Might be working in Santa Ana (Anaheim, Orange: apartment, mortgage, buy)
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Frankly Santa Ana is nicer than Riverside, at least comparing simlar parts.
I was never afraid of walking down the street except once when I got lost and wandered into a bad area on my bicycle. There are parts of Santa Ana that you woudl nto want ot go into, but most of it is fine. Keep in mind that the Santa Ana crime rate is somewhat lower than average for American cities of similar size.
In general, there is little need to worry about vilent crime when oyu are just walking down the street in any city. Most violent crime is concentrated in certain areas and you just do nto go itno those areas. That is the same whether the violent crime rate is 45/1000 or 27/1000. Does it really make any difference? You stay out of the bad areas and assume that the odball bad luck crimes that can happen anywhere (yes even in Irvine) do not happen to you.
I got this info from the link you posted uneakbreed and it very bad news for those that live in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metro area.
"Change in New Building Permits, February 2007-February 2010: -51.07%
Change in Unemployment, January 2007-January 2010: 163.83%"
And people in other topics are saying how great the job market is when in reality unemployment is up by an amazing 163.83 percent.
What does this have to do with anything in this thread? Are you just running around trying to spread as much doom and gloom as possible. What major city (except possibly Dallas) does not have similar statistics? THis has nothing to do with anything. In case oyu have not noticed, this entire country is in a recession/depression which was caused by the virtual elimination of new house counstruciotjn and the loss of real estate values followed by or accompanied with a loss of jobs. This is not "news" everyone knows that the markets have crashed and unemployement is way way up throughout the world. So what? You seem to think that oyu are making some sort of a point, but all your are doing is pointing out the obvious.
"Do not move to LA or OC because they have wet water there" would be equally effective.
What does this have to do with anything in this thread? Are you just running around trying to spread as much doom and gloom as possible. What major city (except possibly Dallas) does not have similar statistics? THis has nothing to do with anything. In case oyu have not noticed, this entire country is in a recession/depression which was caused by the virtual elimination of new house counstruciotjn and the loss of real estate values followed by or accompanied with a loss of jobs. This is not "news" everyone knows that the markets have crashed and unemployement is way way up throughout the world. So what? You seem to think that oyu are making some sort of a point, but all your are doing is pointing out the obvious.
"Do not move to LA or OC because they have wet water there" would be equally effective.
I understand that this has nothing to do with the thread, but the creator of the thread is the one that posted the link not me. I only quoted those figures because I am tired of hearing so many people on this board lie and say that unemployment is not a problem in OC, clearly by these stats unemployment is getting much worse.
Yes everyone does know that 99% of the country is in a recession, but these figures put it in a clear perspective of just exactly how bad it is in OC (6th biggest increase in unemployment in the entire nation). Sorry if I stepped on anyones toes and said anything negative about OC, I know saying negative things about OC is not allowed on this board.
And if you guys think you have good public transportation that is probably because you have never used it (too busy cruising around in your Luxury SUV's), the public transportation system in OC is pathetic and that is after it has been much improved. Check out public transit in Portland Oregon (my new home) I can walk 5 minutes and be at a Trimet train station that will have me in downtown in 45 minutes (almost as fast as driving and no parking issues), plus they run late into the night and start early in the morning.
When I lived in San Juan and worked in Laguna Niguel I literally had to ride the bus the wrong direction down to Dana Point and catch another bus to take me to Laguna Niguel, public transit in OC is not good.
I also never used the stats to say not to move to OC. But since you brought up water I'd like to point out that OC has some of the grossest tap water I have ever had to drink, a water purification system is a must in OC; here in Portland I can drink tap water straight out of the faucet and it is cleaner than OC water that has been run through a Brita or Pur water purification system.
Last edited by dantheman420; 04-18-2010 at 04:08 PM..
I understand that this has nothing to do with the thread, but the creator of the thread is the one that posted the link not me. I only quoted those figures because I am tired of hearing so many people on this board lie and say that unemployment is not a problem in OC, clearly by these stats unemployment is getting much worse.
Yes everyone does know that 99% of the country is in a recession, but these figures put it in a clear perspective of just exactly how bad it is in OC (6th biggest increase in unemployment in the entire nation). Sorry if I stepped on anyones toes and said anything negative about OC, I know saying negative things about OC is not allowed on this board.
And if you guys think you have good public transportation that is probably because you have never used it (too busy cruising around in your Luxury SUV's), the public transportation system in OC is pathetic and that is after it has been much improved. Check out public transit in Portland Oregon (my new home) I can walk 5 minutes and be at a Trimet train station that will have me in downtown in 45 minutes (almost as fast as driving and no parking issues), plus they run late into the night and start early in the morning.
When I lived in San Juan and worked in Laguna Niguel I literally had to ride the bus the wrong direction down to Dana Point and catch another bus to take me to Laguna Niguel, public transit in OC is not good.
I also never used the stats to say not to move to OC. But since you brought up water I'd like to point out that OC has some of the grossest tap water I have ever had to drink, a water purification system is a must in OC; here in Portland I can drink tap water straight out of the faucet and it is cleaner than OC water that has been run through a Brita or Pur water purification system.
More generalizations. Yes. The public transportation is terrible in SOUTH orange County, but it is reasonably good not central and north orange county. Metrolink stops in Irvine, Santa Ana, Orange, Anaheim and Fullerotn and gets you to downtown LA in 1.25 hours (including the subway) which is the same or faster than driving most days. The OCTA bus system for Anaheim and Santa Ana is pretty decent and has good coverage. When you get itno south OC where no one rides the bus, there is not much coverage. Why should thay have a bunch of busses running around empty?
