Costa Mesa that bad? (Long Beach, Santa Ana: HOA, low crime, houses)

[Dub D]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Costa Mesa is quite different from Irvine. Irvine is master planned and HOA'ed up the butt. Costa Mesa appears to have no effective zoning at all.

Irvine is very upper middle class, mostly Asian and white. Lots of doctors and other well paid professionals.

Costa Mesa has more middle to lower middle class with lots of Mexicans living 10 to a house and whites that looks like they've had a hard life.

The schools in Irvine are first rate and academic competition can be fierce due to Asians that will pay for tutors to make sure their kid gets the best score on everything. Costa Mesa schools are mediocre at best.

For your price range, you should be able to find something in Fountain Valley. Fountain Valley is older than Irvine and master planned, but not to the neurotic degree that Irvine is. The schools are definitely better than Costa Mesa's but not as competitive as Irvine's. Just make sure you're in Fountain Valley School District's coverage area which means avoiding the far northern and far eastern strips of the city. Basically stay south of Heil and west of Euclid. Fountain Valley's slogan is "A Nice Place to Live" and its true. There's not a whole lot of entertainment there for ADD people, but its close to a million things.

You must be crazy. Fountain Valley is not nicer than Costa Mesa. It use to be about 5 years but once Huntington Beach PD started cracking down on the gangs, many of them moved into Fountain Valley.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by shoe01

Something tells me (I could be wrong) that the bowling alley raid you saw was just a drill. The only bowling place that I know of in that part of CM has been closed for at least 15 years. Of course if you saw something in the news the next day, then I stand corrected.

Odds are it wasn't. I live in Costa Mesa currently and one weekend afternoon I walked out of the Target on Harbor Blvd and was greeted by police with (semi?) automatic weapons drawn. They had GANG UNIT on their backs and appeared to be surrounding the exits waiting for one of the local homeboys to finish buying his oversized white T-shirts. This was within the last year.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Dub D

You must be crazy. Fountain Valley is not nicer than Costa Mesa. It use to be about 5 years but once Huntington Beach PD started cracking down on the gangs, many of them moved into Fountain Valley.

I've lived in both. I know what I'm talking about.

[Dub D]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I've lived in both. I know what I'm talking about.

When? Fountain Valley has changed alot over the past few years. There a few new cities in SoCal that have been greatly affected by gangs. Cities where you wouldn't really expect it too. Monrovia is another example, massive gang issues now.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Dub D

When? Fountain Valley has changed alot over the past few years. There a few new cities in SoCal that have been greatly affected by gangs. Cities where you wouldn't really expect it too. Monrovia is another example, massive gang issues now.

I lived there as recently as two years ago and still frequent the area often. Fountain Valley is mostly owner occupied single family homes (including lots of older people who've owned forever) with few apartments. Costa Mesa is something like 70% renters. With the exception of a few nicer pockets like Mesa Verde, Costa Mesa is generally younger, poorer, more crowded, and more transient. All of those lead to more problems. The only part of Fountain Valley I'd call even a little sketchy is the strip along Harbor Blvd which may as well be Santa Ana. Costa Mesa is dotted with sketchy areas all over the place.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by KarlaT2

I lived in Irvine for a couple of years, and liked it for a family. Schools are great. Also liked Aliso Viejo, Foothill Ranch, etc. Costa Mesa is a little hit and miss. Some areas are nice, some are scary.
If you are not stuck on that area though give Northern San Diego area a look too (Carlsbad, Encinitas, Poway, etc).

What areas of Aliso Viejo are scary?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

What areas of Aliso Viejo are scary?

I took it to mean:

"Costa Mesa is a little hit and miss. Some areas are nice, some are scary"

That makes more sense than calling anything in Aliso Viejo scary.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I took it to mean:

"Costa Mesa is a little hit and miss. Some areas are nice, some are scary"

That makes more sense than calling anything in Aliso Viejo scary.

Definitely makes more sense.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

What areas of Aliso Viejo are scary?

ALll of it to me. But then I find mass conformity terrifying. Most people seem to like it.

[Reivax]

I lived in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa for 41 of my 44 years. To listen to you people speak of Costa Mesa, and Fountain Valley, you make these places sound like gang land battle grounds where drug raids on bowling alleys is some kind of daily occurrence. I wonder if I even lived in the same place as you all are describing.

To the original poster, I raised 6 children in Costa Mesa schools before moving to Houston a few years ago.
Not a one of them is gang banger and they can all read, write and even do algebra. None of my children has ever come home in a squad car or a body bag for that matter.
I left my car unlocked in the driveway, my back door rarely locked, and no one ever did a single thing to me.
Costa Mesa is a great place to live and its proximity to the beach but slightly lower housing costs are a pretty good compromise.
Go have a look for yourself and make up your own mind about it.
Costa Mesa scary?? I am speechless. Costa Mesa has to be about the boringest city I have ever lived in. LOL!