Best places to live in Huntington Beach (Irvine, Mission Viejo: apartment complex, for rent)

[AyeScotland]

it appears I got a misimpression from your original thread, or else you have since changed your priorities. You started off asking about Tustin and irvine, both of which are about a 20 minute drive from the ocean (same as Santa Ana), so living by the water did not jump out at me. It appeared initially that you were mainly focused on great schools and a family-friendly neighborhood.

Now --Mission Viejo?!!? Do you realize that Mission Viejo is not any closer to the ocean than Irvine, Tustin, and Santa Ana?

Perhaps you are considering Mission Viejo because there is a man-made lake there? If so, I really don't know anything about the neighborhoods around Lake Mission Viejo, so don't know if your budget would be enough for a house with access to the lake, or merely a view of the lake from your backyard. Perhaps someone else might be able to answer that question.

The high schools in the Mission Viejo would not meet my definition of "great" -- they are merely okay. Laguna Hills High is the smallest from student population standpoint, whereas the other high schools in the area have much larger student populations, if that matters to you. Also, you may want to know that South OC has a terrible drug problem (if you do settle there you will be hearing about it at school and community meetings where the local OC Sheriff's Deputies and grieving moms and dads speak about it. Two South OC moms even made a documentary about it. This is not necessarily a reason not to move there (unless that means that the area would not meet your definition of "safe"), since many, many (hopefully most) kids somehow manage to not get consumed by it, however, since you are considering plunking down over a million dollars for a house, in the event you decide it is the right area for you, you would at least be making an informed decision, rather than buying the house and wishing someone had told you about the drug problem before you bought the house. In other words, you would be able to go in with your eyes and ears wide open.

If a man-made lake is acceptable to you, then you might also want to check out the Woodbridge neighborhood in Irvine, and the neighborhood around the man-made lake in Lake Forest.

Here are some other random thoughts to think about as you continue your research:

--Do you care whether you live in a neighborhood of cookie-cutter tract homes versus custom homes?
--Do you care if the lot sizes are so small that when your neighbor sneezes, you will catch their cold?
--Would you mind paying hundreds of dollars each month in Homeowner's Association fees (and possibly additional hundreds more for lake access?)
--Do you have a preference as to whether you live in a guard-gated community?
--Would it bother you to be told precisely what one, very expensive garage door you are allowed to buy when you need to replace your garage door?
--Would it bother you to be told exactly which shade of taupe you can paint your back patio cover (or conversely, would you prefer that because, other than the occasional renegade who decides to battle the HOA, you have less chance of having a house on your block painted purple?)?
--Do you want to live a neighborhood where the neighbors actually know one another, or would you prefer to live in a neighborhood where everyone keeps to themselves (e.g., hits the remote when they pull into their driveway, drives straight into the garage, closes the garage door, and never even learns their neighbors' names, let alone interacts with them)?
--Do you care if you are a 20 minute drive to the ocean, or do you want to be much, much closer to the ocean than that?

There is something for everyone -- just depends what you want.

[marcellamiami]

Thank you for your reply. Yes I have been narrowing it down to what I think will help my kids adjust and have a well rounded childhood. These posts have helped me so much. I am very grateful for peoples input and info.

I do want a great high school and size of the school does matter. I was considering Mission Viejo because of the lake access, but knowing I could not afford on the lake. However, an OK school wont do.

Thank you for the drug issue warning. I will definitely look more into that before making my decision. Some things you can't get around though, I don't know if private school would be any better. Sometimes it's even worse.

All the reasons mentioned above is why I had ruled out Irvine and Ladera Ranch, which so many people tell me has great family community. Having said that, in the end, I may have to compromise in the area. I want to avoid Mello Roos and controlling HOA's, and I don't like cookie cutter homes. I am willing to give up lot size for a great school and yes I hope to buy in a friendly, welcoming neighborhood for my girls.

Water is part of their everyday life now. We live on a canal now. They spent all day in the canal with the neighbors yesterday. This made Huntington Beach Harbour look more attractive.

Does anyone have any good or bad experiences with this area or Marina High School?

