Expat needs info!

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
M

movingtocali

New member
Hi everyone, i've just joined this board. My husband and I are planning on moving to Orange County in the next 6 months. I'm originally from Australia and he is from UK but we live in Dubai, UAE currently.

He will be working in Anaheim (I think) and I'll be at home with the baby. We're looking to rent initially in a nice area where its safe to walk around the neighbourhood, close to shopping, family friendly etc. Our budget would be $2500 a month and we need 2 bedrooms, a small garden would be nice too!

Is Irvine a nice place to live? Can you suggest anywhere else that would suit us? Any help would be hugely appreciated. Thanks

 
I suspect you'll find Irvine quite sterile.

If your hubby is working in Anaheim, the commute will kind of stink too.  Since you'll be renting and don't need the schools, I'd avoid Irvine.  I'd target Old Towne Orange or Downtown Fullerton area, both of which are walkable and have a nice blend of professional families and college students.  Both are very walkable, have lots of shops, restaurants and access to train and buses.  You could also try the neighborhoods around platinum traingle in Anaheim, it's not as walkable and a little more party or the area around center street or the packing district, both are up coming, but not nearly as established as Old Towne Orange or Downtown Fullerton for revitalization.

Seal Beach downtown area is also very nice, classic old California beach town, bit more expensive but very walkable.  Commute would rough for your  husband.
 
If I was you, I'd visit the City Data O.C. forums. You'd get a broader spectrum of information there.
 
Irvine is indeed a very nice place to live.

Irvine is a safe bet especially if you are not familiar with Southern California.  Since you are renting initially, renting at Irvine is a good starting point.  You'll probably have a bigger headache to decided which community in Irvine to live.

 
movingtocali said:
We're looking to rent initially in a nice area where its safe to walk around the neighbourhood, close to shopping, family friendly etc. Our budget would be $2500 a month and we need 2 bedrooms, a small garden would be nice too!
Click to expand...

Have you looks at hotpads.com? Are you focused on apartments, condos or homes? Does close to shopping mean driving distance or walking distance?
 
Southern CA residents aren't really into public transportation but the option does exist. I used to take it daily and the trains are clean and safe in OC. The Metrolink is our train system and it runs every 30min during rush hour. Get a monthly pass and leave a car at the Anaheim station to get to and from the station to work. The commute won't be that bad.

 
Thanks everyone for the info, Old Towne Orange looks lovely and I'm quite fond of the idea of living in Irvine from what I've read so far. I guess we will have to have a proper look once we arrive.
 
Be aware that you will be competing with Asian buyers for Irvine due to all the Asian amenities in that city.  If you don't particularly like Asian stuff, then you can get more for your money in a different city. 

Irvine has reached Asian critical mass...a black hole if you will...where there are already so many Asians in the city it pulls the rest of the Asians buyers into its event horizon causing real estate to sell at a premium. 

People like living with their own people.
 
If you're going to be at home with the baby you'll probably be walking around a lot and running a lot of errands close to home.  Old town Orange is nice and quaint but it's a bit too close to some seedy area's for my taste.

Irvine is probably the best bet for you with lots of young families, many stay at home moms, tons of parks and playgrounds, etc.  The village of Woodbury is great for this - there's a park on (what feels like) every corner, plenty of sidewalks and trails to walk with the baby in the afternoons, and if you're more ambitious the Jeffrey Open Space trail gives you miles of walking away from busy streets and with nice greenbelts. 

If Irvine ends up being too far from your Husbands work, I would suggest looking into either Yorba Linda or Anaheim Hills (newer parts) as they are both relatively close to Anaheim and also have many young families and a good amount of greenery and parks.

 
movingtocali said:
Thanks everyone for the info, Old Towne Orange looks lovely and I'm quite fond of the idea of living in Irvine from what I've read so far. I guess we will have to have a proper look once we arrive.
Click to expand...

Old Town Orange is nice to visit once in a while. But I wouldn't live around there.
 
aquabliss said:
Irvine is probably the best bet for you with lots of young families, many stay at home moms, tons of parks and playgrounds, etc.  The village of Woodbury is great for this - there's a park on (what feels like) every corner, plenty of sidewalks and trails to walk with the baby in the afternoons, and if you're more ambitious the Jeffrey Open Space trail gives you miles of walking away from busy streets and with nice greenbelts. 
Click to expand...

I second Aquabliss' recommendation of Woodbury.  Great neighborhood, several parks and within walking distance to two grocery stores (Ralph's and Trader Joes), a home improvement store (Home Depot), several restaurants, and a gym (LA Fitness).
 
movingtocali said:
Hi everyone, i've just joined this board. My husband and I are planning on moving to Orange County in the next 6 months. I'm originally from Australia and he is from UK but we live in Dubai, UAE currently.

