# Moving to Orange County



## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Please can anyone help ? My husband and I are moving in July and would be really grateful if you could share your opinion on where's a good place to live. We have a dog and so would like to be close to a park or beach and are thinking of Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach or somewhere else around that area. Also, this is a difficult question but approx how much does it cost to live n a monthly basis, just a ballpark figure to give me some idea ? Any advice will be gratefully received on anything about living abroad. :


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

Sandgrounder said:


> Please can anyone help ? My husband and I are moving in July and would be really grateful if you could share your opinion on where's a good place to live. We have a dog and so would like to be close to a park or beach and are thinking of Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach or somewhere else around that area. Also, this is a difficult question but approx how much does it cost to live n a monthly basis, just a ballpark figure to give me some idea ? Any advice will be gratefully received on anything about living abroad. :


You have picked 3 pretty nice areas but also expensive. Newport Beach is very expensive. A lot of the beaches do not allow dogs. There are a lot of nice areas in Orange County. The closer you are to the beach, the more expensive it is. The big cost is housing. It is hard to give you any specific information without knowing what you are looking for. Do you want to rent an apartment, house or buy something? You will have a problem renting an apartment that will take your dog unless it is very tiny.

Will you be working? If so then you have to consider the time to commute to your job. You will need a car as public transportation is pretty bad. You don't want to spend hours commuting each day. Too many people put the cart before the horse by trying to pick where to live without considering where they will be working.


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi. Thanks very much for the reply, the information is really useful. My husband is working in Santa Ana so we would like somewhere which doesn't require a long commute. We"re looking for a house with 2 bedrooms an a garden area for sitting outside and the dog, is there anywhere you could recommend? Gary is going back to the US next week for a month so he"s been tasked with having a look around. Im not planning to work in the beginning, Im a risk & governance manager in the health service so im not sure what the opportunities are. Any further suggestions are very much welcomed.


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

Sandgrounder said:


> Hi. Thanks very much for the reply, the information is really useful. My husband is working in Santa Ana so we would like somewhere which doesn't require a long commute. We"re looking for a house with 2 bedrooms an a garden area for sitting outside and the dog, is there anywhere you could recommend? Gary is going back to the US next week for a month so he"s been tasked with having a look around. Im not planning to work in the beginning, Im a risk & governance manager in the health service so im not sure what the opportunities are. Any further suggestions are very much welcomed.


It would be very helpful to know approximately what your budget is for housing. The cost of housing in OC varies a great deal from one area to another. Santa Ana is the cheapest with the median price of a home under $300,000. Both Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are over $1 Million with Newport the highest. Everywhere else is somewhere in between.

Newport Beach is the closest to Santa Ana of the beach cities at about 12 miles. Laguna Beach is the farthest at 21 miles. Bear in mind that traffic will be pretty slow so Laguna would be too far for me.

Do you want to be in a wealthy area, middle class or whatever. Newport Beach is very wealthy with a median household income over $102,000 /yr and Santa Ana is in the low end with a median income of $49,000.

Without knowing your budget, I can't really recommend one area over another other then make some generalizations. Do you have your heart set on living by the beach? The beach areas are very nice but you will pay a price for it. I do NOT recommend living in Santa Ana. A good compromise is Garden Grove. It is not at the beach but is just 7 miles from Santa Ana. Garden Grove has reasonable housing and a low crime rate.


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi JohnSoCal. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Our budget is up to $2,600 per month rental. I know this might sound silly but the priority is our dog. I need to be in an area where we can walk him as he's a big dog, I was thinking of Huntington Beach coz there's a large park there. Do you know of anywhere else that has access to parks? I think that Laguna is going to be too far away, i haven't heard of garden grove so will search for it now and have a look. can you recommend anywhere else i might need to look at ?


