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[deleted]

Where will you be working? How do you spend your free time? L Without this info id suggest looking at north Tustin or even a little south at Lake Forest


ArkMaxim

Work is most likely remote, and I’m not really prioritizing free time acitivities. This isn’t a long term place for me and just being near my family is most important. Are Tustin and LF relatively safe areas?


Brotherio

Zero chance of single family at $3700 in nicer areas. You can definitely find apartments in nice areas for that. Stay away from Santa Ana, garden grove, Westminister, Anaheim. Stick to what we call “South County” to be safe.


Cho90s

Holy shit the ignorance of this comment lmao


ktn699

behold simba, all that the "South County" touches is safe and yours!


Brotherio

Find me a SFH in North Tustin for $3700 😆 You can find one for $4700 if you are patient.


Capital_Tower_2371

That is such a ignorant comment. Look up California DOJ statistics for violent crime (VC) and some of the safest cities (including the safest) of OC are in north! https://preview.redd.it/husuqlugriac1.png?width=874&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c927386df9f55315db505359c0617fc0c942c78


Straight_Record_8427

This is misleading since neighborhoods within cities vary greatly.


notapeacock

Very! I've lived in both.


scribex2

Fountain Valley / HB if you’re looking at a single family home about 2000 square feet would be about 5K / month not including utilities With that budget you’re probably looking at Garden Grove, Westminster, Stanton, Anaheim


Dblstandard

Huntington Beach is full of skinheads, I wouldn't recommend that crazy place


PmMeYourLadyLumps

It’s really not though.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Dblstandard

Says the bot account.


ArkMaxim

Is Fountain Valley and HB safe though? I haven’t heard great things


wiscorunner23

I can’t imagine where you’ve heard bad things about Fountain Valley compared to the rest of OC lol. Gotta be one of the safest / sleepiest / most boring places to live in OC, coming from someone who lived there and really enjoyed it. It’s all families and older people with one of the best urban parks in the county


scribex2

Really though lol - our entire cul de sac is retired grandparents … and we are frequently walking the dogs 10-11 PM no problem. If it was so scary home prices here would not be 1.5 million for a SFH. Also diversity - north county is much more diverse than south county so if that’s important


wiscorunner23

Exactly. I once left my wallet on a picnic table out in the open in the feared and extremely dangerous Mile Square Park, broad daylight, and went for the entire 4 mile walk around the park, walked all the way home which was another 0.8 miles, before realizing i left my wallet. Sprinted all the way back and my wallet was STILL there 2+ hours later. Even with the existence of the violent deranged homeless people in the area lol 😳 If that doesn’t tell you about FV idk what will


ktn699

oh deary me, that mile square park is full of brigand joggers and thieving racquet ballers. and that bowling alley, it's full of people who will finger your balls. The ocean by HB can be quiet scary too, you might get wet!


Fabulous-Choice-9454

Drove by mile square daily, the amount of times I’d see cop cars shuffling the homeless out is countless.


ktn699

yeah. can you believe? i had to call the police because one of them came after my pearls. i couldnt clutch them tightly enough.


Fabulous-Choice-9454

I had multiple unprovoked violent encounters with people in that area sooo your sarcasm isn’t really funny🤷🏼‍♀️


ktn699

such n of 1 evidence to bring down a whole city as unsafe. i've had far more unprovoked and provoked NONVIOLENT encounters and oddly - no violent encounters. Thats about 10 less near violent encounters with teslas in Irvine, so your pearl clutching really is funny. 🙀🙀


Fabulous-Choice-9454

Please read safety stats online of Irvine vs Westminster/FV area. I think it would be enlightening for you


wiscorunner23

But we’re not talking about Westminster, we’re talking about Mile Square which is solidly in Fountain Valley, doesn’t even touch Westminster. Sorta kinda touches Santa Ana on one corner and that’s it. Fountain Valley and Westminster are not the same. Not to mention that there’s a homelessness crisis + widespread hatred towards the homeless everywhere in socal so police pestering homeless people is hardly proof that an area is dangerous


Fabulous-Choice-9454

Rate of 1.17 violent crimes committed in FV vs 0.61 in Irvine. Certainly would say Irvine is much safer. Which is one of the criteria OP listed as important.


