Areas with good commute and affordability near Irvine? (Santa Ana, Orange: apartments, rent)

[chengas123]

Hi,
I just took a job in Irvine (19540 Jamboree Rd near 73) and will be flying out soon to hopefully find a 1 bedroom apartment to live in. I'm unfamiliar with the area and was wondering what ballpark commutes and 1BR rents would be for Irvine and the surrounding cities.
Are the time estimates that Google Maps gives for driving directions very accurate for the area? I hate traffic, but I'm guessing all parts of southern CA are equally bad. I was thinking about checking out Irvine, Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo, possibly Tustin and some other areas. I'd love any idea as to whether I might be headed in the right direction.
I'm a 24-year-old professional moving from Cleveland for a new job. Cleveland's got a pretty slow pace of life and I'm able to walk to work, the grocery store, Browns stadium, restraunts, etc. I'm sure Irvine will be quite different from that, and I'm not really expecting to find many streets or neighborhoods with a lot of walkability. Are any of the surrounding areas or points of interest better than others for meeting down-to-earth young professionals?

Thanks!

[bhcompy]

some coastal Newport areas are fairly walkable. Costa Mesa has some good areas as well. Aliso would probably not work for you

[Broadmoor]

Hi, welcome to OC. My neighborhood in Tustin is about 6 miles from your work address. The land just north of your new job used to be a Marine base, and therefore there are numerous apartments, condominiums, duplexes and patio homes to choose from in this area. I realize a single family home is not exactly what you're looking for, but my community has a MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/broadmoortustin
Our website can give you a sense of the area and features of the neighborhood. For some reason, City Data links the word "Broadmoor" to a town in Northern California. That's not us! In our case, the word Broadmoor relates to a specific housing tract, not a city. Central Tustin is walkable to three markets, and the Old Town district, which once a year hosts what is said to be the world's largest chili cookoff. Old Town has a lot of charm and character, shops, small restaurants, but with a hometown ambiance. It feels undiscovered and quiet, it's definitely not upscale or snobby. The police protection in our area is wonderful, I'm not aware of violent crime here. The officer responsible for our area even gives out his personal cell number. If you ride a bike or want to get out and drive a little bit, everything you could dream up in the way of food is probably within a couple of mile radius. We've also got a pet store, hobby/knitting shop and an auto parts store close enough to get there on foot. The Marketplace is literally minutes away by car on Jamboree and it has all the usual big box stores. If you do need to go somewhere farther away, we're close to the 5 and 55 Interchange, so it's easy to get where you want to go in any direction.
Come check out central Tustin!

[twnxn]

Congratulations on the new job. Yes, Irvine, and Orange County in general will be quite different from Cleveland.

As for affordability- it depends on your budget. Of the cities you've listed (Irvine, Tustin, Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo), Irvine would probably be the most expensive in terms of rent, but there are plenty of apartments in Irvine and the commute would be the shortest to your job (depending on what part of Irvine you live in). Along Jamboree Road there are apartments. During peak times, the traffic can back up a little on Jamboree Road. Walkability- well, there are some communities, but not in a very urban sense. There are parks in Irvine. There is the Irvine Spectrum, which is in a different part of town which is largely chain stores and restaurants.

Tustin is a little cheaper in rent than Irvine, the commute would be a little longer. Just stay away parts of Tustin near Santa Ana. Tustin has the Market Place, which like someone wrote is largely Big Box Stores and further down on the Irvine border there is the District which has Big Box Stores such as Costco, Target, Best Buy along with a movie theater, restaurants, etc.

Costa Mesa is a little cheaper than Irvine also, you would have to drive a little to work also. There is the South Coast Plaza-an "upscale" mall. Then, there are parts of Costa Mesa closer to the beach near the Newport Beach border.

Aliso Viejo- you would have the longest commute. This city lies south of Irvine. It is also a little cheaper than Irvine. There does not seem as much to do in Aliso Viejo.

Hope this helps a little and gives you a better picture.

[chengas123]

Thanks for the responses. This will really help me make my time apartment hunting more productive as I'll only be in town a short while.
I don't have much of a strict budget, but would like to find someplace that's preferably at least 700-800 sq. ft. From looking at Craigslist it seems that if I could find something around $1300 I'd be doing pretty well for the area, but that's not a hard number I'm trying to stay at.
I'm starting to rule out Aliso Viejo because it looks like I'd be paying $8.50 a day to take 73 in which case I might as well just put that money towards living closer to work.
I've read good things about Costa Mesa on the forum and am starting to lean towards looking at more palces there, though I'm certainly open to other suggestions. Google Maps seems to put my commute from Costa Mesa at about 15 minutes, but I don't have any idea how much different that might be during rush hour.

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

1300? I can recommend some nice apartments in Santa Ana.

[k374]

I work in Irvine and live in Lake Forest. My commute is 12 minutes on surface streets. Apts. in Lake Forest are going for $1250-1400 or so for 600-700sqft 1bd. Also look at Mission Viejo which is next to Lake Forest.

You don't have to take the 73. You can just take surface streets to Irvine. Paying $8.50/day to save 5-8 minutes each way on your commute doesn't make any sense. The surface streets here in South OC are all high speed boulevards with 50-60mph speed limits and traffic is not particularly heavy.

My advice.. don't live in Costa Mesa if you're working in Irvine...it's still commuting, why do you want to commute if you can pay the same price, save fuel and live next door to Irvine? Besides, some parts of Costa Mesa are not particularly impressive, older construction. Stick to South OC neighborhoods.

[bm22]

Costa Mesa is the closest affordable area to your work at Jamboree and the 73 and will be the shortest commute. I would focus on the Eastside of Costa Mesa or the Southcoast Metro Area. We are only talking about a 2-3 mile commute with no need to take the freeway (10-15 minutes even with traffic). Apartments are more of a hit or miss in this area and tend to be older so finding the perfect place is a little trickier than in Irvine or points south. The weather in Costa Mesa is cooler than down south and you will be much closer to the beach. If you end up on the Eastside of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach is a pretty easy bike ride. Good Luck.

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by Broadmoor

Hi, welcome to OC. My neighborhood in Tustin is about 6 miles from your work address. The land just north of your new job used to be a Marine base, and therefore there are numerous apartments, condominiums, duplexes and patio homes to choose from in this area. I realize a single family home is not exactly what you're looking for, but my community has a MySpace page MySpace.com - Broadmoor Tustin - 40 - Female - Orange County, California - www.myspace.com/broadmoortustin
Our website can give you a sense of the area and features of the neighborhood. For some reason, City Data links the word "Broadmoor" to a town in Northern California. That's not us! In our case, the word Broadmoor relates to a specific housing tract, not a city. Central Tustin is walkable to three markets, and the Old Town district, which once a year hosts what is said to be the world's largest chili cookoff. Old Town has a lot of charm and character, shops, small restaurants, but with a hometown ambiance. It feels undiscovered and quiet, it's definitely not upscale or snobby. The police protection in our area is wonderful, I'm not aware of violent crime here. The officer responsible for our area even gives out his personal cell number. If you ride a bike or want to get out and drive a little bit, everything you could dream up in the way of food is probably within a couple of mile radius. We've also got a pet store, hobby/knitting shop and an auto parts store close enough to get there on foot. The Marketplace is literally minutes away by car on Jamboree and it has all the usual big box stores. If you do need to go somewhere farther away, we're close to the 5 and 55 Interchange, so it's easy to get where you want to go in any direction.
Come check out central Tustin!

you left out the price - how much a square foot? that's all that matters - the rest is frou frou...thanks