Why are historic houses in Santa Ana so cheap compared to other places?

[Fast Cat]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Statistics and real life tell two different stories. Yes many households are overcrowded, but more are not overcrowded. Many of our neighbors had/have two people for three for four bedrooms. One has one person for six bedrooms. That is not overcrowded. Other places have more. There was one apartment with 24 people living in a one bedroom. (Yes, it happens, they slept in shifts). However that is unusual and extreme. Some of the overcrowding was weird to us, but it did not hurt us any. Crowded does not necessarily equal bad. New York is crowded, but lots of people love it there. Although it is "crowded" it is not as cramped as newer cities. We and our neighbors had bigger lots and more trees than any of our friends in Irvine, M.V. Coto etc.

I have a few minutes of free time so I wanted rebut a few of your points, then i make so overall general comments.

Regarding Overcrowding
More than 33% of the Santa Ana households are over crowded based on the city's recently released housing element document. Housing Element, see page A-19. That is 3.5 times the percentage for all of OC. It is a big number and it has repercussions for all Santa Ana citizens; enhanced fire and health hazards, greater need to police services, lack of parking, additional strain to water and sewers beyond their design capacity, greater need for public transportation, etc.
Latimes Article The poor are crammed and rules are tested in Santa Ana, the nation's most crowded big city.

Regarding Infrastructure
These articles outline the city's condition.

Water and sewer rate fee hikes that would help fund repairs to the city’s aging infrastructure


Santa Ana water rates going up ... again

I will have some additional comments later

[Fast Cat]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Where else in Orange county can you get a treat like that?? (Well maybe in Balboa or Laguna, but not too many places). Did the guy in his underwear harm you? Were your kids damaged? Have they not seen a Sears catalogue or visited Abercrombie & Fitch? Seeing things that are different or even wierd is part of life, it adds flavor.

Is there some need for nearby giant chain supermarkets to enjoy life? Do they have to be in the same city? We could walk to Northgate Market which is a fine nid-sized market, as well as a small local market right at the edge of our neighborhood. A long walk brought us to Target, Superior Market, Stater Brothers or Food For less. Albertsons was within a mile or two. Another, I forget which was nearby on 1st street. Pretty much any market is available within three or four miles. Costco twelve minutes away. Home Depot ten or fifteen depending on which one. Orchard Supply Hardware was 5 minutes away and a local small hardware with friendly helpful people was within walking distance. A major shopping mall (Main Place) was in walking or bicycle distance, and South Coast Plaza was a longer bike ride or short drive away. For some big box stores, you may have to cross into an adjoining town, but they are allowing that now. There are not even gates or checkpoints. I could drive to Orange in about two minutes and to Tustin in five. Irvine ten minutes, Garden Grove three or four, Costa Mesa five to ten (to the edge, not the beach), Anaheim in ten, Fullerton in fifteen. Nothing is far away. If we needed something that was not local, since we were at the confluence of three major freeways, everything is very accessible.

I could walk to over 25 restaurants, about 100 shops, a barbershop, three live theater locations, two museums, six nightclubs, and a dozen or more churches. I was also able to walk to work. Plus I could greet neighbors and look at cool architecture the entire way. How many people in OC can do that?

Oh and we also walked to the train station which was an easy and pleasant way to get to Los Angeles, San Celemente, San Diego, or even Irvine if you wanted to go there for some reason. Try that form Huntington Beach, it would be along long walk.

The real creme though was we could afford a good sized 1893 Victorian home on a sizable lot with mature trees and mostly nice neighbors. Oh and our kids could walk to OCHSA, usually one of the top 5 high schools in Orange County (they also have a jr high).

So yes, I disagree with your assessment of Santa Ana life. I cannot think of anywhere else in OC you can live like that.

In terms of your comments regarding my park experience - I was not personally offended, but I believe most people would be.

Regarding Santa Ana lacking retail amenities - The people who I know from Santa Ana enjoy the downtown restaurants and there are indeed many fine dining establishments. However they also dislike the lack of other retail choices that require them driving out of the city. People who choose to live in OC are generally going to put a higher premium towards the convenience in obtaining the staples of life than walking distance to their entertainment choices. BTW - A walk or bike ride to the beach is also awful far distance from Santa Ana than Huntington Beach.

Regarding your comments on community safety - People probably obtain the most impressionable opinion about a community's safety by reading the number of headlines or watching the local news stories discussing crime for that particular community. Any discussion of violent acts or activity involving gangs will certainly heighten those opinions. Given a choice, most folks would rather live in a place where they do not have worry or think about their safety.

It comes down to one's personal values. Most who live in OC are going to choose the benefits of suburban living (schools, parks, safety, communities' amenities) vs the perceived benefits of a more urban environment (historical home, walking distance to restaurants). They particularly will not choose these urban benefits if they feels it does not out weight the negative things that come with it, even you personal might perceive them as minor or able to mitigate. I completely understand why at one time you choose to live in French Park and I am not criticizing you for that choice. I personally have man of the same values. However, I also understand why many people have a negative impression of Santa Ana.

[Fast Cat]

Forgive all the missing words and grammatical errors in the previous post. It was up way to early this morning, posting my response.