Eastbluff/Newport Coast/Turtle Ridge/Turtle Rock/Ladera Ranch ??

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LAtoSFtoOC_IHB

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Hello - I'm new to this blog...I found this website today and have really enjoyed reading a lot of insightful posts. I am relatively new to the OC. My husband and I have lived in LA and SF most of our lives, and recently moved to San Clemente due to job relocation. San Clemente is beautiful, but not for us for these main reasons:

1. Too far for us since our family and friends are still in LA

2. Inconvenient (not much of a selection for restaurants and stores)

3. Lack of diversity



Sooo...we want to move more north, but since we work in the Mission Viejo area, we don't want to go further than Irvine or Newport. I apologize in advance if ethnicity is a sensitive subject, but we are Americanized Asians that do not want to live in a very "Asian" community (ie. we don't want to live in a Monterey Park), yet we do want enough diversity so that our kids will not have to deal with too many race issues. I say this because my husband was 1 of 3 Asians in a school of 200 growing up, so he had to deal with a lot of racism. I know it is unrealistic to shield my kids from this, but I think an area with at least a significant amount of diversity would be a little bit better.



Neighborhoods that we are considering:

1. Eastbluff (Newport Beach): We LOVE the look and feel of this neighborhood and if we can get in at a very low $1M price point, we think it would be a good investment in the long run.

2. Newport Coast: Seems to have a great elementary school and a decent amount of diversity ~ 15% asian. However, people who grew up in OC seem to knock the Newport area in general because they say people are snotty there. Is that true??

3. Turtle Ridge: We love the location and look of this neighborhood. However, we didn't see any kids on the street playing. Is this a family friendly neighborhood?

4. Turtle Rock: The homes don't look as nice just because they are older, but I did research on the schools and Bonita Canyon Elementary seems great because of it's academic record, and has an "ideal" diversity breakdown for us which is about 26% asian and 54% white. However, some people have warned us that the Irvine school district, esp Uni High is extremely competitive. Is this true? I myself went to Palos Verdes HS, but didn't feel it was insanely competitive. Perhaps this is all just a matter of perspective. (I consider myself above average in terms of academics, but definitely not a top student - prob a B+/A- student and went to UCB.)

5. Ladera Ranch: I know this is not as "nice" of an area as Irvine/Newport and will not hold its value nor appreciate as well. However, the family friendly environment is a big draw since we have two very young children.



Any thoughts on helping me put everything into perspective? There are pros and cons to each of these neighborhoods - it is hard to have everything we want in one place. I'm especially looking for insight from people who know Irvine and Newport very well.



Thanks!
 
First, welcome to the blog. If you have been reading here for a while, you know I am one of the snarkier ones. So, please enjoy some of my seriousness and snarkiness.



<em>Neighborhoods that we are considering:

1. Eastbluff (Newport Beach): We LOVE the look and feel of this neighborhood and if we can get in at a very low $1M price point, we think it would be a good investment in the long run.</em>



Good neighborhood, older, somewhat culturally diverse. I think it feeds to Newport Harbor, so it will be diverse. Still, you will have some snotty ones there too.



<em>2. Newport Coast: Seems to have a great elementary school and a decent amount of diversity ~ 15% asian. However, people who grew up in OC seem to knockthe Newport area in general because they say people are snotty there. Is that true??</em>



Where in the SF bay area are you from? I might be able to give you a comparison, but NC is a whole different land on OC. Well, at least those that live there think so. The best way to describe it... is you will have to find cool laid back LA/SF like people there, they will not find you. It is not like Palos Verdes.

<em>

3. Turtle Ridge: We love the location and look of this neighborhood. However, we didn't see any kids on the street playing. Is this a family friendly neighborhood?</em>



That is because this is considered flipper ridge, and no one lives there because they have been foreclosed on.



