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I currently live in the California, and we are thinking about moving down to Orange County. We visit the area quite often, and other than the traffic, I don't really have a lot of complaints. My wife and I are college graduates, I work in software development, and her in the medical field as an Registered Dietitian. We have 3 kids, (2 boys, ages 5 and 7, and 1 girl age 2). We've looked at the housing prices, and they are pretty crazy, especially what you can get for the money you spend. We could afford a rental between $3500 - $4000, which so far looks like a similar home to what we have now. We are premium Disneyland annual passholders and we go down to Dland all the time. Even for a quick day trip. It takes about 3-4 hours for us to get there, but we are seriously thinking about just relocating and settling down in OC. We love a lot of the cities. We've visited every city in Orange County to get a feel for it, and can see the difference between them all. We've gone whale watching in Newport, the Discovery Center in Tustin, a bunch of beaches, and I even ran in the "Run Surf City" marathon in Huntington Beach.
I've looked around and found tons of posts about OC and how people are very materialistic, and let their kids stay in day care all day while they work just to afford their home, and everything is overcrowded and such. But what I'm looking for is for any person who currently lives in OC that can testify that they actually do love living there with their family. If you are that person, please share a bit about why you like living there, and the fun activities you do with your family. I personally have never encountered any problems while visiting. The traffic hasn't been too bad, except on the 55 at times, and shopping areas get packed, but we just take it slow, and if we have to park 1 minute away from the restaurant in the deeeep area of the parking lot, then so be it... It doesn't really effect me at all. Overall, I know I am only a tourist, and things will be much different on a day-to-day, but to me, it doesn't seem that bad.
i like OC for its schools and jobs available. and the amenities its offer. i live 9 years in anaheim and if we dont have a pre schooler, we would have remained in Anaheim due to its lower COL and bigger apartments or houses and negligible traffic.
we just bought a condo in lake forest, mainly for its top rated school (assigned) and hope that it remains top rated.
We live in Lake Forest as well. We moved two years ago from Bakersfield. We really love it here and OC really has a lot to offer for families. The schools in our area are very good. There is never a shortage of things to do, as many of the cities offer free or low cost events throughout the year for families. We don't get to do half the things we would like as life often gets in the way, but the kids stay busy with after school activities and sports. When my husband has a weekend off, we try and get to the beach or seek out a new place to visit.
With that being said, being a tourist and living here are two entirely different things. As someone who used to be a tourist with rose-colored glasses on, and now a resident, I can attest that traffic can be very bad at certain times of the day or whenever there's an accident. If you have to drive in it everyday its enough to make you want to pull your hair out. So choose where you live and the proximity to your job very wisely.
We've gone whale watching in Newport, the Discovery Center in Tustin, a bunch of beaches, and I even ran in the "Run Surf City" marathon in Huntington Beach.
I do genuinely like living here, but it has disadvantages as any place does. What makes it work best for us are a combination of luck (we were in a position to buy ur house 17 years ago when prices were comparatively low) and our lifestyle (house is small, cars are old, we seldom take vacations, etc.) My husband owns a small business and makes a good income, but on the flip side, he works VERY hard and rarely takes days off, other than the weekend.
I am a stay-at-home parent to three children, ages 15, 12 and 9. Things change as they get older but when mine were the ages of the OP's kids, we were outside almost every single day. Pools, parks, a lake, the library, all are in walking distance. There are a lot of community events. In the summer we had a standing weekly beach day with friends--the beach is about 30 minutes away. When we wanted a bigger outing, there are the major tourist attractions all within less than a two-hour drive.
Traffic....eh...it depends where you are going and at what time. My husband works 30 miles away, and traffic can be bad, but there are several alternative routes and you quickly figure out which works best. In my daily life, I hardly ever use the freeway as it's easier and faster to take surface streets most places I want to go. And, even though it's expensive I love the toll road!
My brother currently lives with his family (wife & 3 school age children) in Mission Viejo. The schools are good and the quality life is also good. Every year he picks a different family membership at a local attraction (some of them outside of Orange County but not too far away) for them to enjoy. I know that this summer they got a one year membership to the Discovery Center in Santa Ana. Also his family enjoys visiting Mission Viejo Lake for swimming or renting a boat.
Thank you all for the positive replies. I really enjoy hearing about families that love living in OC. Gives me some reassurance that it's not as bad as some posts make it appear. And just fyi, I realize now the Discover Center is in Santa Ana, not Tustin.
for out-of-towners, you guys have done more than my family! My husband and I do not like the hot weather, but we have family here, so SoCal is home. That's fine, because it is a great area to be. I would not live in LA!
Lots to do around here: amusement parks, beach, mountains, San Diego, parks, trains, horses and lots of free activities. I personally do not like Discover Center. Been there twice and it was boooring.
