Mission Viejo, Irvine, Yorba Linda, or Chino hills for family with 3 kids? (Lake Forest: house, elementary school)

[missionhome]

Originally Posted by roby1945

Thank you Thank you Thank you. Sounds like MV gets the thumbs up from most.

Thanks Missionhome for all your work for me. Wow you know your stuff. I really appreciate it. We are going to cruise around this weekend and check it out. You have been very helpful. Thanks. Love the school info you put in also.

The local elementary school's attendance boundaries are on this map: Google Maps - Mission Viejo Elementary Schools

I like the map because it has both Saddleback Valley and Capistrano Unified schools mapped. Just click on the shadding of an attendance area to see where a neighborhood goes and its district.

[Poptarts]

There is an excellent post that you may help you decide. It contains lots of great information (thanks to Missionhome and others) at the following: //www.city-data.com/forum/orang...ello-roos.html.

I live and work in Irvine and love it but my vote would be for MV, I've heard wonderful things about MV, plus you will get a ton more real estate for your money in MV.

Let us know what you decide!

[sewkitty]

Any of the cities in OC are good including the area mentioned as Anaheim Hills. I would stay away from Chino Hills especially if you need to commute to OC on a regular basis. The traffic is horrible. Refer to the thread on moving to Corona for the comments. Also Chino Hills is much hotter than OC

[roby1945]

Thanks to everyone. I will be sure to check out some of the other areas mentioned also.
Missionhome thanks for the googlemap school district info. It helps when I am looking at houses and so much easier than the individual school district sites.

[sandiegan]

Originally Posted by sewkitty

Any of the cities in OC are good including the area mentioned as Anaheim Hills. I would stay away from Chino Hills especially if you need to commute to OC on a regular basis. The traffic is horrible. Refer to the thread on moving to Corona for the comments. Also Chino Hills is much hotter than OC

Chino Hills does get more warm than OC, one drawback. But Anaheim Hills is pretty warm too. I have commuted to OC and didn't think much of it, made it to the Spectrum area (Irvine) in 30 minutes or so with the Toll Roads. Sometimes a bit more on the way home (35-40 minutes).

Mission Viejo is a much more expensive, exclusive community than any of the other communities mentioned in the original post. It's consistently the "safest city in America." I'd honestly rather raise my kids somewhere a bit more down to Earth and a bit less bubble-like than MV. Chino Hills will get you a lot more house for your money than Irvine, Yorba Linda, or Mission Viejo. The schools are great, there's a big little league Park, the city is pretty much entirely composed of families. There's only one bad area, the area immediately surrounding the Los Serranos Country Club, but other than that, you can get some pretty fancy homes in the 700 range at the end of Soquel Canyon Parkway or in Vellano (a bit more $). For what it's worth.

I can't say I didn't wish it was closer to the beach, however, and closer to all the great food that older communities like Orange offer. Chino Hills is mostly chain stores.

[shupe07]

I have lived in Chino Hills for 36 years and i am 38. Its a beautiful city and very quite. yes the lady was correct with the Los Serranos area but the city as fixed up its bad but that bad like she puts. and every city as its bad areas. We now have Chino Hills mall i cant think of the name at this time but brand new its outdoors and its all upscale clothes and resturants. Plus your 30 mins from the beach, the mountains and the desert. Your 15 min from Orange County-Brea or Riverside area-Corona, yes the other cites are very nice as well. the schools here are very good. i feel very safe here. i love this city. i have a daughter 11 and my niece who 17 and loves the schools here. Good luck

[shupe07]

one more thing the lady is right about the traffic if your going to work in Orange County then live in Orange County. i hated the commute from chino hills to costa mesa. chino hills can get hot like anaheim but you do feel the change in the weather from the cities. we have the chain stores like the other cities you mention. to be honest like another posting live where you work. you will hate the commute from chino hills to orange county depending what hours you work just a thought

[masalamomma]

I used to live in Irvine and loved it, but I rented. I am moving back to California this summer and I have chosen Mission Vieo or Rancho Santa Margarita. Both have excellent schools, are very family oriented and you can just get more house for your money there than in Irvine.

[NativeCaliGirl]

Since you looking in that area, I would take a look at Lake Forest as well. It is in the same school district as Mission Viejo. I think it's beautiful and worth mentioning. Here is a link you can go to to get an overview of all the schools in that district http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/reportcar...eback_DARC.pdf (sorry this is an old link, it was on their website)

I wish you and your family the best! I LOVE California and can not wait to get back!

[themommytree]

They are great areas. You would have to also consider your commute. If you are working in Irvine or Orange County, the commute from Chino Hills would not be fun, because of the traffic. If you will work in Chino Hills, then the traffic is fine. Irvine is a completely planned community with everything you could possibly want for a family. It is very family friendly, and if you plan to travel, the airport is right there. My sister-in-law and I have launched a website for parents to connect The Mommy Tree Parenting and Preschools. Along with this, we toured every preschool we could find in Orange County and narrowed the list down to 50 in an e-book. Good luck with your search!