ANSWERS: 9
  • Well, i dont live there any more but i am fresh out of there. I lived there for 18 years. California is a great place. The people are great, but the traffic sucks. I personally lived in fullerton, but the beach areas are very nice. Very expensive though, so be ready to pay a fine penny. It is a beautiful place, but expect to be flocked by tourists all the time. I mean, come on. Where are the first places you want to go if you dont live in california?? 1. The beach 2. Disneyland What brings you down there?
  • thanx for the answer crayonwaxy, (not able to comment 2day for whatever reason). . .i was just curious to get a local's opinion on it...it seems the "great" places to live aren't so great after looking at them through a microscope or a fine tooth comb...sheer curiosity..where do u live now?
  • I've lived in Huntington Beach off and on since 1959 (spent some years in Canyon Lake and Temecula, CA also, in between). My daugter lives in Corona Del Mar (which is actually a part of the city of Newport Beach). We LOVE the climate, but like everyone else everywhere else, HATE the traffic. Also, the previous responders were correct as far as the cost of living is concerned. Since Orange County, Calif is one of the "wealthiest" places in the U.S., it stands to reason that it would also be one of the most expensive. The only place that I've ever been bothered by so many "tourists" is right in the downtown/beach areas...get about a half mile away from there, and you're okay. I live in a typical four-bedroom home with my mom in a house which is about 35-40 years old. Just a simple tract house in a very average neighborhood -- CERTAINLY not in the "elite" part of HB. At the present time, this home would probably sell from between about $550K and $600K. In the neighborhood where my daughter lives in NB/CDM, the smallest 40-year old home would sell at AT LEAST $1 million. THAT's not good news for someone who is not wealthy and wants to purchase here. Also, rental rates are very high. An average two-bedroom, one bath apartment would probably rent for around $1500 give or take, depending upon where it is located. Hope this helps.
  • it's the single most lifeless and boring place. they invented the word suburban for orange county. don't move unless you absolutely have to.
  • I live in Costa Mesa. It's expensive. Although if you're flyin' solo, one bedrooms and studios aren't so bad. You can find 'em for $700-$900 if you look hard enough. I like it. I'm an OC native, and I'd rather not live anywhere else. Newport is waaaay out of my league!
  • I lived in Mission Viejo and Lake Forest area for 43 years. Went to high school and college there. Bought a 1900 sft house on 1/5 of an acre of land for 165,000 back in 1982. Sold it for over 700K in 2005. It's crowded there. People don't look at each other in the eyes because personal space is so limited. Families have to have both parents working to afford a home. They are exhausted when they get home and never mingle with the nieghbors. Taxes are high, but schools are good. And college is very cheap compared to other states. Traffic is bad. I recent re-visited and they had metered traffic on the freeway on Sunday!!! thats crazy. Food cost is a little higher, Gasoline is about 50 cents more.
  • Orange County = Perfect weather, great free beaches, infinite things to do, beautiful highly educated people, high cost of living, congested traffic, strong economy, conservative values, melting pot, good schools, many colleges, good medical facilities, high crime areas, low crime areas, limited public transportation, yada, yada, yada. You'll either love it or hate it - it's your choice.
  • I've lived in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Irvine when I was going to grad school at UC Irvine. My initial reaction to your query is that if you like tanned, rich people who only hang with other tanned rich people who like to talk about the beach and making money, you'll feel right at home! On the other hand, there is more to OC than just tanned rich people, but there are a lot of them. I even dated some. Like any place in CA (including LA and SF) you'll have to get used to getting in your car and going places if you want "culture" or peace and quiet (although one has less travelling to do for either in the Bay Area). Long ago people from LA moved to OC to get away from the crowds, costs, smog, traffic and "bad" neighborhoods (i.e., minorities). OC has all those things now. People seemed friendlier in OC vs. LA, but that's not saying much. I prefer living/working in LA, but if I had to move to OC again, it wouldn't be awful.
  • I used to live there. As it is now, Japan might be cheaper. Wherever you're going, you'll be waiting in traffic. Oh, it's WONDERFUL. So vacation there. Living there causes culture shock like you wouldn't believe. I lived there 30 years ago, so, no culture shock. I have relatives who still live there and when I visit these days I am sooooo glad I don't live there anymore. Just a caution.

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