Guard-gated family-friendly communities in Irvine?

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
E

edm1_IHB

New member
hi everyone, I have been reading Irvine Housing Blog for several months and am considering moving to Irvine from the east coast.



Security is an issue, unfortunately. I would like to live in a guard-gated community with lots and lots of families with kids and outstanding schools. Turtle Rock or Turtle Ridge maybe? Quail Hill? I don't know which communities have manned guard stations.



I am open to living in other communities in Orange County that meet the above criteria.



I plan to rent for a year or two before buying, assuming I can find a landlord who won't go into foreclosure!



Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
Guard gated or non guard gated. I think you should be able to find what you want in Irvine while feeling pretty safe and secure.



I suggest you check out the school threads as living on the Uni side of town is a good 20 minute drive from the Northwood side of town, so maybe deciding on which school (the ones you mentioned all feed into University High) will narrow down the community as well.
 
Have you already visited Irvine - it can be quite different from some places back East (not sure where you are moving from). We really like Woodbridge and Oak Creek (I think Oak Creek is gated, Woodbridge I don't think so). Woodbridge has a great swimming area (lagoons with real sand). Have you checked out greatschools.net - although everyone says all the schools in Irvine are good this website will allow you to compare the schools in Irvine on different variables each of which may matter more or less to you.
 
'safe' is relative - depending on where you are moving from - Irvine is definetely not 'safe' compared to my last place of residence. However, compared to other cities Irvine is pretty safe!



I agree with Skek in that the guard gates are pretty easy to get through - however, they do keep down the traffic and some of the soliciters - not all soliciters unfortunately!
 
[quote author="skek" date=1207878430]Why do you think security is a concern? Almost any neighborhood in Irvine is safe, whether gated or not. The gates are more about prestige, status and keeping the door-to-door solicitors out.</blockquote>


Perhaps it takes ovaries to understand this. The poster could be coming out of an abusive relationship or has a stalker. It's possible that the poster's children could have been subject to some "unwanted attention" previously. That someone seeks security in Irvine above and beyond the general atmosphere isn't surprising.



That said, as I am sure someone else has already noted, gates alone are not your answer. The guards are not well compensated and you get what you pay for.
 
[quote author="skek" date=1207879746]That's why I asked. Was the OP assuming some level of crime in Irvine that doesn't exit, or looking for gates to solve a specific "security" problem that he or she is dealing with. I thought a little more explanation was necessary in order to get a useful answer.



You are always going to keep me on my toes, aren't you Eva?</blockquote>


Dammit. I hate it that plain text doesn't convey tone of voice.* The way I read it (which was obviously not how you wrote it) was more along the lines of "Who needs extra security in Irvine?" Sorry. :red:



<blockquote></blockquote>


*Did you know that 85% of a verbal communication is communicated with non-verbal information? (At least that was the stat in the late '80's when I took nonverbal communication. Perhaps further research has updated that number.)
 
With regards to security,



I think you have to watch out for the recently build communities where there are plenty of vacant homes. This is going on in Sacramento and around Detroit where people break into vacant homes and also the non-vacant homes around them since it is like a ghost town.



I know have two friends who live in Columbus Grove - one south and one north -- that got their homes broken into. It scared the crap out of their wives. I got them security signs now....



Believe it or not! It happens in Irvine. What are the chances of having two collegues experiencing this?
 
[quote author="edm" date=1207877695]hi everyone, I have been reading Irvine Housing Blog for several months and am considering moving to Irvine from the east coast.



Security is an issue, unfortunately. I would like to live in a guard-gated community with lots and lots of families with kids and outstanding schools. Turtle Rock or Turtle Ridge maybe? Quail Hill? I don't know which communities have manned guard stations.



I am open to living in other communities in Orange County that meet the above criteria.



I plan to rent for a year or two before buying, assuming I can find a landlord who won't go into foreclosure!



Any advice would be much appreciated.</blockquote>


With regards to Irvine, I know of the following re: manned guard gates:



Northpark: entire development covered by manned gates

Northwood Pointe: the tracks on the western/southern side (closer to the 5 freeway) have manned gates



Many Irvine developments have gates with no guards though...
 
and there are smaller gated areas within some developments that are ungated at the main entrances. for ex, there are smaller gated tracts in turtle rock. turtle ridge on the summit where SFHs and detached condos are located are gated while the townhome and attached condo development at the bottom of the hill is not.



but more imptly you should really come pay a visit and see the communities for yourself. the effectiveness of gates are really dependent on 1) how diligent the particular guard manning the gate chooses to be, and 2) how much the residents of the community care. in turtle ridge, my experience has been that the guards are incredibly lax. at bonita canyon, they always call the homeowners and write down my license plate.



also, incidents of crime are higher in neighborhoods which are closer to freeways, major traffic arteries, and shopping centers which draw lots of outsiders into the community. higher parts of turtle rock are very secluded yet ungated, and my guess would be safer than north park despite the gate. of course this is all relative. in irvine, are you really in any danger to begin with? probably not! but gates themselves don't really tell you much.
 
Regarding my security concerns, it is not generalized crime I am worried about. We have "stalker" issues. I do not think gates or guards are a panacea, but I am certain they would help. I'd rather not get into the details; you'll just have to trust that I know our security needs better than others who are not familiar with our specific situation.
 
EDM - One advantage to moving to OC is that there are a lot of well to do folk around here who are used to security issues. Several years ago I knew a guy who was retired from whatever the Israeli equivalent of the green berets / Navy SEALS are, and he offered security consulting and other services for executives and their families. I don't know if he's still in town or still in the biz, but I can try to look him for you if you would like. Just send me a PM.
 
I often followed cars into gated communities without guards. They are not crime proofed. I never had to wait more that a minute.



Northpark has 3 man gates but one can walk in freely from the bike trail adjacent to the drainage channel ( It is a 1/3 mile walk from portola) The pedestrain gates are open from 6am -10pm



Northwood pointe has 2 manned gates but I can get in easily from the Hicks trail by foot (300 yards from Culver)



Crystal Cove has 2 manned gates but the pedestrian gates are not locked most of the time. I park in the shopping center below and walk in.



Shady Canyon has 2 manned gates but required to have pedestrian access open to public due to Bommer Canyon nature trail. One can walk into Shady anytime and see Acpme.



Turtle Ridge has manned gates but pedestrian gates are open.



There are no manned gates in Tustin Ranch.



There are manned gates in Pelican Crest, Pelican Pointe, and Ocean Ridge. they are fairly secured.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top