Down to Earth parts of Orange County (Oakland, Anaheim: apartment, how much)

[mr_california]

Thinking of relocating to Orange County from SF Bay Area (Bay Area is way too liberal for me) but have heard people talk about how Orange County is all about image and showing off what possessions you have.

I was looking at area's in the Northern part of the county such as: Placentia, Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Villa Park and West Garden Grove.

I was also looking at area's in the Southern part of the county such as: Ladera Ranch, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Coto de Caza.

In which area's are people more stuck up and superficial (Northern Orange County vs. South Orange County)? Any of those area's where kids play outside in the street regularly? What about friendliness of the people in those area's? Do neighbors talk to each other? Or do you just see the neighbor when they open their garage to pull their car out?

[kauaidooley]

We now live in Dana Point at the beach, which is south orange county, and I think, in most areas, you will get a mix of very friendly down to earth respectful people as well as some of the very self important folks.

We meet and say hello to everyone, and treat everyone with respect.

We have found it easy to meet good folks. We really like Dana Point, but we have friends that live inland, and they are super great and friendly people as well.

Also, we lived on Kauai Island full time for 10 years, before moving back to OC, and live the same beach type of lifestyle here in Dana Point.

On the Kauai Trip Advisor, when visitors wanted to know , what the people who live on Kauai were like, and how to meld in, pretty simple

BRING YOUR ALOHA WITH YOU. Smile, be friendly, and open, and respectful. Talk story and have fun. Enjoy life.

They don't flat care about the BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus, etc, or how big a house is, or what a person has stashed in an offshore account . What counts is in your heart, and mind, and your family and human values. Also not only respect for people, but also the aina (land ) .

Here, in South County, and on Kauai, we have some of those folks who based their lives on pretentiousness, and finances. We just let those types go by the by. Most times , they are not interesting, and we are squawking a different codes as to what life is all about.

How do we meet folks ? . We strongly believe in living aloha where ever we live or travel. One of my many sayings

" All you have to do is say hello, and you will not only find out how interesting that stranger is, but , many times, how much you have in common. "

Also, another saying, " The more things that you have experienced in life, including real adventures, the easier it is to relate to others and share conversations. "

And : "Friendship is precious cargo. "

As to our Dana Point and south county area....." Many of the people here have ALOHA, and don't even know it. "

We love living in Dana Point, and also very much enjoy our sister towns of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. Really nice and fun places for going out, as well as shopping, made easy. Plus trails and wilderness areas, etc.

Also, we travel up the coast to Corona Del Mar, and Seal Beach, and for stay'cations, we like to drive out to the Desert , or up to our mountains. South County is a great base for having a fun life .

Why Dana Point for us : Dana Point is a beach town, with a great harbor and marina area and several beaches. Many of the people we meet are from inland areas, close by and farther inland. South Orange County is super, we love it !

You have done some super research and your choices of Ladera Ranch, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, and Cota de Caza, are great . From those we would probably pick Laguna Niguel, since its closer proximity to the beaches, and beach towns.

Personal preferences :

We all have our own special values and desires as to where we want to live.

Suggestion. Come on down, and spend a week or two, staying in the different SOUTH COUNTY areas, and travel all about, get out and do what you would if you were living here, hiking the many trails, golf, biking, out bbqing, going out to the many different marvelous restaurants and lounges, stand up paddle boarding in the harbor, and beaching it.

Just live and enjoy what ever is important and feels good to you. Then make an informed decision . No wild guessing.

Welcome to South County

Denny and Erica

[infinitekid]

Placentia/yorba linda area, where i live, is very down to earth. Even those with some dinero don't really act up about it. It's not newport beach. Most people around here are friendly. I've also lived on Southern OC, and if you are in Mission Viejo or San Juan Capistrano, it's still pretty friendly. Probably the closer you get to the beach, the more snobbery you'll see.

