Relocating for a job in Irvine.. want great schools but not dull suburbia. Does this exist? (Los Angeles: cul-de-sac, rental)

[dexter14]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

One last time.

"Relocating for a job in Irvine.. want great schools but not dull suburbia. Does this exist?"

There are two options. 1) You are so dense that you don't understand what this means or 2) you are just trying to waste the OP's time and choose to ignore his criteria so that you can spew more of your worthless posts ripping on Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, Anaheim, etc.

One last time, I told her the place she wants that ticks every box doesn't exist unless she wants to spend a lot more money for Laguna Beach. If you want to live near Irvine and the BEACH, you need to make sacrifices. Bottom line is this. If you want to live in a 60 year old house in an older and not so attractive neighborhood and spend over two hours a day driving to and from work and over an hour to and from the beach, North OC is the place. If you want a newer, nicer home in a pretty neighborhood with an easy commute to Irvine for work and closer to the beach, its South OC. OP, here are some pics of Mission Viejo area and homes. Compare them to the pics of Orange and see which you like best. Its not even close IMO but everyone has their own taste.

[psr13]

$2200 a month won't get much more than a two bedroom apartment (maybe condo in certain areas) in South County. Plus, he specifically said he doesn't want dull suburbia, which is most of South County.

It also wouldn't take two hours a day to commute from Orange to Irvine. I used to work in Santa Ana, live in La Puente, and get home in about an hour. (That's with tons of traffic, with driving safely, and with following the speed limit even though I just about never could go anywhere near the speed limit.) It would take much less time than that to get from Orange to Irvine.

[msginger]

It is an exhausting process to find a home here in Irvine or in the county. Two areas in which to focus your search are around Jamboree, I think the zip code is 92602.

We just relocated to Irvine a couple weeks ago. Try to have places picked out a couple days before you arrive; using zillow or trulia is ok, not great. I found a couple places a week prior to arriving, but they were gone by the time I arrived. If you like a place, especially if it's a private place, give them the deposit right then; otherwise, the next person will. Also, there are quite a number of scams on zillow and trulia. I tried craigslist and saw a couple nice places for rent by owner. Beware, if the place is rented by an owner, you will have to pay at least the rent price for a deposit, and you're taking a risk you might not get it back. One owner wanted a $3,000 deposit so that they could pay off the contractor for the kitchen remodel.

We ended up renting in Woodbridge; $2430 for a 3-2 apartment! It doesn't have W/D - you have to pay to use their laundry rooms. It's not really modern, and it's just ok. If I had $3200-$4100 to spend , we could've gotten a super nice apartment off Jamboree and Main, Calypso is the name of the place.

If the job is in Irvine, you really are better off paying the higher price rather than living in Corona because of the cost to your vehicle. That's what we decided anyway. All said and done, I love this area - it is awesome.

[Ajalvarez2]

OC is mostly a newer area than Baltimore, SF and Chicago. As such, I don't think you will find too many areas with the type "character" that you find in those other cities. What areas might qualify are mostly old, run down, unsafe and lacking in good schools. Fortunately/unfortunately, depending on your perspective, OC may be one of the country's most suburban areas there are. No really large cities, nothing much in the way of public transport and plenty of traffic. I think one poster was sugar coating the drive time from Orange to Irvine, using an example that had nothing to do with Irvine. In peak hours the drive from Orange to Irvine could easily be 45-60 minutes in each direction. And Irvine is pretty huge. If you happen to be working deep into the town or on the south side, add more time.

At 2200 you are most likely looking at a run down area (for a house) or an apartment (which are usually very cookie cutter).

Irvine and Mission Viejo are consistently in the top five safest cities in the US. Both have great schools (as do nearby Laguna Hills and Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel. They all have great nature walk trails and more beautiful clean safe parks than you can shake a stick at. I live in Laguna Hills and I literally live within five minutes walking time of five beautiful parks, one being a very large community center complex. Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach are also relatively close to Irvine and are both beach towns and less pricey than Newport Beach, Laguna Beach. They also probably have more character than most of south OC. San Clemente has character and beaches but then you are getting into more distance and commute time again. Not to mention expense.