Freeway congestion can be awful, but I work from home, so it's not a problem for me. When I do sit in traffic, I don't mind, since I rarely have to face this. I usually don't have trouble finding parking at any shopping areas, except now, but it's the holidays.
Materialistic? Yes, you'll come across families and individuals who are into material things and I'll see botox and plastic surgery on people now and then. I might see more if I lived in the wealthy areas .
This past summer, my family and I braved the sunlight and left our cave to vacation at Legoland. Hubby picked an expensive hotel. I'm afraid to find out the rate, but we passed by the Motel 6 near the fwy and all the places I would've picked. Our hotel was down a beautiful road of several fancy hotels and ours was at the end of the road on a cliff.
One day, we went to the pool and a pretty young mom in her 30s or 40s lounged in the chair next to us. I stepped away and came back to hear her talking rather loudly on the phone. Was I hearing correctly? She was on the phone with a creditor, calmly telling him that she already sent in $20 and that they will get the rest later. The negotiation continued and then it was done. She waved the waiter over, ordered a meal for herself and the kids, then a few minutes later, waved the young waiter back and told him she was late for the spa appointment and that the food would have to be...
I stared at my husband when she left. Maybe she won a prize for a hotel stay and spa treatment--how do I know, right? Wow.
Some of the families I know are stretched financially. It's very expensive to live here. Rent is expensive. Many families have dual-income, so yes, the kids are in preschool all day or with a babysitter. Some families work so much they don't have time for their kids.
There's lots of wonderful families here too, though. I think people are nice, shopping areas are aplenty. It's very diverse and actually a great place to live, despite the few months of heat.
for out-of-towners, you guys have done more than my family! My husband and I do not like the hot weather, but we have family here, so SoCal is home. That's fine, because it is a great area to be. I would not live in LA!
Lots to do around here: amusement parks, beach, mountains, San Diego, parks, trains, horses and lots of free activities. I personally do not like Discover Center. Been there twice and it was boooring.
Freeway congestion can be awful, but I work from home, so it's not a problem for me. When I do sit in traffic, I don't mind, since I rarely have to face this. I usually don't have trouble finding parking at any shopping areas, except now, but it's the holidays.
Materialistic? Yes, you'll come across families and individuals who are into material things and I'll see botox and plastic surgery on people now and then. I might see more if I lived in the wealthy areas .
This past summer, my family and I braved the sunlight and left our cave to vacation at Legoland. Hubby picked an expensive hotel. I'm afraid to find out the rate, but we passed by the Motel 6 near the fwy and all the places I would've picked. Our hotel was down a beautiful road of several fancy hotels and ours was at the end of the road on a cliff.
One day, we went to the pool and a pretty young mom in her 30s or 40s lounged in the chair next to us. I stepped away and came back to hear her talking rather loudly on the phone. Was I hearing correctly? She was on the phone with a creditor, calmly telling him that she already sent in $20 and that they will get the rest later. The negotiation continued and then it was done. She waved the waiter over, ordered a meal for herself and the kids, then a few minutes later, waved the young waiter back and told him she was late for the spa appointment and that the food would have to be...
I stared at my husband when she left. Maybe she won a prize for a hotel stay and spa treatment--how do I know, right? Wow.
Some of the families I know are stretched financially. It's very expensive to live here. Rent is expensive. Many families have dual-income, so yes, the kids are in preschool all day or with a babysitter. Some families work so much they don't have time for their kids.
There's lots of wonderful families here too, though. I think people are nice, shopping areas are aplenty. It's very diverse and actually a great place to live, despite the few months of heat.
I think you'll love living here.
I think the Discovery Center is great and I love taking my nephews to it. It is not boring if you participate in the activities with the kids.
Regarding the conversation you heard, I am not surprised that same person was ordering food and spending money she didn't have. Why save when spending is so fun? So many put on the airs and do not have two dimes to their names. It is so foolish to behave that way.
My family and I moved to Huntington Beach over 8 years ago from East Long Beach adjacent to El Dorado Park. At that time, my daughters were about to begin attending elementary school and we wanted them in a better school district. We sold our Long Beach home and increased our square footage by 50% and lot size by 20% for roughly a 15% increase in price. Although I knew OC offer an excellent quality of life, I had never really considered living here because I favored a more urban environment.
However, I would have to say moving to OC has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. We live in a great neighborhood with fabulous schools all within walking distance to our home. We enjoy the many parks throughout the city. My kids ride their bikes or scooters throughout the neighborhood or play in the front of our house without concern for their safety. We also enjoy socializing with our neighbors, that includes a couple of block parties that takes place in the summer time. In fact last night as Christmas Eve approaches, my daughters participated with several friends from various girl scout troops caroling around the neighborhood.
Moving here has been great experience and I wish I had made that decision a long time ago.
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