What is the general public's perception of Lake Forest (Los Angeles: house, purchase)

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by firsttimehousehunter

Regarding "doing better for the price", you're speaking about the area near the 5/405, correct?

It depends. I've seen my share of Lake Forest over the years, and some of the new developments are pretty nice.

However, generally speaking, Lake Forest is cut into two halves. One half is older smaller homes, which are generally deteriorating and home to a large Hispanic population (area closer to 5/405 and some areas near the border of MV). The other half is newer, larger homes that have the same HOA, mello roos draw backs that newer communities in more prestigious cities have (areas near the 241, and Irvine).

Granted, there are no major malls, but there are large shopping centers like The Orchard, The Arbor and Foothill Ranch Towne Center. Plus, it is so close to the Spectrum, Shops at MV, and Laguna Hills Mall, that it might as well be within the city.

True, there are some shopping centers, but none that would attract anyone from other cities to go to. No one from Irvine would go to the Orchard over say Irvine Spectrum.

And as for Spectrum, MV Malls and Laguna Hills mall "being pretty much in the city" well those places are simply not. Lake Forest is Lake Forest, and MV, Laguna Hills, and Irvine are what they are. I'm not trying to diss on Lake Forest, but there's a reason why home prices in the area are generally cheaper than the surrounding cities.

That being said. I personally wouldn't mind living there.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I count that as a plus. Who wants outsiders constantly coming into your neighborhood adding the traffic congestion, noise, and crime?

Because places like Irvine Spectrum create tons of jobs, and revenue for the city of Irvine which in turn lead to better social services for that city (Fire Dept, PD, Schools, Parks).

Yes it does add more vehicle and foot traffic, but it's not ridiculous, as anyone who has visited Irvine Spectrum knows. It's very manageable.

As for crime, take a look at Irvine's crime stats, they don't seem to be affected very much by the increased traffic from outside.

[firsttimehousehunter]

Something else I learned today is that unlike the lakes in Mission Viejo and RSM, the Lake Forest Lake is only open to the community imediately surrounding the lake itself (about 17,000 homes).

The flip side of that is, at least in the neighborhood we were looking at, there isn't an automatic HOA whether you use those resources or not. Still, I would have liked the option to pay a nominal fee to join, like MV and RSM do.

[Curmudgeon]

Lake Forest sounds like a cemetery!

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Lake Forest sounds like a cemetery!

Not quite that bad, but there isn't much to do there.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

Not quite that bad, but there isn't much to do there.

I was thinking that the name sounds like one!

[Mr. Fantastic]

Kind of does actually...

[mrsltd]

I'm working in Lake Forest myself these days, and don't forget about Foothill Ranch (not a salad dressing ). They may not want to admit it, but they are part of the city as well (zip code 92610).

That area has large shopping centers with a movie theater, etc, and is right nearby good outdoor recreation (Whiting Ranch park, Cleveland National Forest, O'Neill Park, etc.)

Lake Forest extends farther up than many people realize.

[Blue Tango]

We've lived in Lake Forest almost 16 years and we've seen many positive changes. New shopping centers and attempts to correct traffic flow on El Toro Road. Many new stores and some new restaurants have come into the redevelopment area known as the Arbor. We live on the waterfront in Lake Forest Keys so we love our neighborhood, boating and holiday activities. We've close to Spectrum Center with lots of shoppping and good restaurants. Spectrum Center, 5 minutes from our home also offers a cinema complex of 21 theaters and IMAX which we also take advantage of regularly. Would we live in Lake Forest if we hadn't been lucky enough to get into the Keys in the bottom of the market in 1994? Truthfully, no.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Blue Tango

Would we live in Lake Forest if we hadn't been lucky enough to get into the Keys in the bottom of the market in 1994? Truthfully, no.

Why not, and where would you live?