Should I move from DC area to Orange County? (lawyers, transfer)

[Jeanius4U]

Please don't move here! We can't spare the water!!!

[bowneline]

Originally Posted by dexter14

There really are no apartments in CDM. There are townhouses and people that rent out the back unit of some of their places, but paying $3k or more a month to rent out someones 800 square foot back unit when you can get houses for that price in almost every other OC city doesn't make much sense. That area also gets packed in the summer and getting in and out of it will take well over 30 minutes to drive to Santa Ana.

Yes, you can get a spacious rental house for $3000 other places, but other places are not the Flower Streets in CDM. There is a reason it costs $3000 for an apartment, its because its an amazing place to live, and that is why I recommend it. If I was taking a risk and moving across the country to experience Southern California, I would much prefer to be in the Flower Streets than in some cookie-cutter house on an anonymous street in Lake Forest (no offense), for example, just so I could have some elbow room (especially if I didn't have kids).

It would be like telling someone who was moving across the country to New York City that they'd be stupid to consider moving into a small apartment in SoHo or elsewhere in Manhattan when they could get a spacious house for the same price in suburban New Jersey. Personally, I'd be like "no thanks."

CDM is walkable, its on the beach, its very picturesque, its close to great food/shopping/outdoor activities. It's absolutely perfect for young professionals without kids. And, googlemaps.com is showing right now, at 8:45am on Thursday in the summer, that it takes only 24 minutes to get from CDM to downtown Santa Ana. It's against traffic on the 55 and the beach traffic is also headed in the opposite direction (to the beach in the morning, and away from the beach in the afternoon).

And, I don't know what is so wrong with a back unit. I'd rather be in a back unit than stuck in some big apartment complex.

Here is a 2 bed/1 bath in CDM, in good shape for $2800 a month:
617 1/2 Marguerite Ave, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 is For Rent | Zillow

Here is a 2 bed/2 bath in CDM, also in good shape for $2900 a month:
718 Marigold Ave, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 is For Rent | Zillow

[dexter14]

Originally Posted by bowneline

Yes, you can get a spacious rental house for $3000 other places, but other places are not the Flower Streets in CDM. There is a reason it costs $3000 for an apartment, its because its an amazing place to live, and that is why I recommend it. If I was taking a risk and moving across the country to experience Southern California, I would much prefer to be in the Flower Streets than in some cookie-cutter house on an anonymous street in Lake Forest (no offense), for example, just so I could have some elbow room (especially if I didn't have kids).

It would be like telling someone who was moving across the country to New York City that they'd be stupid to consider moving into a small apartment in SoHo or elsewhere in Manhattan when they could get a spacious house for the same price in suburban New Jersey. Personally, I'd be like "no thanks."

CDM is walkable, its on the beach, its very picturesque, its close to great food/shopping/outdoor activities. It's absolutely perfect for young professionals without kids. And, googlemaps.com is showing right now, at 8:45am on Thursday in the summer, that it takes only 24 minutes to get from CDM to downtown Santa Ana. It's against traffic on the 55 and the beach traffic is also headed in the opposite direction (to the beach in the morning, and away from the beach in the afternoon).

And, I don't know what is so wrong with a back unit. I'd rather be in a back unit than stuck in some big apartment complex.

Here is a 2 bed/1 bath in CDM, in good shape for $2800 a month:
617 1/2 Marguerite Ave, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 is For Rent | Zillow

Here is a 2 bed/2 bath in CDM, also in good shape for $2900 a month:
718 Marigold Ave, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 is For Rent | Zillow

It all depends on what you are looking for. I think most people would rather rent a nice house than an 800 square foot shoebox. Thats also not within 30 minutes of Santa Ana as the OP mentioned they wanted. It says 24 minutes without traffic and we all know there is always traffic here. As I said, that area gets insanely crowded in the summer. It will take you 30 minutes just to get from one of those houses to the 73.

OP: If you want to keep the prices lower, look in Fountain Valley and Costa Mesa. If you don't mind paying more, look in Tustin and Irvine.

[fedanalyst2015]

Thank you all! This is actually my first post on city-data, though I have always perused it! Thanks!

[bowneline]

Originally Posted by dexter14

It all depends on what you are looking for. I think most people would rather rent a nice house than an 800 square foot shoebox. Thats also not within 30 minutes of Santa Ana as the OP mentioned they wanted. It says 24 minutes without traffic and we all know there is always traffic here. As I said, that area gets insanely crowded in the summer. It will take you 30 minutes just to get from one of those houses to the 73.

OP: If you want to keep the prices lower, look in Fountain Valley and Costa Mesa. If you don't mind paying more, look in Tustin and Irvine.

I agree, it depends entirely on what the person wants, and that is why I prefaced my original advice with something to the effect of "if I was moving, this is what I would do." My advice is based on my own personal preferences. That is also why I was rubbed the wrong way when you said moving to CDM "didn't make any sense." I respectfully disagree, it would make a lot of sense to me and to the many people who live in CDM as we speak, and could potentially make sense to the OP. If there wasn't a lot of people clamoring to get into one of these back houses, they wouldn't cost $3000 a month. So, yes, it does make a lot of sense to a lot of people.

And, googlemaps.com time estimates are always made taking traffic into account-- and thus they fluctuate throughout the day, so the 24 minutes is taking traffic into account. I drive that same direction everyday, and 24 minutes seems typical, being that the 55 north is light int he mornings.

But I don't even need googlemaps to tell me that it taking 30 minutes to get to the 73 is WAY off the mark. I was born and raised in CDM and have made the trip from the Flower Streets up to the 73 hundreds, if not thousands of times. Even on 4th of July or Memorial Day it would not take a fraction of that amount of time to make it up to the 73. Yes, it can be congested through PCH, but MacArthur up to the 73 is rarely backed up.

Bottom line is that i see your point, and there are a lot of people who wouldn't see paying $3000 for a small house to make sense, but for a lot of people it would make sense. I wanted to give the OP the option.

[stray_slacker]

Originally Posted by pacific2

Piece of cake with a combined income of about $190K and no kids.

i smell roll bread

[coolbeans2000]

This is just my humble opinion.

Both cities have traffic, sprawl, crime and all the things that come with city life. But one place has arguably some of the best weather in the world, amazing culture, is in a state with 10 National Parks, within a days drive to a few incredible National Parks in Southern Utah, access to Vegas on the weekends and has year round surfing. The other place has terrible weather. I can hardly think of an easier decision to make. There is no comparison.

[incognitoe]

No it's already crowded as is. What we need are people to move out.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by incognitoe

No it's already crowded as is. What we need are people to move out.

Don't worry, they are. Net migration among US citizens is negative. There's just a huge influx of foreign immigrants as well.

[SoCalSun]

Originally Posted by 8to32characters

Orange County in particular offers, perhaps, the highest QOL of any place in the US, let alone CA.

Sure, if you don't factor in

COST OF LIVING
TAXES TAXES TAXES
ABSENCE OF AMERICANS

and only if you live in a richer area, which has just even higher taxes and cost of living,

then sure.