Anaheim, CA-Not as pretty as everyone thinks. (San Diego, Irvine: condos, hotel)

[Urban Planner]

Originally Posted by tstwahine

I grew up in south orange county and never once thought that Anaheim was "pretty". I'd argue with the comment that says all of the OC burbs are basically the same - I don't think that coastal cities like Dana Point and Laguna Beach can be compared to Mission Viejo and Santa Ana.

I grew up in North OC and have never once thought South County cities were or are "pretty" either. To be fair, everything south of the 55 is exactly the same while north oc cities all have different unique characteristics due to their history.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Urban Planner

I grew up in North OC and have never once thought South County cities were or are "pretty" either. To be fair, everything south of the 55 is exactly the same while north oc cities all have different unique characteristics due to their history.

Stop writing drivel about south OC which is simply not true. Not all of south OC is the same as anyone who is truly familiar with OC knows full well. If you do not find south OC pretty, so be it.

Moreover, some of us grow tired of your attacks on one part of OC and your dislike of the age of the posters in this forum (what should be the correct age anyway?), while you hype the single worst town in OC (by most metrics). And one more thing: stop portraying Santa Ana as some large urban city like NYC, because it is not. I suppose you are implying that Santa Ana is pretty. Many of us do not find much of Santa Ana to be pretty. Believe it or not, we are also not "scared" that Santa Ana is cleaning up but rather are all too happy for that to occur. In the meantime, let's stop exaggerating how amazing it is...and how horrible south OC supposedly is.

[Urban Planner]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Stop writing drivel about south OC which is simply not true. Not all of south OC is the same as anyone who is truly familiar with OC knows full well. If you do not find south OC pretty, so be it.

Moreover, some of us grow tired of your attacks on one part of OC and your dislike of the age of the posters in this forum (what should be the correct age anyway?), while you hype the single worst town in OC (by most metrics). And one more thing: stop portraying Santa Ana as some large urban city like NYC, because it is not. I suppose you are implying that Santa Ana is pretty. Many of us do not find much of Santa Ana to be pretty. Believe it or not, we are also not "scared" that Santa Ana is cleaning up but rather are all too happy for that to occur. In the meantime, let's stop exaggerating how amazing it is...and how horrible south OC supposedly is.

You mad bro? You got an opinion and I got mine. My opinion is that South OC is boring, plain and simple.

[RudyOD]

Originally Posted by Urban Planner

You mad bro? You got an opinion and I got mine. My opinion is that South OC is boring, plain and simple.

I personally prefer North OC nabes...by a mile. Having that said, I spend most of my weekends in South OC, as the access to outdoor activities down there is far superior. If you're an urban kid, you have no business in South OC, but if you are more a rugged outdoors type like me, it has more to offer. End of the day though, I prefer a good mix of cosmopolitan and access to the outdoors, and unfortunately O.C. doesn't really have one city that can offer that for me. Not like Portland, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis or even Pasadena/Northeast LA, and that parts of LA nestled against the Santa Monica Mtns.

Santa Ana, for example, has a dearth of trails, parks etc. Where would I go running? I guess for this reason, I currently consider Orange and Fullerton my ideal cities within OC. They have character, access to trails, decent restaurant scenes, and not too far from hot spots like DTSA or the South Coast metro down the 55. heh...I'm over all of it either way. lol

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by RudyOD

I personally prefer North OC nabes...by a mile. Having that said, I spend most of my weekends in South OC, as the access to outdoor activities down there is far superior. If you're an urban kid, you have no business in South OC, but if you are more a rugged outdoors type like me, it has more to offer. End of the day though, I prefer a good mix of cosmopolitan and access to the outdoors, and unfortunately O.C. doesn't really have one city that can offer that for me. Not like Portland, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis or even Pasadena/Northeast LA, and that parts of LA nestled against the Santa Monica Mtns.

Santa Ana, for example, has a dearth of trails, parks etc. Where would I go running? I guess for this reason, I currently consider Orange and Fullerton my ideal cities within OC. They have character, access to trails, decent restaurant scenes, and not too far from hot spots like DTSA or the South Coast metro down the 55. heh...I'm over all of it either way. lol

I'm with you. I grew up in the Pasadena area and currently live in Orange. It's probably the closest thing I can get here in OC.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Urban Planner

You mad bro? You got an opinion and I got mine. My opinion is that South OC is boring, plain and simple.

