Top 5 reasons to live in Irvine, now and in the future

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<p>I know many on this blog commiserate about all the troubles befalling OC real estate (bankers, brokers, builders, agents, borrowers, et al), but it seems to me (as I mentioned in my previous post, I am thinking of moving to Irvine) that there is a great deal to like about living in and around Irvine. Irvine itself is a relatively new community, so most of its infrastructure is modern and fresh. It has plenty of high-skill/paying jobs with rewarding professional advancement opportunities from a diverse number of employers. The public school system is one of the best in the nation, with many its graduates going off to top 100 colleges. The local crime is v. low for its population base. The Great Park will be a great tourist attraction. I could go on, but I don't want to sound like the local chamber of commerce. Though I've never been to Irvine, it seems like a great place to live.</p>

<p>What do you think are FIVE top reasons to reside in Irvine, the more obscure, but relevant the better? And what is one negative not to, aside from the inflated home prices (which I predict will deflate by at least 20 percent, making that $700K house a more reasonable $560K)?</p>
 
<p><em>>>I could go on, but I don't want to sound like the local chamber of commerce.</em></p>

<p>Too late. </p>

<p>I moved to Irvine to be close to my job at the time. That was the primary reason. I bought here because I thought a home in Irvine was more likely to retain its value than in other cities nearby. A low crime rate is a real bonus.</p>

<p>One obscure pro: Their infrastructure and services for the disabled are pretty good, as is the City's senior programs.</p>

<p>One negative: high Mello-Roos (or Community Facilities District) taxes.</p>

<p>BTW, I don't think the Great Park will be all its cracked up to be. So long as it's not an airport, I'm happy.</p>
 
<ol>

Irvine is beautiful. One of the advantages of a planned community is that every square inch was designed by someone with aesthetics in mind. Even the service drive behind my local commercial center is attractively landscaped with flowering bushes.

Irvine in convenient. You are never more than 5 minutes from any consumer good you could possible want.

Irvine is active. There are hundreds of parks both big and small and an extensive bike trail system.

Irvine has great weather. Sunshine, cool breezes, no rain, etc.

Irvine is for families. This is the chamber of commerce part, but it is true. Crime is low, schools are great, and there is plenty to do with your family.

</ol>




Anyone who has read the <a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/tag/community-profile">community profiles</a> I have done knows I love this town.
 
<p>Here's an obscure plus: The number of bike paths snaking around the city, and the fact that they're routed under most crossroads. Makes commuting by bike safe and efficient. Safe for the kids to get to school, too.</p>

<p>A negative: Poor walkability of the retail centers. Pedestrian access is piss poor in most every case.</p>

<p>Neither one matters to most people.</p>

<p>Yet.</p>
 
My top 5 would be, in no particular order, weather, schools, crime rate, jobs, proximity to coast. That being said, I would never live in Irvine, due to the Stepford nature of the place. You can get lost on your own street because all of the stucco box houses are identical. And too many strip malls. Not for me.
 
"due to the Stepford nature of the place"





Often when I mention moving to Irvine to my Wife she talks about Stepford wifess. But in reality I don't think its much worse in this regard when compared to other suburban areas in California.





I don't know about #1 above though, although it is well planned in some sense its also very sterile. Just depends on your tastes.
 
I think Irvine's great too....here are good some reasons in no particular order:


1. There are 3 Costco's within probably 5-8 miles (one near Barranca, one near the District, and another one in Tustin but pretty close to Irvine).


2. Lots of Asians...i know i know...we don't care very much about our neighbors, but we make great noise-free neighbors and we don't wear out the neighborhood amentities that we pay for with our taxes and HOA fees since we under utilize those amenties. Point of fact, I used our association pool 3 times in the last 2 years.


3. Irvine's pretty and organized...you're a stone's throw away from a park or greenbelt.


4. Irvine's near the major highway arteries (405, 55, 5) so you're 20 minutes from almost everything.


5. The Irvine police department responds to calls super quickly.





Here are some things that aren't so great, in no particular order:


1. Lots of Asians...not everybody's cup of tea, esp. when they kick your kids @ss on standardized exams!


2. Lack of other races besides Caucasians and Asians...to some people, this may be a good thing. However, I do find it disconcerting to walk around the Tustin sport complex near the Tustin Market, and hardly ever seeing a black or Hispanic person. I don't think I want my kids growing up thinking that the only Hispanics we know cuts our grass!


3. General mentality among current crop of home sellers who are still listing in 2005 prices...where is my 25% price discount already.


4. People who think they need to send their kids to University High in Irvine, otherwise their kids are not going to succeed...and for that matter, people who think that their kids are getting shortchanged because they're "only" going to Beckham High school on the Tustin Unified side...puh lease. Any school in Irvine is way better than the high school my wife and I went to. I went to a crappy high school in Wichita, KS and still got admitted to Harvard and Stanford (go Cards!)...at the end of the day, it's about how motivated your kids are to excel.


5. can't think of anything else!
 
<p>I'm not sure whether to post here or the Plaza 3000 thread!</p>

<p>I moved here in 1994. Irvine has changed enormously since then.</p>

<p>I would venture a guess that there are 50-100 more highrises here than when I got here.</p>

<p>(I lived in Manhattan for 6 years - just some background).</p>

<p>I have absolutely no problem imagining Irvine/Newport/SouthCoast as a very large, very "metropolitan" area in the not-so-distant future.</p>

<p>Who's to say that whatever cities existed 100 years ago, are all there could ever be?</p>

<p> </p>
 
<p>I won't list my five because IR already did a fantastic job of speaking for me, but I will add another: Irvine is a melting pot of different cultures --- but at their core all of those cultures seem to have very common priorities, and have choosen Irvine for the same reasons IR notes above. Makes for a very unique place to live, and I am happy my child will grow up in place like this. I have fits of frustration on the housing affordability like many others, but at the end of the day I can't picture ever leaving here. </p>

<p>But this of course speaking from a family man perspective. If you had asked me 10 years ago I would tell you that Irvine is a wasteland, and you are crazy if you lived anywhere but Manhattan Beach.</p>
 
The good:


1) Close to work (I'll be 3-5 min from work next month)


2) Master-planned community (I'm a big fan of master planning, i.e. Singapore)


3) Shopping -- Gelsons, Ranch 99, Spectrum, Costco, Newport Fashion Island nearby. But no Macy's for Men in Irvine.