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## rrgiuliano (Mar 28, 2013)

Sandgrounder said:


> Hi JohnSoCal. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Our budget is up to $2,600 per month rental. I know this might sound silly but the priority is our dog. I need to be in an area where we can walk him as he's a big dog, I was thinking of Huntington Beach coz there's a large park there. Do you know of anywhere else that has access to parks? I think that Laguna is going to be too far away, i haven't heard of garden grove so will search for it now and have a look. can you recommend anywhere else i might need to look at ?


I lived in "The O.C. for many years and the budget you have will allow you access to many of the better areas. One that I can recommend is the city of Irvine--many rentals, many parks, an upscale comunity and newer living spaces as compare to most cities in Northern orange county. Generally speaking the farther south go go, the more expensive the cost for housing. I have a dog that is a priority as well--there are many places in irvine that will accomodate a small one...hope this helps---good luck!


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## blackduff (Mar 19, 2013)

I've lived in So. Cal. many years back but I can pass one good thought. My boss lived in Hunting Beach, near the beach. He was blocked by the traffic each week-end. He had to leave earlier to keep from being blocked, or decide you will stay n HB each weekend.

When he retired, he sold his house and moved into the Banning region - lots of space but not too many people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm a dog person too but when I lived in Long Beach, there wasn't many parks where you could walk your pooch. I'm certain it hasn't improved for dog walking. A lot of my living in Southern' France is because I have animals.

Blackduff


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

Sandgrounder said:


> Hi JohnSoCal. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Our budget is up to $2,600 per month rental. I know this might sound silly but the priority is our dog. I need to be in an area where we can walk him as he's a big dog, I was thinking of Huntington Beach coz there's a large park there. Do you know of anywhere else that has access to parks? I think that Laguna is going to be too far away, i haven't heard of garden grove so will search for it now and have a look. can you recommend anywhere else i might need to look at ?


Ok, that helps a lot. With a budget of $2,600 for a 2 BR place, you will have a pretty wide choice of areas. As far as parks go, they are all over the place. Bear in mind that just about everywhere has strict leash laws requiring your dog to be on a leash at all times away from your property. There are a very few exceptions. Hopefully some dog owners in OC can offer some specific info on that.

Here is a link to OC pet requirements:

Orange County, California - OC Pet Laws

Another couple links for dog friendly beaches and parks in OC:

Dog Friendly Beaches in Orange County, California
Orange County Dog Parks and Beaches

It appears that Huntington Beach has a dog friendly beach and park so that may be a good choice. It is not a bad commute to Santa Ana. There are lots of rental homes in Huntington Beach that are within your budget. Here is a link to a good site for house rentals.

Huntington Beach Apartments For Rent and other Huntington Beach Rentals — Trulia.com

There are many other web sites for rentals in Huntington Beach. Just do a search for "Huntington Beach CA house rental".

You may have some trouble finding one that accepts large dogs but I am sure there are some. There is actually a filter for those that accept large dogs. When I applied that, then no rentals came up. However that just may be because they weren't specifically listed that way.

From what you are asking for and your budget, I would concentrate on Huntington Beach.


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## Theexbrit (Feb 24, 2013)

I've lived in South OC for 22 years & I would say stay away from the beach cities if you need to commute to Santa Ana. $2600 is a fair budget as JohnSoCal & rrgiuliano have said, in San Juan Capistrano where I live you can get a decent 2 bed, 2 bath for about $1800-2000. I agree with rrgiuliano, Irvine might be a good choice or Tustin, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, etc. The commute from down near where I live isn't too bad depending on what hours you work, but it's obviously easier from one of the cities we've mentioned. As for the dog, I wouldn't worry about that at all OC has so many parks & open spaces (even dedicated "bark parks" just for dogs) that wherever you go it shouldn't be a problem. We have 3 dogs & we've never had a problem. It's true what JohnSoCal says about a large dog & renting, a lot of corporate owned apartment complexes won't allow big dogs, if any dogs at all. You'd probably be better getting a private landlord.


