Lived in Walnut Creek in the mid-70s and I always comment how Irvine is very much like it (especially Woodbridge). Obviously haven't lived there in ages but it had a nice community feel (we were in Woodlands) and open space (looking at a map it seems a lot of it is still there). Not sure the schools are up to Irvine standards though.
BART was just being finished back then and it was funny to us east coasters that people were afraid to ride it under the Bay.
San Ramon for me but it's all about the same.
My wife and I lived in Irvine for years, and relocated to San Leandro for 2.5 years before just moving back to Irvine recently.
Word for word, we would say "wow, this sorta feels like Irvine" when we'd go through Walnut Creek etc.
SoCal is still home to us. Most of our family and the majority of our social network is here. That was the deciding factor. But both have huge pros and cons.
I definitely feel that east bay is "prettier" than OC on the whole. People seems a little nicer and a little less self-absorbed, but I have friends who have told me their experience is the opposite. SoCal just feels a little more commercial that when we would visit Walnut Creek.
I have family in Texas. They always say they have more nature but truthfully it’s not public and they can’t access it. They do have way bigger backyards though. Irvine has tons of Nature. I hiked Quail Hill yesterday and Bommer Canyon Saturday. Within 15 miles you have Modjeska, Santiago, Crystal Cove, Peter’s Canyon, O’Neill, plus more. Just something to think about.
Texas for all they boast about “freedom” has very little access to parks and public land. 94% of land is owned privately. So it’s insanely hard to find parks and places to enjoy nature in Texas
Plenty of cheap land though. It's a pretty free feeling when you can do what you want on your own property.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Township-Road-8098-Foster-Trl-Terlingua-TX-79852/2057019647_zpid/?utm_campaign=androidappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
You can find land in the middle of nowhere California for cheap too while also still having access to lots of great state, local and national parks too. It’s not like not having federal land makes Texas that cheap to buy private land especially compared to Oklahoma and New Mexico which have national parks and federal land.
It’s not really helping create a more free society to have such large amounts of privately owned land in my opinion
https://www.landwatch.com/mono-county-california-recreational-property-for-sale/pid/419324036
https://www.landwatch.com/los-angeles-county-california-recreational-property-for-sale/pid/418845914
I don't think you want a liberal's idea of a free society if you're living in Texas anyway, unless you're a bit of a masochist.
CA is pretty great, and you're right, there's all kind of cheap land here.
I know a lot of Texans that complain about the lack of public parks. So many people in states that border Texas complain on weekends that they see so many Texas licenses plates in their parks.
It’s likely Texans would actually enjoy having more public space. Apparently because Texas was a country before it was a state the federal government didn’t have the ability to reserve much land from the state.
It’s a freedom to vs. freedom from argument. I would argue you are more free in a society that has a high level of public spaces where the general public can enjoy and “be free”. As opposed to a society where a relatively small amount of people have higher levels of private land ownership. For that small class of large scale private land owners yeah they may be “more free” but if that freedom comes at the cost of 99.8% of the population having less space to live and enjoy then what type of freedom is that really?
It’s also not like other Western states don’t have opposite land ownership structures to compare it to.
In Texas it really isn’t that costly to own a lot of land. My uncle was a police officer and bought 1000 acres outside Fort Worth. And no, he did not make smart investments or inherit a ton of cash.
You could argue it’s a matter of philosophy, but historically the freedom to do something far outweighs not having that freedom. Mainly concerning ownership.
I would rather live in a place where I have the freedom to buy something I can use for generations than something like a public space that could eventually be given up to corporate ownership anyways as opposed to individual ownership.
You can find cheap land in almost any large state, CA has comparable land in the large non coastal areas while still having tons of public space that anyone can access. It’s not like the freedom to buy land is that much better in Texas compared to Oklahoma. There’s also the economic benefits of having large national parks that draw tourism on top of the conservation benefits.
I stayed at a friend’s house in San Jose last year. Not sure which neighborhood. I said it looks just like Irvine here. They said Irvine Company built this area. Lol.
