When would be next housing Bottom?

[irvinehomeowner]

For the record, I do agree with Kenkoko that cities with larger Asian demographics tend to have resiliency... but I think the premise is in Orange County alone, Irvine presents a more unique situation due to size, location, housing stock, and amenities. I've never said Irvine is more resilient than those other cities posted, only to neighboring cities in Orange County.

But this brings up a good question, what are the numbers for cities with large Asian demographics that are closer to Irvine like Garden Grove and Westminster?

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Only way to prove it if you knew exactly what the contribution of Asian FCBs was to each of these neighborhoods - in absence of that , this is anecdotal as well

I agree it?s anecdotal. But is that really a problem? Most of the members seem to accept IHO?s anecdotal argument ?the houses I?ve seen only dropped 10-15%? as a valid point of discussion. My argument is certainly no worse.

I looked at about 30 cities from OC to LA county. About 8 cities have Irvine level downward resilience and all of them happen to have a large Asian population.  You can certainly disagree with the conclusion I came to from looking at the data. But is it just mere coincidence?

Not a coincidence.  FCB did fuel the recovery in SoCal..especially Irvine.  Question is why they chose to buy in Irvine and whether Irvine will remain an attractive area for foreign buyers in the future. 

Personally, I think Irvine will be the premier destination for most FCBs/foreign buyer in the sub $2 million market.  It's never going to be San Marino, BH, Malibu, or NB but it will be a premier destination.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

For the record, I do agree with Kenkoko that cities with larger Asian demographics tend to have resiliency... but I think the premise is in Orange County alone, Irvine presents a more unique situation due to size, location, housing stock, and amenities. I've never said Irvine is more resilient than those other cities posted, only to neighboring cities in Orange County.

But this brings up a good question, what are the numbers for cities with large Asian demographics that are closer to Irvine like Garden Grove and Westminster?

Demographics also means income levels...GG and West are predominately working class areas.  Also, mostly mix of Vietnamese and some Koreans. 

 

[Kenkoko]

It's more than FCBs. I'd much rather live in central/south OC than where Walnut/Diamond Bar/Alhambra are located (apologies to my friends who live in those cities). What university is within those city boundaries?

I've listed a number of reasons why Irvine is has the "special sauce". Of those, I think location, access to jobs and new housing stock are standouts. I don't know if those other cities have new home tracts, but I do think that FCBs have a preference for new homes because they can pick and choose (especially FCBs who are influenced by Feng Shui).

IHO, please re-read what I said. I was specifically pointing to what make prices resilient.

I will even agree with you that myself and most people I know would rather live in central south OC than Walnut/Diamond Bar/Alhambra. Irvine has a ton of great amenities like you mentioned but Newport, Laguna, and even Aliso have most of that too. Did not stop prices from falling much further than Irvine.

Alhambra/Diamond Bar/ Walnut has almost none of the great amenities. Having lived in Diamond Bar and Walnut for 4.5 years, I would attest to that. Despite not having awesome Irvine amenities, prices were resilient like Irvine. The only similarities I can find are good schools and large Asian population.

 

[Kenkoko]

1)  Drop happened in 2008...Irvine was at about 39% Asian in 2010.

2)  FCB money did not start coming in until 2012/2013.  If you look at the charts...there was basically a double dip in price...once in 2009 and then again in 2011/2012.  Irvine was between $520K to $600K between 2009 and 2012...starting in 2013, prices began to shoot up (going from about $600K to $700K in a year...then peaking at about $870 in mid-2017).    That is the FCB effect.

Irvinecommuter, seems to me that you are cherry picking your stats. I was merely following the premises you set. At first you used 2009 as bottom so I followed. Then you want to use 2011/2012 as bottom so I followed. Now you want to go back to 2008? If we really want to be accurate, the bottom was 2011 when Irvine reached 515k. I know you want to argue that it only happened briefly but that?s cherry picking and does not benefit the overall discussion. By 2011 bottom, Irvine definitely have over 40% Asian. But why does that matter for the sake of this discussion either way? Are you really going to draw a line in the sand on this? 39% means it?s invalid and 41% means it?s all valid suddenly?