<em>4. Turtle Rock: The homes don't look as nice just because they are older, but I did research on the schools and Bonita Canyon Elementary seems great because of it's academic record, and has an "ideal" diversity breakdown for us which is about 26% asian and 54% white. However, some people have warned us that the Irvine school district, esp Uni High is extremely competitive. Is this true? I myself went to Palos Verdes HS, but didn't feel it was insanely competitive. Perhaps this is all just a matter of perspective. (I consider myself above average in terms of academics, but definitely not a top student - prob a B+/A- student and went to UCB.)</em>



Oh gawd... don't tell tonye that. Turtle Rock is awesome, untouchable in fact, maybe next to heaven... in his world. I like Turtle Rock, but they are older, and they do some updating. But, please, please do not even mention the CAT5 wiring, if I hear about CAT5 wiring one more time, I might just go Mello Roos on someone. Are you a good parent? Good, then your kids will do well in school whether they go to Uni or Santa Ana high.

<em>

5. Ladera Ranch: I know this is not as "nice" of an area as Irvine/Newport and will not hold its value nor appreciate as well. However, the family friendly environment is a big draw since we have two very young children. </em>



How the hell is Ladera family friendly when 25% of the place is in some stage of foreclosure? Okay, drive Crown Valley at 5:30 on a weeknight. If you still want to live there after that, you are nuts, and you will fit in just fine.

<em>

Any thoughts on helping me put everything into perspective? There are pros and cons to each of these neighborhoods - it is hard to have everything we want in one place. I'm especially looking for insight from people who know Irvine and Newport very well.</em>



All of the neighborhoods you cited are great, except Ladera, and would make for a great home in OC. You might want to add West Cliff in Newport to your list, there are some good homes there too.
 
Neighborhoods that we are considering:

<em>1. Eastbluff (Newport Beach): We LOVE the look and feel of this neighborhood and if we can get in at a very low $1M price point, we think it would be a good investment in the long run. </em>

We like the area too- Eastbluff where the SFH's are go to CDM high school- I read a brochure that CDM sends more kids to Ivy League schools in OC than the others.



<em>2. Newport Coast: Seems to have a great elementary school and a decent amount of diversity ~ 15% asian. However, people who grew up in OC seem to knock the Newport area in general because they say people are snotty there. Is that true?? </em>

I don't know about Asians, but there are many Persians (I am Persian). However, if you work, just make sure that you realize there is no school sponsored before/after school programs. THe Jewish Community Center has something, but there is a bus involved that takes you to the JCC. I hear it's great, but again, that's only an after-school program. Because of the lack of before school programs and because I don't want to deal with hiring a nanny, my husband and I have nixed NC.

<em>

3. Turtle Ridge: We love the location and look of this neighborhood. However, we didn?t see any kids on the street playing. Is this a family friendly neighborhood? </em>

We liked Turtle Ridge but the floor plans are weird. I agree, the many times I have been there, there weren't many kids on the street.



<em>4. Turtle Rock: The homes don?t look as nice just because they are older, but I did research on the schools and Bonita Canyon Elementary seems great because of it?s academic record, and has an ?ideal? diversity breakdown for us which is about 26% asian and 54% white. However, some people have warned us that the Irvine school district, esp Uni High is extremely competitive. Is this true? I myself went to Palos Verdes HS, but didn?t feel it was insanely competitive. Perhaps this is all just a matter of perspective. (I consider myself above average in terms of academics, but definitely not a top student - prob a B+/A- student and went to UCB.) </em>

Turtle Rock is old in my opinion and vastly overpriced. Yes, it has UNI, but so does TRidge. People say the lot sizes are larger, but quite frankly, it's not large enough to warrant such a premium. My husband and I used to want TRock but we've changed our mind for now about TRock and Irvine in general.



<em>5. Ladera Ranch: I know this is not as ?nice? of an area as Irvine/Newport and will not hold its value nor appreciate as well. However, the family friendly environment is a big draw since we have two very young children. </em>

No idea about LRanch.