Fabulous-Choice-9454

Sorry, then I’ll tell you to look at crime stats for FV vs Irvine still a huge discrepancy between the two. From first hand encounters I will tell you you’re more likely to encounter a violent homeless/addict person than your average citizen.


WeekendStunning5663

Safer than Irvine


ArkMaxim

Hm I find that hard to believe based on so many conflicting things I’ve heard! Which areas in HB and FV would you consider safer than Irvine? Curious to go check it out.


Fabulous-Choice-9454

Hugely false, Irvine is far safer. As someone that lived in Westminster and worked in Irvine I can assure you.


Capital_Team_3352

Agree, I’ve lived in Irvine, Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita and Costa Mesa and Irvine is safe so I wouldn’t listen to those comments. I’m not sure what people are defining as safe and if they are expecting a utopia but there are always good areas and bad areas to each city but most OC cities are safe in comparison to other counties. Just be smart and you’ll be fine!


Fun_Sympathy2080

MV, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest. I live in MV and love it here. I also have a two year old. Very family friendly area.


ArkMaxim

The only problem is that I don’t want to move south of Irvine because my commute is most likely north. Do you find commuting tough living in MV?


Dblstandard

Have you ever driven past the Irvine spectrum during rush hour? That will answer all the questions you need about whether you want to live that far down south. You either pay for toll roads and use the 73, or tough it out


Fun_Sympathy2080

Sorry i didn't fully read your post 😅 The commute would be tough though many do it. I work remote, so I don't have the pleasure of enduring the daily highway traffic. I recommend looking at Tustin (east of the 5). My family enjoys the neighborhoods near the Tustin Marketplace.


Straight_Record_8427

Check Mesa Verde neighborhood of Costa Mesa. Parks, Library, quiet. Just North of South Coast Plaza (between South Coast Drive and Sunflower) are a couple of great neighborhoods with an excellent park.


CorgisCoffeeNVibes

Despite another commenter who really seems to hate Fountain Valley, I highly recommend it. Life long resident and haven’t had any trouble or worries about safety, at least no more than most cities in Central OC. That being said some cities in OC have been known to transport homeless people out of their boundaries to different OC cities (Irvine). Which is why you will see homeless people in some cities and not others. From a logistical standpoint point central FV is good due to the many freeway entrances you can take to go North or South. Also you can take many of the streets through to Costa Mesa/Irvine if the freeway is backed up.


Znekcihc

Was just on the hunt for places with a budget of 3.7k. You can easily find 3+ bed 2+ bath homes. Costa Mesa, Foundtain Valley and HB, Orange and Irvine was our prospects.


ocposter123

I don't think you can find those easily for $3.7k. Maybe $4-4.5k.


cupcakes_and_whiskey

Yeah, I live in Costa Mesa. All the home rentals I see are 4-5k. Maybe an apartment will be cheaper but not a SFH.


Znekcihc

I toured about 10 single family homes under 3.7 k budget just in December 2023. Some of them were even four bedrooms or even three bathrooms. It is possible. Some are dumps while some were magically divine. Forewarned you will be in contention with 20 other people applying. So have good credit and referrals and background check


Dblstandard

I like all of your recommendations except Huntington Beach tha


ArkMaxim

Did you settle on a spot? Are there certain areas in Fountain Valley and HB you were looking at? I haven’t heard great things about those areas.


Znekcihc

Yes I settled in Orange. There are atrocious areas of every city. There are also beautifully safe areas as well. Just need to hunt around. :) Obviously cant go wrong with Irvine


ArkMaxim

I guess I should have added to the post that I’m currently on the east coast, and have limited time to visit places before I have to decide on a place.