FCB certainly did come in way before 2012/2013. I am from a Taiwanese FCB family and we (over 50 of us) came here long before that. The big spike of CHINESE FCBs did start to come starting 2012 but to claim that FCBs did not come before 2012 is false. Irvine went from having around 5k Asians in 1980 to 20k Asians in 1990 to 45k Asians in 2000 and to 85k Asians in 2010 all before large number of mainland Chinese started coming

 

[Irvinecommuter]

1)  Drop happened in 2008...Irvine was at about 39% Asian in 2010.

2)  FCB money did not start coming in until 2012/2013.  If you look at the charts...there was basically a double dip in price...once in 2009 and then again in 2011/2012.  Irvine was between $520K to $600K between 2009 and 2012...starting in 2013, prices began to shoot up (going from about $600K to $700K in a year...then peaking at about $870 in mid-2017).    That is the FCB effect.

Irvinecommuter, seems to me that you are cherry picking your stats. I was merely following the premises you set. At first you used 2009 as bottom so I followed. Then you want to use 2011/2012 as bottom so I followed. Now you want to go back to 2008? If we really want to be accurate, the bottom was 2011 when Irvine reached 515k. I know you want to argue that it only happened briefly but that?s cherry picking and does not benefit the overall discussion. By 2011 bottom, Irvine definitely have over 40% Asian. But why does that matter for the sake of this discussion either way? Are you really going to draw a line in the sand on this? 39% means it?s invalid and 41% means it?s all valid suddenly?

FCB certainly did come in way before 2012/2013. I am from a Taiwanese FCB family and we (over 50 of us) came here long before that. The big spike of CHINESE FCBs did start to come starting 2012 but to claim that FCBs did not come before 2012 is false. Irvine went from having around 5k Asians in 1980 to 20k Asians in 1990 to 45k Asians in 2000 and to 85k Asians in 2010 all before large number of mainland Chinese started coming

I am not using 2009 as a bottom...I look at the chart and try to find a trend.  One or two data points do not a trend make.  Irvine had two data points below $550K at the bottom but most of the data points are above $550K so I try to find a good average.  It's not an exact measurement but I try to be consistent.

The resilience is not because of Asian population...most OC/LA markets returned to peak boom prices by 2016/2017.  The difference is the FCB effect, which is likely to skew toward areas with Asian populations because most of the money coming in was from China. 

Of course I know that there was a big Asian population in Irvine before 2010 but my focus was on the 2004-2018 period.  When people talk about FCB effect in Irvine, it is focused on the most recent infusion.  Let's not get into semantics and absolutes. 

 

[irvinehomeowner]

It's more than FCBs. I'd much rather live in central/south OC than where Walnut/Diamond Bar/Alhambra are located (apologies to my friends who live in those cities). What university is within those city boundaries?

I've listed a number of reasons why Irvine is has the "special sauce". Of those, I think location, access to jobs and new housing stock are standouts. I don't know if those other cities have new home tracts, but I do think that FCBs have a preference for new homes because they can pick and choose (especially FCBs who are influenced by Feng Shui).

IHO, please re-read what I said. I was specifically pointing to what make prices resilient.

I will even agree with you that myself and most people I know would rather live in central south OC than Walnut/Diamond Bar/Alhambra. Irvine has a ton of great amenities like you mentioned but Newport, Laguna, and even Aliso have most of that too. Did not stop prices from falling much further than Irvine.

Alhambra/Diamond Bar/ Walnut has almost none of the great amenities. Having lived in Diamond Bar and Walnut for 4.5 years, I would attest to that. Despite not having awesome Irvine amenities, prices were resilient like Irvine. The only similarities I can find are good schools and large Asian population.

This goes back to my post asking about the breakdown of Asian demographics. Those cities have predominately Chinese demographics (I believe), Irvine does not. While there are many, you will see that there are tons of other Asians, Middle Easterners etc. Like GG and Westminster, there are also many Vietnamese in Irvine and if I were to choose the next largest Asian population, i think it's Korean.

So what I'm saying that there is more to Irvine's resiliency than just Chinese FCBs. I think that if you slice up the Asian population by distinct ethnicity, those other cities will have a higher percentage of Chinese population.

