Irvine California

[paulgtr]

I've never been there, but there is a possibility that I might move there with my girlfriend and our 2 year old daughter. Any opinions of the area would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[scottmandue]

Pretty far south of me but upscale nice area... like most parts of the world it may have it's bad side but I haven't seen it on my visits.

We have a bunch of folks here closer to Irvine than me, I'm sure they will chime in.

[kaisen]

Irvine Cars and Coffee is one of the best free recurring car-guy hangouts in the US

[rusnak]

I graduated from UCI in the early 90s. Great place. Rat-race to the nth degree though. No crime. They make up crime there.

[sammyg2]

Very nice and clean, it was a planned community and the plan was to keep the riff-raff out. Like they said, the police in Irvine hafta make up crime to justify their jobs


Kinda expensive but not too crazy compared to the rest of Orange County.
I'd love to live in Irvine but it's a longer drive and I'm too cheap to pay for a house there.

[scottmandue]

Seriously... I would move there in a heart beat... does not suck.

You are coming from NY so cost of living will be about the same (I guess) weather will be about ten thousand times better (if you like sunshine).

[Rick Lee]

Lot of hot Asian women there too. I love Irvine. I'll probably be there again later this month.

[daepp]

I love Irvine - especially Turtle Rock.

[nostatic]

If you don't mind being told what shade of beige you can paint your home in your planned community, then you'll likely be happy. Doesn't float my boat but ymmv. It is fairly close to Little Saigon so you can get good pho/bun. And Newport has good surf.

[Brando]

I almost moved to Irvine but went to newport-mesa instead. Real good area, yes a "planned community". They're low on crime, looking for ways to make the city more lucrative for biz... One of the best places in OC to live, imho.

[daepp]

Lots of code restrictions etc, but then again it has kept the place looking great!

It is also central to so much of OC and so much of the state - so long as it's not rush hour

[BeyGon]

Think "Stepford Wives", it's clean, modern, well laid out, airport close, like Rick said, lots and lots of Asian girls, to go with the Asian boys, close to the beaches, you will like air conditioning in the summer. Irvine cops are so bored they look for things to stop you for.

[Zeke]

The rules are do not leave your garage door open unless you are moving a car in or out. All the garages are in the front unless you live in one of the 1000's of apt's.


Seriously. City wide.


I lived down the road in Mission Viejo for 13 years and finally had to leave because of the lack of human personality. Irvine is so white bread that it will suck the life out of you in 6 months.

Or maybe you don't have much going on. If that's the case, buying your groceries at Pavilions will be a great experience.

Cars and Coffee is good for cars. But, if you try to talk meaningful talk to anyone they will just pull their ball sack they've been dragging around and put it in your face.

[Hugh R]

Where would you be driving to work? Irvine is a good example of a planned community, it works, but it has rules, that are enforced.

[G50]

Irvine is one of the largest (geographic and population) cities in OC.

It is the business hub of OC.

It is a culturally diverse city. That wasn't the case 20 years ago, but is the case today. In many parts, whites are probably the minority now, esp. in the schools. Many of the elementary schools must be close to 80% or more Asian/Indian. There are very few african americans and hispanics, though. Must be well under 5%, maybe 2%.

It has some of the highest priced housing in all of OC, particularly in the southern part of the city (south of the 405 fwy). Price per square foot is very high, probably higher than any other city in OC that does not physically touch the coast. In terms of absolute price, it also has some of the highest priced houses, in the $5 to 25 million range (Shady Canyon). There's a lot of condos, which are expensive, but SFRs are very expensive.

It is a city with a lot of resources, and spends a lot on maintenance, etc. There are parks and pools on seemingly every block.

It has one of the lowest crime rates of any city in California, often it is the lowest of any city in any year. Violent crime is almost non-existent. Kids walk to school, the parks, etc. alone all the time.

It has, from K-12, overall, the highest ranked public schools in OC, if not the state. The public school system is exceptionally strong, and a "self sustaining" thing (people who are very interested in high quality education move to Irvine specifically for the schools).

Because of the high quality schools, and the cultures that attracts, in many areas of Irvine (particularly the southern part) the schools are largely Asian and increasingly Indian (from India).

It is close enough to the coast to be very temperate, doesn't get very hot in the summer in most of the city. It is far ranging, though, going from very close to the coast all the way to the foothills, so the weather from the far west end to the far east end can vary.

There has been a lot of population growth, so it can be very crowded in parts, but for the most part it is well managed.

The police force is very active. If you call, there's 4 cars there in 5 minutes.

The downsides are that it is a crowded place. The houses tend to be modestly sized, and on very, very small lots. It is expensive.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by DAEpperson

I love Irvine - especially Turtle Rock.

I used to jog around Turtle Rock from the corner of Campus Drive and Berkeley. It was one of the BEST parts of living in Irvine. Now I'm really missing that place.

[paulgtr]

thanks for the info!

[techweenie]

I wouldn't live there if paid to. It's soul-less. Few independent small businesses. Just franchise after franchise. Few variations in neighborhoods. The Stepford reference is apt.

I see you're from NY NY. I recommend Costa Mesa as somewhat more diverse.

[paulgtr]

how far is Costa mesa from Irvine?

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by paulgtr

how far is Costa mesa from Irvine?

Techweenie likes smelly hippies, barrios and slums. Ain't that right, Techweenie?