Mission Viejo....Goods and Bads?? (Merced, Laguna Niguel: rent, house, neighborhood)

[terigarr]

good and nice mission my dad is also in this missoin and u well be there cilick herehttp://telekomx.mobi/lp2/iwaay

[ghettobird14]

alot of druggies in mission viejo. But other than that i guess its ok. Just alot of Drug Deals and what not. The city seems to have a drug problem....

[antibes]

Originally Posted by Charles

Maybe she didn't fit. Nothing wrong with her but is it possible she was an older woman or man in a neighborhood full of young families? Or maybe a super hip, partying type single in a family neighborhood? Again, nothing wrong with that but there is sort of a natural commonality amongst people of similar ages, demographics, positions in life, and interests. We got burned by this in Colorado. A lot of our Colorado neighbors were retired people. We didn't realize we'd feel so out of place. We just picked the wrong neighborhood. Live and learn.

It could make a difference.

Possible. She was basically within the same age group as half of her neighbourgs and the rest would be about 10 years younger than her. Her son is in his early 20's. Her neighbours just don't like to mingle with each other.
She's not a party animal. She's very charming, very positive and hugely optimistic.

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by missionhome

In my opinion Mission Viejo is a good place to raise a family. I would say that YOU as a parent are the most important thing though anywhere in this country. I motivate my kids, encourage them, and enforce good values and am happy with the group of friends all three of my teenagers (ages 15, 16, 18) have picked. I did not have my kids in elementary or middle school in MV due to our desire to have them in a Christian enviornment those years, however in my opinion the public schools were much better than our private school and most other private schools in this area with regards to the actual education. My kids moved to Capo Valley High for high school and I am very satisfied with the education my children are getting and oldest now got. I am a PTSA parent at CVHS and know the elementary schools and middle schools that feed our school well and have gotten very involved. My oldest just graduated from CVHS and starts at UCLA in two months with a major in Microbiology (proud mom moment haha)!So IMO:Schools: Good, but budget cuts are a reality and will have some effects on education. This isn't really CT or MA or something. Strong AP and IB program at all three of our city's high schools with top graduates going off to good schools. Many students take community colleges route after high school. City is split in two districts and there are "rumors" that we might try to form one new school district just for MV (which I think is a waste of time and will never happen). Raising a kid: Mission Viejo itself is pretty humble in my opinion. Most people are living in normal 1,200-3,500 square foot homes and many have lived here since the city was developed from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Most people aren't that flashy, more like soccer moms, etc.... that just want to raise their kids. IMO some of the materialism in "South OC" radiates from surrounding communities which have more of an element of being "new." The people that want their new 2004 home, BMW, designer jeans, etc...The Lake: It is WONDERFUL, especially if you have younger kids. The summer is the best time when the temperatures here are usually in the 80's and sometimes 90's and the lake comes to full life. People swimming (it is clean, a full staff testing water several times per day), kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, party boating, fishing, summer movie nights at North Beach, summer concerts on the beach, etc.... are awesome. The picture of my sons catching their first fish here at Lake MV is priceless. The water is calm for younger kids too compared to the ocean. Beaches in San Clemente and Dana Point are 20-35 minutes depending on what beach you go to and how far from a freeway you are in MV. I prefer San Clemente beaches, unless doing a bonfire at Doheny. The weather is hotter in MV than a beach city, but you are still easily close.Farmer's Markets: I think you mean like a local one with tents and such and not Trader Joes, Henry's, etc... which are more like grocery stores (MV has those). MV's farmers market closed like two years ago, but you can be at the ones in Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita, and the Coto gate in 5-20 minutes depending on your home in relation to one of these neighboring cities (the area all pretty much flows together).

MV also has great city parks that are well maintained, very lush green slopes throughout that are mature, walking trails, many pocket parks, good youth sports leagues, nice city events for families, an amazing library that is much better than anything in the OC Public Library system, etc...

Some negatives: Some people hate our city council and how much it spends on all the "wasteful things" with tax dollars, etc.... school budgets are being cut (all of South OC from Irvine south though), expensive to most places in the country, you won't want to commute past probably Anaheim (Irvine is best), no public transportation really, traffic on El Toro Y at rush hour, people from more inland cities drive through MV to freeway.**

Wow, I write a lot, hahaha.

Missionhome, thank you for your posts on Mission Viejo (and surrounding communities on other threads). Your posts are very helpful to me as my relocation goals include relocation with a family (with children ages 25 to age 8). Granted, the older ones (25 and 23) will undoubtedly settle where they want. The MOST attractive feature of Mission Viejo (besides the weather, things to do, etc.) is that there is a solid middle class community there (based on what I've read).

May I ask you (and anyone else) how Mission Viejo compares with the North County San Diego communities of Carlsbad and Encinitas as far as family life and socio-economic variables. The thing that I most want to stay AWAY from is UBER materialism. I have nothing against money; but I'm not interested in the "pseudo-wealth" (via HELOCS's) people, or "never worked a day in my life trust fund babies." Life's too short for lazy and/or fake people. I generally avoid them. It's harder for my children to avoid them though.