So while Chinese FCB is a factor, due to the population mix and size of Irvine, it has to be more than just that.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

It's more than FCBs. I'd much rather live in central/south OC than where Walnut/Diamond Bar/Alhambra are located (apologies to my friends who live in those cities). What university is within those city boundaries?

I've listed a number of reasons why Irvine is has the "special sauce". Of those, I think location, access to jobs and new housing stock are standouts. I don't know if those other cities have new home tracts, but I do think that FCBs have a preference for new homes because they can pick and choose (especially FCBs who are influenced by Feng Shui).

IHO, please re-read what I said. I was specifically pointing to what make prices resilient.

I will even agree with you that myself and most people I know would rather live in central south OC than Walnut/Diamond Bar/Alhambra. Irvine has a ton of great amenities like you mentioned but Newport, Laguna, and even Aliso have most of that too. Did not stop prices from falling much further than Irvine.

Alhambra/Diamond Bar/ Walnut has almost none of the great amenities. Having lived in Diamond Bar and Walnut for 4.5 years, I would attest to that. Despite not having awesome Irvine amenities, prices were resilient like Irvine. The only similarities I can find are good schools and large Asian population.

This goes back to my post asking about the breakdown of Asian demographics. Those cities have predominately Chinese demographics (I believe), Irvine does not. While there are many, you will see that there are tons of other Asians, Middle Easterners etc. Like GG and Westminster, there are also many Vietnamese in Irvine and if I were to choose the next largest Asian population, i think it's Korean.

So what I'm saying that there is more to Irvine's resiliency than just Chinese FCBs. I think that if you slice up the Asian population by distinct ethnicity, those other cities will have a higher percentage of Chinese population.

So while Chinese FCB is a factor, due to the population mix and size of Irvine, it has to be more than just that.

Also important is the type of FCBs...mostly families and young couples. 

This is an excellent article about Irvine's changing demographics:

?The reality is the infrastructure can?t cope with all the new people coming in,? said Myers, while shopping at the Wholesome Choice market, a store known for its huge selection of ethnic food, including specialties from South Africa that reminds him of his childhood. ?When I arrived here, Irvine was a village. Then it became a town, then a city. Now, I think it?s a metropolis.?

Sue Howell, who moved in with her cousin in Irvine more than a decade ago, reminisced about the lifestyle ?of years before. There?s no bustle. There was more calm. We felt safe like in our yard. Nowadays, you see indications of Asia everywhere.?

As examples, she listed seeing store signs in Chinese or Korean ? and foreign characters on restaurant menus. She acknowledges that it bothers her.

The clerical worker, 47, stood in the parking lot of Ace Hardware Store, describing it as ?a bit much. I don?t want people to think it?s prejudice. That?s not me, that?s not many of us. There should just be a balance of all cultures co-existing, not one over the other.?

https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-irvine-immigrants-20170511-htmlstory.html

 

[Mety]

For the record, I do agree with Kenkoko that cities with larger Asian demographics tend to have resiliency... but I think the premise is in Orange County alone, Irvine presents a more unique situation due to size, location, housing stock, and amenities. I've never said Irvine is more resilient than those other cities posted, only to neighboring cities in Orange County.

But this brings up a good question, what are the numbers for cities with large Asian demographics that are closer to Irvine like Garden Grove and Westminster?

Where there are many Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Jewish kids are, the schools are usually highly ranked for their academic achievements. I'm not sure if it's the highly ranked schools that attracted the buyers/parents first or if it's the kids that have made the academic success in whatever school they've been put. Maybe it's both.

I think it's their parents' culture to train their kids to have successful academic achievements more than anything. It must be that they think that will guarantee success in life eventually. It's not a bad thing for the parents to teach them to have good school grades, but I think too much pressure especially when comparing with other kids is never a good thing. Irvine seems to be already in that state and I guess it will continue to be, but it will keep bringing good grades. Although there are some elementary schools in Irvine that seem to be having lower ranks these days.

