Where to live in OC
For all the SoCal people I would really appreciate some advice. I recently got a job in Irvine and I am moving from the east coast to cali for the first time. I was wondering where the best area to live is? I was thinking Costa Mesa, HB or Long Beach. I heard Long Beach is the best in terms of going out and meeting new people. However, it is a drive to Irvine 3-4 days a week so wanted to know if it's worth it. Ideally, i'd like to live in a place where it's easier to make friends and have things to do outside of work.
Id recommend Costa Mesa and Santa Ana. Very nice weather, amazing diversification of food. and lots of luxury stores in the nearby mall, so it's a great way to get/continue being into watches. Mornings can be cloudy/gloomy but it tends to clear up by 9 AM, rest of the day would be sunny with relatively nice weather.
Huntington Beach is great if you're young and social. Tons of young professionals and things to do outside of work (especially if you're somewhat outdoors-y). The commute to Irvine wouldn't be the most convenient (maybe 30-45 minutes), but that's more a fact of life in OC and you get used to it.
Perspective of someone who went to school and worked a little in OC:
- Costa Mesa is pretty nice, lots of shops/restaurants/mall/bars. You're closer to the Newport Beach bars and clubs so Ubers shouldn't be too bad if you're out. You're also in OC itself so the commute isn't bad. Depending on where you both live and work, Costa Mesa connects pretty smoothly to Irvine. There will still always be traffic but you'd at least also have the option to take surface streets in dire times.
- Huntington Beach is nice too, but a little more detached from the rest of OC. Meaning, you have the Bungalow right there and other spots across the coast. But if you want to meet up with friends and go to a mall, Disneyland, other bars, etc. you'll likely spend a little more time commuting.
- Long Beach is technically part of LA county, but it's (sort of) in the middle between what you would consider LA proper and OC. Was there last weekend for the first time and it seems to have its own vibe in my opinion. Mix of suburban (they closed a street from traffic and played the Wonka movie in a neighborhood for all the kids) and also city/industrial (port is there, some more rugged places). I ~think~ you would be commuting in the opposite direction as most of the traffic, but it's SoCal so you'll have traffic wherever you go anyway.
Few more anecdotes:
- Bunch of my college buddies still around the area live in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. The bars/clubs are mostly right there. Beach is lovely. I'd say the prime spots to be when it comes to nightlife in OC (I think rarely would you find yourself going out in Anaheim/Fullerton, etc.)
- Everything is more spread out distance-wise compared to an LA or Manhattan. Your favorite restaurant could be in Irvine, your favorite bar in Newport Beach, your friends mainly living in Orange, and you yourself might live in Costa Mesa. This would all take a commute. I would argue there's no one perfect spot in OC to live in, so whatever you think is the best balance between work commute, neighborhood safety and cost, demographics and points of interest, and etc. would be your best shot. Just stressing to mentally prepare that you may have to go out and explore and drive a little to find what you're looking for because things and people are simply spread everywhere.
Not a local but hope this helps!
I live in Irvine and this is a solid take. Costa Mesa is really nice, the area around South Coast Plaza is nice, and Newport Beach is really nice. OC has a few social hubs it seems like and then not much outside of that.
There’s The Triangle, malls (like Fashion Island, South Coast, Spectrum), Equinox/ other gyms, and then the bars in Newport Beach on the peninsula. There’s more but that’s the ones that come top of mind.
I think the gyms are really nice out here and usually have plenty of people to meet if you’re very social. They have organized hikes and stuff like that too (organized by Equinox) that normally get a decent crowd.
Not OC based but CA based. Anywhere but LB
Wouldn’t pick any of those. Living in Irvine is fine. Newport & Laguna are ideal. Plenty of places like Aliso Viejo & Laguna Niguel are nice too.
Costa Mesa or Newport without a doubt
Congrats on the new position!! That's super exciting. Irvine is a great place to work.
Long Beach is my personal favorite for night life but dude, dude, please...don't live there. Not because it can't be a nice place to live (it can) but you are going to absolutely hate your life commuting from LB to Irvine every day. It is a long, slow commute. You can still go hit up fourth street or second street on the weekends.
Costa Mesa and Huntington are very solid options. I live in Huntington and like it a lot. I always found making friends through neighbors to be fairly easy here. Costa Mesa has a ton of fun spots, great nightlife, good food.
If you are under 30, I would avoid living in Irvine. It is a lovely place to live but it is an absolute snoozefest. You first meet your wife first somewhere else, THEN move to Irvine.
If you work in Irvine, you could live anywhere Central SoCal.
- Irvine/Newport/Balboa: higher cost of living, central to everything young. Strong night life (Newp)
- Lake Forest/Mission Viejo/South Irvine: slightly lower cost of living, heavy surburban feel. Little to no nightlife. Good place to settle down with family
- Aliso Viejo/Laguna Niguel/Dana Point: Good vicinity to beach(s), slightly higher cost of living relative to South Irvine, little nightlife
- San Clemente - Longer commute but relaxed community. Nice beach(s), old person nightlife but fun & divey. Beware of marine boots
- Orange/Tustin/N. Irvine: affordable housing relative to Newp, longer commute but not bad. Tustin has some night life but won’t be like Newp.
- HB: Fun, nightlife, can be expensive to live here commute to Irvine will suck, similar to San Clemente
- Long Beach: longest commute of all but cheaper COL, ok nightlife. More family oriented.
- almost forgot Costa Mesa: the suburbs of Newport. Nice, has had a lot of hype in past 5 years. Slowly getting gentrified and in my opinion, overpriced housing. But it’s centrally located for young people between night life and work. Some popular bars coming back to life.
feel free to dm, lived here my entire life in a few different areas.
this aged well
How did it not?
Did you really think you had something this good that you dug up a 6 month old thread without even bothering to google basic geography?
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