4) Safe - I don't need to keep a gun in the house


5) Lots of college girls from IVC & UCI





The bad:


1) Bland restaurants, have to drive to Costa Mesa, Torrance, Rowland Heights, etc. for better food


2) Lack of light rail network (like most suburban cities in US)


3) Outdoor "flat" malls. I like those multi-story shopping malls or hyper-marts like Takashimaya, SOGO, JUSCO, etc.


4) Choice of exterior paint color at some communities & shopping plazas questionable. Parking lot design at some shopping plaza bad (maze-like), some residental communities lack proper guest parking or doesn't have sufficient parking planned.


5) Many properties not designed to be wheelchair friendly on first/ground floor (why the heck did they install 3-5 step stairs up to the front door, then another 3 steps down from inside?? Does the designer have a fetish for short stairs?)
 
When I first visited Southern California a dozen years ago, I still remember my first time driving on Tustin Ranch Road toward Orange (and later Jamboree). The comment I made to my wife was "This is such a beautiful place with wide roads, beautiful landscaping and incredibly clean. Today, I miss the orange groves that became West Irvine but I still feel that Irvine Ranch/Tustin Ranch is a wonderful and very attractive place to live.





Here is my list of more obscured items:





The good:


1. Plenty of tennis courts. Most of the times I can get a court at Heritage Park, near Beckman, or other smaller neighborhood courts. Plenty of other sport courts too.


2. Great places for Asian food: Vietnamese-Quan Thanh, Pho Bac, Zon (French Bread) & Lee Sandwiches; Chinese-Sam Woo, SW BBQ, China Garden, Russell Seafood (Dim Sum); Korean-all the soft tofu places, Japanese-Taiko.Honda-ya; Thai- Thai Specialty 2. Of course we can drive 20 minutes to get to Little Saigon and Korea Town for more fantastic Asian food.


3. People-watching at the Spectrum, Market Place and now the District. Great places to go out to a movie.


4. Walking the trails inside Northpark, around Northwood and around the lake near Barranca and Yale.


5. Drive Santiago Canyon Road through the mountain to Cooks Corner and look down to Irvine along the way.





The bad:


1. Bad Asian drivers


2. Homeowner Association CCR


3. Mello roos


4. Irvine Co. total control on Housing Pricing and type of tenants for their shopping area.


5. Too much sun. I don't wish Seattle's wetness but a nice shower every few weeks would be welcome.
 
<p>Let's compare Irvine to the other OC cities:</p>

<p>1. Irvine vs. Tustin - Tustin has cheaper restaurants, dry cleaners, stores, etc. But Irvine looks a lot nicer.</p>

<p>2. Irvine vs. Newport - Newport has the Pacific. Even then, Irvine is overall more clean.</p>

<p>3. Irvine vs. Costa Mesa - Costa Mesa has the nightlife - bars, clubs, restaurants, and shopping. Great for young adults, not so good for young families.</p>

<p>4. Irvine vs. Huntington - Huntington has the Pier, Main Street, and the Ocean. So much more fun than Irvine.</p>

<p>5. Irvine vs. Fountain Valley - Fountain Valley is a nice place to live... Irvine is a nicer place to live.</p>

<p>6. Irvine vs. Westminster - Westminster has tons of Vietnamese restaurants. Westminster has nothing else.</p>

<p>So I guess it depends on who you are and what you value.</p>

<p>If you're cheap, you would want to live in Tustin. Other than that, I know of nothing good in Tustin... other than Honda Ya.</p>

<p>If you're wealthy, you would want to live in Newport.... my boss still owns a house in Irvine, but now rents in Newport because her business is booming.</p>

<p>If you're young, you would prefer Costa Mesa or Huntington. Shark's Clubs, Sharkeez, Hurricane's, so on and so forth...</p>

<p>If you can't afford Irvine, you would want to live in Fountain Valley - a smaller, older, cheaper alternative.</p>

<p>If you're Vietnamese (from around the globe), you would fantasize about walking on Bolsa Avenue and living in Wet-Min-Tuh.</p>

<p>Irvine is the perfect place to live if you're 0-20 and 40-dead. That's actually a very wide demographic.</p>
 
I am a scooter (think Yamaha) rider. How easy is one's ability to get around on a 49cc bike? Meaning does one have to worry about traffic more than normal.
 
Speeds are too high, IMHO. Even during rush hour people try to hit 65mph between red lights. I wish a 49cc scoot would work here but I don't think it will. I've been near a few and they impeded traffic flow and caused issues. You'd do fine with 250cc, I think.
 
OakCreekRenter: yes they have many branches across Asia, though not as wide-spread as Carrefour. I think an upscale hypermart would do well in South OC (instead of "super k-mart"). We have the demographics to support South Coast Plaza, so why not a Takashimaya?





hs_teacher: try Zovs in Tustin (www.zovs.com). Eat at restaurant in front and buy stuff from bakery around back.



 
<p>In case someone missed the Register:</p>

<p>Whole Foods at The District opens today!</p>
 
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