But the main difference with Irvine compare to other cities with Asian or smart kids is that the city of Irvine is masterfully planned. Let me say again, Irvine is masterfully planned by The Irvine Company. I really don't think it's got to do with any feng shui or those superstitious stuff. Everything is clean and organized. Notice how there is not much boutique shops in Irvine especially in newer areas? That's one of the ways to masterfully plan or control to keep the city safe. Now it has good and bad. It's safe and clean, but it has no character. All homes are the same and nothing opens after 9pm. BUT it provides good assurance to park your money for FCBs or any other investors including regular home buyers. When there are more fun and characters, it's more risky, and more surprises with changes are inevitable. Irvine does not do that. It's consistent and boring. That's the way to keep the city more valuable and resilient. I think GP is a threat to them in that sense, but that's whole another discussion.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

For the record, I do agree with Kenkoko that cities with larger Asian demographics tend to have resiliency... but I think the premise is in Orange County alone, Irvine presents a more unique situation due to size, location, housing stock, and amenities. I've never said Irvine is more resilient than those other cities posted, only to neighboring cities in Orange County.

But this brings up a good question, what are the numbers for cities with large Asian demographics that are closer to Irvine like Garden Grove and Westminster?

Where there are many Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Jewish kids are, the schools are usually highly ranked for their academic achievements. I'm not sure if it's the highly ranked schools that attracted the buyers/parents first or if it's the kids that have made the academic success in whatever school they've been put. Maybe it's both.

I think it's their parents' culture to train their kids to have successful academic achievements more than anything. It must be that they think that will guarantee success in life eventually. It's not a bad thing for the parents to teach them to have good school grades, but I think too much pressure especially when comparing with other kids is never a good thing. Irvine seems to be already in that state and I guess it will continue to be, but it will keep bringing good grades. Although there are some elementary schools in Irvine that seem to be having lower ranks these days.

But the main difference with Irvine compare to other cities with Asian or smart kids is that the city of Irvine is masterfully planned. Let me say again, Irvine is masterfully planned by The Irvine Company. I really don't think it's got to do with any feng shui or those superstitious stuff. Everything is clean and organized. Notice how there is not much boutique shops in Irvine especially in newer areas? That's one of the ways to masterfully plan or control to keep the city safe. Now it has good and bad. It's safe and clean, but it has no character. All homes are the same and nothing opens after 9pm. BUT it provides good assurance to park your money for FCBs or any other investors including regular home buyers. When there are more fun and characters, it's more risky, and more surprises with changes are inevitable. Irvine does not do that. It's consistent and boring. That's the way to keep the city more valuable and resilient. I think GP is a threat to them in that sense, but that's whole another discussion.

TIC was marketing Irvine and OC to Asian before the bust, which is very good vision on their part.  TIC, however, dropped the ball on the commercial side as it was super slow in having ethnic businesses.

Diamond Jamboree really showed TIC the buying power of Asians and then the Mitsuwa center also beat TIC.  TIC has been ramping up its efforts since but still behind the curve.

Irvine is basically everything Asia is not...it's open, clean, no pollution, and lots of tract homes (no condos).  It has great public schools and now a ton of Asian businesses.

 

[Mety]

Where there are many Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Jewish kids are, the schools are usually highly ranked for their academic achievements. I'm not sure if it's the highly ranked schools that attracted the buyers/parents first or if it's the kids that have made the academic success in whatever school they've been put. Maybe it's both.

I think it's their parents' culture to train their kids to have successful academic achievements more than anything. It must be that they think that will guarantee success in life eventually. It's not a bad thing for the parents to teach them to have good school grades, but I think too much pressure especially when comparing with other kids is never a good thing. Irvine seems to be already in that state and I guess it will continue to be, but it will keep bringing good grades. Although there are some elementary schools in Irvine that seem to be having lower ranks these days.

But the main difference with Irvine compare to other cities with Asian or smart kids is that the city of Irvine is masterfully planned. Let me say again, Irvine is masterfully planned by The Irvine Company. I really don't think it's got to do with any feng shui or those superstitious stuff. Everything is clean and organized. Notice how there is not much boutique shops in Irvine especially in newer areas? That's one of the ways to masterfully plan or control to keep the city safe. Now it has good and bad. It's safe and clean, but it has no character. All homes are the same and nothing opens after 9pm. BUT it provides good assurance to park your money for FCBs or any other investors including regular home buyers. When there are more fun and characters, it's more risky, and more surprises with changes are inevitable. Irvine does not do that. It's consistent and boring. That's the way to keep the city more valuable and resilient. I think GP is a threat to them in that sense, but that's whole another discussion.