Have you checked out the Port Streets in NB? It's off of Bonita Canyon right after passing the 73 into NB. There are tons of kids. Yes, there seems to be less diversity (less Asians, less Middle Easterners), but quite frankly, there seems to be such a sense of community, people outside walking, etc. Anderson Elementary is also a very good school and it then feeds into CDM.
 
Eastbluff - Good investment, good schools, some nice folks, some snobs



Newport Coast - I have no idea



Harbor View - Family oriented. Lots of family's moved here in the last ten years. Andersen is great and feeds into CDM. You need to be active parents if your kids go to CDM. Homes are older and way over priced.



Turtle Rock - Great Schools and yes, Uni is competitive. The homes are funky, unless remodeled. Many are remuddled.



Turtle Ridge - Too much new money, which is actually probably new debt.



Ladera is very family oriented and the folks there are family oriented. Too many homes in too samll an area in my opinion. The re market there is a mess and getting worse.



Why not Mission Viejo?
 
All - thank you for your great responses. It really helps solidify our impressions of each of the neighborhoods.



graphrix - you mention Eastbluff is a "Good neighborhood, older, somewhat culturally diverse". I'm a little surprised, but happy, to hear that. I thought it might not be diverse at all. What was awesome about this neighborhood is that there were a lot of Pac 10 flags hanging on the houses. My husband is hyped about that since he is a crazy Cal fan and we saw three houses with Cal flags.



We also drove through the Harbor View neighborhood (I think that is what it is called), and that area seemed even nicer and had even MORE Pac 10 flags all around, however, we are really priced out of that area. =( JoonB - is this the area you are referring to when you mention Port streets? Also, thanks for the info on NC having no after school programs. Good info to keep in mind...



my husband and i have lived in Berkeley (of course, since we both went there), as well as in SF (Sunset and North Beach districts). After living in San Clemente, I've realized how much of a metro gal I am, so it is a little hard to be in the burbs, but it seems Newport and Irvine offer a good suburban enviroment for my kids while being close to a lot of things to do/see.



One thing that I wish for these areas is for there to be more kids in the neighborhoods. My husband and I grew up playing with lots of neighborhood kids. It seems these neighborhoods are hard to find in NB or Irvine unless I want to go to Quail Hill or Woodbury, which we just can't get over how cramped these areas are, not to mention a whole other list of things we didn't like about these areas. I guess we would just have to find activities for them to get involved in to meet other local kids.



So it sounds like Eastbluff and Turtle Rock would probably best suit us....although eventually when they are in HS, it's like a choice between going to school with too many Caucasians or too many Asians. BUT that is way far from now, and who knows what our situation will be by then. I still love the look & feel of Eastbluff more than TR, but TR is much more affordable for us. I see homes in that area around the 900s and upgraded, while Eastbluff starts at 1.1M and is a total fixer-upper.
 
Wow, I have the same issues!





Turtle rock- seems nice enough, but the schools' reputation for competitiveness isn't something I'd seek out for my kid.



Newport Beach- if I could afford it, it all seems good. Corona del mar seems like a nice school, though it's a combo high- and middle-school which is different (in a good way, anybody?)



Newport Coast- ditto, except some of the more affordable houses seem close to the old landfill. Would anyone be concerned about this? Don't they still pump methane out of there? Any feng-shui advice?





Thanks in advance for any feedback.
 
San Clemente is personally where I would live, but that's because I love cheap golf and surfing beautiful beaches. Most on this board probably don't realize San Clemente Muni has phenomenal ocean views on many holes, and a city resident plays it for $25. Plus, you have Trestles at your front door. Or T street. Or the Pier. Or..you get the point. If you're not into the beach, San Clemente is the wrong place for you.



