Irvine, Ca vs. Carlsbad, Ca (San Diego, Dana Point: fit in, home, job market)

[elliemusic]

I have lived in Irvine for over 35 years. It has become quite congested and the traffic worsens daily. Carlsbad has half of Irvine's population and seems to be a very nice city. Can anyone who has lived in both places give me a comparison of each place? I am a piano teacher, 68, and my daughter, 46, is a legal secretary. Would there be adequate social and economic opportunities for each of us?

[SDinsider]

I have lived in one, and worked in the other. I feel like you're comparing apples to oranges. The two cities have very little in common. What made you choose Carlsbad as a comparison? UTC, or the like is a better, although imperfect comparison with Irvine.

[loveautumn]

My neighbor is a very experienced legal secretary and it took her a year to find a job in SD after she got laid off. Laws firms here have cut back dramatically.

[NeilQ]

I cant say too much about the job market for your professions, but Irvine has a big city feel to it. Being an economic and corporate center in OC has made it a "little big city".
Carlsbad is slower by leaps and bounds, a smaller population as you mentioned, but it has so much more charm. Its a sleepy little surf town in my opinion, though I have not lived in it, so a resident may tell you different. I have spent a lot of time on its beach and surfing when I am able. I love it.

[mikerebroker]

Carlsbad is a great city that is host to many European vacationers, quiet, slow paced, perfect weather. Irvine is a booming business city with high end housing as well, but Irvine is hotter, faster paced and the hub or OC businesses. If you plan to retire or work in the city of San Diego then choose Carlsbad, otherwise you may be better off choosing a city like Dana Point and working in Irvine.

[Oerdin]

Irvine - Boring, bland, clean, suburban sprawl, with lots of Asian restaurants but not much else. The weather is nice though.

Carlsbad - More expensive then Irvine, closer to the beach so you get more marine influence, lots of sprawl but not completely paved over like Irvine, more white people then anything else but close enough to SD and a large military base that there is some diversity, boring, most folks are married with grown kids and they don't seem to do much in their spare time, you will not see many young people or single people here & if you're not a stay at home soccer mom or a balding slightly over weight middle aged guy who won't stop talking about his job all the time then you might not fit in.