I'm not mad and I'm sorry I came across that way. Much of south OC IS boring, on that I agree 100%, but many people here are not interested in the same level of excitement that others might be. And to be honest, my younger friends in North OC complain that it is boring there too (that's why we have LA/LBC). For OC, and most especially south OC, it has to do with people having kids, being older or being people who seek a quiet environment.

I disagreed that south OC is all the same. We have San Clemente, Laguna Beach and the mountain/inland areas. These are all very different from one another. And that's leaving Newport out in case you don't consider that south OC.

[rsmfan]

I also disagree that all south OC is the same. San Clemente, Laguna Beach and RSM are all very different. The climate is different, the development age and pattern is different. The land is different.

We self select our homes. For many of us we make some compromises based on cost, and have our priorities. I live in a neighborhood which directly adjoins the Cleveland National Forest. Four miles from a nearly 6000 ft. mountain. I can walk to canyons where I won't see any people and no sign of city. I can see the storms brew on the mountains closeby. I can smell the chaparral after it rains. I could go on about the Santa Ana mountains. They hide many treasures. This stuff is interesting to me-being right here. I enjoy a trip to DTLA or a trip to Orange Circle.. But there is nothing I find boring about my house and neighborhood. I've shown lots of people from larger urban areas a good time out here.

Of course not everyone would find it interesting. But not everyone finds it boring either. Live where you like.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by rsmfan

I also disagree that all south OC is the same. San Clemente, Laguna Beach and RSM are all very different. The climate is different, the development age and pattern is different. The land is different.

We self select our homes. For many of us we make some compromises based on cost, and have our priorities. I live in a neighborhood which directly adjoins the Cleveland National Forest. Four miles from a nearly 6000 ft. mountain. I can walk to canyons where I won't see any people and no sign of city. I can see the storms brew on the mountains closeby. I can smell the chaparral after it rains. I could go on about the Santa Ana mountains. They hide many treasures. This stuff is interesting to me-being right here. I enjoy a trip to DTLA or a trip to Orange Circle.. But there is nothing I find boring about my house and neighborhood. I've shown lots of people from larger urban areas a good time out here.

Of course not everyone would find it interesting. But not everyone finds it boring either. Live where you like.

I really like RSM for its proximity to Santiago. I also love the Holy Jim trail and O'Neil park. What surprised me most about RSM was also how walkable it was. It is truly a nice place. I also love where I am due to the proximity to the ocean and its location in general. I get to great hiking spots in nearby Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove easily.

Anyway, with respect to the boredom factor, I guess we derive pleasure from living in more quiet communities and we like the outdoors. That was implicit in my post too.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by Urban Planner

You mad bro? You got an opinion and I got mine. My opinion is that South OC is boring, plain and simple.

Well, what about San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, and Laguna Beach? These are not boring places, even if not everybody's cup of tea.

I believe these are the only south OC cities that have their unique street signs. Every other city in the area has the exact same "I-used-to-be-an-unincorporated-area-and-still-seem-like-it-because-I-have-the-non-descript-white-on-green-street-name-only-sign" look.

I know that most people don't look at that, but it says volumes for a city that its city council cares enough to have signage that differentiates it from the city next door.

That being said, I'll take Lake Forest as the best of the rest of the pack. Its southern end must have some character because some of the other denizens of the city think it's semi-ghetto.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

I really like RSM for its proximity to Santiago. I also love the Holy Jim trail and O'Neil park. What surprised me most about RSM was also how walkable it was. It is truly a nice place. I also love where I am due to the proximity to the ocean and its location in general. I get to great hiking spots in nearby Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove easily.

Anyway, with respect to the boredom factor, I guess we derive pleasure from living in more quiet communities and we like the outdoors. That was implicit in my post too.

True enough. The MAIN draw for the whole area is the natural hilly and mountainous setting. You can be within Lake Forest city limits and think you are in the Painted Desert (Whiting Ranch wilderness park Red Rock Trail).