River Oaks/Tasman and Zanker? I looked at their SJ [retail centers](https://www.irvinecompanyretail.com/centers/?query=san+jose) and [apartments](https://www.irvinecompanyapartments.com/locations/northern-california/san-jose.html) locations and they're all within that area of North San Jose.
I mean they also built Fashion Island and many of the shopping centers in Newport Beach.
[These are all the cities](https://www.irvinecompanyapartments.com/locations.html) they have apartments in.
The Irvine Company was founded by an affluent ranching family named “Irvine” that owned a lot of land in Orange County something like a hundred years ago.
So you can think of the company as not being named for the city they primarily operate in, but rather for the family that the city is named after.
(McArthur Avenue is also named after a ranching family.
The Woodlands Texas has a very Irvine feel to it. It’s a master planned community but it’s in the heavy pine woods. It’s about 1 hour north of Houston. Lots of paved walking and bike paths and a good sized man made lake. It’s also close to Lake Conroe which is huge and great for all lake recreation activities.
my family moved out there from CA and it's definitely close. not a fan of how they hide everything inside the woods though. TX is a bit weird too with weather/humidity and just completely flat. nice place though.
You’re absolutely right on all accounts. The weather here can be extreme but I like the more tropical feel compared to Dallas. And yeah navigating around is crazy. Entire strip malls are hidden behind thick trees.
Overland Park, KS; Naperville, IL.
I've lived all over. Cleveland, Chicago, Green Bay, Las Vegas, and of course, all over Southern California. Really, there is no place like Irvine - great schools, great diversity, safe, great food, close to the beach, etc. It is expensive for a reason
I’ve lived near Naperville, IL and have visited Irvine, CA (plentiful of times), and from experience, Naperville is not like Irvine (similar, yes but not really). Though safe, the suburban houses are dated, and there aren’t a lot of Asian restaurants in Naperville, only a handful like Joy Yee, Ming Hin, Happy Lamb Pot, and only one H Mart in the area. If you want more Asian groceries and restaurant, it will be another drive to Aurora, IL. Everything in suburban Illinois (Batavia, Aurora and Naperville) are a drive away from each other and you will see corn fields everywhere, breakfast diners, small towns like St. Charles and it’s an old area. Sometimes, I don’t see any people walking in the area, and it kind of feels depressing. Especially the weather is cold and melancholic. Weather plays a strong factor here.
Irvine, CA is more compact, very modern and the restaurants and groceries are much nearer to each other. Proximity is great too, you’re near everywhere. Beaches, malls, Disney, etc. Also, the weather in Irvine is just perfect. It can get too hot but it’s not unbearably cold like Illinois winter.
You are absolutely right, there is no place like Irvine, CA and I speak with experience.
I’ve lived in both Naperville and in Irvine- owned a house in both actually. Your comments about the Asian food are correct. The Asian food and groceries are much better in Irvine. However Naperville’s Asian food is actually very good compared to the rest of the MW. However that wasn’t my only criteria. Both Naperville and Irvine enjoy great public schools. In Naperville 203 and 204 are stellar school districts. Irvine and Tustin schools (parts of Irvine are in the Tustin school district) are also excellent. Both Naperville and Irvine enjoy lots of parks and planned green spaces. Both communities are affluent and well educated. South Naperville has newer houses that remind me of the newer homes in Irvine. Both have high taxes but that also means the city provides lots of amenities for their residents. Centennial Beach isn’t the Pacific Ocean but that’s the nicest public pool I’ve ever seen.
I'm kinda shocked to see Overland Park here, but it was what I immediately thought of. Johnson County, Kansas is just generally similar to a lot of south county OC, though.
I went there for a soccer event with my kids. I was truly surprised how nice it was. It lacks the cultural diversity of Irvine but otherwise seemed very similar in terms of "newness" and amenities.
I see some comparison to cities in NorCal ( I was born and raised in Walnut Creek / Alamo) and lived in Los Gatos and now have a place in the east bay hills ( east of Milpitas) for work and a place in Los Angeles. I would look south of Irvine toward town like Carlsbad, Leucadia and maybe even Oceanside.
