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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 21, 2017 - 02:55pm PT
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can anyone suggest a good town/neighborhood to live near Irvine? I have a job opportunity there (currently live in the Midwest and know very little about southern California)
thanks
edit: single guy, no wife/gf (couple mistresses, bridges will be burned), no pets. Would like a house over an apt/townhouse
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Oct 21, 2017 - 03:07pm PT
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I hope it's a high paying job. Irvine is a pre-planned city with super wide streets, perfect curbs and sidewalks and carefully manicured everything, cookie-cutter houses and high prices. Lots of nice places to live near there if you have enough money.
There are lots of little micro-environments with the beach towns along there, and you'll need to explore to figure out what matches the vibe you are looking for.
If money is tight or you want to conserve for a brighter future, look closer toward Garden Grove, Cypress, Cerritos, Lakewood. Then the commute becomes a trade-off.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 21, 2017 - 03:18pm PT
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Give us a budget so we can send you to either Santa Ana or Corona.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Oct 21, 2017 - 03:56pm PT
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Irvine is nice if you like stoplights every 100 yards.
Like Reilly said, what's your budget? There's still spots in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach that are affordable (by SoCal standards)
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2017 - 04:00pm PT
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so, couple more notes here:
1. annual income about (but under) $200
2. I'd have to work in Irvine but not live there necessarily
3. I've never been to Tahquitz, like J-Tree well enough, but am mostly keen about blasting off to the Sierra on weekends and want a quick escape
4. like "culture", which basically means having quick access to one good coffeehouse and one good bar and maybe a theater that plays indie stuff
thanks
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10b4me
Mountain climber
Retired
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Oct 21, 2017 - 04:29pm PT
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Huntington Beach, Tustin, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley come to mind.
The longest part of Sierra trip will be getting thru he OC, and LA traffic.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Oct 21, 2017 - 04:46pm PT
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Lake Forest. Relatively quiet place if you get away from the I5. I lived there for 11 years and have no regrets. For the area it is "reasonably" priced. Much lower cost than Irvine. Are you looking for a house or an apartment?
edit: just noticed you want a house. Be ready to lay out $700k in Orange County. Sounds like you are making an income to swing it, but if I were you I would look elsewhere. SoCal is just way too expensive.
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
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Oct 21, 2017 - 05:20pm PT
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I would pay whatever it takes to be in one of the beach communities. The ocean is a great outdoor adventure outlet, learn to surf, etc., Better culture. Avoid the soul crushing inland areas!
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Oct 21, 2017 - 08:22pm PT
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Irvine has grown a lot since I was there (early seventies). You may find that just the daily commute to your job will wear you down.
I would try to rent, maybe buy, somewhere close to work
Get acclimated
Then decide
Check this out about 7:00 am Monday morning
https://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?lat=33.72781&lon=-117.71736&z=1
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surfstar
climber
Santa Barbara, CA
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Oct 21, 2017 - 09:46pm PT
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Rent. For at least a year, and not a house. Save your cash, then see if sinking it into a house is actually worth it and you'll get a better idea of where you want to live.
I'm biased (see avatar), so I say rent a small apt near the beach.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Oct 21, 2017 - 10:10pm PT
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I would pay whatever it takes to be in one of the beach communities.
You must make a lot of cash. $200k/year barely buys you a place in OC. Not going to cut it in a beach area. Even in Santa Ana (the dregs of OC) a house will run you upwards of $550k. Buying an average priced house in inland OC requires $175k/year. In a beach community expect to pay northwards of $1 million easy.
edit: rent near a beach will run about $3000/month. I paid $2000/month in Lake Forest for a 800 sq. ft. one bedroom..
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Oct 21, 2017 - 10:53pm PT
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The longest part of Sierra trip will be getting thru he OC, and LA traffic.
No kidding! The drive down (or up) the 5 can take hours from South OC; then you have to deal with the 14. When I moved from Whittier (north OC) to Lake Forest (far south OC) my trips to the sierra dropped dramatically due to hours spent on the I5. The I91 to I15 to 395 looks good on paper but the drive through the high desert is a freaking nightmare; worse than the I5 if you can believe it.
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bootysatva
Trad climber
Idyllwild / Joshua Tree Ca.
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Oct 22, 2017 - 07:37am PT
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Temperature inversion layer keeps the smog in and makes the entire area poisonous.
Even Idyllwild gets smoggy. Especially in July and August.
To many rats in that cage.
Ernesto
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Oct 22, 2017 - 08:35am PT
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OMG
You should move to Costa Mesa East Side near 17th Street.
It's the best part of SoCal and cheap in comparison to any other beach areas
The weather is mild, the ocean breeze keeps the air clean, there is no planned BS with stop lights every 10 ft.
We don't even need air conditioning, our electrical bills are $30 a month.