He will be working in Anaheim (I think) and I'll be at home with the baby. We're looking to rent initially in a nice area where its safe to walk around the neighbourhood, close to shopping, family friendly etc. Our budget would be $2500 a month and we need 2 bedrooms, a small garden would be nice too!

Is Irvine a nice place to live? Can you suggest anywhere else that would suit us? Any help would be hugely appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...


I lived in central Anaheim when I was in elementary school.  The city is quite large extending along the 91 FWY.  Due to traffic issues I would advice finding residence closer to work.  If you cannot find anything suitable in Anaheim, consider  Placentia, Fullerton, and Brea.

If your kid is very young and school district is less concern, check out the area north of Lincoln & Rio Vista in Anaheim.  Drive north into Rio Vista St and check out homes along Rio Vista & to the East (toward the river) between Lincoln Ave and Rio Vista Elementary School.  There are some really nice older homes there and some may be for rent in your price range.  They also built a nice walking trail along the Santa Ana river, and the river itself provides emergency water when needed.

Check out the area near Rose Drive & Alta Visa in Placentia, there are some nice golf course properties along Alta Vista with Ralphs shopping plaza within walking distance, and going south on Rose Drive (Tustin Ave) there's a shopping mall (The Village at Orange).  Anaheim Canyon Metrolink station and Kaiser is also very close by La Palma Ave.  If your husband likes fishing there are many city park lakes and a paid lake within short driving distance.  For your price, you can rent a big house with yard in Placentia & nearby areas.

If you prefer something a little more urban, check out downtown Fullerton and downtown Brea.  Both have nice apartments for rent right on top of shops.  Downtown Fullerton also has a train station and several colleges nearby.  However the SW section of Fullerton is a bit ghetto.  Brea's OC Indoor Shooting Range is also one of the cheapest in the State, $30 for 30 days or $190/year membership.  If your husband is an air gunner from UK we also have the Olympic Air Gun range in Chino about 30 mins from Anaheim.

For Irvine, check out Woodbridge.  It's an older neighborhood with 2 lakes and lots of little parks.  Do not eat fish from this lake.  If you want something a little newer, try Oak Creek just south of Woodbridge.  There is actually a creek with water that you can draw from in emergencies.

Welcome to California!  If you see any neighbors wearing "9-11 Truth" T-shirts, stay away unless if you want to hear a tirade about how the moon landing was faked.
 
movingtocali said:
Hi everyone, i've just joined this board. My husband and I are planning on moving to Orange County in the next 6 months. I'm originally from Australia and he is from UK but we live in Dubai, UAE currently.

He will be working in Anaheim (I think) and I'll be at home with the baby. We're looking to rent initially in a nice area where its safe to walk around the neighbourhood, close to shopping, family friendly etc. Our budget would be $2500 a month and we need 2 bedrooms, a small garden would be nice too!

Is Irvine a nice place to live? Can you suggest anywhere else that would suit us? Any help would be hugely appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

The answer is yes and I believe you can find a nice townhome in some older parts of Irvine. 
 
While it's important to factor in your husband's commute, do take into consideration what you and the baby's stay at home life will be like.  You'll want to live in an area that will enable you to build a community Monday through Friday - be it through playdates, baby classes, MOPS (or similar), etc.  Irvine will definitely allow you to do that quite easily.  I'm sure some of these other areas mentioned will as well.  Best of luck.
 
I'd steer clear of Irvine, and look at Tustin (Tustin Ranch).  If you're used to the beach (I don't know if you are, but you're Australian), then Costa Mesa has a laid back ocean vibe.  I wouldn't be too focused on best districts for schools since you have a baby and only renting. 
 
Irvine is very family friendly, walkable, tad sterile, but then clean.

I'd caution the commute, if your SO is used to commuting, fine. But crawling up and down the 5 for 45 minutes for 12-15 miles each way can be mind numbing. Not that it takes 1+ hours, but it's just not that far but takes forever. Unless they have non traditional hours. Just something to discuss with hubby so you have all the facts.

But now that I think about it, I wouldn't like living anywhere within a 20 minute radius (with traffic) of Anaheim unless it was maybe Fullerton/Brea.
 
What you could do is rent month to month at one of the Irvine pacific apartments, Tustin marketplace area is nice, and then  get a feel for the neighborhood and surrounding cities and discover which area you would like to permanently rent.  Keep major items in a storage facility and unpack later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top