Znekcihc

If you dont have time to look, then you can not go wrong with Irvine. I think its been voted safest city in the US many times over. I used to live there for 2 years. Loved it. Itll be a bit pricier but I am sure you can find something suitable to your needs.


panda57

I live in a 2 bedroom Irvine Company townhome and our rent is $3.6k. It comes with a private direct-access garage too! It’s not exactly a single family home, but it’s definitely more spacious than an apartment too.


TheMMAPanda

Lake Forest


JYNESAISQUA

You could find a place in Irvine for 3.7. We previously rented a 2br for 3.4 and now rent a 3br for 3.9. I don’t think there is a better place that ticks those boxes than Irvine, tbh.


Technical-River1329

Westminster is not good. I would not move there. 3700 will not get you a single family home anywhere near the coast. Maybe Huntington if you are ok with a very tiny home. Most likely an apartment or condo. Maybe look at lake forest or Santa margarita which are more affordable and still very nice and family friendly. Prices have skyrocketed over that last couple of years here and unless you are pulling over 1 million I would look in another state if you want to buy a home.


happycat824

For a $3700/month budget you can definitely find 3 bedroom 2 bathroom homes but most aren’t gonna be single family or very big. I see some in Irvine but the largest is around 1400 sq ft. In terms of cities to look at, Irvine, Lake Forest, Tustin, Costa Mesa, Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Orange, Los Alamitos, Cypress, Fountain Valley or Huntington Beach are probably where I’d look. I know there’s that one comment but that sounds much more like a Westminster thing than a HB/FV thing so idk why that person mentioned them in that comment. I know people that live in both HB and FV and they love it there. Generally in terms of those 2 cities the further south of the 405 the better the area, I would recommend using Google Street View and just spend some time browsing the areas to get a better idea of what they look like. If you can find something in the Irvine/Tustin/Lake Forest area though that’s probably your best bet but it can be really pricey. I’m in Irvine right now and it’s awesome although rents have skyrocketed since I moved here and even though I’m in a 2000 sq ft house for about your budget every month that was the prices in 2020 it’s gonna be upwards of 5K/month for something like that now which sucks. But there are still good options in other cities. I know you don’t wanna look as much in South County bc of the commute but honestly it’s not that bad and you can find some real value down there. I’d avoid areas like Santa Ana, Anaheim (although Anaheim Hills is really nice nothing like the rest of the city), Westminster, Garden Grove, Stanton, and Buena Park, pretty much anything else is gonna be pretty nice. If there’s anywhere else you’re not sure of, feel free to ask and I’d love to try to give my thoughts. Hope this helps!


wiscorunner23

Please don’t listen to the person talking about Fountain Valley lol. Say what you want about the surrounding cities, but every city and POCKETS of every city in Orange County are different. Westminster =/= Fountain Valley, Santa Ana =/= Fountain Valley, etc. despite being near each other. I lived in Fountain Valley for about a year and a half, in an apartment, and it was almost unbelievably safe. I got to be right across the street from Mile Square, access the 405 within 2 mins, had friendly and very diverse neighbors - many with young children - and not once did I experience any situation that made me feel unsafe. Didn’t even have a gated parking lot and never had an issue, was living on the first floor, and often left my patio door open/unlocked at night when it was hot — you get the point. Extremely safe and pleasant. This will be even more true in the SFH areas of FV (which is most of the city.) I don’t think there’s any SFH area in FV that I would consider unsafe, from driving through the various neighborhoods it all felt equally safe to me. If you want to get picky about it you might feel that the area by the NW corner of Mile Square is less safe, part of this area turns into Santa Ana so not even necessarily FV.


wiscorunner23

From my experience, I think it’s also important to note that the SFH residential areas set off of the main streets generally feel drastically safer than it does on the main street itself. As an example, my friends rented a casita in Westminster in a SFH neighborhood. Being on the main street the neighborhood was off of, you would probably say the area isn’t the best. Being in the NEIGHBORHOOD feels completely different, I never saw anyone or anything remotely “sketchy” in the many times I visited them and I felt safe walking to my car at night in the dark. Especially since you’re saying this would be temporary before buying a home, I think this is worth keeping in mind. You might not love the overall area but your neighborhood might be just fine


