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Old 08-07-2020, 04:39 PM
 
5,381 posts, read 8,632,584 times
Reputation: 4550

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicagoorno View Post
We are definitively moving out of Chicago, but don't want to head back to Texas. California is currently one of the states we are considering. Fam income of about $190,000, likely $215,000 within a couple of years.

We're focusing our research on Orange County right now. I'm starting to gather that the homes w enough space for us and in our budget (family of 5, but one off at college and the other two are 11 and 16yo boys) are all in subdivisions, which is something we'd like to avoid. We would just really like to avoid HOAs, etc.

Do we need to look elsewhere in CA?

A bit of background:

-Single income fam
-homeschool
-progressive
-mixed ethnicity family (I'm Latinx)
-Husband's job is fully remote and will stay that way for a while, but his company has offices and projects in CA. When things are "normal" his job involves a ton of travel, so being near an airport would be great.
-California's appeal for us is the natural beauty opportunities. Nothing within a day's drive of where we lived in TX is beautiful. We love camping, hiking, beach visits, and desert getaways. (I also love Disney parks, but that's not a factor in our interest in CA.)

Reasons for leaving Chicago:

-We were only going to be here 18-20 months. All of our reasons for moving here were eliminated by covid
-We love Chicago at its best, but it's best is shut down for the foreseeable future.
-Lack of nature is really draining us.

I'm okay with heavy traffic, but friendliness and down-to-earthness are big for me. After a day's research, I'm starting to wonder if we should be looking at OC at all, but I also know that people tend to complain more online.

Any feedback or suggestions would be hugely appreciated. I know it must get tiring to answer relocation questions all the time!

Thanks!
Orange County has a large number of Latinos, with those who are of middle-income scattered throughout the county. Also, some cities tend to be more progressive than others.

If by avoiding "subdivisions," you mean avoiding newer communities, then you might want to concentrate on homes in North OC. However, that might also mean that your access to parks, hiking trails, and the beach would not be as easy as in South OC.

Also, you state you want to avoid HOAs, but remember that they vary a great deal, and not all of them are either expensive or intrusive. In many cases, they provide services, like park maintenance, tree trimming, and recreational facilities, that people usually look to a city to provide.

Most of OC's "family-friendly" cities are located in South OC.

I would suggest that you take a week or two to look around the county. Also, if you focus on any particular OC city, wherever it might be located, I'm sure that there are people who could give you useful feedback.
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Old 08-07-2020, 04:39 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,764,481 times
Reputation: 17679
Quote:
Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ View Post
Of those 3, I'd focus on Yorba Linda.
I think YL would be too Tea Partyish for the OP. It certainly is for me.
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Old 08-07-2020, 04:48 PM
 
5,381 posts, read 8,632,584 times
Reputation: 4550
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fontucky View Post
I think YL would be too Tea Partyish for the OP. It certainly is for me.
I agree with that!
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Old 08-07-2020, 06:42 PM
 
427 posts, read 348,302 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fontucky View Post
I think YL would be too Tea Partyish for the OP. It certainly is for me.
Do you mean MAGA?
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Old 08-08-2020, 07:34 AM
 
585 posts, read 624,297 times
Reputation: 1614
OP will be very happy in CA, I hope she finds a place there that meets her needs and wants. Besides, I firmly believe that people that have voted in liberals and progressives (the OC Register is fiercely Libertarian, By the way, not Republican) and created these taxes, regulations, and policies that have turned the jewel of California into a sewer deserve to sleep in the bed they have created. Besides, that $215,000 salary is attractive because CA and local government will want their $25,000 share of that to help continue building the sewer.
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:14 PM
 
Location: Corona del Mar, CA - Coronado, CA
4,477 posts, read 3,260,938 times
Reputation: 5609
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe View Post
(the OC Register is fiercely Libertarian, By the way, not Republican)
The OC Register hasn't been truly libertarian since Harry Hoiles died and not even CLOSE to libertarian once the Hoiles family heirs sold the company.
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Old 08-09-2020, 01:25 AM
 
Location: SW Florida
5,586 posts, read 8,348,131 times
Reputation: 11210
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicagoorno View Post
Thanks for the feedback! We've decide to continue our search elsewhere. Not done looking in CA, but I don't think the OC is quite the right fit. Appreciate the time folks took on this thread to offer their pov!
Hey, just wondering what changed your mind on OC. Something we said?
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Old 08-09-2020, 09:42 AM
 
Location: Dana Point, Ca
252 posts, read 416,900 times
Reputation: 677
I have lived in Orange County since 1955. Other than military service 1964 to 1966, and recently 10 yrs on Kauai, Island.

five years ago , we moved back to Orange County.....have settled in South County, and absolutely love it.