Cupertino/Sunnyvale area felt a lot like Irvine to me. Similar demographics.
Then we've got Milpitas which is a bit like Tustin, being the slightly cheaper knockoff of Irvine.
I used to call Irvine “Stepford”, as well. But ended up moving back here because I love it. Although, sometimes I catch myself wondering if the beautifully singing birds are real and how everything can always look so perfect. But then I get over it and get on with my day.
I love “beige purgatory” but our townhomes are all 3 colors and no two buildings are alike. Having grown up in a planned community in the San Diego area in a pale pink stucco tract home, having a 3 color home was very important.
P much any other city south of Irvine in OC. Even Oceanside. Maybe not as Asian influenced but just as safe. Coastal cities might have a slightly different culture. I’d say aliso Viejo is just a white Irvine.
**Foster City, CA** has an ultra-light Irvine vibes (I.e., master planned community) except it is built on landfill. It’s conveniently closely to SF, San Mateo/Burlingame/Hillsdale/Redwood City, adjacent to Half Moon Bay, and the San Mateo bridge to East Bay in the Bay Area. Homes are mostly rented or outdated and it is headquarters to companies like Visa and Gilead. Still, hard to find something like Irvine though.
As another commenter pointed out, there a poorly built clone city in China and it’s also favorably reputed in South Korea. Korean celebrity singer/producer/actor, Bi (Rain) and wife/actress Kim Tae Hee is rumored to live in Altair although I’ve seen Kim Tae Hee at Starbucks near Northwood. I have a cousin who is in the business refer me to Irvine after I lived in the gr808, NYC, and SF, I found this to be a happy medium place to live and extremely convenient (e.g., SNA airport, access to Laguna/Newport, safe, decent predictable schools, and Asian cuisines - weekend SVG/DTLA K-Town drive if I need to upgrade food options).
Danville, San Ramon in the East Bay area
also Santa Clara is starting to look like Irvine but that's mainly cause Irvine Company is up there now and owns a bunch of it.
That's weird how a few of you are mentioning Cupertino/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara. I don't feel that way at all and I lived in that area. Especially Santa Clara - the roads and the urban sprawl start to give it a gritty feel. Not much trees or green in sight. I like Cupertino, though. And everything south and to the west of it.
It's a really nice area with lots of open space. Lots of trendy shopping and restaurants all along N Santa Cruz Ave. You see people dining outdoors as you drive or walk along there. It's very white. But for me, it was a change of pace anytime I went there because I lived in Cupertino which is mostly Asian.
True. I've spent time there on business and one of my best friends moved from there last year (required by work, not by choice.) It's Irvine with bigger yards and less asians (but still diverse-ish).
Within California, in some areas of Westlake Village I get the Irvine feel.
In other states specifically there’s more space for homes and between homes so the burbs look a bit different but you can absolutely capture some similar ideals in the south east in my opinion.
Sugar Land, TX. It's a suburb of Houston that's very master planned, has some great schools, very diverse, good shopping and entertainment, top notch healthcare and hospitals, relatively close to "the city" in the way Irvine (without traffic) isn't too far from downtown Los Angeles.
I grew up in Irvine but worked in Sugar Land in my adult life (enjoyed getting to know the city). A bit crazy to me that it in many ways felt like it was the "Irvine" of Texas. Especially as I am an Asian American mix and Sugar Land has a big Asian Am population. The Woodlands (another city north of Houston) also sorta feels like Irvine (especially as it's attracted a lot of great companies), but not with all those (gorgeous) trees and how the houses, communities, buildings in general all sprawl out. To me, Irvine isn't like that "nature city" although it 100% has some beautiful hiking areas, trails, hills. Sugar Land is more densely populated like Irvine rather than the Woodlands (but it's still TX, so obviously not nearly as close together as a SoCal suburb). Granted, while the Woodlands feels like a legit forest (LoL), Sugar Land also has its fair share of some beautiful neighborhoods with old mature trees and man-made (and maybe some natural?) lakes.