Did someone say that OC has not unemployment issues? I have not seen that posted. I have seen people say that they had no problem finding a job. THe percentage the empoyment has fallen is not a terribly meaningful number. If Unemployement gores from 1% to 3% that is a 200% increase, but it is still not bad. What you need to look at is the percentage of employable persons who are unemployed, nto the percentage of change. Referencing the percentage of change instead of the actual unemployment rate is a tactic of people (usually politicians) who are trying to skew the numbers.
The employment situation is bad in Orange County, like it is everywhere, but it is not even in the running for the highest unemployment rates nationally. Unemployment rates are not a reason to avoid moving to Orange County and move elsewhere instead. It is bad everywhere. Thus, you go where you have a job. Moving to OC and then looking for a job is pretty dumb, but then it is pretty dumb to do that anywhere right now.
Water is a huge problem in OC. However it is the lack of water and the reulting price increases that are more of a concern than the quality of the water. The qualty is not bad. (You can find comparison charts of various municipalities ont eh internet). The tap water is heavily chlorinated at times. It also has a lot of minerals in it. It depends in part on where they are getting the water. They claim that you can drink it right from the tap, but I would not do so. Wherever I live, a $300 R/O filter will give me clean water, so I never bother with the risk of drinking tap water. You defeinitely need a water softener in OC as well. While the OC water is not wonderful, it is far fromt eh worst water that I have found. At least it is clear.
There are a lot of negative things that can be said about OC. It is crowded and cray. A huge number of people are always in a rush, and thus, often inconsiderate of other people. There are no trees, little grass, almost no water, it is often too hot and/or too smoggy. The social atmosphere tends to focus more on materialism and hedonism than what you find in most other places. There are also a lot of great things about living in OC, it is a balance. However if you want to focus on negativity, at least pick things that are real rather than skewing numbers or trying to create issues where there is really no difference form other places.
i heard traffic is a mess is well. what direction do you guys recommend traveling from in the morning? I heard most commuters are traveling from the north, does that sound right to you?
i know this is depending on where i live, but what roads would you recommend i stay away from if possible? (i-5, ca-57, ca-22, i-405, etc etc).
All the freeways are bad there really is no way to avoid traffic anywhere in SoCal. Traffic does seem to move certain directions though, as far as the 91 freeway goes it is hell going West in the morning and East in the evening. The I-5 is a mess both direction, but it depends on where you are and where you are going for the most part it is bad going North in the morning and South in the evening same goes for the 405 which can be bad both directions at the same time once you hit LA county. You have people in LA working in OC, people in OC working in LA, people living in the IE commuting out to OC, no matter where you go you are likely to have to deal with traffic unless you can get your boss to allow you to start work at about 11AM and leave at 8PM.
The 22 freeway has been much improved. I used to drive 8 miles from Fountain Valley to The City of Orange back in 2006 and it was a minimum of a one hour drive to go 8 miles, of course now that I am not making that drive they have finally widened the 22 freeway and changed some of the connectors and on and off ramps (which has been needed since the '80's).
However if you want to focus on negativity, at least pick things that are real rather than skewing numbers or trying to create issues where there is really no difference form other places.
I didn't skew any numbers, those numbers are FACT. I have also mentioned the other negative things about OC in previous posts; the smog, the fact that 99% of the people are in a hurry all of the time, the rudeness of the average person, the overcrowding, the water quality, the traffic, etc.
Also I am not going to go searching through posts to prove to you that there are people on this board that claim that OC has no unemployment problems. I don't remember the posters name, but it was posted right here on the Orange County board; find it for yourself if you don't believe me.
thanks! i'll keep my fingers crossed and go from there. it sounds like i should stick to about a 10 mile radius if i want a manageable commute. i heard that white-lining is legal in cali too so i might just pick that route and get another bike.
so i took a closer look at crime stats combined w/ google maps and a cost of living calculator and have come up with some places that seem comparable. Could you guys provide feedback for whether or not these are good choices and their pros and cons, keeping in mind the issue of crime, commute, and public transportation? Thanks!
1. Stanton
2. Fullerton
3. Placentia
I also have three others that i couldn't get any comparable data on crime, but these were possibilities as well
4. South Coast Metro
5. Anaheim Hills
6. Sunny Hills
7. Old Town Orange.
so i took a closer look at crime stats combined w/ google maps and a cost of living calculator and have come up with some places that seem comparable. Could you guys provide feedback for whether or not these are good choices and their pros and cons, keeping in mind the issue of crime, commute, and public transportation? Thanks!
1. Stanton
2. Fullerton
3. Placentia
I also have three others that i couldn't get any comparable data on crime, but these were possibilities as well
4. South Coast Metro
5. Anaheim Hills
6. Sunny Hills
7. Old Town Orange.
Thoughts? thanks in advance!!
I lived in Stanton in the early to mid '90's and if you like guns being shot in the air on the 4th of July it is the place for you. It has been cleaned up a lot since then, but is still one of the worst cities in all of OC (with maybe Hawaiian Gardens being slightly worse). Fullerton is a nice town, community college nearby, old strip malls, just an all around old town feel like Old Town Orange. I have never lived in Placentia, so I can't give any helpful feedback. In 29 years of living in OC I have never even heard of Sunny Hills. South Coast Metro and Anaheim Hills are both nice places, but you would be pushing your budget. Go with South Coast Metro if you would prefer a centralized location with great shopping nearby and better public transit, go with Anaheim Hills if you prefer hiking trails and don't mind a further commute to major shopping centers and malls. Old Town Orange is not so bad, it borders some bad neighborhoods, but is still a nice place with an old town feel as the name implies.
Personally I would go with South Coast Metro out of all the cities you listed, but it really depends on what you are looking for.
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