Moving to Laguna Niguel, CA

[BecRodgers]

Thanks everyone for your help. Keep the posts coming.

Now I just need to find a place to live. Does anyone know of a good property management company that can locate a rental for me?

[Wurzig]

If the o/p isn't planning on children, I'd delete Marina Hills off the list.......the development is super-family-oriented.

[BecRodgers]

Does anyone know anything about the Seabrook at Bear Brand Apartments?

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by BecRodgers

My husband and I are moving to Laguna Niguel and need advice on where to live. We are in our mid-30s, no kids, and have a dog. We would like to be able to walk to shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and also close to a dog park. We are open to surrounding communities but prefer to avoid long commutes. Where we are moving from, a 15 mile commute takes at minimum 1 hour. We do NOT want this. We would like to rent first so we can get to know the area and are not so much concerned about price but rather location and accessibility. Also, if anyone knows of a good place to look or contact for rentals it would much appreciated.

You do understand that OC is suburbia? There is nothing like Seattle here. You can be in walking distance of a strip mall or two, but there are no downtowns or shopping districts. Laguna beach is an exception if you can afford to live there. They have a small downtown. So does Old town Orange, Balboa Villiage and Fullerton. Santa Ana has a downtown, but it is mostly hispanic and comparatively impoverished, so it is not for everyone. Your traditional "nice" cities in South Orange County are essentially all the same - concentrated subdivisions with strip malls nearby. If you are in the right location, you can walk to a strip mall, but it is more normal to drive to the strip malls and do you walking along the nice manicured trails in your subdivision. Strip malls tend to be on main streets with lots of traffic, and many people prefer to walk on trails that are away form the bus streets. You certainly can walk on sidewalks, etcetera, but it is nothing like Seattle (there really are not all that many places that are as neat as Seattle anywhere in the US.)

A 15 mile commute can take 1 hour in Orange County, but it can also take 20-30 minutes. It depends on where and when. It is crowded and the surface streets have lights at nearly every intersection. There is no mass transit to speak of. Everyone is in their own car.

[BecRodgers]

I am discovering through research and great feedback on here that OC is more suburbia, which will be okay. At least it is on the West coast, which is our preferred location and is far far away from DC. Thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate it.