Relocation to Orange County, CA
 

Wondered if anyone on here could give an on-the-ground impression of Orange County, CA.
Brian and I are contemplating relocating there for my job...I'm in the midst of an interview process with a co. in Aliso Viejo. Next step is a flight there for interviews.

Unfortunately I don't have a very good impression of OC.

We live about 1 mile from Detroit's gayborhood in a 1920s colonial in a historic neighborhood of similar houses and like living here...stable area that has bottomed out (plus I bought only 2 1/2 years ago a fair ways into the declining market) with the lowest foreclosure rate in SE Michigan (and lower than the national average :D )

My impression of OC is wall to wall condos with tile roofs built in the 1970s.

We enjoy Palm Springs, and have some friends there, but that isn't a realistic commuting point (notwithstanding negotiation for flexible work schedule at the employer).

We also could be intrigued with something mid-century modern, but don't think that and Orange County go together.

Neither one of us is at particular risk at current jobs (at Big 3)...this job opportunity came "over the transom". We like it here in Detroit...

Thoughts?

JL

Wow, you like living in Detroit? I know a lot of people knock the OC, but I've never heard of it rated below Detroit. lol

The weather alone is reason enough to move!

I have lots of family in the OC - mostly in Irvine & Tustin (a little further north than Aliso Viejo) - and have been out there dozens of times. My first impression was never all that great and it hasn't gotten that much better. OC is basically just one huge suburb and freeways galore - sprawl, sprawl, and more sprawl.

The southern part of the county - Laguna, Mission Viejo, Irvine - is generally newer and seems nicer than the older, northern areas. Don't think you'll find any housing comparable to what you have in Detroit. Not sure about any mid-century modern areas. Maybe in parts closer to LA - Huntington Beach, Anaheim, etc? Don't think that would be too fun a commute though.

In the OC, I haven't seen anything with much charm at all - unless you can afford a multi-million dollar home in Newport Beach or Laguna. They don't seem to build one house at a time there - instead these mega-developments of 1,000 cookie cutter homes seem to be the norm. The kind of places where the HOA regulates what color you paint your garage door.

Sure the weather is great and there are some nice beaches, but overall the whole place seems very sterile to me. Coming from back East, it really is a whole different ballgame out there. If you prefer a more urban environment, you won't find that in OC.

In any case, have a good trip out for the interview. Can't hurt to check it out. Good luck.

If you're urbanites you won't like living in OC, unless you are rich and can afford an oceanfront home. Then maybe.

OC is one giant urban sprawl suburb where you must drive miles to everything.

I love visiting places like Laguna Beach. But living there? No

Thanks for the info, I wouldn't call us urbanites, but confirmed first-ring suburbanites.;)

I guess it all depends on what you're used to. As a native Southern Californian I could say the same thing about.... well, Detroit.

I wouldn't call us urbanites, but confirmed first-ring suburbanites.

The only places I would even remotely call "first-ring" suburbs are going to be towns in the northern part of the county closer to LA. If you have a car and have time to check 'em out, maybe give Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton, & Huntington Beach a look. Further south it's only going to be endless tract home developments.

There is some commuter rail in OC now, but not sure if this would be of help to you. Traffic is horrible out there and you wouldn't want to be commuting from one end of the county to the other.

http://www.metrolinktrains.com/

Company is in southern part of OC. Is there anything in the northern part of San Diego County (Carlsbad??) which might be interesting.

The furthest commute you would want to do would be from the San Clemente area. If you go further south, you have to cross Camp Pen and that adds 15-20 minutes to your drive time just in distance alone. And it only gets you to Oceanside on the other end. OC is going to be much more gay friendly than Oceanside. As for the comments on the board and soemone who loves living in SoCal--I am laughing to myself, that Detroit is even being discussed as an alternative to living here. What is living here like?? well... beautiful people, beautiful cars, houses, beaches. I mean--its 75 degrees and perfect outside right now! I am going to head down and go surfing after work untill it gets too dark. And lets say you can not afford a million dollar house--big deal. People who are living well here--dont kid yourself. More places to see and be seen than anywhere. You can try a new restaurant every night of the week for years and years and never scratch the surface. You will someday find yourself sitting in a coffee shop and sitting next to you will be someone from a show you watched last night. You will eventually get caught up in the rat race and get yourself a nice car, and you will eventually find yourself at some Hot new club--and you may even find yourself doing a casting call for some lame show and ending up on live TV for NBC (happened to me--without even trying!) Life is exciting, and you never know what it will throw at you here. Now.....