TIC was marketing Irvine and OC to Asian before the bust, which is very good vision on their part.  TIC, however, dropped the ball on the commercial side as it was super slow in having ethnic businesses.

Diamond Jamboree really showed TIC the buying power of Asians and then the Mitsuwa center also beat TIC.  TIC has been ramping up its efforts since but still behind the curve.

Irvine is basically everything Asia is not...it's open, clean, no pollution, and lots of tract homes (no condos).  It has great public schools and now a ton of Asian businesses.

Are you sure TIC was beat by those plazas? What about it was all TIC's plan?  >
BTW, Diamond Jamboree 2 is coming also. It would be right next to the current plaza but 2 story buildings. Expect more Ferraris and Lambos on that street.  8)
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/69502c_859271313f2b4ca3b1ee658b400fecda.pdf

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Where there are many Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Jewish kids are, the schools are usually highly ranked for their academic achievements. I'm not sure if it's the highly ranked schools that attracted the buyers/parents first or if it's the kids that have made the academic success in whatever school they've been put. Maybe it's both.

I think it's their parents' culture to train their kids to have successful academic achievements more than anything. It must be that they think that will guarantee success in life eventually. It's not a bad thing for the parents to teach them to have good school grades, but I think too much pressure especially when comparing with other kids is never a good thing. Irvine seems to be already in that state and I guess it will continue to be, but it will keep bringing good grades. Although there are some elementary schools in Irvine that seem to be having lower ranks these days.

But the main difference with Irvine compare to other cities with Asian or smart kids is that the city of Irvine is masterfully planned. Let me say again, Irvine is masterfully planned by The Irvine Company. I really don't think it's got to do with any feng shui or those superstitious stuff. Everything is clean and organized. Notice how there is not much boutique shops in Irvine especially in newer areas? That's one of the ways to masterfully plan or control to keep the city safe. Now it has good and bad. It's safe and clean, but it has no character. All homes are the same and nothing opens after 9pm. BUT it provides good assurance to park your money for FCBs or any other investors including regular home buyers. When there are more fun and characters, it's more risky, and more surprises with changes are inevitable. Irvine does not do that. It's consistent and boring. That's the way to keep the city more valuable and resilient. I think GP is a threat to them in that sense, but that's whole another discussion.

TIC was marketing Irvine and OC to Asian before the bust, which is very good vision on their part.  TIC, however, dropped the ball on the commercial side as it was super slow in having ethnic businesses.

Diamond Jamboree really showed TIC the buying power of Asians and then the Mitsuwa center also beat TIC.  TIC has been ramping up its efforts since but still behind the curve.

Irvine is basically everything Asia is not...it's open, clean, no pollution, and lots of tract homes (no condos).  It has great public schools and now a ton of Asian businesses.

Are you sure TIC was beat by those plazas? What about it was all TIC's plan?  >
BTW, Diamond Jamboree 2 is coming also. It would be right next to the current plaza but 2 story buildings. Expect more Ferraris and Lambos on that street.  8)
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/69502c_859271313f2b4ca3b1ee658b400fecda.pdf

We thought about opening a business in TIC territory back in 2005 and they basically shut us down because we were not a chain and we wanted to open a Chinese/Korean cafe.  The rep literally said "we have enough boba shops"

 

[Kenkoko]

Irvine is basically everything Asia is not...it's open, clean, no pollution, and lots of tract homes (no condos).  It has great public schools and now a ton of Asian businesses.

When you make a big blanket statement like that, comparing a city to a continent, you are just inviting criticism and accusation of having Irvine blinders on.

There are plenty of suburban cities in Japan and Taiwan that are open and clean like Irvine. Public schools in Japan and Taiwan have more challenging curriculum and have much higher test scores.

On the no pollution point, before you whisper it into existence, you should perhaps take note that we have people just about every month asking about the toxic fumes beneath Irvine.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Irvine is basically everything Asia is not...it's open, clean, no pollution, and lots of tract homes (no condos).  It has great public schools and now a ton of Asian businesses.