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## Theexbrit (Feb 24, 2013)

blackduff said:


> A lot of my living in Southern' France is because I have animals.
> 
> Blackduff


Hi Blackduff, how is it being an expat in Southern France? I'm thinking of retiring there in a few years, I still have my UK citizenship so hopefully living in the EU won't be a problem.


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

This is fantastic advice - thank you all very much. I feel a lot more reassured that we can find something comfortable in a nice place now. 
I never thought about the problem of traffic in the beach areas - thanks Blackduff I'll bear that in mind. 
I briefly went to Irvine when I was over a few weeks ago and it looked really nice, so I'll have another look there, thanks rrgiuliano . 
JohnSoCal those doggy links are great. Huntington Beach looks really nice but I think I need to concentrate on somewhere on the outskirts.
I'm going to look at Tusin and Fountain Valley when ive finished this, thanks Theexbrit. 

Just a quick question ( I know I'm being a nuisance - sorry) - As a Brit going to live in the US is there anything else that I need to know ??? I'm thinking anything that I should have thought of and haven't ? Are there any small grocery shops or do you all get your shopping from the supermarkets?


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

http://www.welcometousa.gov/


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi Katie. Thanks for that - we're looking to move mid July. Gary is going back and forth until then.


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## doublesuited77 (Sep 1, 2012)

Sandgrounder said:


> This is fantastic advice - thank you all very much. I feel a lot more reassured that we can find something comfortable in a nice place now.
> I never thought about the problem of traffic in the beach areas - thanks Blackduff I'll bear that in mind.
> I briefly went to Irvine when I was over a few weeks ago and it looked really nice, so I'll have another look there, thanks rrgiuliano .
> JohnSoCal those doggy links are great. Huntington Beach looks really nice but I think I need to concentrate on somewhere on the outskirts.
> ...



Most people shop at a variety of shops to optimize price.

For me it is like this

1-2 trips a month to Costco for paper good, staples
weekly trip to Supertarget for most dry grocery items
weekly or more trips to specialty grocery stores for produce and meat

You could get them all from a grocery store but in some cases will be paying 50% more.


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## Theexbrit (Feb 24, 2013)

Sandgrounder said:


> Just a quick question ( I know I'm being a nuisance - sorry) - As a Brit going to live in the US is there anything else that I need to know ??? I'm thinking anything that I should have thought of and haven't ?


Just remember, we're two nations divided by a common language! 
Things that you would say in England can mean something completely different here & can get you some strange looks. For instance, your bum is your "fan-ee" here, not what it means in England, "***" is another. If you have a strong accent & use slang, don't be surprised if people can't understand what you say, they think we all talk like Prince Charles  I'm originally from South London & I often get asked if I'm from Australian, New Zealand or even South Africa :boxing:

I love it here in the US & would never move back to the UK. I had a great childhood growing up in the South of England but I'm glad I'm here now. You'll find that people will like you because you're from Britain, they love the accent & you'll get on fine. Just remember it IS different from England though, I thought I knew America from the movies, etc, & in some ways it was just as I thought it would be & in other ways it was totally different. Just try to assimilate & not be like you were in Britain, don't question they way things are done or compare it to Britain, it's America, accept that & you will be fine here :thumb:

(I think I must have been an American in a different life. )


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Note to self ........must say - does my fan-ee look big in this? 

Thanks for the advice thats just what I was asking, if there's a faux pas to make, I'll make it.
I'm really looking forward to coming out now especially after the feedback from the kind people who have replied to my desperate messages. 
Husband now has a long list of things to do at the weekends whilst he's there.


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi Doublesuited77 thanks very much. When i was over there before the specialty grocery stores were fantastic but all the way round I was thinking how expensive everything was. It's good to know we have alternatives ( see I said we, i'm there already i my head! ). I'll put "check out where supertarget is on husbands list when he's looking at houses. Thank you very much.


