Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Orange County
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-19-2006, 06:02 PM
 
101 posts, read 302,660 times
Reputation: 149

Advertisements

Fastfilm, Thank you for the compliment and the advice. I guess you hit the nail on the head. My husband is a cancer surgeon and he'll interview at Hoag Hospital soon. I've heard great things about the hospital but we'll see what happens. He may decide to stay in LA rather than OC. I'm very open to it as long as he's happy with his work environment. Other than the people of Newport, my other concern was whether there was any culture, arts, galleries, museums? I read that Costa Mesa did offer some of those things. I think I would suffocate in a cookie cutter city and would have to create some strange artwork of my own if I don't see it in the galleries.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-19-2006, 06:12 PM
 
144 posts, read 933,261 times
Reputation: 104
A SoCal conservative is different from a conservative in Arkansas. In Socal the self described conservative is ususally finanically conservative but socially liberal or moderate. They will be pro-Bush tax cuts and pro-smaller govt. but they might also be pro same sex marriage or unions or pro legalizing weed(this one more so) which usually means that they will be more accepting of different races as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-23-2006, 01:41 AM
 
Location: Lake Forest, CA
6 posts, read 27,040 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by saimamom View Post
My main concern is that I keep hearing from friends to not live in Newport because it's very rich, white, stuffy and conservative right wing. My husband grew up in that sort of neighborhood anyways so he doesn't mind. But I'm an artist so somewhat liberal. And I'll be home with the kids, doing PTA, talking with the neighbors. I just don't want to feel totally out of place.
Well, I'm a bit confused to begin with, having grown up in Newport Beach. This is the first time I've ever heard of it considered as conservative/right wing. Typically, the complaint is that it's "lilly white and liberal"--an island of left wingerism in a sea of conservatives. As for stuffy? Mmmm...depends on the section of Newport Beach. There are residents who can be toffy nosed, but usually these are outsiders who only live in NB in the summer or who have summer homes there. Most of the residents I grew up with near 28th street were pretty laid back. Also a bit taken aback by your statement that you're an artist so somewhat liberal. Artists and other creative types tend to be more conservative, though it obviously isn't a rule. But in all my years as a creative, 90 percent of them would be considered as conservative leaning. But, as with anything, my perceptions aren't carved in stone. Obviously, your mileage may vary.

But who cares, right? You're just looking for a nice place to live, not my social commentary. Costa Mesa is okay, and certainly less pricey than Newport Beach. No, I wouldn't say you were totally ignorant of Newport Beach (apparently just a victim of misinformation), but aside of the Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa isn't exactly a mecca for culture. Sure, it has its coffee houses and shopping venues (i.e. South Coast Plaza and The Lab), but Newport Beach has many more opportunities and venues.

Laguna is nice, as you've said. It has many nice shops and restaurants and a wonderful marina. Not exactly traffic friendly, mind you, but nice nevertheless.

Good luck with your move.

~Q
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-23-2006, 03:00 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles
652 posts, read 2,798,040 times
Reputation: 472
I heard there are a lot of anti-Semites in Newport Beach. So, as long as you're not Jewish, you should be okay. If you're Jewish, I'd try to keep it a secret if you're going to move there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-23-2006, 10:11 AM
 
1,398 posts, read 6,590,439 times
Reputation: 1838
Uh, that hasn't been the case since the end of World War 2. Completely fallacious.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-24-2006, 12:28 AM
 
85 posts, read 642,683 times
Reputation: 71
I grew up in Newport and my parents still live there. I would say the fiscal conservative/social liberal thing is fairly true. However, if I could afford it I'd live in Laguna Beach or Corona Del Mar. They've got nice villagey town centers to walk around and dine in, plus they just have more personality than NB, imo. (Plus, they're slightly more liberal and artsy than Newport, allowing that any place in OC is not going to be as liberal as LA.)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-25-2006, 02:28 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,308,419 times
Reputation: 29336
Quote:
Originally Posted by saimamom View Post
Thanks for the helpful replies. I'm definitely seeing that my worst fears are justified. My husband and I have been talking about this subject and would probably feel more comfortable in a place like Huntington Beach or perhaps Costa Mesa.
I was raised in Newport Beach, on one of the islands, in the 50s and 60s and last spent any time there in the mid-90s just for a visit for old time's sake and because my wife (we were on our honeymoon) wanted to see where I spent most of my childhood (we live where she spent most of her in NorCal).