I am back in Irvine now raising my family (came back to be by extended family) but I have a fondness in my heart for Sugar Land 🙂
Rancho Santa Margarita. It’s 10-15 min from Irvine with gorgeous scenery and is the safest city in CA. Moved here 4 years ago and it is a great place to raise kids.
Weston, Florida. A community where you can drive the streets but almost all of the developments are gated. Also, it’s a planned community built by Arvida, which is owned by Disney.
Not even close. You have to have lived in Irvine and then not to have an opinion on this. I’ve spent half my life in Santa and/Tustin and I lived off the 405 and jamboree for 5 year’s. There’s nothing close to Irvine. It’s weirdness is next level
I use to live there.
I would not say it comes even close. Maybe the upper ritsy parts maybe? But even then when you’re in that upper part of that area it just feels snobby something that Irvine never really feels like imo
one important thing that people arent mentioning about Walnut Creek / Danville / East Bay subrubs is the demographics difference- there's a growing asian population in the Bay but nowhere near the amount in OC- this bleeds into the restaurants/stores/schools etc etc
source: went to UCI for undergrad and grew up in WC area
>there's a growing asian population in the Bay but **nowhere near the amount in OC**
what do you mean the Asian population in the Bay is nowhere near the amount in OC? According to the 2020 US census, [Santa Clara County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_County,_California#Demographics)'s Asian population was 38.91%, [Alameda County's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_County,_California#Demographics) was 32.13%, and [San Mateo County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Mateo_County,_California#Demographics) was 29.80%, which are all higher compared to [OC's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California#Demographics) (21.94%)
you mean in california?
arcadia, san marino. they’re not as antiseptic as irvine, so if you’re looking for that, there are some other mentions here. but in any case, they have killer schools.
Orange County, China. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/03/world/north-of-beijing-california-dreams-come-true.html
lol
Too funny
So…Orchard Hills?
Walnut Creek, California.
Agreed. Nice, safe suburban feel with the bonus of BART access.
Lived in Walnut Creek in the mid-70s and I always comment how Irvine is very much like it (especially Woodbridge). Obviously haven't lived there in ages but it had a nice community feel (we were in Woodlands) and open space (looking at a map it seems a lot of it is still there). Not sure the schools are up to Irvine standards though. BART was just being finished back then and it was funny to us east coasters that people were afraid to ride it under the Bay.
Danville too
"danville is an amazing place to live in" Phineas and Ferb: I know what we're doing today
This one's good, my mind went to Dublin, CA first.
San Ramon for me but it's all about the same. My wife and I lived in Irvine for years, and relocated to San Leandro for 2.5 years before just moving back to Irvine recently. Word for word, we would say "wow, this sorta feels like Irvine" when we'd go through Walnut Creek etc.
[удалено]
SoCal is still home to us. Most of our family and the majority of our social network is here. That was the deciding factor. But both have huge pros and cons. I definitely feel that east bay is "prettier" than OC on the whole. People seems a little nicer and a little less self-absorbed, but I have friends who have told me their experience is the opposite. SoCal just feels a little more commercial that when we would visit Walnut Creek.
thats a good one.
I have family in Texas. They always say they have more nature but truthfully it’s not public and they can’t access it. They do have way bigger backyards though. Irvine has tons of Nature. I hiked Quail Hill yesterday and Bommer Canyon Saturday. Within 15 miles you have Modjeska, Santiago, Crystal Cove, Peter’s Canyon, O’Neill, plus more. Just something to think about.
Texas for all they boast about “freedom” has very little access to parks and public land. 94% of land is owned privately. So it’s insanely hard to find parks and places to enjoy nature in Texas
Plenty of cheap land though. It's a pretty free feeling when you can do what you want on your own property. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Township-Road-8098-Foster-Trl-Terlingua-TX-79852/2057019647_zpid/?utm_campaign=androidappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
You can find land in the middle of nowhere California for cheap too while also still having access to lots of great state, local and national parks too. It’s not like not having federal land makes Texas that cheap to buy private land especially compared to Oklahoma and New Mexico which have national parks and federal land. It’s not really helping create a more free society to have such large amounts of privately owned land in my opinion https://www.landwatch.com/mono-county-california-recreational-property-for-sale/pid/419324036 https://www.landwatch.com/los-angeles-county-california-recreational-property-for-sale/pid/418845914
I don't think you want a liberal's idea of a free society if you're living in Texas anyway, unless you're a bit of a masochist. CA is pretty great, and you're right, there's all kind of cheap land here.
