Anyone living in the Orange County, CA area? Need advice...

By Ginabean3 Jul 5, 2013

Hi Bees! So exciting news....it's 3 weeks before I have to go back to work from maternity leave and DH got his dream job that basically will allow me to be the Chief Domestic Officer (SAHM!!!) of our little family. Whoo hooo!

But as a result we need to move (which I'm totally ok with and excited about). His new office will be in Santa Ana, CA so we are looking to move to that vicinity. (+\- 25-30 miles)

Any advice on good cities/school districts in that area? I've heard Irvine is nice/good schools....what else? Any input would be greatly appreciated? Any areas to avoid?

Thanks!

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22 comments

swurlygurl
honeydew / 7091 posts

Jul 5, 2013

My knowledge is only South of there
If you want to move to San Diego though, I know lots!
BeachMama
pear / 1946 posts

Jul 5, 2013

My sister lives in Tustin....I know she likes it there, but I dont know anything about the school district.
JerricaBenton
pomegranate / 3872 posts

Jul 5, 2013

No advice, I live on the opposite coast, but CONGRATS! We travel to that area quite a bit and it's gorgeous!
chopsuey
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts

Jul 5, 2013

One of the top highschools in CA is in Fullerton (Troy).
I used to live in Fullerton and loved it.
Mrs. High Heels
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@Ginabean3: i live in the OC - it's such a great place to live! you should check out greatschools.org... just type in the city in the search bar and it'll pull up all schools in that city and its rating.

irvine, tustin, orange, lake forest all have schools with good rankings, but within each district there's of course some schools that are better than others!
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@chopsuey119:

Um...I used to go to school there. Freaky!
Mrs. Bee
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts

Jul 5, 2013

a lot of schools in that area tend to be almost all asian. i really prefer a more diverse student body and that would be a factor in where to move if it were me. lots of great schools to consider though and it's a great area -- not too far from la and there's lots to do in oc!
deactivated_account
GOLD / pomegranate / 3938 posts

Jul 5, 2013

Hooray for some excellent upcoming changes in your life! I've lived in north Orange County my entire life and a few of my family members and soooo many friends work for various OC school districts. Please email me at lovelinessoflife at gmail dot com. I will give you my thoughts and suggestions if you want them.
googly-eyes
GOLD / pomelo / 5737 posts

Jul 5, 2013

I don't live exactly in that area but nearby...all I would say is look up the crime stats for the particular neighborhood. It can vary greatly within the same city.
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

Jul 5, 2013

I lived in Villa Park and my cousin lived in Fullerton. Both are lovely places. Also have friends from Garden Grove (I think that makes the high school El Modena).
Ginabean3
pomegranate / 3401 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@Mrs. High Heels: thanks for the tip on the website! I'll definitely check it out!
Ginabean3
pomegranate / 3401 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@Mrs. Bee: I totally agree! I'm Chinese and DH is white, so LO is a hapa baby...I definitely want her to attend a school that has good representation across all ethnicities.
Ginabean3
pomegranate / 3401 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@lisamarieloves: thank you soooo much! I will definitely email you today/this weekend to get the scoop! I'm very appreciative!!
deactivated_account
GOLD / pomegranate / 3938 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@Mrs. Jacks: my mom and DH worked at villa park hs!
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@lisamarieloves: aww! I really enjoyed my early years in VP!
Mrs. Lovebug
pea / 24 posts

Jul 5, 2013

Congrats on the exciting news! I grew up and currently live(and teach) in North OC. The Seal Beach/Los Alamitos area is fantastic--.the school district (Los Alamitos Unified) is EXCELLENT, and the community is very family-oriented! Also, don't rule out the south Long Beach area, some great neighborhoods and good, diverse schools there. Good neighborhoods in the area there are Los Altos and the Plaza--they surround a huge park, El Dorado Park. Let me know if you want more info! Good luck!
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

Jul 5, 2013

@Mrs. Lovebug: I love El Dorado park!
sweet_p
apricot / 398 posts

Jul 7, 2013

We live in Irvine and absolutely love it. It's clean, very safe, beautiful parks, etc. I do agree that there are a lot of Asians (I'm one of them!), but there are a lot of other nationalities as well. We chose this area mainly for the safety and also for the great public schools.
Punky
cherry / 168 posts

Jul 7, 2013

@lisamarieloves: I graduated from Villa Park High, class of 2000
@Ginabean3: Neighborhoods are really going to depend on your budget. I grew up in Orange and it was really nice. Villa Park and Orange Park Acres are great if you can afford them and have awesome schools, same with Anaheim Hills. Costa Mesa has some really nice areas. South Orange County is really nice (Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo) but the morning commute could be bad into Santa Ana if you end up having to take the 405 or 5 freeways. A little more affordable but still nice would be Tustin, Fullerton, and Placentia.
deactivated_account
GOLD / pomegranate / 3938 posts

Jul 8, 2013

@Punky: that's funny..... And awkward... Can you personal message me on here? Or email me at lovelinessoflife at gmail dot com. I may or may not want you to know who I am, if you don't already know by my username.

@Ginabean3: I got your email and I'm going to respond today when i get to work!!!
Ginabean3
pomegranate / 3401 posts

Jul 8, 2013

Thanks everyone for your input! I really appreciate it! And Thanks @lisamarieloves! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
shopaholic
bananas / 9973 posts

Jul 8, 2013

I also live in Irvine and love it! It's not for everyone, but so family friendly and clean! I'd also second Los Alamitos/Rossmoor, Villa Park, and Tustin. Brea and Anaheim Hills is nice too, though it might be killer in traffic?

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Anyone living in the Orange County, CA area? Need advice...

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