Life in Tustin (San Francisco, Santa Ana, Irvine: apartments, rental, condo)

[miribiri]

Hi! We may be relocating to Tustin from New York, and I am quite anxious!
I do NOT want to live surrounded by shopping centers and home depots, etc. It seems like old town tustin is more walkable and mom and pop businesses. Am I correct? Are there houses for rent for a family of five that are walking distance from shopping? Is it a safe area to live? What are rental costs like?
I don't like spending my life driving, and love non-chain stores, concerts in parks, diversity, etc. My husband is dying for a hotter climate, but I have my doubts bout this move.
Where do you guys go to the beach?
Tahnks for any help you can give

[EscapeCalifornia]

That part of Tustin is really small so there's not a whole lot there.There's plenty of non-chain stores all over but you'll have to drive to them like everyone else and they'll be in, gasp, shopping centers. If you don't like shopping centers and cars, you should look in San Francisco.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Hi! I might be relocating to Manhattan from Tustin, and I am quite anxious!

I do NOT want to live surrounded by tall buildings, and dense apartment buildings, etc.

Tahnks for any help you can give

[ilikeoc]

Old town Tustin is very quaint, but you would still have to drive for food shopping, etc. Within Old Town there are old victorian homes and more recently a couple of buildings were converted for mixed use (commercial downstairs living upstairs). People prefer a mellow sort of life in OC, we generally prefer to live in a single family home, and we generally are friendly with our neighbors, but usually don't become close/nosy/irritating with them.
The dining is good, but there aren't 5 bagel shops within 3 blocks like in NYC, but there is plenty of variety. If you like the more crowded, 'let's pretend the shrill neighbor adds urbane charm to our life' experience there is nice high density apartment/condo housing going up in Irvine- check out the Irvine Co. website. If you really want the colorful, diversity, I'm a citizen of el mundo experience try Santa Ana- it's a buffet of that sort of flavor.

[dawning]

hi i'm debbie i was born in LA raised in tustin i saw it grow from small to large. my
parents built thier home in 1955. i saw the 0range groves dissapear. great place to
raise a family. i lived off irvine rd. although i haven't lived there for some years i don't
know about housing but enless you are spanish you would not like santa ana, irvine
is nice but don't know the shopping. good luck on your move & job

[dawning]

hi i'm debbie
i was born in los angeles in 1954 and adopted through children's home
society of calif. my mother was 18 when i was borned she 5'3''tall, had blond hair blue eyes. my grandfather had bronchial asthma. she had two
younger brothers. my father was 24 or 25 yrs. when i was born. he had
three older brothers and was german. also blond hair and eyes, also had
1 younger brither, and three younger sisters.
i was born aug. 2nd at 3:36 a.m. in los angeles my mother went through 29 1/2 hrs. of labor. please help me find my mother

[preppyglam]

Tustin has fun things to do, if you seek them out (concerts in the park in the summer, cute mom and pop shops, etc.), but you will still have to drive places. Public transportation is NOTHING compared to NYC. I don't know anyone that takes or relies on busses....it just takes too much time and you still have to get to where youre going once the bus lets you off. We don't have time for that here. You drive yourself. Its that way in all of Southern CA.

You won't live next to Home Depot or HUGE shopping centers in Tustin, but there is one in Irvine (the next city over) =). There are smaller "strip malls" with grocery stores, etc. and Tustin has an adorable Main Street (one street) of cute shops, etc. Would be nice for walks....but may get old if you do it daily.

Life in CA if very different from NYC...everything about it is different.....weather, people, architecture, the pace, the methods of transportation, etc. etc. etc. it will be an adjustment, for sure. You will probably think it boring! But maybe it will be a welcome change for you and your family.

Rents in Tustin can be pretty reasonable, or high (if you are looking to rent a house, for instance). For a family of five- I would think you would need more space....out here, families don't really live in apartments (unless you are a young family)....its just not the social norm. Whereas, in NY, everyone lives in apts. Its just different here.

Its a very safe area to live.

The best and closest beach is a straight shot down to the freeway to Newport Beach. Takes about 13 mins w/ no traffic to get to the sand. =)

Good luck with the move!

[Chucki]

Hello!

Can you tell me about Tustin:

Is there a good butcher/meat market nearby?

Do they play pickelball or ping-pong (table tennis) anywhere nearby?

My wife makes reed baskets by hand. Is there a basket club nearby?

What is the best park to visit?

What is the best beach & route there? PIER?

Any strong negatives/positives we should know about?

I'd like to hear from people "in the know."

Any input would be very helpful!

Thank you Very much!

[ragnarkar]

Maybe consider nearby Orange? It has a much nicer downtown than Tustin. Since Orange is a college town, you might be able to get by walking for your errands but would still need a car for commuting and/or occasional out of town trips.

[rickc007]

Orange County is one large strip mall

You have to drive to do anything fun.
Traffic is as bad as New York City

The "cultural" part of Tustin, is not the most desirable

There is nothing in OC that is like New York, specially the
"New York Style" Pizza