We walk to shopping and dining, it takes 2 minutes to get on the freeways, and most the traffic is going the opposite direction.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 22, 2017 - 08:48am PT
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^^^ But it might be hard deciding which gang to join, nawmean?
BTW, the East Bluff area of Newport Beach has townhomes under $1KK (I know, right?) and some rentals. The Upper Back Bay area also has apartments, but you better like 757’s taking off over you. Hey, there’s no free lunch!
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Oct 22, 2017 - 09:06am PT
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Sorry to disappoint, the East Side of CM is whiter than Irvine, the gangs hide on the West Side.
Newport Beach is basically 1/4 mile away.
The airport noise is the one draw back, but you can set your watch to the shut down at 10pm and start up again at 7 in the morning.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Oct 23, 2017 - 07:45am PT
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3. I've never been to Tahquitz, like J-Tree well enough, but am mostly keen about blasting off to the Sierra on weekends and want a quick escape
Sounds like you'd be better off in Pasadena.
4. like "culture", which basically means having quick access to one good coffeehouse and one good bar and maybe a theater that plays indie stuff
In Orange County when they hear the word "culture" they reach for their revolvers.
Again, sounds like you'd be better off in Pasadena.
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Oct 23, 2017 - 08:07am PT
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disregard all advice about Orange County being filled with what ever.
Pasadena is a hell hole compared to Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar or Laguna Beach.
These places all have culture, and they have the most important thing; cooler climates, if you go inland more than 3 miles it going be almost as hot as F-ing Cucamonga,
Pasadena is hot, smoggy and an inland urban extension of East LA
and the drive to Irvine would take an hour and a half
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dirt claud
Social climber
san diego,ca
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Oct 23, 2017 - 08:32am PT
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This area looks pretty cool, inland but nice scenery and plenty of hiking. About 1/2 hour from Irvine. Looks pricey but might be able to afford it on 200k, good luck with everything wherever it is you decide to go.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rancho+Santa+Margarita,+CA/@33.638169,-117.568435,3a,75y,237h,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s74457227!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2Fproxy%2FPF3BuFf5Qp7vs2CJvDbO0ju_vTnhzhgc_HwdvqJiHH60BCyw9FfHPGGPXQE4GNMoe5qKYKK9lJGvk9KX5t-UC3uxb55cgA%3Dw203-h130-k-no!7i1920!8i1232!4m5!3m4!1s0x80dceb9c5893396d:0xb01fec17e62dab96!8m2!3d33.6401689!4d-117.6028329
Dove Cyn. in Santa Margarita area
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
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Oct 23, 2017 - 08:42am PT
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Yeah...Avoid Monrovia at all costs...! rj
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10b4me
Mountain climber
Retired
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Oct 23, 2017 - 08:49am PT
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Pasadena is hot, smoggy and an inland urban extension of East LA
Hahaha, but somewhat true.
and the drive to Irvine would take an hour and a half
Try two and a half hours, if you're lucky.
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Oct 23, 2017 - 09:09am PT
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In South Laguna I lived in two beach cottages above Woods Cove (rent) and one mansion at Beach of 1000 Steps (free*),
on campus at UCI, in two townhouses in East Bluff (free*)
and one duplex in Costa Mesa near 17th (rent).
*connections, connections, connections
I'd take Laguna by a mile.
If you're on the cheap and dirtbag ready there are caves in Laguna Canyon which will sustain life.
Laguna has history too.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 23, 2017 - 09:23am PT
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Laguna’s great, as long as you don’t have to go anywhere, other than on foot.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Oct 23, 2017 - 09:26am PT
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Welcoming you in advance to Southern California!
I moved here 4 years ago after 30 years in the San Francisco Bay Area and have no regrets. Northern California is wonderful and San Francisco is an amazing city, but for a climber, SoCal has a lot of advantages.
I agree with the advice to rent for a year and get a sense of the communities and most importantly, the traffic patterns. By far the WORST aspect of life down here is the traffic. Until you have experienced it, you cannot even imagine it.
If your job is in Irvine, I disagree with the idea of living in the beach communities. Yes they are gorgeous but much pricier and the commute can be difficult. Rent close to work for the first year. I don't think you have to worry about access to "culture" no matter where you live. The whole of LA and the OC is readily available. I would stay Irvine or north of it because that is closer to your escape to the climbing areas. When you arrive, check out Sender One in Santa Ana (on the border of Tustin). Fantastic climbing gym.
Phyl
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Oct 23, 2017 - 09:39am PT
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Yeah rent at first until acclimatization sets in like I said
and
walk a mile in my flip flops.
Traveling in SoCal is knowing when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em.
I can make it from Chula Vista to La Crescenta in two hours, a trip which can run up to 3-5 hours if done incorrectly.
