Mission Viejo vs. San Clemente (Irvine, Orange: apartment, renting, low crime)

[WannaBNorCal]

Can people who live in one of these cities, or know about them, please help me with pros and cons of both?

[DanBosCalTex]

I have lived in San Clemente, If you can afford it, it is a great town. It has great beaches and a fun surfing community. Its one of the few area in socal that have a small town feel to it. It's geographically separated by mountains on the east, ocean on the west and camp Pendleton to the south. If I had a million dollars I would buy a home there. San Clemente is one of the few places I liked in all of orange county. Most of the county is too urbanized for me but San Clemente is great. Pretty Low crime although there are some seedy apartment buildings to watch out for.

[WannaBNorCal]

Thank you, do you think I could find a one bedroom/studio for less than $1500?

[DanBosCalTex]

You should be able to. You may have to go to craigslist but it is possible. If you are looking on South El camino real check out the apartment first some are kinda city.

[missionhome]

I live in Mission Viejo. If you run a search on the city on the forum you will find many posts on it. There are also pictures of it in the thread titled "Pictures of Orange County."
Mission Viejo is a suburban community of 100,000 residents, recently ranked as the safest city in the entire USA, and ideal for raising a family and being close to the jobs of Irvine and the South County area. The schools are great, the neighborhoods are clean and friendly, and the recreation and shopping is plentiful. The city is centered with stunning Lake Mission Viejo where you can swim, kayak, sail, party boat, pedal boat, fish, and just relax. There is a popular running route around the lake also that is 3 miles. Saddleback Mountain provides a beautiful backdrop for the city.
Pros:
Safe, perfectly clean streets, tons of trees (voted a Tree City USA), hilly land makes everything not so flat and boring, three golf courses, the lake, excellent city parks, good schools, good freeway access, The Shops at Mission Viejo Mall, Kaleidoscope Courtyards, good health care at Mission Hospital, pleasant temperature year round (a little hot in August, about 85-95 degrees), and relatively more humble people compared to some areas of Orange County.
Cons:
Not much nightlife for young adults, anything past Irvine is getting into a long commute for work, beaches are 20 minutes away, Cadillac Escalade driving soccer moms who go 80mph to get their kids to school on time , Crown Valley Parkway is very busy and is a disaster.
If you will be renting an apartment, almost all the complexes are nice. Some are just a little older, while some are new and very nice.

San Clemente is also a wonderful community. We almost purchased a home there before deciding Mission Viejo and the lake would be better for raising the kids at. If you are young and single (I'm not sure how old you are), then San Clemente may be a better choice as the beach is there and it has the small town surf city feel. San Clemente is also very safe and I would recommend it thoroughly. Whenever we go to the beach, we choose San Clemente since it is so uncrowded (relative to the rest of the county) and it is my favorite beach city in the county.

When renting an apartment, be sure to ask as there are a few areas that are sort of dumpy. Just ask and people can tell you if that location is fine.

[JesusisLord]

Originally Posted by DanBosCalTex

Its one of the few area in socal that have a small town feel to it. It's geographically separated by mountains on the east, ocean on the west and camp Pendleton to the south. .

I wouldn't consider east of San Clemente to be mountains, they are hills. Don't want to sound like a stinger, but want to give the right picture. The ocean is very beautiful, an hour fifteen drive to Mexico.

[JakeDog]

San Clemente feels more like a "town" with its own identity seperate in many ways from the rest of orange county. In some ways it feels a bit like Santa Barbara or San Louis Osbispo. More historic architecture, huge surf culture, ocean town, very nice yet does not have the in your face money atmosphere of Newport Beach. I like it. Mission Viejo is inland and is best described as a Brady Bunch type area. Great for families. Actually fairly down to earth by Orange County standards (more upper middle class as opposed to the upper class of Newport/Laguna) and very safe.
I agree with the San Clemente for someone young and Mission Viejo for families. They are both my favorite communities in OC for completely different reasons.

[WannaBNorCal]

Originally Posted by JesusisLord

I wouldn't consider east of San Clemente to be mountains, they are hills. Don't want to sound like a stinger, but want to give the right picture. The ocean is very beautiful, an hour fifteen drive to Mexico.

I really don't want to be that close to Mexico, not my style, but I heard it was safe, and not so 'upper class' - my salary doesn't meet the standards of that type of living.
Thanks JakeDog, too, I think I'm in the middle aged bracket. Free to go anywhere

[JesusisLord]

Mexico is a great place to go, yeah there's bad areas, but there's a ton of resorts off Baja. I love Tijuana for the bull fights, a little drinkin', just a different culture and a different perspective.

[WannaBNorCal]

Palmilla is pretty nice, Puerto Vallarta is now a tourist trap