When you make a big blanket statement like that, comparing a city to a continent, you are just inviting criticism and accusation of having Irvine blinders on.

There are plenty of suburban cities in Japan and Taiwan that are open and clean like Irvine. Public schools in Japan and Taiwan have more challenging curriculum and have much higher test scores.

On the no pollution point, before you whisper it into existence, you should perhaps take note that we have people just about every month asking about the toxic fumes beneath Irvine.

There are very very few Japanese immigrants so I am not sure why we are talking about Japan.

There are plenty of places in Taiwan that are relatively clean but Taiwan in general is still not Irvine clean.  Not to mention Taipei housing prices are pretty ridiculous as compared to relative income.  Additionally, most of the "houses" are condos rather than SFRs or Townhouses...unless you live in YangMinShan or Neihu.  Exemplar listings:
https://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/taipei-city-tw-twn

and again...influx of recent immigrants are not from Taiwan but mainland China.  FWIW, I was born in Taiwan and have visited there quite a few times recently.

Japan and Taiwanese public education are super test oriented and pretty much mandates conformity.  It is a known bug in the Asian/Confucian educational system...great test score...lack of innovation and independence.  The testing system also greatly discourages those who either 1) do not make it to elite levels or 2) have skill sets outside of the academic realm.  Again...known bugs in the system. 
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinio...-arts-education-is-sapping-japans-creativity/
https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups...ystem-kills-initiative-and-creativity-says-co
https://www.theatlantic.com/educati...l-system-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-us/281612/
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asi...-says-radical-school-reform-will-set-it-apart

I'm not even going to get into Asia pollution versus Irvine pollution.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

We thought about opening a business in TIC territory back in 2005 and they basically shut us down because we were not a chain and we wanted to open a Chinese/Korean cafe.  The rep literally said "we have enough boba shops"

Too bad. I would have definitely frequented a Chinese/Korean cafe.

 

[Mety]

Where there are many Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Jewish kids are, the schools are usually highly ranked for their academic achievements. I'm not sure if it's the highly ranked schools that attracted the buyers/parents first or if it's the kids that have made the academic success in whatever school they've been put. Maybe it's both.

I think it's their parents' culture to train their kids to have successful academic achievements more than anything. It must be that they think that will guarantee success in life eventually. It's not a bad thing for the parents to teach them to have good school grades, but I think too much pressure especially when comparing with other kids is never a good thing. Irvine seems to be already in that state and I guess it will continue to be, but it will keep bringing good grades. Although there are some elementary schools in Irvine that seem to be having lower ranks these days.

But the main difference with Irvine compare to other cities with Asian or smart kids is that the city of Irvine is masterfully planned. Let me say again, Irvine is masterfully planned by The Irvine Company. I really don't think it's got to do with any feng shui or those superstitious stuff. Everything is clean and organized. Notice how there is not much boutique shops in Irvine especially in newer areas? That's one of the ways to masterfully plan or control to keep the city safe. Now it has good and bad. It's safe and clean, but it has no character. All homes are the same and nothing opens after 9pm. BUT it provides good assurance to park your money for FCBs or any other investors including regular home buyers. When there are more fun and characters, it's more risky, and more surprises with changes are inevitable. Irvine does not do that. It's consistent and boring. That's the way to keep the city more valuable and resilient. I think GP is a threat to them in that sense, but that's whole another discussion.

TIC was marketing Irvine and OC to Asian before the bust, which is very good vision on their part.  TIC, however, dropped the ball on the commercial side as it was super slow in having ethnic businesses.

Diamond Jamboree really showed TIC the buying power of Asians and then the Mitsuwa center also beat TIC.  TIC has been ramping up its efforts since but still behind the curve.

Irvine is basically everything Asia is not...it's open, clean, no pollution, and lots of tract homes (no condos).  It has great public schools and now a ton of Asian businesses.