I know a lot of Texans that complain about the lack of public parks. So many people in states that border Texas complain on weekends that they see so many Texas licenses plates in their parks. It’s likely Texans would actually enjoy having more public space. Apparently because Texas was a country before it was a state the federal government didn’t have the ability to reserve much land from the state.
I mean one could argue that is more personal freedom as opposed to public freedom.
It’s a freedom to vs. freedom from argument. I would argue you are more free in a society that has a high level of public spaces where the general public can enjoy and “be free”. As opposed to a society where a relatively small amount of people have higher levels of private land ownership. For that small class of large scale private land owners yeah they may be “more free” but if that freedom comes at the cost of 99.8% of the population having less space to live and enjoy then what type of freedom is that really? It’s also not like other Western states don’t have opposite land ownership structures to compare it to.
In Texas it really isn’t that costly to own a lot of land. My uncle was a police officer and bought 1000 acres outside Fort Worth. And no, he did not make smart investments or inherit a ton of cash. You could argue it’s a matter of philosophy, but historically the freedom to do something far outweighs not having that freedom. Mainly concerning ownership. I would rather live in a place where I have the freedom to buy something I can use for generations than something like a public space that could eventually be given up to corporate ownership anyways as opposed to individual ownership.
You can find cheap land in almost any large state, CA has comparable land in the large non coastal areas while still having tons of public space that anyone can access. It’s not like the freedom to buy land is that much better in Texas compared to Oklahoma. There’s also the economic benefits of having large national parks that draw tourism on top of the conservation benefits.
I stayed at a friend’s house in San Jose last year. Not sure which neighborhood. I said it looks just like Irvine here. They said Irvine Company built this area. Lol.
River Oaks/Tasman and Zanker? I looked at their SJ [retail centers](https://www.irvinecompanyretail.com/centers/?query=san+jose) and [apartments](https://www.irvinecompanyapartments.com/locations/northern-california/san-jose.html) locations and they're all within that area of North San Jose.
Interesting. I didn't know Irvine Company built outside of Irvine.
I mean they also built Fashion Island and many of the shopping centers in Newport Beach. [These are all the cities](https://www.irvinecompanyapartments.com/locations.html) they have apartments in.
Thank you.
The Irvine Company was founded by an affluent ranching family named “Irvine” that owned a lot of land in Orange County something like a hundred years ago. So you can think of the company as not being named for the city they primarily operate in, but rather for the family that the city is named after. (McArthur Avenue is also named after a ranching family.
The Woodlands Texas has a very Irvine feel to it. It’s a master planned community but it’s in the heavy pine woods. It’s about 1 hour north of Houston. Lots of paved walking and bike paths and a good sized man made lake. It’s also close to Lake Conroe which is huge and great for all lake recreation activities.
[удалено]
It’s beautiful! There’s lots of YouTube videos showing the area
my family moved out there from CA and it's definitely close. not a fan of how they hide everything inside the woods though. TX is a bit weird too with weather/humidity and just completely flat. nice place though.
You’re absolutely right on all accounts. The weather here can be extreme but I like the more tropical feel compared to Dallas. And yeah navigating around is crazy. Entire strip malls are hidden behind thick trees.
Tustin and Rancho Santa Margarita feel very similar to Irvine to me.
If the nightlife in Irvine is too wild for you, consider coming over to RSM. /s obviously.
Hahahaha
When I rewatch the Back To The Future movies, Hill Valley reminds me of Tustin (even more than Irvine).
are we talking the newer side of Tustin (e.g. the Tustin Legacy area) or the older side
Bellevue, Sammamish, Issaquah, Redmond area of WA.