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## blackduff (Mar 19, 2013)

Theexbrit said:


> Hi Blackduff, how is it being an expat in Southern France? I'm thinking of retiring there in a few years, I still have my UK citizenship so hopefully living in the EU won't be a problem.


Theexbrit
When I first shifted to France, people asked me about why going there. This is what I used to say: *France is not better nor is it worse-it's different*. Twenty years later I still think France is still the same. But I do love it here.

Blackduff


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## AmandaL (Feb 20, 2009)

I have just moved from Long Beach and spent a very happy 4 years there. There are plenty of dog parks but walking a dog off leash is a no-no in most areas. 
For your budget, I'm sure you will find a nice place to live - try Craigslist for rentals - there are plenty available.
As someone who hates commuting, I would recommend living near to work as traffic is really terrible!! You can't gauge time with distance when you are looking at commuting time!!
Fresh and Easy is a Tesco owned shop that is springing up all over SoCal - you can buy a small selection of British food (lemon barely water, Paxo!) and it does good value fruit and veg..
Otherwise, you will be looking at the main stores for food shopping - Ralph's, Walmart (at a push!!), Von's, Target, Sprouts.. 
Expect to use a car to get everywhere! Public transport is appalling! We managed to have just one car but lived 2 minutes from work, but I was my husbands taxi service!!
It is EXPENSIVE! To buy most household furniture items, you are looking at least the same price as the UK - but there is an ikea in Newport Beach. If you can, try to ship as much of your stuff over as your company will pay for - I regret not bringing our car - cars are expensive too! If you want a banger, you are looking at at least $2000 or you can always lease.. 
Banking is a bit different and I would recommend Wells Fargo - there were very good to us.
I hope you enjoy your new adventure, SoCal is an amazing place to live. We were spoilt there... Are now in Detroit! Say no more!!


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## nicktca (Feb 19, 2013)

Huntington Beach for sure! The dog beach is fun, or if you want to avoid the dog beach there is a great place at the end of Brookhurst St. where the river runs into the ocean. We take my brothers dog there all the time.


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## Elkhornsun (Dec 21, 2012)

My mother lives in Laguna Beach and I grew up in southern CA and something to appreciate is that the worst traffic in the area is centered in Santa Ana where many freeways intersect. I once took 4 hours to get across Santa Ana on the Interstate 5 freeway. Most of the commute traffic will be from the south east. From Huntington Beach you will be on surface streets. 

In LA as with most of the USA there is nothing one can really call mass transit as people know it in more advanced countries. If you will have two cars and can both handle the toughest traffic outside of Shanghai then fine but if you want to be able to use only one car and be able to walk to areas to do your shopping or walk the dog, etc. then this will greatly limit where you will want to live. 

One potential advantage of Huntinton beach is that it can have ocean breezes that push back some of the smog and makes the air more fit to breathe than with the inland areas of the LA basin. 

Be sure to get a good GPS for your car as it will make freeway driving safer as you learn your way around southern California as it will prompt you into the right lane for merging from one freeway to the next and also on the right exit to take and you want to give 100% of your attention to the other motorists.


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Thanks very much AmandaL. It's funny that I hate Tesco here but the thought that it will be there is really comforting !!! Good advice about furniture, im hoping to get a lot from "house/garage sales", apart from the important things like bed etc. Gary is going over again on Sunday fro a month so i think he needs to focus on his office and the traffic. Do you know how people let their dogs run around - or don't they ?


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Thanks Nickta this is what i need to hear, dog beach sounds like where I need to be near. Are dogs allowed off the leash near Brookhurst St ?


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## nicktca (Feb 19, 2013)

Sandgrounder said:


> Thanks Nickta this is what i need to hear, dog beach sounds like where I need to be near. Are dogs allowed off the leash near Brookhurst St ?


Yeah totally, here is where I go.


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## aliaman12 (Jun 30, 2011)

Hello.

