Relocating Back... Brea/Fullerton Advice Please (Los Angeles, Long Beach: fit in, apartments, for rent)

[losercore]

Hello all,

I grew up (born and raised) in Huntington Beach and the Fountain Valley area. I have lived in several areas of OC after coming back from college like Costa Mesa and Orange as well as Cypress and Newport.

I left again in 2005 because of cost of living mainly. I wanted more for my family and found a great job in Madison, WI. I loved it there, but my company soon relocated me to Indianapolis, IN. The cost of living is great I will tell you that, but I cannot stand the weather, we really don’t fit in the suburbs here and we totally miss friends and family. Just last week my company asked if I would relocate back to Orange County. (Office in Buena Park)

We also have some older family members that need some attention. That leads me to my question...

We have never lived in the Brea/Fullerton area and this is the area we are looking at for now. We will rent until prices drop a bit more and then start looking at buying later 2009 to early 2010 and that will most likely be in the HB area. All of my family is in HB and FV, but my wife has close family around Brea and I like the downtown Fullerton area and think Brea is a nice town too.

Just wondered what you all thought of certain areas to stay away from and public schools in that area?

It's been almost 4 years so a lot has changed and while we have been back for vacation, I am just wondering more about this area.

Thanks

[MisterDuke]

There aren't any really bad areas in Brea. The Brea Mall and parking lot is the highest crime area, but it is more for theft, and not violent crimes.

For Fullerton, I'd stay away from anything south of the Metrolink tracks.
Fullerton residents see downside of downtown - Los Angeles Times

Any apartment building within walking distance of Cal State Fullerton and Fullerton JC is going to be dominated by young people living on their own for the first time... with all the issues that entails. I looked at the ones in downtown and it seemed like a lot of the residents treated them like college dorms. During a walk through at one on Commonwealth, 2 roommates were having a fight. One was in the hallway banging on the door, and the other was on the inside trying to hold the door shut so she couldn't get in.

I was also surprised that there were so many houses for rent in downtown. They weren't well advertised. I looked for ads all around and on Craigslist, but the best way was to drive around the residential neighborhoods I liked on weekends and look out for signs. There was a gorgeous craftsman bungalow-style duplex on a quiet street that was very cheap. Mostly older houses, but well-kept.

You can look up school performance here:

California School Performance Maps

[losercore]

Thank you so much. Great info. We will be renting a home so I figured we would stay away from the college. I like the downtown area and my wife really likes it by the mall in Brea. Only problem is I have not been north of Edinger on harbor in years so the closest I have been to that are in almost 5 years is Angel Stadium...

That helps me a lot. Thanks

[BRinSM]

regarding fullerton, don't count out homes near the colleges. There are some very nice homes near both schools, just avoid places where there are lots of apartments. These areas are very easy to spot. Anything north of Chapman and west of State College would probably work for you.

[SurfGod]

Originally Posted by losercore

Hello all,

I grew up (born and raised) in Huntington Beach and the Fountain Valley area. I have lived in several areas of OC after coming back from college like Costa Mesa and Orange as well as Cypress and Newport.

I left again in 2005 because of cost of living mainly. I wanted more for my family and found a great job in Madison, WI. I loved it there, but my company soon relocated me to Indianapolis, IN. The cost of living is great I will tell you that, but I cannot stand the weather, we really don’t fit in the suburbs here and we totally miss friends and family. Just last week my company asked if I would relocate back to Orange County. (Office in Buena Park)

We also have some older family members that need some attention. That leads me to my question...

We have never lived in the Brea/Fullerton area and this is the area we are looking at for now. We will rent until prices drop a bit more and then start looking at buying later 2009 to early 2010 and that will most likely be in the HB area. All of my family is in HB and FV, but my wife has close family around Brea and I like the downtown Fullerton area and think Brea is a nice town too.

Just wondered what you all thought of certain areas to stay away from and public schools in that area?

It's been almost 4 years so a lot has changed and while we have been back for vacation, I am just wondering more about this area.

Thanks

Fullerton is ALL good north of Malverne until you hit Imperial where the niceness suddenly ends as the area becomes mostly commercial & light industrial. The next city continuing immediately north is La Habra on the west side and Brea on the upper right. La Habra is best avoided except for the eaternmost part known as La Habra Heights. Brea is all nice.

I would tell you to focus on the area comprised N-S by Imperial/Rolling Hills Dr & W-E by Euclid/57Fwy. That whole chunk of territory is beautiful, has lots of parks & greenbelts, store access yet suburban-style living and good schools. No crime to speak of. The commute to Buena Park is a breeze, you don't even need to take freeways.

[Dennis P]

I had worked for two different companies in Brea (commuting from Lakewood / Long Beach). I've found Brea to be a nice city all over. There are no "sketchy" areas that come to mind. It's true that Fullerton has a nice downtown area, but you might also want to take a look at Brea's downtown. If you like Chinese food, there's a good restaurant there called Lucy Woo's. About the only thing I didn't like about Brea was that in the summertime, it gets HOT due to the inland location.

I see you're currently in Fishers, IN. I've seen pictures of the houses there and think they bear a strong resemblance to the neighborhoods in Irvine (minus the palm trees).

Hopefully you find the perfect place out here. Welcome back to the neighborhood!

[YLresident]

Originally Posted by dennismpat

I had worked for two different companies in Brea (commuting from Lakewood / Long Beach). I've found Brea to be a nice city all over. There are no "sketchy" areas that come to mind. It's true that Fullerton has a nice downtown area, but you might also want to take a look at Brea's downtown. If you like Chinese food, there's a good restaurant there called Lucy Woo's. About the only thing I didn't like about Brea was that in the summertime, it gets HOT due to the inland location.

I see you're currently in Fishers, IN. I've seen pictures of the houses there and think they bear a strong resemblance to the neighborhoods in Irvine (minus the palm trees).

Hopefully you find the perfect place out here. Welcome back to the neighborhood!

I think Lucy Woo's may have died awhile back and is now a spa, actually... but I'm not totally sure. Plenty of places to eat/shop in Brea though. (Chinese food's better in Rowland Heights anyway. ^_^) There's only one spot left in Brea that's not so great, but even it's not that bad anymore. Too hard to stay crappy when everything around you's coming up roses, right?

Yorba Linda's pretty awesome! (Not that I'm biased at all... ^_~)