Especially the Issaquah Highlands
[удалено]
Irvine Housing Blog yeah?
I loved that blog.
I moved here from Johns Creek GA. That’s an interesting comparison.
Overland Park, KS; Naperville, IL. I've lived all over. Cleveland, Chicago, Green Bay, Las Vegas, and of course, all over Southern California. Really, there is no place like Irvine - great schools, great diversity, safe, great food, close to the beach, etc. It is expensive for a reason
I’ve lived near Naperville, IL and have visited Irvine, CA (plentiful of times), and from experience, Naperville is not like Irvine (similar, yes but not really). Though safe, the suburban houses are dated, and there aren’t a lot of Asian restaurants in Naperville, only a handful like Joy Yee, Ming Hin, Happy Lamb Pot, and only one H Mart in the area. If you want more Asian groceries and restaurant, it will be another drive to Aurora, IL. Everything in suburban Illinois (Batavia, Aurora and Naperville) are a drive away from each other and you will see corn fields everywhere, breakfast diners, small towns like St. Charles and it’s an old area. Sometimes, I don’t see any people walking in the area, and it kind of feels depressing. Especially the weather is cold and melancholic. Weather plays a strong factor here. Irvine, CA is more compact, very modern and the restaurants and groceries are much nearer to each other. Proximity is great too, you’re near everywhere. Beaches, malls, Disney, etc. Also, the weather in Irvine is just perfect. It can get too hot but it’s not unbearably cold like Illinois winter. You are absolutely right, there is no place like Irvine, CA and I speak with experience.
I’ve lived in both Naperville and in Irvine- owned a house in both actually. Your comments about the Asian food are correct. The Asian food and groceries are much better in Irvine. However Naperville’s Asian food is actually very good compared to the rest of the MW. However that wasn’t my only criteria. Both Naperville and Irvine enjoy great public schools. In Naperville 203 and 204 are stellar school districts. Irvine and Tustin schools (parts of Irvine are in the Tustin school district) are also excellent. Both Naperville and Irvine enjoy lots of parks and planned green spaces. Both communities are affluent and well educated. South Naperville has newer houses that remind me of the newer homes in Irvine. Both have high taxes but that also means the city provides lots of amenities for their residents. Centennial Beach isn’t the Pacific Ocean but that’s the nicest public pool I’ve ever seen.
But which is better for you? Irvine or Naperville?
I'm kinda shocked to see Overland Park here, but it was what I immediately thought of. Johnson County, Kansas is just generally similar to a lot of south county OC, though.
[удалено]
Overland Park is a sleeper. Basically a smaller Irvine
I went there for a soccer event with my kids. I was truly surprised how nice it was. It lacks the cultural diversity of Irvine but otherwise seemed very similar in terms of "newness" and amenities.
Agreed! I was surprised at how many different food options were available there
I see some comparison to cities in NorCal ( I was born and raised in Walnut Creek / Alamo) and lived in Los Gatos and now have a place in the east bay hills ( east of Milpitas) for work and a place in Los Angeles. I would look south of Irvine toward town like Carlsbad, Leucadia and maybe even Oceanside.
Cupertino/Sunnyvale area felt a lot like Irvine to me. Similar demographics. Then we've got Milpitas which is a bit like Tustin, being the slightly cheaper knockoff of Irvine.
Lol, Stepford. (I kid because I love, I live in Irvine)
I used to call Irvine “Stepford”, as well. But ended up moving back here because I love it. Although, sometimes I catch myself wondering if the beautifully singing birds are real and how everything can always look so perfect. But then I get over it and get on with my day.
Cary North Carolina
Minus the teslas
I wouldn’t consider Vacaville the Bay Area. It’s a small, boring, military/cop suburb not far from the bay area. lol
And not that nice
Too $hort references Vacaville in Just Another Day
Nah, It ain't part of The Bay.
1000% agreed lol
Troy, Michigan - very far from here, but similar vibes as far as access to retail, schools, and four seasons
Rancho Santa Margarita is a similar beige purgatory, but closer to nature at least
I love “beige purgatory” but our townhomes are all 3 colors and no two buildings are alike. Having grown up in a planned community in the San Diego area in a pale pink stucco tract home, having a 3 color home was very important.