For the mix of value/diversity/location/demographics my next choice would be Mission Viejo. Mission Viejo HS is very academically competitive combined with the premier overrall sports program for a public HS in OC. Before we moved back east and then up to the Bay, we almost bought off Felipe. Great neighborood, tons of kids, younger families, guys playing hoops at the park down the street on Saturdays etc. No MR,low association fees in many of those neighborhoods.



Given the current NOD situation, assuming you're good to qualify for a $1M purchase, you might luck into something small in Laguna. Personally I would trade a smaller home in Laguna for standard 3/2 in the Port Streets. The Port Streets were $7-800K in 2000. Non-remodeled homes will revisit those lows in 3-4 years.
 
<blockquote>Turtle rock- seems nice enough, but the schools? reputation for competitiveness isn?t something I?d seek out for my kid.



Newport Beach- if I could afford it, it all seems good. Corona del mar seems like a nice school, though it?s a combo high- and middle-school which is different (in a good way, anybody?)



Newport Coast- ditto, except some of the more affordable houses seem close to the old landfill. Would anyone be concerned about this? Don?t they still pump methane out of there? Any feng-shui advice? </blockquote>


I agree with the Turtle Rock statement - I want my kids to go to a good school, but I don't want them to be spending all their time trying to keep up with academics that they can't also enjoy just being a kid as well as participate in other life enriching activities. My impression is that it doesn't seem so cut throat in elemetary school, but mostly in high school. But that is just my impression...



Newport Beach - the combo middle school and high school thing doesn't seem like an issue to me.



Newport Coast - i had no idea that there is an old landfill around there....maybe it is not a huge issue - i never hear anyone talk about that.



So....we went house searching in TR today..my husband and i just can't get comfortable with the fact that there are no kids hanging out outside. where are all the families there?
 
[quote author="LAtoSFtoOC" date=1211802249]<blockquote>Turtle rock- seems nice enough, but the schools? reputation for competitiveness isn?t something I?d seek out for my kid.



...



So....we went house searching in TR today..my husband and i just can't get comfortable with the fact that there are no kids hanging out outside. where are all the families there?</blockquote>


Perhaps you would consider Oakcreek as well - there are kids hanging out and the schools are not as ultra-competitive. It appears to be a bit more ethnically diverse than Quail Hills. I don't like the ideas of pushing kids too hard in Jr. High and H.S. just to get into universities. I think those kids may be in danger of burning out or wanting to rebel when they get to college. I rather see balance academics/social developments. Just my opinion...
 
IF you don't push, most kids aren't the self starters to get the grades and test scores needed to get into a top school today. The echo boomer kids + competition from abroad means solid applicants are getting rejected from even top state schools in record numbers. We were in Seattle recently and a 3.8 student with 1280 SATs getting rejected from UW was front page news in the local fish wrap. Check the avg GPA/SATs of the incoming freshman classes at USC and UCLA. Competition has never been stiffer.



For the naysayers, why is it not possible for kids to work hard academically and play hard as well?
 
[quote author="Boston2theBay" date=1211837416]IF you don't push, most kids aren't the self starters to get the grades and test scores needed to get into a top school today. The echo boomer kids + competition from abroad means solid applicants are getting rejected from even top state schools in record numbers. We were in Seattle recently and a 3.8 student with 1280 SATs getting rejected from UW was front page news in the local fish wrap. Check the avg GPA/SATs of the incoming freshman classes at USC and UCLA. Competition has never been stiffer.



For the naysayers, why is it not possible for kids to work hard academically and play hard as well?</blockquote>


I don't want to hi-jack this thread too much. But in short, then end goal is not only to get into top college, but to get out and move on the grad school /job /life etc. At some point the kid needs to develop his/her own motivations and values and/or internalize the values presented by the parents. I think it is possible to work hard academically and play hard as well, but I don't think it is sustainable long term (2 years of Jr High, 4 years of HS and 4 years of college) from pushing alone - when can you stop pushing? As for the 1280 SAT score, I hope that was out of 1600 - I could see why he got rejected if he got 1280/2400.
 
