Corona to Irvine commute? (Anaheim, Riverside: for sale, rental, insurance)

[mom2twins08]

My husband recently got a job in Irvine and we are considering living in the Corona area due to the lower cost of living. We've read/heard varying accounts of what the commute is like. His work hours are somewhat flexible, so we are hoping he can work 7:30-3:30/4 and avoid at least some of the awful traffic.
We are considering southern Corona. I am a teacher hoping to get a teaching position in the Corona Norco district, we have two kids; we are moving from the mid-west so the much increased cost of living is going to be a shock for us (hence considering living in Corona).
So in your honest opinion is the commute doable? Is the wear and tear on the car/cost of gas worth being able to buy a house with some yard, whereas if we actually live in the OC we could more than likely just afford a townhouse, no yard.

[Count David]

I would live in the OC, or stay in the Midwest.

Yes, lots of people do it, and they'll downplay its effects. The drive itself is a parking lot most of the way, and he will have to get a toll lane pass to retain any shred of sanity.

[cgk2013]

It's tempting I know, my husband and I considered it as well when we moved to OC for his new job a few years ago. However, the commute is brutal, and most of the savings you'll receive in cheaper housing will go to commuting costs (toll roads, fuel), and wear and tear on the vehicle. Add in less time with family because of the commute, higher A/C bills in the summer (IE gets pretty toasty) and the pros of living in Corona vs. OC quickly start to decline.

The train might be an option depending on where your husband works in Irvine and there are two train stations in Corona. Check out Welcome to Metrolink.

Without knowing your rental or home purchase budget it's hard to point you in the right direction but there are more affordable cities than Irvine, within a more reasonable commute.

Each person has to decide what works best for their family, but the best advice I ever received on these boards, was to live as close as possible to your place of work. Best wishes with your decision!

[des91]

For some cheaper areas of Orange County than Irvine, you can look at Tustin. Here's some townhomes:

13805 Browning Avenue, Tustin CA For Sale | Trulia.com

[Vic Romano]

To South Corona it is difficult. Probably a half hour difference in commute times compared to living in North Corona (off of Green River) and Eastvale. It also depends upon which part of Irvine.

From Eastvale/North Corona it is 35 minutes to north Irvine, 45 minutes to South Irvine (assuming you take the 241 toll road). Add another 15-25 minutes during rush hour, 25-40 minutes on Friday night, 30-50 minutes on the night before a holiday weekend.

If your husband's work is near a Metrolink train station, you could consider that. There are two stations in Corona, one on Main and Grand and the other in West Corona off of Serfas Club Drive.

[dober1]

I did it for 16 years it sucks even with a fast track transponder. And add that to your monthly bills, plus gas and wear and tear on the vehicle.

[909er]

so we are hoping he can work 7:30-3:30/4

Rush hour, especially on the 91 freeway, starts around 2 pm and ends around 7 pm. So he will be in the thick of it. The 91 is one of the worst freeways out here. On the flip side, there are the toll roads and they are widening the road, but still...

There is a big cost of living crunch going on out here. Homes in OC under $500k are very hard to find, anywhere, in decent neighborhoods, so a lot of people drive to the IE (riverside / corona). The traffic heading east has gotten worse the last year or so as the economy has improved and home prices have gone up, and people search out cheaper homes. Even Corona and Norco are over $300k now, the homes in the $200's are in Riverside, which is very nice too (most parts) but that's another 20 minutes on the drive past Corona.

You can also rent in OC, nothing wrong with that. 66% of Cali rents, it's expensive to own here.

[Electrician4you]

Originally Posted by mom2twins08

My husband recently got a job in Irvine and we are considering living in the Corona area due to the lower cost of living. We've read/heard varying accounts of what the commute is like. His work hours are somewhat flexible, so we are hoping he can work 7:30-3:30/4 and avoid at least some of the awful traffic.
We are considering southern Corona. I am a teacher hoping to get a teaching position in the Corona Norco district, we have two kids; we are moving from the mid-west so the much increased cost of living is going to be a shock for us (hence considering living in Corona).
So in your honest opinion is the commute doable? Is the wear and tear on the car/cost of gas worth being able to buy a house with some yard, whereas if we actually live in the OC we could more than likely just afford a townhouse, no yard.

Personally I would rent in OC. The drive home seriously expect at least a hour average. The 91 east at 3:30-7:30 is a parking lot. The drive is actually called Corona crawl.

I would rent in Fountain Valley, South Westminster, Huntington, Costa Mesa., if you want 1/2 way I would say Orange, Anaheim Hills area, Fullerton, At one time I actually thought of moving to Norco/Corona/Eastvale/Chino hills. and I have many coworkers who said I'll regret it. These guys ALL drive past Norco area. For three weeks I had them time their leaving from various jobsites ( some in Irvine some in surrounding areas close enough to make it worth timing) to the point they hit 91/15. To a tee they all took about 1 hr to 1:15 to call me. The shortest time was 45 minutes but we left a bit early to see. My work day was usually ended at 2:30. Sometimes we left at 3:30-4:00 because we had to stay over but that the drive done at those times was 1.5-1.45 minutes and sometimes 2hrs. I was at home already doing stuff around the house with my wife. At any given time after 2:30 it took them a average of one hr to get to 91/15

Some guys drive sedans others drive heavy duty trucks with dismal mpg. Those guys usually filled up Monday and Thursday and that ran about $200 a week. The sedan guys once a week say 70 bucks minimum with possibly Friday needing refueling.

My cost to buy new house, add the additional fuel, insurance cost p, maintenance would of tripled those costs from what I have now. Yes you get a bigger newer house. A little lower rent. But you are oaying it back in time and additional out of pocket costs.
I would look at getting a job with Tustin or Irvine USD.

[mom2twins08]

Thank you all for the responses! I think we will look for somewhere closer to Irvine. We are thinking we will rent for a year and then hopefully buy a house (or rather a townhouse).
Thank you all again for the responses!

[llegoz]

Rush hour starts around 2 P.M. Sometimes around 1 on Fridays (ugh!). The commute is horrendous and over the last year or so it has gotten to be a lot worse. The traffic now starts further back and earlier. I was angry and stressed out most days just thinking about it. I used to commute to my home in Chino Hills from the office in either Irvine or Anaheim for about 6 years and it was awful. I couldn't imagine staying on the 91 for another minute, and this is with using the toll lanes and being on the freeway around 3 or 4 PM

Whenever I left between 3 or 3:30, I would get home around 3:45 or 4:15 if I was using toll lanes. If I wasn't using toll lanes, I wouldn't be home until around 4:30 maybe even 5. Sometimes the tolls can be pretty expensive. I've seen it as high as $12. On average, it was around 7 dollars when I was heading east toward home in the afternoon.

If you move to OC you'll be better off. As others have mentioned, any money saved on rent, utilities, or whatever else you save by moving to Corona will be spent on toll lanes, wear and tear put on your vehicle and gas. You might not get the biggest house possible or even be in the newest neighborhood, but you will save a lot of money on other expenses that just keep adding up, like toll lanes and repairs to a car.

If you really want to live in Corona, check out the Metrolink which stops in Corona and other parts of Orange County (not sure where exactly) or Ride Share. Otherwise, I would check out houses in Orange County.