British-asians thinking of moving to Aliso Viejo... (Anaheim, Irvine: fit in, apartment)

[Tahir & Shaela]

Hi there, my wife and I are thinking of moving to Aliso Viejo sometime in the near future and would like to know whether we would fit into the community being British muslim-asians.

We love the lifestyle and climate in California compared to that of the UK.
We are both young professionals - am in IT and my wife is a trainee accountant. We have read previous posts about how people are concerned of being 'stared at' for being coloured - is this true? Is there any stereotyping of people of ethnic backgrounds?

We are very free and open-minded people and enjoy meeting people of all backgrounds/cultures and religions.

We would really appreciate all your thoughts and comments. Thanks.

[vivo]

Asian in England (all of Britain?) refers to South Asians ie Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans etc

[bob-jenkins]

Your ethnicity should be fine by the people here. Generally, we are very accepting of Europeans, Middle Easterners, Asians, African Americans, Filipinos, etc. Now, if you were hispanic, that would be a different story.

[Tahir & Shaela]

Thank you both for your reply, myself and my wife both picture Californians as being very friendly and open minded people, like ourselves.
We visited New York last year and found the people there polite and very welcoming, and we hear Californian people are even friendlier.
We have many questions we would like to ask but one of them is this, which neighbourhoods are the best in OC? And is Aliso Viejo a good choice for us?

[bob-jenkins]

Assuming you are an upper-middle class family wanting a safe neighborhood, Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Tustin Ranch, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Hills, and Rancho Santa Margarita would be great options. For a more upper class family (homes exceeding $1M) you might want to check out northeast OC (Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Orange Hills, North Tustin, and Villa Park) or along the southern Coast of the county (Newport, Laguna). Good luck, and welcome to beautiful OC!

Also, feel free to ask away, we are here to help you!

[Tahir & Shaela]

Thank you very much. Unfortunately, we aren't that fortunate to have a budget that reaches $1M. However, we were thinking around the $700, 000 price bracket. Would you say that this is sufficient to buy a single family home?

We will be coming to California in July for two weeks and we are very much looking forward to getting to know each neighbourhood better.

And yes, Vivo, you are correct in saying that in Britain we refer to Asians as being Indians, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans etc.
I am of Indian ethnic origin and my wife is of Bangladeshi ethnic origin. However, we were both born and bought up in Britain and are not happy in this dull, lifeless country anymore.

Once again, thank you for being so informative. We very much appreciate it!

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by bob-jenkins

Your ethnicity should be fine by the people here. Generally, we are very accepting of Europeans, Middle Easterners, Asians, African Americans, Filipinos, etc. Now, if you were hispanic, that would be a different story.

Wow Bob-Jenkins do you live in OC? What is with all the racism towards hispanics on this board?

[vivo]

Originally Posted by Tahir & Shaela

Thank you very much. Unfortunately, we aren't that fortunate to have a budget that reaches $1M. However, we were thinking around the $700, 000 price bracket. Would you say that this is sufficient to buy a single family home?

We will be coming to California in July for two weeks and we are very much looking forward to getting to know each neighbourhood better.

And yes, Vivo, you are correct in saying that in Britain we refer to Asians as being Indians, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans etc.
I am of Indian ethnic origin and my wife is of Bangladeshi ethnic origin. However, we were both born and bought up in Britain and are not happy in this dull, lifeless country anymore.

Once again, thank you for being so informative. We very much appreciate it!

yeah just wanted to post that for the benefit of other people here. Asians in the US refer to East/SE Asians (don't refer to them as Orientals!)

[jerrycat]

what are you on about vivo?

[jerrycat]

California is not New York, not all Californians are that friendly, live away from Irvine although it does have a big Asian community . The American way of life is very different from the UK. We have been here 18 months now and find it hard to make friends, although i do live in an apartment and i know people outside Irvine and they have become good friends, just incase you haven't guessed i am British.