Originally Posted By oc_dean >>I know cost of living is an issue, but other than that I am looking for some advice. << If you want your home, work, and DL to be all within a 30 to 60 minute commute .. stay in OC for all 3. Stay AWAY from the other outlying counties, like LA, San Bernardino, and Ventura .. including Riverside. You definitely want to stay out of most of LA county. Too much of it is the ghetto. Most of LA county was built up during the 1920s to 1930s. And the age is showing!! Most of OC began growing in the 1950s through the 70s. So, Orange County is a good 30 years NEWER .. which makes it cleaner, nicer, safer, and less compact than the super pact LA County. Orange County is all freeways. Only the Metrolink commuter rail on an existing (old) Santa Fe railroad track is OC's only mass transit. And the bus system is a joke! Take my word for it! So Cal living = Get a car! If you decide to live along the beach communities .. you'll love it! My sister lives in Fountain Valley .. just 4 miles from the beach .. and that ocean breeze coming in .. even on hot days is a treat! With DL a 20-30 minute drive away. On the other hand ..... further inland... Riverside County, San Bernardino County .. and further inland through LA County .. specifically "the valley!"(San Fernando Valley) -- fer sure, fer sure ... can get nasty in the summer months. Best OC weather: Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Newport Beach,Rossmore, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Costa Mesa .. any of the cities along the shore .. the best! Just don't try working in LA .. and commuting to OC .. or vice versa ... THE TRAFFIC WILL DRIVE YOU RIGHT BACK TO OREGON!
Originally Posted By ecdc Great thread! My wife and I will most likely be moving out of state next year and we've thought about SoCal (not just for DL, though it's a pro). Very interesting information, some of it I knew, some of it I didn't.
Originally Posted By Westsider If you do move to SoCal, I strongly suggest you rent a home or apartment for at least the first six months. Home values are declining here by 20%+ annually, and are still going nowhere but down. Even so, there is still a large bump in prices in OC housing compared to most other cities, so the decline in prices for '09 and '10 will only play to your favor as OC prices get closer to what you were used to paying in your previous city. Don't jump into a new mortgage in OC any time soon, your equity will only continue to decline for the next 18 to 36 months.
Originally Posted By Westsider Check out irvinehousingblog.com for more info on the housing topic. As for making a major life change to be near a theme park... I hope you are checking with the kids and making sure you will still want to visit Disneyland regularly after a year or two of bi-monthly visits. I mean, it's a wonderful place and an American icon, but it is a theme park. I suppose folks have picked up and moved to a different state for sillier reasons though, so more power to you.
Originally Posted By onlyme A few years ago, I thought about doing the same thing. My wife and I don't have kids, and there were/are a lot of teaching positions available. I had two interviews scheduled. One in Anaheim Hills, the other in Tustin(?). But, I chickened-out, and cancelled. So, here I sit in Fresno (111 today). I don't regret not moving, but I do think about what might have been. We still get down there every other month, or so. Anyway, check all aspects of life down there out first, and do what seems best. I like oc dean's suggestions a lot.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <The roads, in particular, are the absolute worst in the country condition-wise as well as traffic-wise. > This man has obviously never driven on the BQE or the Cross-Bronx. I drive most of the LA basin roads whenever I visit, since I have friends far-flung in the metro area. Some of them are pretty bad, but can't compare to the two above. Not only are they constantly snarled, narrow, dangerous when they move, and nearly always under construction, in the fall and spring they are plagued with potholes (caused by water freezing and thawing, freezing and thawing, not typically a SoCal problem). The large and more obvious ones cause further delays; the smaller less obvious ones cause teeth-rattling jolts to your car and can throw it out of alignment. I'll even take the 405 and 91 (my least favorite SoCal roads) over the BQE and Cross-Bronx. Rant over.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Also, I should say that there are some parts of LA County that are very nice. I wouldn't throw out the whole dang county because some areas aren't so nice. It's a big place. I would say if you relocate, live as close to your WORK as possible. DL, the beach, the mountains, etc. are presumably going to be places you visit for fun a finite number of times per year. Whereas you'll have to brave the freeways going to your job 5 days a week (unless you can work from home).
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I could not believe how bad the roads were in California. they were shocking. I thought they were bad here, but nothing compared to what I found in March.