Tell me the same is true for Detroit!

done.

I live in South County and can tell you the scene is pretty sparse. The previous hub of gay life in Laguna Beach is all but non-existent. Aliso Viejo has a fairly significant population of G and L but they are very much assimilated into the community. So, unless you have a lot of friends or are otherwise connected, don't expect to go to some gay ghetto to meet people. Most of the people who need the club experience or scene just drive to West Hollywood or San Diego.

OC strongly voted for Proposition 8 and is still very conservative in many ways, yet some of the infamous former legislative haters are long gone. My partner and I never have any problems going to any restaurant or event, yet we remember when it wasn't that way.

If you are looking for older, larger homes, you can check out Central and North County locations like Floral Park in Santa Ana, Old Town in Orange, or some neighborhoods in Anaheim or Fullerton. Santa Ana has a arts district with some cool modern lofts that are accessible to Amtrak or Metrorail.

As previously posted, there are many benefits to OC - like great weather, great beaches, and some pretty decent restaurants. SNA is a great airport for flying and LAX is about 40 minutes away.

OC can be very bland and superficial because most of South County was built only in the last 25 years. However, you can always get out of town and travel - and know that you'll be coming home to a nice place no matter what time of year it is.

Good luck and PM me if you have any other questions.

Honestly, it couldn't be said better. This is pretty right on and I've lived in the area my whole life. Another great alternative (maybe I'm biased) is Long Beach. There are some wonderful areas and the city is very gay/gay friendly. Belmont heights is probably my favorite area of the city, but I also love Belmont Shore, Bixby Knolls, and California Heights. Might be a little ways if you are commuting to South OC though; however LB is only about 5 minutes from the north OC border.

Mike

I've lived in the OC up until I left for college (which is right now) and in all honesty it depends on you as a person. The Northern and Southern parts of the county are almost different worlds. I live in the southern part and suffice to say, when i saw the show "OC" I could relate the people here to quite a few things and to be honest it was kinda scary :eek:
but, as everyone says, the weather is absolutely fantastic all year round and it's an incredibly safe and clean place to be, albeit one with a slight lack of interest. And as someone said above, yes OC is is the seat of Republicanism for Southern California, but in all honesty, it depends on the people you meet. I'm gay and haven't had a problem with it in the 11 years since I've been here.
And because this is flyertalk, SNA is probably my favorite airport for it's completely seamless functionality :D

jamiel - sounds like a potentially big change for you two, but I moved to California from Philadelphia 20 years ago and never looked back. There are a few things that will make your lives easier if you do end up in the Golden (and nearly bankrupt) State:
1. Live as close to work as possible, especially in Southern California - there are over 17 million people in greater LA/San Diego - and they all have a car (or three). You can do the math.
2. Closer to the beach is more temperate - inland gets much hotter
3. Real estate in CA is more affordable now that it has been in decades - that is a plus for you
4. Pursue your interests (gay or otherwise) whatever they are once you move here - OC is not all plastic people any more than anywhere else - there are great people everywhere - but you'll have to get out of the house and away from the computer to meet them. CA can be really transient - so you have to work to develop a social support system - more so than anywhere else I have lived or worked in America.
5. The weather really is all that. But, if perpetual spring/summer is not something you enjoy, there are beautiful mountains nearby. But you are not going to get a lot of day to day contrast living in coastal California.

Had forgotten to close up this one...I had a weird first interview that gave bad vibes, a second and then...nothing. A week later I saw that the company had been taken over.