I ain't telling when I travel.
EDIT:
By car, but getting into and out of two airports is likely two hours itself
↓↓
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10b4me
Mountain climber
Retired
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Oct 23, 2017 - 09:46am PT
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I can make it from Chula Vista to La Crescenta in two hours, a trip which can run up to 3-5 hours if done incorrectly.
Yeah, the flight into Burbank is better than flying into LAX.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 23, 2017 - 10:11am PT
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the flight into Burbank is better than flying into LAX.
Unless yer on an A380! ;-)
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Oct 23, 2017 - 10:44am PT
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What's the temp today at all these great places you endorse to move to?
it's F-ing 110 degrees FFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffff
or is it 113 today?
CM, a cool 86 degrees
that's a >24 degree difference
Well I was wrong, the forecast is 101 in Pasadena for today.
But those Mts. out your door are Poison Oak laden scrub chaparral, and there isn't much you can do on them w/out a good trail and a cool day.
The Laguna Hills are way better for Mt. Biking, and you can boulder on real rock at Pirates Cove, a 10 min drive.
We have better road biking trails as well.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Oct 23, 2017 - 11:12am PT
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There's tiny condos in Sunset Beach right on PCH that sell cheap. When I was looking in 2011 they were going for 135,000. Leased land and all of 450 square feet.
Turk's is right across the street. And so is the beach.
Splitting my time between Huntington Beach and Sierra Madre I see both sides.
Huntington Beach has the perfect climate, but you're buried down there in the belly of the beast. It's two hours just to get to the edge of the megalopolis.
Pasadena gets ungodly hot three months of the year, true. But from the house in Sierra Madre I can throw on a pack and walk out the door and backpack for days. The Gold Line can get you most places in LA. No driving! Unlike Orange County, Pasadena has culture. And Donald Bren doesn't run Pasadena.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Oct 23, 2017 - 12:27pm PT
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Along the coast is going to be cooler and there will be plenty of times you may appreciate that. If you are more inland, look for a location which typically has access to the coastal breezes. So maybe close to work with a bit of elevation compared to the surrounding region. Hah, and Laguna Beach is still very cool, just not as cool as it was in the 60's and 70's.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Oct 23, 2017 - 07:06pm PT
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One more important point. Pasadena is a lot closer to Dal Rae.
http://www.dalrae.com/
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Oct 24, 2017 - 10:01am PT
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THocking is spot on! Don't pull the trigger! That 405 and 5 exchange is a highway nightmare. I lived in SoCal for many years and simply got tired of the asshats that cut each other off and brandish guns at one another. Southern Sierra livin' for me!!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 24, 2017 - 10:49am PT
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Mooch, we all can’t live at the Kern River Brewery. Jess sayin’...
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Oct 24, 2017 - 11:35am PT
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I almost took a job in Irvine back around 1990 with the Silicon Valley firm I was working with. At the time, Laguna Beach was calling my name as the commute from there wasn't too bad. Had an apartment lined up a block from Brooks Street and that sweet left hand reef break. Then life took a funky turn.
I suspect the commute from Laguna Beach is no longer not too bad. YMMV and good luck.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Oct 24, 2017 - 12:05pm PT
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In general, I would have to agree with Craig. Unlike most posters, he actually lives in CM.
Avoid any areas to more than a few miles the north or northeast of Irvine, if you are going to be working in Irvine - purely because commuting (either 55 or 405) could be very unpleasant.
Personally, I don't like Irvine as a potential place to live, but tons of others think it is great (those with kids and tiger moms). IMHO, overpriced and lacks soul.
Avoid the coastal parts of Newport as it is very expensive and too conservative for my taste.
Lake Forest isn't a bad option, much less expensive, close by and should be an relatively easy commute (you could even bike to work). And, you are http://www.supertopo.com/inc/editforum.php?did=PTw9OyclISsgJyA,&dtid=PTw9OyQnKistISU,close to the 241 Toll road, which will get out out of town towards Tahquitz or Josh more quickly.
Foothill Ranch is about as far as you might want to go south-east and has good access to getting out of town and wilderness parks and national forest. [Rancho Santa Margarita and environs are near toll roads and lots of open space, but are kinda in the hinterlands, have an Irvine vibe, and get pretty warm in summer.]
Laguna is probably the best spot (I'm biased), top quality hiking, Mt. Biking, road rides, nice feel, actually a real "town", but can be crammed with tourists when the weather is nice and is very pricey.
Aliso Viejo is a possibility, but it does has elements of Irvine about it (master planned) but less expensive, close to open space, etc.
If you go too far south, you run into commuting issues, but there are nice options in San Juan Capistrano or San Clemente.
BTW, with that type of income, buying a place is hardly out of reach, but renting initially is always a good idea (but ultimately could be more expensive).
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