thinking about Irvine (Santa Ana, Anaheim, Huntington Beach: oceanfront, condos, transfer)

[x1y2z3]

Hi,

I had a job offer for 110K in Irvine. I am 30+ and single, so easily relocatable(done a fair bit of that). I am a late nighter and I dont drive (may change 6m - 1 yr later)

I did some search in the forums, but I want to confirm.

it appears to me that if I am looking for an active nightlife and good mid20s-mid30s crowd, I am likely to

*avoid Irvine, that is family oriented and boring
*avoid Huntington, that is oceanfront but the commute can kill on public transit(I am looking 40 min commute)
*avoid newport beach, unless I can find a studio or 1 br for <1350/month

I dont know how is
*Tustin (seems to be a small college town)
*Orange(is it urban?)
*Costa Mesa(no clue)


Any other places to consider? Am I wrong to assume that orange county public transit is good enough?

[Joe Van Fossen]

Orange County isn't really urban at all. If you want a nightlife and a decent commute to work, driving is going to be fairly crucial. You can certainly get by in OC without a car, but it's not going to be very convenient and public transport probably isn't going to work if you want a nightlife.

[OGTSO]

Orange County is mostly suburban and only has tiny isolated urban pockets. I never used public transportation in Orange County when I lived there. The stigma was that the only people that used public transportation were people that had no other choice. I would be surprised to find any regular users of public transportation in Orange County making six figure incomes.

[GO JACKETS]

I'm in the same situation but I'm moving down from LA so I know the area. My advice is live by your work and take the metrolink into LA when you want to party. Orange County is all stereotypical suburbia hell so just accept it and make your commute short. If you insist on something urban try downtown Santa Ana.

[Coldjensens]

Is your workplace in walking distance of the metrolink station in Irvine? If so you could look at San Clemente, Orange, Santa Ana, Fullerton. None of them are super ligh life places, but there is some life. They all have some areas you could get by reasonably well without a car. San Clemente gives you the beach (little or no light life though). Orange and Fullerton both have colleges, so there is some life there. Old Town Orange offers a bit more in the way of shops, bars, resturuants within walking distance. Santa Ana is the largest city in OC. It is 88% or so Hispanic and substantially less wealthy people than most other cities. There is some night life you can walk to, but not a ton. Fullerton has a tiny downtown area with a couple of places clustered together.


Anaheim has a newer area near the stadiums and neat the train station where there is a little life as well. Some high rise condos, a concert venue, a few resturuant bars. I frquently see hookers in that area, so there must be some night life.

IN general, people in OC tend to be more morning/day oriented. People like to get up and do things like bicycling, surfing, rollerskating etc. rather than staying out late and sleeping in.

[Mel2882]

I think your "might change in 6 months to a year" will end up being a lot closer to 6 months. Orange County is very spread out. If you are working in irvine and living anywhere outside of irvine, public transportation is going to take a long time. For instance, i have a 20 min drive from work (Santa Ana to Newport beach)... I have tried mapping out the public transportation and have found that it would take me almost three hours (one way) to commute by bus, not to mention having like 4 transfers.

As far a irvine itself...not real exciting and yes, a lot of families. There are a couple places I tend to hang out sometimes, as a lot of my friends live in irvine: the district and the spectrum. But they are both just outdoor shopping malls, and you'll still want a car. Depending on where you decide to live, there could be other hang out options closer to you than either if those that aren't even in irvine.

Oh, one more thing...Tustin is definitely not a college town.

[ysr_racer]

Learn to drive, or don't come to So Cal.

Then when you get here, buy a car. Trust me on this one.

On a side note, how does a 30 yr old not know how to drive?

[ysr_racer]

Originally Posted by Mel2882

Oh, one more thing...Tustin is definitely not a college town.

Agreed, I live here. Don't know where they got that idea.

[DinsdalePirahna]

I was about 30 when I moved here from Long Island. No car, but I did have a bike and would ride about 18 miles from Fullerton to a job in Costa Mesa. I eventually moved to Huntington Beach and biked about the same distance, but it was so much more enjoyable. (I used public transit when the weather went south).

OC is not a late night party town. Things shut down around 10:30 or 11 pm

I did this for two years until I got a better job in the City of Industry and had to buy a car.

At 30, you will have a better time in a fun community (and get a car) Downtown Fullerton, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach are my recommendations. All decent (not great) public transit options.