Relocation from NYC to Orange County/Irvine - any neighborhood suggestions for young couple please? (Santa Ana: apartment, for rent)

[DinsdalePirahna]

I used to work in that area and lived at the Newport Bluffs. Very nice community although a bit pricey. Easy enough bike ride to Newport Harbor and near fashion island and other restaurant amenities.

The caveat is that you want to live in one of the town homes on Rivoli and not in the apartment section.
Get on the right side of management and the maintenance crew and you will have a very pleasurable living experience.

[CuriousGeorgie]

Haha thanks luvca - taking that under strong consideration

One other thing I wonder about is earthquakes and whether it makes a difference being in a SFH vs a larger apartment building. May sound silly but I've never been there during an earthquake I have to wonder. Do you think SFH are safer? Or is there really no difference when it comes to construction these days? I'd assume new construction is built with quakes in mind?

Goozer- thanks. We definitely are not expecting SoCal to be anything like NYC - something we're very much looking forward to. We will look into your suggestions for nearby towns. Costa Mesa seemed nice but we stayed near the plaza mall and didn't get a chance to see much else when we were down. What do you think of Newport Beach?

Also, you mentioned proximity to the beach which is something we're trying to figure out. We'd like the option of going to the beach with little hassle but wonder how much of a difference it makes being 4 miles vs 10 miles from the beach. Our initial thought was if we have to drive, what's the difference between needing to drive 10 min vs. 20? Just curious on a residents point of view. How often do or would you go?

Much appreciated - all of these responses are so helpful to us. Thanks again!

[goozer]

Originally Posted by CuriousGeorgie

Haha thanks luvca - taking that under strong consideration

Goozer- thanks. We definitely are not expecting SoCal to be anything like NYC - something we're very much looking forward to. We will look into your suggestions for nearby towns. Costa Mesa seemed nice but we stayed near the plaza mall and didn't get a chance to see much else when we were down. What do you think of Newport Beach?

Also, you mentioned proximity to the beach which is something we're trying to figure out. We'd like the option of going to the beach with little hassle but wonder how much of a difference it makes being 4 miles vs 10 miles from the beach. Our initial thought was if we have to drive, what's the difference between needing to drive 10 min vs. 20? Just curious on a residents point of view. How often do or would you go?

Newport Beach is a very nice town. It's expensive and there are a lot of wealthy folks living there -- in that sense it is not unlike Manhattan. But it definitely has a good nightlife scene for singles/young couples. East Costa Mesa is adjacent to Newport. It is close to the beach and slightly cheaper than Newport proper. Both locations offer good proximity to the beach. If you have your heart set on a beach community, definitely check out Laguna beach. It is probably my favorite OC beach town -- a little more artsy than Newport, but also a bit more touristy.

Everyone is different regarding how often they go to the beach. I have friends who surf who are in the ocean at least every week. I live about 20 mins from the beach and go maybe a dozen times a year -- I tend to prefer spending my time hiking and mountain biking in the mountains in the east part of the county.

[Nathan356]

You might also check out "The Residences at Bella Terra", if you are considering modern apartments to rent.

Luxury Huntington Beach Apartments | The Residences at Bella Terra Apartments

A far cry from Manhatten but its within walking distance of a lot of things and they are brand new. Commute might be just a bit farther than 20 minutes to Jamboree depending on how far from the freeway your work is and traffic.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by Nathan356

You might also check out "The Residences at Bella Terra", if you are considering modern apartments to rent.

Luxury Huntington Beach Apartments | The Residences at Bella Terra Apartments

Why would anyone want to live there?

I love Huntington Beach, but this community is the anti-thesis of what HB is all about. While there is good shopping, the restaurants are all franchise beaneries. The parking sucks, and when everyone moves in, I can just see the entire area being a traffic nightmare. Again, for similar pricing and closer to your office, I would recommend Newport Bluffs (townhome section).

I currently work close to the area where your perspective employers are located. I own a nice condo in the Harbour Area of Huntington Beach. It takes me about 20 minutes to get to work, and about 45 to get home (if I wait 20 minutes, I can make it home in about 30 minutes) for your budget, you can get a nice 3 or 4 bedroom place in a very nice neighborhood anywhere in HB.

[Nathan356]

Believe me, I live near the Harbour too (actually behind the wetlands) and lived downtown for many years and I'm sad to see HB turned into a sort of Irvine-esque corporate production with no local flavor, but I can appreciate that some people like that. Places like this check a few of the key boxes:

1. Modern (i.e. "new")
2. Safe
3. Very walkable

Cons:

1. Soulless
2. "Nightlife" is limited to restaurant bars, extended shopping hours, and movie theaters.

It's not my personal choice by a long shot, but this is "like Irvine but younger" which was the gist I got from the original post. Not sure if they allow dogs though. It's going to be pretty hard to find a community of SFHs like what you saw in Northwood/Westpark where its mostly young people without kids.

[jobedi]

Originally Posted by CuriousGeorgie

We will be relocating from NYC to Orange County for work in a few months. The office will be somewhere in Irvine (probably close to Jamboree Rd & MacArthur Blvd area) and we are looking for a good neighborhood that is around (or less than) 20 minutes drive.

We're looking for a fairly modern single-family home with a good amount of space in a safe neighborhood, but also a younger neighborhood that's not completely dead at night (we're a young couple in our early 30s, a doggie, no kids). We're more looking for some sort of town center nearby with restaurants/bars for every now and then.

We drove through Westpark and Northwood in March which seemed nice, but also a little older than we're looking for (more families with older kids). We also took a drive through Aliso Viejo which looked spacious but also very planned/boring (not unique).

Any suggestions on neighborhoods in Irvine or surrounding cities that might fit what we're looking for? It's been difficult to get a real feel for the area as we are still in NYC. Any input would help - thanks!

call me when you are in town i help people find rental homes...email me [email]jobedi4homes@hotmail.com[/email]

[jobedi]

you will like irvine as a young couple

[Pocket4ces]

I made the move myself from NYC to OC almost 4 years ago. The best option in my opinion is Laguna Beach, which offers the perfect combo of the OC lifestyle with the nightlife and energy of NYC. When you decide it's time for kids, then you might want to consider moving inland and buying a single family home.
I live in orange, very close to old town orange. Still not a terrible commute to LA for the times we want to do that.

[anagrig]

Look into Woodbridge area of Irvine. You will NEVER regret you choose it. It has two beautiful lakes , tons of parks and swimming pools, lots of shopping everywhere around since it is the most centrally located neighborhood. The only thing to worry is to actually find a house here for sale !