[quote author="LAtoSFtoOC" date=1211802249]<blockquote>Turtle rock- seems nice enough, but the schools? reputation for competitiveness isn?t something I?d seek out for my kid.



Newport Beach- if I could afford it, it all seems good. Corona del mar seems like a nice school, though it?s a combo high- and middle-school which is different (in a good way, anybody?)



Newport Coast- ditto, except some of the more affordable houses seem close to the old landfill. Would anyone be concerned about this? Don?t they still pump methane out of there? Any feng-shui advice? </blockquote>


I agree with the Turtle Rock statement - I want my kids to go to a good school, but I don't want them to be spending all their time trying to keep up with academics that they can't also enjoy just being a kid as well as participate in other life enriching activities. My impression is that it doesn't seem so cut throat in elemetary school, but mostly in high school. But that is just my impression...



Newport Beach - the combo middle school and high school thing doesn't seem like an issue to me.



Newport Coast - i had no idea that there is an old landfill around there....maybe it is not a huge issue - i never hear anyone talk about that.



So....we went house searching in TR today..my husband and i just can't get comfortable with the fact that there are no kids hanging out outside. where are all the families there?</blockquote>


The landfill, I believe, is the big ominous thing in the middle of the map:

<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode;=&ie=UTF8&ll=33.618461,-117.831051&spn=0.013991,0.028667&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr">Landfill</a>



Google "coyote canyon" and various combinations of landfill, methane, etc.



Here's an interesting pdf from 2004 about methane issues at the turtle ridge elementary(?) school.

<a href="http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/Schools/Projects/upload/Turtle-Ridge_FS_dRAW.pdf">Turtle Ridge K-8 school</a>



You're right, you don't hear much about Coyote canyon, but you probably don't hear too much about the

<a href="http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/PHA/eltoro/elt_p1.html">El Toro toxic plume</a> either. Otherwise Woodbridge seems nice enough as well.



I'm probably being paranoid, and I'd love for someone to convince me that it would be totally safe living right next to that thing.
 
Portola Springs is also right next to FRB Landfill. Given the choice I would rather live closer to the landfill than the base.
 
The newer lined landfill by PS aint half bad. No view of it, and it's lined and monitored.



BUT, that old dump, out on 73 dates back when toxic shieet was dumped with common trash. That's going to be contaminated for another 200 years.



As for the el toro fuel tank leak plume....it might take another 100 years of pumping to clean that area. BUT, woodbridge won't be effected. It's movement has been slowed to a crawl, and it's too far down to expose the topsoil.
 
I grew up in the port streets and eastbluff, now live in TR. Port Streets (Harbor View Homes) is an amazing place to grow up as a kid and a great place, now that I'm older, to raise a family. Right now, though, I think the houses are overpriced. Andersen, my alma mater, is a fabulous school as well. I have friends in my law firm that live in the PS now and their kids go to Andersen and CDM, and while things have changed since my day, the nevertheless remain top notch schools.



Eastbluff is great too - so long as you're talking about the SFR's on the hill and not the condos. Nothing against the condos that line the bluffs - but way overpriced for what they are. EB does feed into CDM, I think the elementary school is Eastbluff (it used to be Harbor View)



TR is a great area, we love it, but then again we're just renting right now. The SFRs are way overpriced. I agree, serious flipping/speculating/100% financing from mortgage 30k millionaires there.



Newport Coast is a great area if you can afford to live there.



Westcliff, which graphix mentioned, is also really nice - on the other side of the bay and feeds into Newport Harbor. There are several very nice areas in an around NB that I'd love to live in - flower streets (CDM - not a lot for your money though), Balboa island (same), houses off of marguerite and Key Largo (harbor view hills i think).



lastly, have friends in Ladera - with small children. While they love it and have a very stable income, they're 150K underwater right now and will probably be 225K under by the time this thing shakes out (2-4 years)



Good luck
 
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