I am Canadian. I have just offered a job US$ 85 K per annum and the job location would be close to Huntington beach, which seems to be a very expensive place based on my google research. One option is to live in LA with daily commute to the work place or to find some other housing option in near by counties. 

If some has has experience , please guide me.

Best regards,

SA


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## blackduff (Mar 19, 2013)

I sure wouldn't lived in LA and worked in Orange County. Find one of the other cities there, which are often cheaper than Huntington Beach. 

Buying cheap things around the Orange county is the flea market. I think, if it still exists, it's the best place to buy jeans, etc. and other products. Although I was living in So.California, I found places like this flea market, when I lived in Spain. I used to send my co-workers from Spain to this market and they returned with suitcases full heading back. 

I remember that I wanted to buy a Pickled Fork Hydro boat, with a 400 horsepower Chev. V8 installed. I had enough money to buy this boat and enough common sense I didn't need a boat like this. This was a good choice. Boats like the pickled fork are for sale on Huntington Beach Blvd, near the coastal road.

Blackduff


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hey Nickta, thanks very much - look forward to seeing you there in July !!!!


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## AmandaL (Feb 20, 2009)

Most cities have off leash dog parks and there are the beaches ( not all allow dogs) but if you are talking about taking the dog hiking or walking, most do not allow dogs off leash.. There are places you can go, un officially, but if caught, you can be fined. Oh, and you have to register your dog with the city too. I certainly found places to let my dog run but I was sure to make sure they were almost empty..


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi AmandaL. Dont suppose you're able to share where you go on this thread are you ? How easy is it to register Alfie ( thats the dog not the husband)


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## nicktca (Feb 19, 2013)

Sandgrounder said:


> Hey Nickta, thanks very much - look forward to seeing you there in July !!!!


haha, we may be trading countries in July


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## AmandaL (Feb 20, 2009)

Registering is through the city - so depends on where you decide to live, but I found most cities have fairly comprehensive websites - look up animal control once you have decided where you will settle..

With regards to runs, I only know Long Beach, which is probably too far from Santa Ana or Huntington Beach for you but once you get familiar with your area, you'll find them . 

Check on yelp.com for dog parks. Or the city website..

And use Craigslist for furniture!


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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi All. Thats it Hubby currently on plane to the US with an extremely long "to do" list. 

Find nice area to live, find house with big garden in nice area, find nice doggy parks, check out the dog beach, find out how to register dog, check out supermarkets, find somewhere to store stuff bought from Craiglist, plus the boring stuff like permits, bank etc ..... will he ever have time for work ???

Thank you all so much for helping me with all this, it's been such a big help. I'm sure I'll need more advice when he starts his jobs!!!


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## globetrottingwebbs (May 5, 2013)

Where did you end up settling?? We are moving to the OC from London in August! Any top tips most appreciated!!

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## nicktca (Feb 19, 2013)

globetrottingwebbs said:


> Where did you end up settling?? We are moving to the OC from London in August! Any top tips most appreciated!!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


Good choice!


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## globetrottingwebbs (May 5, 2013)

It's my husbands job that is taking us - three year minimum!

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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi There. Really sorry for the delay in responding to your post. 
My husband has rented an unfurnished apartment in Costa Mesa and has bought some basic furniture to keep him comfy. Im going over with the animals in mid Sept and we'll move into the apartment while i find somewhere to live. I'll be looking at Costa Mesa, Irvine, Laguna Hills and Laguna Miguel. Where are you thinking of living ?


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## globetrottingwebbs (May 5, 2013)

Hi there!

We have temp accommodation in Newport Coast and we would like to be around there if poss! My children are going to school in Santa Ana so we shall see! We will start looking after we arrive in August!

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## Sandgrounder (Mar 13, 2013)

You sound to be very organised, are you looking for a villa or apartment? What do the children think about it? 
If anything crops up during your move that you think maybe useful for me to know, please will you send a quick message.


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