We can walk to Salt Creek and Selva Beaches, or even down to Dana Point Harbor Marina ( we mostly drive to the harbor in about 7 minutes or less). but we like the 4 mile round trip walk ). We have many, many trails, from just out the front door, to wilderness areas and coastal trails county wide . Lots of them, short drives and great hiking . Also plenty of parks, city, county and state. Also BBQ areas with ocean views, as well as very nice well kept up parks .

For short stay-cations, we drive out to our Desert Areas, or up to Our Mountains...that will be longer drives, but pleasant for us.

We do not talk politics, don't much care, and are totally happy to exercise our right to vote, and maintain a positive attitude on life, actually experiencing an active life style. We have found it easy to meet new friends and talk story and relate to new acquaintances. We do spend date night dinners out, in San Juan Capistrano, and San Clemente as well as Dana Point.

We very much enjoy the beach town life style, and have the same wardrobes, as we did, in Huntington Beach, and Seal Beach , and then Kauai, and now Dana Point. Easy casual and fun outdoor easy and fit life styles.

There are many, many private homes in our area, that are not HOA and Mello Roose, Our roads are in excellent condition, and areas landscaped. There are new subdivision that are being built in San Juan Capistrano, off Ortega Highway area and it is huge. we would stand well off from all of that. Our personal choice .

Orange County John Wayne airport is doable, especially if it is not a daily commute. When we go on our frequent adventure vacations world wide, skippering sailing vessels, or on eco adventures, we take a private limo to the airport....makes life easy and no stress. Mostly, we fly out of LAX, but would use Orange County or Long Beach, if possible.

We also like to visit our other coastal towns, between San Diego, on up to Seal Beach.

Just FYI, as to how we live life here in orange county . We totally enjoy living here in south county .
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Old 08-10-2020, 10:12 AM
 
27 posts, read 34,818 times
Reputation: 31
Quote:
Originally Posted by Avalon08 View Post
Hey, just wondering what changed your mind on OC. Something we said?
No, not at all! Something a paycheck calculator said.

So Cal seems lovely, but after more talks, we've prioritized land/space and adding to our savings. In unsteady times, it just seems like the wiser decision.

There are many things we love in CA. Big Sur, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Disneyland, Big Bear. After living for so many years in the middle of Texas where a day's drive gets you to more Texas, and now in Chicago where a day's drive gets you absolutely nowhere interesting, it's super appealing to think about all that would be available to us for weekend adventures in CA.

But even more appealing is spending half as much money for 3 times as much house. If that's in a red state, that's fine. I grew up in Texas. I can deal with it.

Thanks again for all of the input.
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Old 08-10-2020, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,209,527 times
Reputation: 35433
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicagoorno View Post
No, not at all! Something a paycheck calculator said.

So Cal seems lovely, but after more talks, we've prioritized land/space and adding to our savings. In unsteady times, it just seems like the wiser decision.

There are many things we love in CA. Big Sur, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Disneyland, Big Bear. After living for so many years in the middle of Texas where a day's drive gets you to more Texas, and now in Chicago where a day's drive gets you absolutely nowhere interesting, it's super appealing to think about all that would be available to us for weekend adventures in CA.

But even more appealing is spending half as much money for 3 times as much house. If that's in a red state, that's fine. I grew up in Texas. I can deal with it.

Thanks again for all of the input.
The property taxes in Ca are lower than Texas dollar for dollar. On a 300,000 dollar Texas house is like paying taxes a 600,000 dollar Ca house. The houses in California also get equity faster and sell for more. Texas jobs also pay less than comparable California jobs. Hav8ng has job offers fromTexas and rental applicants from Texas I can compare and the average is 1/3 less pay
If you’re looking at 180/210k in inc8me here you could live very well. Not every house developer stacks houses. Older neighborhoods have big lots. Look at Tustin, Anaheim Hills, Chino, Also OC isn’t as republican as it once was. I still own properties there and it’s a great source of income.

As far as the state having economic issues....show me a state that isn’t having or going to have economic issues due to COVID-19
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