Santa Clarita/Los Angeles vs. Laguna Niguel/Irvine (Riverside, Glendale: real estate, schools)

[sofasaregood]

Hey everyone, I want to know which area you would rather live if you were to raise a family. For Santa Clarita, I'm specifically talking about the Valencia/Stevenson Ranch area, and if you were to commute to northern Los Angeles for work. And for Laguna Niguel (or any other town close by) if you were to commute to Irvine for work. Do nearby amenities play an important role for where you'd rather live? Even though the schools in both areas are supposed to be great, do you prefer one area's schools over the other? And factoring in cost of living and taxes for both areas, does that play an important role for you too? Please let me know which area you'd prefer. Any comments will be very helpful. Thanks!

[ccm123]

I would pick Laguna, for the weather, for one.

[dexter14]

Irvine is always listed as one of the best and safest cities in the country to live in. Laguna Niguel is always very clean and safe and it's a short trip to some of the best beaches in the world. LA....none of the above. It's not even close. Irvine and Laguna will be more expensive though.

[LuvSouthOC]

Gee I wonder which one I would prefer...

[majoun]

Wouldn't want to live in either, but if I had to pick one, it would be Santa Clarita. Mainly because one doesn't have to go as far to escape from the BS there

[LuvSouthOC]

Educated/skilled people who make or made a good living and who raised or are raising kids, and have high standards, I don't see how that's BS.

Boring? Yes.
Beautiful? Yes.
Clean? Yes.
BS? I don't see it.

[dexter14]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Educated/skilled people who make or made a good living and who raised or are raising kids, and have high standards, I don't see how that's BS.

Boring? Yes.
Beautiful? Yes.
Clean? Yes.
BS? I don't see it.

True. He said Laguna Niguel or any town close by, which would include Laguna Beach. Nothing boring about Laguna Beach. World class resorts, amazing beaches, art galleries, boutiques, every type of restaurant you can imagine and one of the best downtowns on either coast. Arguably one of the finest cities in the country.

[BRinSM]

not to knock santa clarita, but a better comparison to Laguna Niguel in the LA area is Thousand Oaks in my opinion. TO is relatively close to the beach and real estate prices are more in line with South OC. The major difference for TO vs. LN is commute times. It's much easier to get to Irvine from LN than to any major job centers in LA from TO (or Santa Clarita for that matter).

[8to32characters]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

not to knock santa clarita, but a better comparison to Laguna Niguel in the LA area is Thousand Oaks in my opinion. TO is relatively close to the beach and real estate prices are more in line with South OC. The major difference for TO vs. LN is commute times. It's much easier to get to Irvine from LN than to any major job centers in LA from TO (or Santa Clarita for that matter).

Agreed--Santa Clarita is more comparable to Temecula or Murrieta than it is to Irvine and Laguna Niguel, especially in terms of housing costs, weather, people, etc., and a better comparsion would be Thousand Oaks vs. Irvine/Laguna Niguel.

Although I'd live in Santa Clarita if I worked in Burbank or maybe Glendale and wanted to live in a suburban environment, Santa Clarita feels a little more "gritty," if you will, than most upscale suburban communities in Orange and Ventura Counties, consistent with, say, Rancho Cucamonga. I've noticed that the nicer suburban communities in LA and SB Counties in particular seem a little less polished overall than those in Orange, Ventura, and even Riverside Counties. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think that if I wanted the full suburban experience, I'd avoid Santa Clarita, unless, of course, it was the most practical option given the location of my work.

[theraven24]

I'll take Santa Clarita.