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by AyeScotland

If you end up settling in Huntington Beach, know that the one or two days a week that you husband has to drive to the office in Santa Ana or to the airport, he could have a hellish commute (unless he would be making the drive outside of the "rush hours"), as I have heard from friends and colleagues who live there that there is a long line of cars on the surface street inching along until they get to the freeway onramp, and then continuing to inch along for miles once they finally get on the freeway. For getting to the office, though, he could probably take surface streets, if he doesn't mind the stoplights (pick your poison). That said, if he is willing to put up with that commute the one or two days he is not working from home, as others have said, Huntington does have some nice neighborhoods (I know nothing about the schools, so will leave that up to others to comment on).

Really? It takes me 20 minutes of relatively easy traffic at 8:45 am to get from my Home in the Harbour Area to my office in Irvine.
(the commute home takes about 30-45 minutes, in heavy traffic) Surface streets aren't that bad.

Sometimes I'll take the extra 15 minutes so I get a nice ocean front drive on my way to work.

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

Huntington has some houses along Bolsa Chica Wetlands on Brookhurst and PCH you can also look into Sunset Beach. It's next to Huntington and has some waterfront too

Sunset Beach has been annexed by Huntington Beach
Waterfront property is still pretty expensive, but with a 1.5m budget, you maybe able to find something on one of the Islands.
And yes, there are some very nice homes around Bolsa Chica.

[mayhemmama]

San Clemente is an amazing, family friendly area. It is a beach town, relaxed and laid back with some great restaurants. There are lots of family activities that go on in the city. It is worth checking out! Just be prepared to fall in love! & a side note, there aren't as many tourists during the summer months down south, as there are in Huntington and Newport beaches.

[marcellamiami]

Thank you. It's good to know about the tourists. In Miami we get a lot of that too, but in our daily lives it is barely an issue and adds to the local economy. I guess it all depends on what area and street you live on but I will be vigilant about that issue.

[Electrician4you]

If you choose Newport on the peninsula side the biggie summer holidays ( labor, 4th, memorial,) the place gets PACKED. Some streets worse than others but its pretty crowded. To the point where you are either staying in or. Leave for the weekend.There is a LUGO loud and unruly gathering ordinance in place.

[UrsusMinor]

We moved here about 15 years ago and we had a great deal of freedom in choosing where to live. We settled on HB and are very happy with our choice.

I wouldn't even think of Mission Viejo. It's miles from anywhere, and getting to the beach from there--ugh. San Clemente is a nice enough town, but the commute would be hellish.

What I like about HB is that it is a little mixed up. Our neighborhood is a little older, and has a nice mix of large single-family homes as well as some condos, about 1 1/2 miles from the beach. Three parks within a five-minute walks. We have a huge yard, large enough for a big front front yard, a large vegetable garden, and a pool. And we like living in a neighborhood that's not filled with cookie-cutter tract homes.

We also like HB because it's a little mixed-up. Kids, surfers, older people, goth-wannabes, everybody rubbing elbows. Newport Beach is snooty. Irvine is utterly sterile--it's the suburban version of Downtown Disney.

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by UrsusMinor

We moved here about 15 years ago and we had a great deal of freedom in choosing where to live. We settled on HB and are very happy with our choice.

I wouldn't even think of Mission Viejo. It's miles from anywhere, and getting to the beach from there--ugh. San Clemente is a nice enough town, but the commute would be hellish.

What I like about HB is that it is a little mixed up. Our neighborhood is a little older, and has a nice mix of large single-family homes as well as some condos, about 1 1/2 miles from the beach. Three parks within a five-minute walks. We have a huge yard, large enough for a big front front yard, a large vegetable garden, and a pool. And we like living in a neighborhood that's not filled with cookie-cutter tract homes.

We also like HB because it's a little mixed-up. Kids, surfers, older people, goth-wannabes, everybody rubbing elbows. Newport Beach is snooty. Irvine is utterly sterile--it's the suburban version of Downtown Disney.

I really like the part of HB by Mother's Market, Adams close to Beach blvd, those are some really nice homes. HH is awesome, but I have no boat

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by Teckeeee

I really like the part of HB by Mother's Market, Adams close to Beach blvd, those are some really nice homes. HH is awesome, but I have no boat

Kayaks, canoes, SUPs and small sailboats work pretty well, too.

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Kayaks, canoes, SUPs and small sailboats work pretty well, too.

CaddyShack anyone? Sorry punchy hour.