try the 92612 zip in Irvine - that zip includes Shady Canyon and Turtle rock. Lots of $200k+ HH incomes in that area. The medians & averages are dragged down by all the dirt poor UCI students, but the absolute number of high HH income families there is probably pretty big.

Your right about the older money being in the SA foothills, but the new money - 90's tech and 00's FIRE types - is in Coto, Nellie Gail, Newport Coast and Irvine.

[Socalpal]

Originally Posted by OC Investor2

Try the 92612 zip in Irvine - that zip includes Shady Canyon and Turtle rock. Lots of $200k+ HH incomes in that area. The medians & averages are dragged down by all the dirt poor UCI students, but the absolute number of high HH income families there is probably pretty big.

Your right about the older money being in the SA foothills, but the new money - 90's tech and 00's FIRE types - is in Coto, Nellie Gail, Newport Coast and Irvine.

I agree that Coto, Nellie Gail & Newport are where the new money is going but Irvine hardly has many truly custom homes....They are just mcmansioned versions of their tract home brethren. Furthermore most of these custom homes are on small lots with little to no views, or they are close to open swaths of land that could possibly be developed (Laguna Crossings etc).....You will not find the eclectic sorts of custom homes that you see in North Tustin, Anaheim Hills, Orange Park Acres, and to a lesser extent Villa Park, nor will you find the views that most of these homes have. You may have a custom home in Irvine but at the end of the day you can't even blow your nose without the HOA "Police" writing you up for a ticket....

How does one differentiate a tract home from a custom home in Irvine? They all look the same, I have never seen a modern style home, or a cape cod etc in Irvine just a bunch of homes that have red tile roofs and beige stucco. In some of the older areas of Orange County where the "old money" is Laguna, Corona Del Mar, Villa Park, North Tustin etc you see true "custom homes" on view lots. I am not sure if one can compare the housing stock of these cities with the "newer" types of homes that we see. Case in point look at the new custom homes being built in Newport Coast and compare them to the ones being built in Laguna, much different. I have never seen a custom home in Newport Coast that did not have a red tiled roof....I guess I don't understand how you can equate the two, its like comparing an apartment in midtown manhattan to an estate in the hamptons....They might cost the same, but one is an estate the other is not.

[bhcompy]

Because not everyone cares as much as you do about what they have or don't have as long as it provides their needs? Rossmoor and Seal Beach are fairly affluent areas, with plenty of upper class and upper-middle people, but they're pretty light on custom homes as well. Who cares about what the house looks like?

And as far as location, the excessively rich natives I know avoid all of south OC when house hunting. Yorba Linda, Cypress, Rossmoor, Seal, Sunset, western HB, Long Beach, Cerritos, etc. But I know doctors, lawyers, etc, not fund managers, actors, and ballplayers.

[InLondon]

You can find wealthy areas like the OC in every metro area in this country. I'm not sure what the big deal is about the place. A lot of the houses are those horrible Spanish inspired things. The "real" McMansions exist on the East Coast.