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Old 04-11-2007, 12:13 AM
 
16 posts, read 98,754 times
Reputation: 19

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I am moving for sure to OC in July, and going down to look for a house in 3 weeks...this is a last attempt and desperate plee to get all the info and advice I can about the area....I will need to live from Seal Beach to Laguna Beach west, to inland toward Riverside (where my FI will be working but Ill be working in La Palma)

We REALLY want to live close to the beach and we are heavily looking at HB but we are in our 20's and want an area that will fit us. I need to be close to the ocean, and anymore that a walking distance will be hard to convince me of...unless YOU CAN!! And then tell me WHY!

So we are on our last desperate plee for any advice NEAR the ocean in OC!! Please give me your honest opinion...I love Newport, a bit pricy for us but Huntington we can afford near to ocean...we have about a mill to spend on a house or a condo/townhouse.

...please be honest....you are our last hope of true, honest advice..and we need it quick!!

Thanks!!
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Old 04-11-2007, 01:12 AM
 
252 posts, read 1,127,581 times
Reputation: 197
If you don't know already, any beach to La Palma is 30 min, Riverside over 1 hr. If that doesn't matter, have to checked the Belmont area of Long Beach? Its the next city up from Seal Beach, but instant access to fwys. I went to college there and is "trendy" but not yet well known. They have homes overwater like Lido Island in Newport, smaller homes and cheaper but unsure if its in your pricerange. Regardless, Belmont is definitely cheaper than any OC area and better prospects of appreciating when the area gets "discovered. Long Beach also has many high rise condos along the shore & along Pine Street.

anyways, just thought Id mention an option
Have you considered renting til the market adjusts?
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Old 04-11-2007, 01:19 AM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,449,173 times
Reputation: 7586
Commute times from a beach city to Riverside every day will induce a murder suicide within 6 months. Is it really worth it?
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Old 04-11-2007, 04:34 AM
 
5 posts, read 31,447 times
Reputation: 15
Default Go for Newport Beach!

If you're in your 20's, go for Newport Beach. Without a doubt. Its way more happening, great restaurants and an energetic vibe. Is it crowded? Yes. Will the commute be long? Yes. Is it worth it to have the time of your life on the weekends? Yes! If you are a work hard, play hard type person, then you've Newport Beach is the place. Or Laguna Beach, but you didn't say that was an option. Or even Redondo Beach would be okay location.

To get to Riverside from Redondo, you can jump on the 91 pretty quickly. As previous poster mentioned, commute from any beach to Riverside is going to be brutal. Try it a couple mornings from each city you are looking at and see what happens - before you buy. You can not rely on mapquest, etc to give you accurate times. The Riverside commute can be done from Redondo in about 1 hour and 15 (I did it for six months). The 91 is no fun, full of trucks and smog, but if you want to be near the beach, the commute will be the price to pay. You may have to move if you decide to have kids, but I say have fun while you can!

We lived in the Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach area for 15 years. Had crappy commutes, and very long work hours. But on the weekend we parked the car and walked everywhere. Went out Thursday to Sunday nights, and had a blast. Met great friends. So, for us it was worth it. Hope your FI has a thick skin regarding commute!
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Old 04-11-2007, 09:35 AM
 
989 posts, read 5,925,035 times
Reputation: 867
Huntington Beach's median age is the lowest of any coastal SoCal city. (per City-Data.com) I think it's a great-fit for 20-somethings who want to enjoy the beach life and everything that goes along with it!

Newport Beach is great too. It's a bit more ritzy, old-money, but still has the surfer-vibe and young professional crowd like Huntington. Either city, you can't go wrong!
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Old 04-13-2007, 01:28 AM
 
Location: Newport Beach, CA
253 posts, read 376,418 times
Reputation: 58
If you're a 20-something then Huntington Beach is the place to be. It's very much a 20-something scene unlike most of OC which is older.

We moved to Newport Beach recently which is definitely a late 30s and 40s crowd. Unlike what formercali said though, it's not crowded at all, at least nowhere near as crowded as Scottsdale, Arizona where we moved from. Compared to Phoenix/Scottsdale, traffic is light and we almost feel like we're in the country. Huntington is quite a bit more crowded, but younger which it sounds like you're looking for.

However, as someone pointed out, commuting to Riverside will induce a murder-suidice within a few months. Traffic there is even worse than the I-17 in Phoenix which is even worse than the 405 in LA so do the math.
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Old 04-17-2007, 11:32 AM
 
Location: Brooklyn, ny
174 posts, read 311,869 times
Reputation: 162
The 91 is the devil....dont do the riverside commute. Maybe im a 949 snob...
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Old 05-02-2007, 07:12 PM
 
41 posts, read 146,599 times
Reputation: 40
Default ocgirl

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus View Post

I am moving for sure to OC in July, and going down to look for a house in 3 weeks...this is a last attempt and desperate plee to get all the info and advice I can about the area....I will need to live from Seal Beach to Laguna Beach west, to inland toward Riverside (where my FI will be working but Ill be working in La Palma)

We REALLY want to live close to the beach and we are heavily looking at HB but we are in our 20's and want an area that will fit us. I need to be close to the ocean, and anymore that a walking distance will be hard to convince me of...unless YOU CAN!! And then tell me WHY!

So we are on our last desperate plee for any advice NEAR the ocean in OC!! Please give me your honest opinion...I love Newport, a bit pricy for us but Huntington we can afford near to ocean...we have about a mill to spend on a house or a condo/townhouse.

...please be honest....you are our last hope of true, honest advice..and we need it quick!!

Thanks!!
Maybe try Los Alamitos...some real nice areas there and near Seal Beach -- Do NOT live in Riverside while working in La Palma. I grew up in La Palma (go Fighting Irish!). Huntington Beach covers a lot of area...nice areas. The freeways in the area are very congested...but if you drive clear across from the beach areas all the way to La Palma, you're going to hit TONS of stoplights. La Palma is okay to live in.
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Old 05-03-2007, 04:01 PM
 
17 posts, read 76,329 times
Reputation: 14
I agree stay away from Riverside! Los Alamitos is really nice...if you want to be more coastal then Seal Beach. Neither is a bad drive to La Palma. (Where I also grew up! JFK!!) La Palma was nice to grow up in...I don't think I'd want to live their now though.
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