[NewbieHere]

I would think Ladera Ranch and Coto de Cana would be less down to earth.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by NewbieHere

I would think Ladera Ranch and Coto de Cana would be less down to earth.

Coto de Caza. But I agree. These two areas are considerably more "upwardly mobile" than some of the cities they share borders with, such as Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita. That's code for image- and status-conscious.

[silverkris]

to the OP: Do you have to commute to any particular location? This is a very important factor in Southern California due to the traffic, and may be a big determinant.

[mr_california]

Denny and Erica. Thanks for all of the information. I'm in a pretty good neighborhood in the Bay Area with some pretentious people, and I don't care so much for myself because I have family and friends in Northern California. I care more for my kids, as all the parents around here seem so stuffy and only want their kids to hang around the their adult friends kids who may live on the other side of town. It's strange to me that none of the kids around here get together with other kids in the neighborhood. They all just hang around with kids of their parents friends once in a while. It doesn't seem like a real neighborhood to me. And nobody goes to any neighborhood school. All the kids are in some kind of far away charter school, some far away private school or their parents got them into some kind of public school on the other side of the school district.

I have been to Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. I know Orange County quite well. I'm not really a beach person, but wouldn't mind living there as I do like looking at the ocean. I just don't like going in the sand. Seems like there aren't as many kids there though as there are in some of the other area's that I listed. I could be mistaken.

[mr_california]

Originally Posted by silverkris

to the OP: Do you have to commute to any particular location? This is a very important factor in Southern California due to the traffic, and may be a big determinant.

I'm already down there 5-6 times a year for either work or vacation. My company has a office in Irvine and most of the jobs that I would get would be around Irvine. From what I have seen, traffic not nearly as bad in Orange County as it is in the Bay Area. My current commute is from the East Bay, near Oakland to Silicon Valley, just across the Dumbarton Bridge. 28 miles door to door. IN the morning it takes me 1 1/2 hours to get to work. In the afternoon/evening it takes me 2 1/2 hours to get home. I have not experienced anything like that in Orange County. I've driven from Irvine to Yorba Linda during the afternoon commute. It took me about 40 minutes to get there. It was about 20 miles. I've driven Irvine to Mission Viejo many times during the afternoon commute. That was even faster.

Plus the homes are cheaper in Southern California than the Bay Area. All I need is to find a nice neighborhood for my kids.

[mr_california]

Originally Posted by infinitekid

Placentia/yorba linda area, where i live, is very down to earth. Even those with some dinero don't really act up about it. It's not newport beach. Most people around here are friendly. I've also lived on Southern OC, and if you are in Mission Viejo or San Juan Capistrano, it's still pretty friendly. Probably the closer you get to the beach, the more snobbery you'll see.

I have been all over Placentia and Yorba Linda. Brea as well. I liked all of the area's. For some reason, Placentia seemed the nicest to me, particularly around Tri-City Park. I think it was that I liked how the homes looked around there the best. Which area would you see kids playing outside in the street the most? I would like my kids to be able to be outside with other kids.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by mr_california

I have been all over Placentia and Yorba Linda. Brea as well. I liked all of the areas. For some reason, Placentia seemed the nicest to me, particularly around Tri-City Park. I think it was that I liked how the homes looked around there the best. Which area would you see kids playing outside in the street the most? I would like my kids to be able to be outside with other kids.

It really depends on the specific neighborhood, and most of us do not get around to enough different neighbors in OC to be able to say. I think it's safe to say that the most expensive areas (such as the immediate coast, or newer tracts full of McMansions) will have fewer kids because so few young families can afford to live there. These days you will find a lot more kids in apartment neighborhoods than single-family neighborhoods.

My own neighborhood has gone through a couple of cycles when there were tons of kids playing outside, and then after a while they grew older and there were not many kids outside (we've been here 23 years). Right now it is in a down cycle, with plenty of teenagers but very few elementary-age kids.

I would recommend asking some realtors about this. They probably get around enough in their area of focus to have better suggestions than anyone here.