Originally Posted By onlyme Driving on I-5 last month (down to DL), I think I counted 9 bumpers, 11 license plates, and 35 tire treads just lying on the road or the shoulder. It's like an obstacle course, at times.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Some of them are pretty bad, but can't compare to the two above.<< I was speaking more on a state-wide level, in which studies have shown we're #50. Yay us. Note to self: Self, stay away from BQE. Whatever that is.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <Note to self: Self, stay away from BQE. Whatever that is.> Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. From "NYCroads" website (which takes pains to point out some of the good points, like the views of Manhattan, but can't stay rosy too long...): "Since it was designed prior to the development of the Interstate Highway system, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway was plagued with design flaws. Sharp curves, lack of shoulders, short acceleration and deceleration ramps, and confusing left-exit configurations were characteristics of the pre-Interstate era expressway. To compensate for the safety shortcomings, the highway was reduced from six lanes to four in some locations, and the speed limit was set at 45 MPH throughout the length of the highway. The expressway, already taxed to its capacity at six lanes, was further stretched to its limits." "The projects underway underscored the need for motorists to proceed with caution through construction zones. On January 16, 2006, a tanker truck filled with 8,000 gallons of gasoline overturned and exploded on the eastbound lanes underneath a temporary construction bridge near Roosevelt Avenue. The temporary bridge over the BQE collapsed, and with the raging fire threatening the nearby Roosevelt Avenue overpass and trestle carrying the IRT #7 subway line, vehicular and train traffic was stopped, as was traffic on the BQE, for at least 24 hours. Fortunately, no one was injured seriously in the mishap." Then some people opine: "I-278 (specifically, the Brooklyn-Queens and Gowanus expressways) has to be the worst excuse for an Interstate highway in the whole country. It is a series of different roads thrown together. Many entrance ramps have no acceleration lane at all and have "STOP" signs where they join the expressway. On the Grand Central Parkway, which is part of I-278 at the parkway's extreme western end, there is a sign saying "EXIT 4 (I-278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway)." To continue on I-278, one has to exit onto a single lane ramp. All this when I-278 should be the mainline and the Grand Central Parkway should be an exit of I-278. I know that there are many other examples around the country of having to exit in order to continue on the "mainline" Interstate, but the frequency of these problems collectively put I-278 in the hall of shame." "The worst limited-access highway I've ever seen was the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Upon entering it from the Bronx, I sneered at the posted 45 MPH speed limit. I soon found out why it was posted." The BQE also includes the Kosciuszko Bridge, well-known for having upgrade-downgrade steepness and lack of visibility that would never be allowed if built today. People are always having accidents there, and in the winter if the road is slick it's not even funny. Every year they make noises about replacing it, but it never gets done.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<Not even those places the other posters are about to mention to prove me wrong. But I digress>> Well somebody ought to mention a couple of decent BBQ restaurants at any rate. Johnny Rebs Ribs and Lucilles Smokehouse. But honestly, for the best food in town, we go to the eastside of the LA Basin. That would be Las Vegas or Palm Springs.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I wish I could remember the name of the Barbeque joint I ate in in LA about 8 years ago. As is often the case in LA, it was an unexpectedly wonderful find in the middle of an unprepossessing strip mall. It was a family-run place, by immigrants... from North Carolina. They had operated a barbeque joint there, moved to LA and opened the new place. They also had the best pulled pork I ever had west of the Mississippi. That's the thing about LA - it has immigrants from EVERYWHERE; all over the world, and from all over the US. They bring their "stuff" (including their food) with them, and as a result, you can find virtually anything there (same with New York) if you're patient.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>It was a family-run place, by immigrants... from North Carolina. << Now you have my interest. I wish you could remember its name as well. Probably long gone, though.
Originally Posted By CoolHand Wow, thank you for all of the responses so far. You have definitely hit one of my hot buttons, no pun intended, with the BBQ discussion. It's amazing how hard it can be to find decent Q anywhere outside of KC, Memphis, or most places in Texas. Just to throw another consideration for us moving down in to the mix...The music scene. I have been a musician for 24 years and had considered moving to LA to attend the Musicians Institute. Now I am definitely too old to start down that path again, but let's face it SoCal is where the music is at, and I wouldn't mind spending some time soaking it up.
Originally Posted By Maleficent one I have been thinking of moving down there too.. and i think now might be the right time.. Im not working up here in Nor Cal, No BF, i can start new.. and my friend has been thinking about moving to go to school.. But if she doesnt move with me its gunna be hard cause 1 bedroom apts are so expensive down there.. and im not one to live with strangers lol. but i would love to, and i want to work in disneyland. even if its just a side job.. Butnot DL park or CA Adv. but more downtown disney cause i dont want to get sick of the parks. i dunno.. i would love to live there though.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>Driving on I-5 last month (down to DL), I think I counted 9 bumpers, 11 license plates, and 35 tire treads just lying on the road or the shoulder. It's like an obstacle course, at times. << It's also one of the oldest freeways in the region. Orange County's first. Opened in '54. While the OC stretch has been rebuilt ... the stretch from the LA/OC county line to the 605 still is the same old 1954 pavement. Lanes 2 and 3 that is .. with the number 1 lane in both directions laid in, in 1962.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I think the biggest thing the LA/OC region has going for it is the weather. Warm sunny days, cool nights. You really can't beat it.