Are you sure TIC was beat by those plazas? What about it was all TIC's plan?  >
BTW, Diamond Jamboree 2 is coming also. It would be right next to the current plaza but 2 story buildings. Expect more Ferraris and Lambos on that street.  8)
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/69502c_859271313f2b4ca3b1ee658b400fecda.pdf

We thought about opening a business in TIC territory back in 2005 and they basically shut us down because we were not a chain and we wanted to open a Chinese/Korean cafe.  The rep literally said "we have enough boba shops"

Are you saying if you were to do the same now, TIC will allow it?

 

[Liar Loan]

This is an excellent article about Irvine's changing demographics:

?The reality is the infrastructure can?t cope with all the new people coming in,? said Myers, while shopping at the Wholesome Choice market, a store known for its huge selection of ethnic food, including specialties from South Africa that reminds him of his childhood. ?When I arrived here, Irvine was a village. Then it became a town, then a city. Now, I think it?s a metropolis.?

Sue Howell, who moved in with her cousin in Irvine more than a decade ago, reminisced about the lifestyle ?of years before. There?s no bustle. There was more calm. We felt safe like in our yard. Nowadays, you see indications of Asia everywhere.?

As examples, she listed seeing store signs in Chinese or Korean ? and foreign characters on restaurant menus. She acknowledges that it bothers her.

The clerical worker, 47, stood in the parking lot of Ace Hardware Store, describing it as ?a bit much. I don?t want people to think it?s prejudice. That?s not me, that?s not many of us. There should just be a balance of all cultures co-existing, not one over the other.?

https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-irvine-immigrants-20170511-htmlstory.html

This is my favorite part of the article:

May Hartman moved to Irvine from Shanghai in 2014 to study accounting at Irvine Valley College. She?s part of a wave of immigration by Asians to the city.

There is much she loves about its neighborhoods, and she recently married and plans to settle down here.

?I say ?wow,? no pollution, no trash. I saw so many foreign faces, it caused me much surprise,? she said about her first days in Irvine.

She was also struck by the single-mindedness of the culture. ?Everyone asked me when I will buy some house.?

 

[Kenkoko]

There are very very few Japanese immigrants so I am not sure why we are talking about Japan.

There are plenty of places in Taiwan that are relatively clean but Taiwan in general is still not Irvine clean.  Not to mention Taipei housing prices are pretty ridiculous as compared to relative income.  Additionally, most of the "houses" are condos rather than SFRs or Townhouses...unless you live in YangMinShan or Neihu. 

Again, I ask you to please fact check your claims.

There is currently more than 250k Japanese in LA. Only about 100k Taiwanese.

Since you are from Taiwan as I am, I find it very surprising that you did not mention Hualien City. You picked 2 seemingly random areas (not even a city) next to Taipei (capitol of Taiwan for those who are not familiar) to illustrate your point. If you ask 100 Taiwanese person, probably 90 will tell you Hualien is heaven on earth. Having lived there for 2 years myself, I would say it's every bit as clean and open as Irvine.

I'm not even going to get into Asia pollution versus Irvine pollution.

Still waiting for an explanation to your claim that Irvine has no polution.

 

[Mety]

YellowFever?

 

[Mety]

There are very very few Japanese immigrants so I am not sure why we are talking about Japan.

There are plenty of places in Taiwan that are relatively clean but Taiwan in general is still not Irvine clean.  Not to mention Taipei housing prices are pretty ridiculous as compared to relative income.  Additionally, most of the "houses" are condos rather than SFRs or Townhouses...unless you live in YangMinShan or Neihu. 

Again, I ask you to please fact check your claims.

There is currently more than 250k Japanese in LA. Only about 100k Taiwanese.

Since you are from Taiwan as I am, I find it very surprising that you did not mention Hualien City. You picked 2 seemingly random areas (not even a city) next to Taipei (capitol of Taiwan for those who are not familiar) to illustrate your point. If you ask 100 Taiwanese person, probably 90 will tell you Hualien is heaven on earth. Having lived there for 2 years myself, I would say it's every bit as clean and open as Irvine.

I'm not even going to get into Asia pollution versus Irvine pollution.

Still waiting for an explanation to your claim that Irvine has no polution.

Which pollution would you prefer?
The one above you or the one below you?

A question - Is every part of Irvine pretty much not completely safe from TCE toxic?