Weighing our options (Huntington Beach, Irvine, Orange: section 8, apartments, to rent)

[OnThe Move]

Greetings everyone. I hope not to bore you with age-old questions. Please excuse my ignorance if I do. My scenario is as follows: After spending 20+ years living in and around NYC, my wife and I are considering moving to Southern California because I have been offered a position in Orange County. We are both in our early 50's with no kids. We would be living on my salary at first and are looking to spend between $2,500 and $3,000/month to rent a townhouse or small house for at least a year or two. My office would be in Newport Beach and while living close to work would be nice, I realize the added expense of rent in that area is considerable. I currently commute to NYC via car, train and walking for an average of 3 hours each day, so I would not balk at a driving commute of 30-40 minutes in Orange County if necessary.

Our preference would be to live in the areas of Aliso/Mission Viejo or Laguna Niguel since we have friends and family nearby. Another thought is possibly Irvine or Tustin based on the reduced drive time. Are any of these areas preferable for a very active couple? We exercise every day (the Mrs. is a Pilates instructor) and like to dine out at least once each week and go to movies, concerts and theater about once each month or so. The biggest draw would of course be the beaches.

Also, what would real world, rush hour commuting times be like from these areas to Newport Beach? I have no serious issue with using a toll road. My commuting costs are killing me at $650+ per month now. I appreciate any insight you folks can provide.

[russlancea]

Congrats on the job offer! While I can't really answer your questions specifically, I think you will be able to find some good options in the cities that you mentioned. I don't make that commute, so I don't know how good/bad it is.

Orange County is beautiful and when you miss the snow, the mountains aren't that far away . I know you are used to long commutes, but for me, I would try and live somewhere in between work and your family & friends. Sitting is traffic gets old and is such a waste of valuable time .

[Joe Van Fossen]

Aliso Viejo would be a fairly decent commute. My family moved there when my dad transferred to Newport Beach back in the mid 90s. I haven't done that drive in rush hour in a while, but it's probably about a 40-50 minute commute on average. Without traffic it's about 25-30 minutes. That's taking the toll road into account. Laguna Niguel would be about the same and Mission Viejo could be anywhere between 15-30 minutes more, depending on the area.

Some areas of Irvine would have a shorter commute, but it just depends on which part of the city we're talking about. If you're living in the condos near the airport, the commute could be as little as 15-20 minutes into Newport with no freeways involved. If you're living in Woodbury, Northwood or Portola, that might take just about as long as the commute from AV.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Newport Beach is spread out. Knowing what were your office is located would help.

If you want to be near the beach, think about the southern part of Huntington Beach, or Costa Mesa - you can still find town homes in your budget.

I lived here for a few years: https://www.irvinecompanyapartments....and-floorplans. The apartments are pretty crappy, but the town homes on Rivoli are really nice. A bit pricey, but my friends thought I lived on a resort. You can easily bike to the beach. Plus it is really close to many lifestyle amenities.

[pacific2]

I can make it from Aliso Viejo to Newport Beach in 25 minutes or less. Either AV or LN would be a reasonable commute.

You would face additional travel time to the 73 Toll if you lived in Mission Viejo.

Traffic is much too congested in Tustin and Irvine.

[OrgNative]

It sounds like Laguna Hills or Aliso Viejo would be great possibilities for you and your wife. Both areas have great walk-ability, dining and safety. Rents for a two bedroom in Aliso Viejo start at about 1800 and average 2200 right now for a nice condo with a garage.

The drive to Newport is about 15 miles up the 73 and should run about 20 minutes. You may want to look at Irvine as the area is a bit closer and you could take Jamboree into Newport cutting your drive down to about 5 miles. Traffic is heavier as mentioned before.

All the best with the move and welcome to SoCal

[OnThe Move]

Thanks for the information everyone. I appreciate your insight into minimizing the commute.

Now, the big question. Are there any developments in the AV or LN areas to avoid and/or are there any that have exceptional reputations? I know that any place can have good or bad reviews, but from what I have been reading online, some have a number of similar negative reviews. I figure where there is smoke, there is fire.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by OnThe Move

Thanks for the information everyone. I appreciate your insight into minimizing the commute.

Now, the big question. Are there any developments in the AV or LN areas to avoid and/or are there any that have exceptional reputations? I know that any place can have good or bad reviews, but from what I have been reading online, some have a number of similar negative reviews. I figure where there is smoke, there is fire.

I highly recommend Beacon Hill and Marina Hills (with which I am a little less familiar) in LN. MH gets rave reviews. In northern LN I've seen some areas with townouses and very small houses that seem very nice...I think it's near Rancho Niguel. These areas are very clean and look great. I wish I knew more. There is a LN condo development on Golden Lantern near Albertsons that appears to take section 8. Avoid it. The police in LN tend not to be busy, but they can be seen at that complex.

[OCerik]

No real areas to avoid, it's an extremely safe part of Orange County. As LuvSouthOC said, Beacon Hill & Marina Hills are very nice areas of Laguna Niguel. The Beacon Hill area is about 5 minutes from the beach going down Niguel Road. Rancho Niguel is nice also, bit more inland so you'll get a little more for your money.

Aliso Viejo is all pretty much the same, it's a small newer city so can't go too wrong anywhere. Aliso Viejo is less expensive than Laguna Niguel, but keep in mind, it gets hot. I don't care what the numbers say, it's always hotter in Aliso in the summer than surrounding areas.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by OCerik

No real areas to avoid, it's an extremely safe part of Orange County. As LuvSouthOC said, Beacon Hill & Marina Hills are very nice areas of Laguna Niguel. The Beacon Hill area is about 5 minutes from the beach going down Niguel Road. Rancho Niguel is nice also, bit more inland so you'll get a little more for your money.

Aliso Viejo is all pretty much the same, it's a small newer city so can't go too wrong anywhere. Aliso Viejo is less expensive than Laguna Niguel, but keep in mind, it gets hot. I don't care what the numbers say, it's always hotter in Aliso in the summer than surrounding areas.

^This. Yes for some reason, Aliso is significantly hotter. This will matter to you come summertime.