Given what you posted and what we observed, I would decidedly opt for one of the nearby communities. Don't overlook Carona Del Mar which was, as I remember, a lovely community with great homes and not nearly as stuffy, snobbish or "exclusive" (my neighbors were Jane Wyman -- next door, John Wayne, James Arness, Andy Devine, David Rose, the Bergen family, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans during the summer, etc.) as NptBch and somewhat more inclusive. Laguna Beach is also a better bet. Huntington Beach would edge out Costa Mesa which I'd put last.

Of course, my perspective is a bit dated. Good luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2006, 01:20 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,336 times
Reputation: 10
Saimamom,
I'm also originally from afghanistan and have lived in Orange County most of my life. Orange County (including Newport Beach) is a melting pot. We have people of all backgrounds and ethnicities here and there is so much diversity that it would be almost impossible to experience racism here. In fact, I'm always shocked by the stares I get when I leave OC and visit other parts of the country that are predominately white, because having grown up here I've never encountered that.

As far as your political viewpoint... You are correct that Newport Beach and Orange County as a whole, is predominately Republican. However, you certainly will not be ostracized for being liberal. And people don't exactly walk around preaching their politics.

With that said, there may be a few things you haven't considered... Newport Beach is very upscale and there are certain social expectations... everyone is very thin and pretty. 75% of the women there have had boob jobs, everyone has a personal trainer and pilates instructor. Plastic surgery is a huge industry. You'll also need to have the latest car, a nice house, etc. So my point is, you won't encounter racism but there is social pressure. However, you can afford to live there and as long as you drive the latest Mercedes SUV that might not be a big concern.

Another thing to consider... I'm not sure which part of Newport Beach you were considering, but you should know there are a lot of rentals on the peninsula. I lived there in my 20s and it's basically a party town... there are lots of 20-somethings, there's a big bar scene, and with that comes loud parties, drugs, and drinking and driving... I'll probably get flamed by other posters for pointing that out, but I was 22, I lived there, so I know.

If you're looking for more of an artist community, Laguna Beach definitly has the most art and culture out of any other city in OC. There are museums and gallaries. Costa Mesa has a performing arts center, and South Coast Plaza but it's not particulary a cultural center. Irvine is great community, one of the safest cities in the country, has great schools and is quieter and less crowded than the beach cities. There's a big Persian population in Laguna and Irvine.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your move.

Last edited by lexiesmommy; 12-27-2006 at 01:31 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-27-2006, 01:49 PM
 
85 posts, read 642,683 times
Reputation: 71
Well, I would have said before that one wouldn't get ostracized for not being a Republican as my parents are not (usually) and they live in Newport. However, my mom told me that when she told someone at her neighborhood clubhouse how much my dad thought of Barack Obama, a bunch of poeple moved to another table.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-29-2006, 02:42 AM
 
74 posts, read 195,016 times
Reputation: 58
Well, I have nothing to say about OC, but the point about Conservatives being more racist, I think, is true. At least in my experience, my more Conservative friends and acquaintances are quicker to say some slightly disparaging racial thing, or use a slur, even in jest. My Liberal friends and acquaintances just don't do it very much. Also, an older Conservative is a little more likely to be subtly racist and sexist, if they're White; they don't realize it, so I try not to hold it against them, because of their seniority.

I don't think politics necessarily affects how they treat people one-on-one, but it comes out mostly in what they think of immigrants or Black people. They seem to have one enemy, or the other, or sometimes both. It comes out in how they vote, too.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Orange County
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top