Hubby and I lived in North OC during the early to mid 80's, moved back to NE OH to have and raise our children near relatives/grandparents. Grandparents are all gone now; our younger children are currently in K-8 Catholic school and public high school. We live in a solid middle/upper-class community; are looking for the same. We are both medical/business professionals - both hubby and I are in mid 40's. Jobs are not an issue as far as relocation. That can be handled.

Thank you for any input you (or anyone else) can provide as far as how Mission Viejo compares with Carlsbad/Encinitas in SD as far as raising a family. I visited Carlsbad/Encinitas this February while on business (stayed there a week), and I enjoyed it very much. We don't have to live right on the beach; 30 minutes or so drive is fine.

Thank you again.

[missionhome]

Hi Donna7,
Sorry for the late reply. I was on vacation with hubby and the kids.

Mission Viejo is general is a very solid middle class community and embraces it. Many of the neighborhoods have a good sense of community where people get to know the neighbors (if you make a little effort to go over and say hello too). Mission Viejo doesn't have a dominating materilastic element in my opinion (although wannabe Paris Hiltons seem to lurk throughout Orange County). However some of the cities that surround it have that feeling and because people move from city to city as if it is one big area, you get spill over from everywhere. For example, the Shops at Mission Viejo has people shopping at it from San Clemente to Lake Forest to Coto de Caza to Laguna Niguel to Laguna Hills so you will often run into people each day from all over South OC.

To be honest, I don't know much about Carlsbad and Encinitas, sorry. They seem like nice beach communities that are family friendly, but honestly I haven't spent much time there other than stuff like taking my kids to Legoland years ago when they were little or passing through to go to San Diego and anything I would tell you about there would probably just be a generalization that could lead you in the wrong direction. I don't know much about people's attitude there either. Sorry. Wish I knew more about North San Diego County

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by missionhome

Hi Donna7,
Sorry for the late reply. I was on vacation with hubby and the kids.

Mission Viejo is general is a very solid middle class community and embraces it. Many of the neighborhoods have a good sense of community where people get to know the neighbors (if you make a little effort to go over and say hello too). Mission Viejo doesn't have a dominating materilastic element in my opinion (although wannabe Paris Hiltons seem to lurk throughout Orange County). However some of the cities that surround it have that feeling and because people move from city to city as if it is one big area, you get spill over from everywhere. For example, the Shops at Mission Viejo has people shopping at it from San Clemente to Lake Forest to Coto de Caza to Laguna Niguel to Laguna Hills so you will often run into people each day from all over South OC.

To be honest, I don't know much about Carlsbad and Encinitas, sorry. They seem like nice beach communities that are family friendly, but honestly I haven't spent much time there other than stuff like taking my kids to Legoland years ago when they were little or passing through to go to San Diego and anything I would tell you about there would probably just be a generalization that could lead you in the wrong direction. I don't know much about people's attitude there either. Sorry. Wish I knew more about North San Diego County

Thank you very much for your reply, Missionhome, I appreciate it. Hope that you and your family had a relaxing vacation. I understand about not wanting go generalize, that certainly makes sense. Most of my business associates live in the San Diego area, this is why I was looking for possible relocation there as we would already know some people. I will make it a point to come out to OC again and spend some time in Southern Orange County and see how it compares with Carlsbad/Encinitas. I don't think all three areas (Mission Viejo, Carlsbad, Encinitas) would be fine; I'm just looking for a more solid middle class neighborhood for our children to grow up in.

Thank you again for your reply. Wishing you a great day!

[EastCoastWestCoast]

I'm a transplant from the East Coast, but have spent 20 years in CA. I lived in North OC for 10 years and in South OC - Mission Viejo - for the other 10 years. I think its a great place to live. The area is beautifully landscaped, the Lake is great and everything is close (shops, services, work, etc.) The city is consistenly ranked in the Safest Cites in the U.S. lists.Although we don't have children, families are a focus here and our neighbors are very friendly. I would recommend it to anyone.

Also, my neighbors (up and down my street) are nice and friendly. We aren't best friends, but do we need to be? I'm not sure why one commenter on this site felt her neighbors were hostile because they kept their distance. Maybe she expected more from them than was realistic?

[RobE]

Mission Viejo is very nice with good schools. If you can move in there and it suits your sensibility, do it. I don't think you'll be sorry.

[CmpEngineer]

Mission Viejo (just like Irvine) is a very safe city. In fact, the FBI rated both Mission Viejo and Irvine as some of the safest cities.

However, I did hear from a realtor that Laguna Niguel is more prestigious than Mission Viejo. I also heard from someone that the people in Laguna Niguel are snobs when compared to people in Mission Viejo. I am not sure if that is true, but personally I like Laguna Niguel because it is closer to the ocean (such that the weather is cooler in the summer). The people in Laguna Niguel seem fine too (I have only visited there).

[Charles]

Originally Posted by CmpEngineer

more prestigious

snobs when compared to

What are the units of prestige and snobbery? How are they measured?