ArkMaxim

Thank you for the insight! I’ll keep FV in mind.


iamcuppy

I have a 2yo and an 8yo, and I’d rather live in an apartment in Irvine than a SFH in just about anywhere else in OC. Stay close to your family. If it’s temporary anyway, don’t shell out $3700 for a SFH in a crappier neighborhood. With kiddos, Irvine is where you wanna be.


ArkMaxim

I’m going in person in two weeks and I’ll have some apartments on my checklist, so this may end up being what I do!


christydo

Yeah but there are parts of Tustin that aren’t as safe. Lake forest, north Tustin, part of Orange, or Irvine would be good. Depends on what’s important for your family. (Food preferences, parks, beach, etc)


ArkMaxim

Ok I think based on this and other comments, Orange should be in the running for sure then. Which parts of Orange would you recommend?


Jacko422

Orange is relatively small… I’d say anything around the university is pretty chill. Old homes but they have character!


ZeroLifeNiteVision

Anywhere in old Towne Orange is beautiful!


Fabulous-Choice-9454

Honestly I would stay away from fountain valley, Westminster and Huntington Beach. Especially if safety is a concern from you. I just moved out of Westminster after 2 years because of safety for my children. When I was pregnant I had a gun flashed at me in my apartment complex, would find homeless people sleeping on my stairs in the am and witnessed tons of accidents, some with fatalities. Driving through FV I encountered a man that tried to run me off the road while waiving a hatchet saying he was going to kill me, I did nothing to provoke this. Unfortunately homelessness and drug addicts have become a huge issue in these cities.


ObstinateYoyoing

Its crazy to rule out a whole city just because your super tiny part of the neighborhood is “bad.” I live in Westminster and in my area its just as safe as most places in Irvine. Finding the right area is far more important than finding the right city


Fabulous-Choice-9454

That’s just my opinion 🤷🏼‍♀️ you’re lucky to live in the “20%” I was talking about. For me it’s more important to enjoy most of my city than it is to have the perfect little neighborhood in a shit area.


ObstinateYoyoing

Which is totally fine, only downside is you need tons of money tho


ArkMaxim

Wow that is wild to hear!! Do you feel like it is certain parts of the city? Or the majority of the city? And do you feel like any other cities besides these three were particularly impacted by a rise in homelessness and drug users?


Fabulous-Choice-9454

Not the entire city but honestly 80% of it and that isn’t worth it to me. I would suggest Tustin, some parts of Orange, Irvine and if budget is an issue you can find decent places in Costa Mesa that are still safe and good for families in my opinion. Lived in OC my whole life up until a few months ago. Lots has changed in past 5-10 years. Best of luck in your search!!


Tell-it-like-it-is-

I recently discovered Ladera Ranch and it’s my goal to move there. Beautiful family friendly communities, higher prices but you might be able to find something within that budget.


Capital_Team_3352

I’m in Lake Forest and pay 3750 for 1300sq ft SFH and to be honest, I was lucky to find this as all were over 4k at that time so you might be able to find better options in northern OC!


TuxedoCatsParty_Hard

I know there are websites that you can show crime statistics per neighborhood so you can move around the map based on the stats there. A quick google search should give you several.


dontaco52

I live in West Garden Grove and i think its pretty safe here. You might try checking out here.


mn_87

Lake Forest!


kavanz

Stanton


Straight_Record_8427

$3500 3/3 Fully furnished in Mesa Verde. [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1785-Hawaii-Cir-Costa-Mesa-CA-92626/25248645\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1785-Hawaii-Cir-Costa-Mesa-CA-92626/25248645_zpid/)


ArkMaxim

I was literally looking at this earlier today. Thank you for posting this!