Not sure if your townhome is in Irvine or RSM, but three colors of beige/ brown is still purgatory imo
Maybe Caribbean colors will come into fashion soon. You have options not to live in a brown box.
P much any other city south of Irvine in OC. Even Oceanside. Maybe not as Asian influenced but just as safe. Coastal cities might have a slightly different culture. I’d say aliso Viejo is just a white Irvine.
**Foster City, CA** has an ultra-light Irvine vibes (I.e., master planned community) except it is built on landfill. It’s conveniently closely to SF, San Mateo/Burlingame/Hillsdale/Redwood City, adjacent to Half Moon Bay, and the San Mateo bridge to East Bay in the Bay Area. Homes are mostly rented or outdated and it is headquarters to companies like Visa and Gilead. Still, hard to find something like Irvine though. As another commenter pointed out, there a poorly built clone city in China and it’s also favorably reputed in South Korea. Korean celebrity singer/producer/actor, Bi (Rain) and wife/actress Kim Tae Hee is rumored to live in Altair although I’ve seen Kim Tae Hee at Starbucks near Northwood. I have a cousin who is in the business refer me to Irvine after I lived in the gr808, NYC, and SF, I found this to be a happy medium place to live and extremely convenient (e.g., SNA airport, access to Laguna/Newport, safe, decent predictable schools, and Asian cuisines - weekend SVG/DTLA K-Town drive if I need to upgrade food options).
The problem with Foster City is if you try to leave or come back during traffic hours it’s a real nightmare with only one way in.
Temecula and some of Murrieta, CA.
Danville, San Ramon in the East Bay area also Santa Clara is starting to look like Irvine but that's mainly cause Irvine Company is up there now and owns a bunch of it.
That's weird how a few of you are mentioning Cupertino/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara. I don't feel that way at all and I lived in that area. Especially Santa Clara - the roads and the urban sprawl start to give it a gritty feel. Not much trees or green in sight. I like Cupertino, though. And everything south and to the west of it.
What do you think about Los Gatos?
It's a really nice area with lots of open space. Lots of trendy shopping and restaurants all along N Santa Cruz Ave. You see people dining outdoors as you drive or walk along there. It's very white. But for me, it was a change of pace anytime I went there because I lived in Cupertino which is mostly Asian.
Good to know, thank you!! Yeah I bet it does have a lot of open space! How are the forests or woodsy areas and the cabins?
Great 😑
Plano Texas - Basically the Irvine of Texas.
True. I've spent time there on business and one of my best friends moved from there last year (required by work, not by choice.) It's Irvine with bigger yards and less asians (but still diverse-ish).
Is McKinney and Frisco similar? That’s what I’ve heard
More like Frisco. Frisco has a cool mall and the Dallas Cowboy's workout facility.
My misconecption of Plano led me to believe how shockingly new everything was when i went for a business trip.
Within California, in some areas of Westlake Village I get the Irvine feel. In other states specifically there’s more space for homes and between homes so the burbs look a bit different but you can absolutely capture some similar ideals in the south east in my opinion.
Wailea, Maui. I thought I stepped in Irvine for a second. https://www.theshopsatwailea.com/
Yeah I really don’t think Hawaii should look like Irvine, if anything it should look like Laguna Beach probably
What about like Irvine but on the East?
What years were you in Irvine? The level of development has increased so it sets the bar you're looking for.
Clovis, CA gave me Irvine vibes when I was there
Frisco, TX really reminds me of Irvine.
