Commute from Newport Beach to Irvine (Orange, San Clemente: fit in, how much, safe area)

[newbie1]

Hi I will be relocating from Chicago to OC. This will be my first time in CA. I have heard a lot of horror stories about the rush hour commute. Would the commute between Newport beach and Irvine be very time consuming ? what would be the hours to avoid the rush hour headaches ? Is Newport Beach a safe area to live in ? I would really appreciate any input.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Newport Beach and Irvine actually share a border and are fairly large cities. So the commute could be 5 minutes or closer to an hour depending on time of day and exact locations. Newport Beach and Irvine are both very safe and very expensive.

[Roma]

Oh, lucky you. Newport Beach is not only a safe area to live in but a dream area to live in. I love Newport Beach! That is where I want to be!!! Your commute will be extremely short. So that would not be an issue.

[newbie1]

Thanks.. I really appreciate the quick response. I have been going over several threads about living in OC and unfortunately, I am getting more and more nervous. It appears that most of the people are judged by how much money they have and the car they drive and how gorgeous they look. Is this a good place for a single woman who is average looking, with average salary who drives an old toyota camry.. I am usually not this negative, but the majority of the posting about OC seem to be quite overwhelming..(lots of mention about plastic surgery, snobbery, jaguars, republicans etc). I am quite open minded and have lived mostly in east coast and mid-west area and I never has any problems adjusting to big or small cities. OC does sound like a whole new country/culture. Hopefully, I will be proved wrong !!

[kturbe]

Orange County is a mix of people and yes you will fit in. However, newport and irvine are little more refined. There are more down to earth neighborhoods but being single Newport is a great area to move to. I am Realtor and work with singles most of the time and many relocating to the area. Once you get connected and make friends you'll love it here.

[rustikens]

Originally Posted by newbie1

Thanks.. I really appreciate the quick response. I have been going over several threads about living in OC and unfortunately, I am getting more and more nervous. It appears that most of the people are judged by how much money they have and the car they drive and how gorgeous they look. Is this a good place for a single woman who is average looking, with average salary who drives an old toyota camry.. I am usually not this negative, but the majority of the posting about OC seem to be quite overwhelming..(lots of mention about plastic surgery, snobbery, jaguars, republicans etc). I am quite open minded and have lived mostly in east coast and mid-west area and I never has any problems adjusting to big or small cities. OC does sound like a whole new country/culture. Hopefully, I will be proved wrong !!

Here's some honesty. First, the commute should be okay. About the other stuff-you should be a little worried. I am your average single woman, too, and if you're not from here, after the newness wears off, the obsession with image gets old. Let's just say average isn't quite average in the OC, that's all. Don't get me wrong, NOT EVERYONE IS SNOBBY, and the peninsula in newport is a great place to live-I know from experience, it's really laid back and fun. Have fun biking to the bars! San Clemente and Dana Point are also non-snobby in my opinion (beachy towns) but are farther from irvine.
I don't want to discourage you , just be aware the stereotypes are there for a reason.

[llbennett]

Depending on the time you travel it is not a bad commute. Rush hour traffic can be terrible.