By the way - in the past I rented and moved around a lot and have never had a private owner refuse to return my deposit. CA has substantial laws for protecting renters rights. Just ask any landlord and they'll gripe to high heaven how skewed things are to the renter.

Bottom line - if you want to enjoy quality family time instead of major commute time you'd be wise to look south OC. It can provide everything you are looking for except you are definitely going to get cookie cutter if by cookie cutter you mean tract homes. If you consider Mission Viejo or Laguna Hills, though they are tract homes, the communities are mature enough to have fully matured trees and homes that have started to have their own identities. I really think you would love strolling in these neighborhoods. 15 minutes tops from the beach. At 2200 you are looking at apartments in most of South OC.

Nowhere in OC is boring. Between beaches, parks, theaters, sports, festivals and great restaurants there is always something to do. And it is nestled between Los Angeles, Palm Springs and San Diego for easy getaways.

[ragnarkar]

Great schools and not dull suburbia yet near Irvine? Try Fullerton.

[HSP1161]

OP, you sound a ton like yours truly.

We gave up old town charm for cookie cutter, but won back the promise of a shorter commute and preserved walkability/pedestrian access by doing Irvine.

Irvine is by far the most bikeable and walkable city in Orange County. Its geography, trails, bike lanes and planning credentials are legion. Sure, its "villages" are cookie cutter, that said, they are each designed to be walkable to schools, shopping, parks, restaurants. The aforementioned south OC cities are mostly very hilly and while many have trails, they are designed as recreational. By contrast, Irvine's paths are mostly functional, shuttling pedestrians and cyclists from village to village or village to employment hub in a Tolkien-esque way.

That said, it is expensive here. $2200 gets you a 2/2 in an Irvine Company apartment, which are extremely well cared-for and are fungible leases to other IAC apartments. So for cookie cutter (but extremely well-planned) and more expensive rent, you trade off never having to deal with freeway traffic during your commute.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Not sure about schools but Santiago/Silverado Canyon are pretty far removed from being suburbia with easier access to Irvine.

[psr13]

People don't like to admit it because it's in a "run-down" area, but La Quinta High School, and the feeder schools, is actually a very good school. The school gets the same or higher scores than Mission Viejo High School, and your money will go much further there than down here in South County. It's in suburbia, but really just about all of Orange County is.

For what it's worth, I'd much rather live in La Quinta's district and have my kids go there than live here and have my kids go to MVHS.

[LuvSouthOC]

Costa Mesa.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by VC2014

I am relocating for a job in Irvine and I have 2 children in elementary school. I've heard great things about Irvine schools, but I also hear that the community is very "cookie cutter" and super suburban. We are from Chicago originally and have lived in San Francisco and Baltimore. We like diverse areas.... walking neighborhoods that are safe but that also have character. We will be renting to start and our price range would be no higher than $2200/ month.
Does anyone know of an area that has great schools, but that also has a diverse cultural feel? Being near the beach would be nice too but I hear the beach neighborhoods are way more expensive. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Honestly, points East for walkable neighborhoods with character, diversity, plenty of museums, and other great cultural amenities; but since you will be in OC, I would suggest living as close as possible to Laguna Beach and making the most of it.

South County does offer good schools, longer life expectancy (yep), safe streets, easy access to the ocean, parks galore and plenty of hiking and biking trails. You get the whole package while still being able to make easy trips over to Laguna Beach; and what that artsy community has to offer.

BTW, don't make the mistake of assuming that cookie-cutter houses necessarily reflect negatively upon the inhabitants. There are tons of transplants in South County, and we are stuck with the houses that we found here.

Likewise, it does not follow that someone who lives in an old tract home in a North County city with dated infrastructure has, as some C-D posters like to suggest, more character.