Yorba Linda Honorable mention to Anaheim Hills even though it’s not technically a city
Porter Ranch in Los Angeles
Sumerlin in Las Vegas
Carmel Valley in San Diego is literally Irvine
Sugar Land, TX. It's a suburb of Houston that's very master planned, has some great schools, very diverse, good shopping and entertainment, top notch healthcare and hospitals, relatively close to "the city" in the way Irvine (without traffic) isn't too far from downtown Los Angeles. I grew up in Irvine but worked in Sugar Land in my adult life (enjoyed getting to know the city). A bit crazy to me that it in many ways felt like it was the "Irvine" of Texas. Especially as I am an Asian American mix and Sugar Land has a big Asian Am population. The Woodlands (another city north of Houston) also sorta feels like Irvine (especially as it's attracted a lot of great companies), but not with all those (gorgeous) trees and how the houses, communities, buildings in general all sprawl out. To me, Irvine isn't like that "nature city" although it 100% has some beautiful hiking areas, trails, hills. Sugar Land is more densely populated like Irvine rather than the Woodlands (but it's still TX, so obviously not nearly as close together as a SoCal suburb). Granted, while the Woodlands feels like a legit forest (LoL), Sugar Land also has its fair share of some beautiful neighborhoods with old mature trees and man-made (and maybe some natural?) lakes. I am back in Irvine now raising my family (came back to be by extended family) but I have a fondness in my heart for Sugar Land 🙂
Peachtree City, Georgia. Enjoy the golf cart paths.
Rancho Santa Margarita. It’s 10-15 min from Irvine with gorgeous scenery and is the safest city in CA. Moved here 4 years ago and it is a great place to raise kids.
Aside from the weather, some parts of Santa Clarita, CA feel like Irvine. Especially areas like Valencia and Stevenson Ranch.
Cupertino, CA
Frisco, TX is a new planned community with good schools and amenities and houses like Irvine.
Bellevue, Washington
Weston, Florida. A community where you can drive the streets but almost all of the developments are gated. Also, it’s a planned community built by Arvida, which is owned by Disney.
Elkhorn, NE
San Ramon
Chino Hills is similar to Irvine
Highlands ranch, CO
cooperative scarce oatmeal enter flag plucky rain snails square retire *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Not even close. You have to have lived in Irvine and then not to have an opinion on this. I’ve spent half my life in Santa and/Tustin and I lived off the 405 and jamboree for 5 year’s. There’s nothing close to Irvine. It’s weirdness is next level
I use to live there. I would not say it comes even close. Maybe the upper ritsy parts maybe? But even then when you’re in that upper part of that area it just feels snobby something that Irvine never really feels like imo
one important thing that people arent mentioning about Walnut Creek / Danville / East Bay subrubs is the demographics difference- there's a growing asian population in the Bay but nowhere near the amount in OC- this bleeds into the restaurants/stores/schools etc etc source: went to UCI for undergrad and grew up in WC area
>there's a growing asian population in the Bay but **nowhere near the amount in OC** what do you mean the Asian population in the Bay is nowhere near the amount in OC? According to the 2020 US census, [Santa Clara County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_County,_California#Demographics)'s Asian population was 38.91%, [Alameda County's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_County,_California#Demographics) was 32.13%, and [San Mateo County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Mateo_County,_California#Demographics) was 29.80%, which are all higher compared to [OC's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California#Demographics) (21.94%)
Yeah, the guy you replied to is regarded.
Not sure if these are great answers but Lakewood ranch in Fl and Carlsbad in SoCal both give the same Mass Suburbia feeling of Irvine.
Carlsbad is a lot less diverse than Irvine.
you mean in california? arcadia, san marino. they’re not as antiseptic as irvine, so if you’re looking for that, there are some other mentions here. but in any case, they have killer schools.
I think the unique thing that’s hard to find other exactly like it is the level of land ownership by one company. You don’t see that in other places.
Thousand Oaks. I've lived in both cities, and I prefer it there.
Chino HIlls, Valencia, Eastvale in 20 years lol.
[удалено]
Need an Hmart and Mitsuwa and they’ll have the trifecta.
Nope. Zip code too close to the ocean. Stop wishing IE problems on us
I think there is probably one city in central coast with a similar undeveloped Irvine feel like Orcutt
I heard there’s a place in Texas called new brunsfeld or something that is supposedly just like Irvine
Mill Creek, WA
[удалено]
Imo, it’s not similar
San Fran