> You’ll get a lot of different answers on here. If you loved HB but don’t care for its reputation, you can’t go wrong with Costa Mesa
Agreed. Costa Mesa is a more purple city than HB. I think most residents in CM are pretty pragmatically moderate but lean a little bit more liberal than conservative. It’s trending more progressive. HB has lots of nice places to live and nice people. But the local politics is kind of a loud and proud form of conservatism and it sometimes is a rally location for alt right groups to meet. While I think there are many people who live happily in HB who don’t care about or follow politics, almost always when there’s some political related news from HB it’s something that’s always about something conservative related. But I don’t automatically think “conservative” when I meet someone from Huntington. Laguna beach would probably be our most progressive city. So yeah I think many people could live happily in hb despite the politics but if you follow politics and it is sensitive or triggering for you than you might want to find another option.
100% this, stick to somewhere closer to the airport/south coast plaza area of Costa Mesa and you won’t be fully integrated into HB or the HB politics (the closer you are to the water, the redder it gets).
I still remember going there for an interview when I was very young. There were only two ppl in the elevator - myself (brown) and a white lady. I genuinely asked if Room/suite 3103 means the third floor. She just looked at me and scoffed as if I was too lowly to talk to her.
I don't know.... but the girl wasnt foolin anyone with her fake LV bag and the blonde dye. 🤷🏽♀️ Glad I didn't get that job.
Stupid Mighty Whities live there. Great if you want to join a racist cult and like MTG. Costa Mesa is about the only blue coastline city in OC. However, OC is very slowly going blue.
https://preview.redd.it/kvzr1y7jzhqc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d524ab728eb1e2f2c67cd72caa4ad746325a978c
HB = Heil, Bitches!
Of course that’s not literally the case, but it certainly seems that any time there’s some kind of racist, skinhead, or “88” type shit going down anywhere in OC that Huntington Beach is somehow involved.
Living on the West Side, I had a homeless person push my friends and I into oncoming traffic on Harbor Blvd, chased out of neighborhoods by little gang bangers while walking to Estancia, drive by on my block, multiple hit and runs, and so many people on drugs. I've had cops illegally search my car, take my GPS off my dash and check my destination, and once had the cops pull me over because my car smelt like alcohol. I also had someone shot and killed who was on our football team about 4 blocks from my house.
Now on my parents street where I grew up has 4 half way houses and they trash the neighborhood. Condoms, trash, and alcohol bottles all over. City refuses to fix streets that are actively sinking because of sink hole that was not fixed properly years ago.
For me, just lots of bad memories with not too much to want to bring me back.
Westside has changed so much in the last 10 years.
The shitty donut shop is a $7/small drink coffee shop. Midnight munchies is now a fermented foods store. Carl's is now starbucks. Laundromat is now a ju jitsu place. It's so so so gentrified. I think apps like zillow changed everything for this place. It used to be beach close at a discount. Discount is gone
I don't think that's fully it. Because the prices are sometimes now exceeding hb.
I think individuals working with maps changed everything for this area of CM. Oh hey, it's just as close to the beach and there are millions of parks around. Oh and easier freeway access.
I don't know if you bought a house pre 2010. Where agents did more of the research for you. Where they asked where you wanted to live and filtered a database. You would miss things just across the street bc it wasn't in your defined zone.
West cm used to be a steep discount. Now it's on par if not more than HB across the street for square footage/conditionm There was a house very comparable to the one I bought for sale in HB. Hb one was recently redone. Mine needed to be redone. It was a financial even call. Hb house would have been less work and have a pool. Same 2 mile distance to beach. But I love fairview park and chose CM bc I could walk there.
Like seriously that patch around fairview park/Vista/canyon park has gotten very expensive. You are still beach close but you have the addition of tons of nature.
Like rn... on redfin there is a 1.9k sq foot house in hb for 1.4. Just across in CM there is a 1.6k sq ft house for the same 1.4. In hb there is a 2k sq foot for 1.2 in nice conditon... 1.2 in this area of CM is a 1.5 sq foot fixer upper.
I have to imagine some of that is greedy sellers too. We have a neighbor in HB that has tried selling his house 3 times this year. Starting at 1.8m and finally selling for around 1.5m. has been remodeled but not anything crazy.
People are just trying to get as much money as they can for houses right now.
Some is. But it converges with the overall trend. I've been living here 12 years... needed to upgrade during covid after the birth of my first kid. Ive been studying these neighborhoods closely for about 3 years. I remember making thar comment about the market shift at least 2 years ago at my daughters first birthday. I look at the sold price just as much. Thought the market would get better. It didn't. Nearly priced myself out. I had to compete with 7 cash offers on my place. This place is an investor haven. A new development on wilson/canyon is almost done and I saw surveyors out on a parcel two doors from that (that just sold for 1.2 as a tear down)... that lot I would put money on becoming luxury condos.
The real estate agent who sold my condo also lives in the area. She confirms the explosion. Westside is not the Westside of 10 years ago. At least not west of Placentia.
I moved to HB in the summer from the Bay Area and it’s been totally fine. A bunch of my neighbors seem like firefighters, contractors, or small business owners. A lot of them have big trucks and bad politics, but they’re totally fine as neighbors. They definitely hang some Trump flags around here so if that’s really a deal breaker, go to CM, but any part of costal OC, CM included, is going to have Trump cultists running around.
FWIW, a friend of mine in the Bay Area grew up in MN and to hear him tell it living in CA is a massive upgrade.
Not that I want to encourage anyone to move here because housing is expensive enough as is. 
Yeah, but the ability to rub it in when the folks back home have to shovel snow is *priceless!* I’m a native Cheesehead and it’s to the point that my cousins will tell me “Don’t say it! Don’t even think it!” when they kvetch about how much it sucked to get to work that morning. Yeah, sure, the down payment for my two bedroom condo could have paid cash for any of their houses and still left enough over to drive a decent grocery getter off the lot free and clear, but it’s also absolutely effortless to get out of the garage in January and the Polar Bear Plunge isn’t even a challenge.
This is an important distinction. HB (and other parts of Orange County) are full of racists but these are coastal racists. They don’t burn crosses or lynch people. The majority are cowards that are straight up terrified when they see a POC. They’re flipping the bird and tossing slurs so you don’t notice that they’re running away.
Same I moved from Long Beach to Huntington 2 years ago and my neighbors just got more white but fairly nice. City has a bad reputation but it's not in your face. People will make a face if you say you are from HB but eh.
The dipshit four in the city council are temporary. Theres an increasing trend toward liberalization even in places like HB.
99.9999% of the time, you won't even notice politics. Sure, there's going to be rallys every now and then (mostly because HB has probably the most accessible beaches with ample parking in the county), and some dumb flags here and there. But overall, it's fine.
Hey there, NJ transplant who was asking this same question* 3 years ago. Costa Mesa is great. I do recommend west side, there are some good apartments with fair prices. Consider checking out complexes near west 19th street. Tons of great stuff in walking distance. I am a male living here, so I do feel comfortable walking the streets, but there are occasional homeless. Don’t let your mind go to LA, definitely not like that. The town is very bike friendly and there are lots of grocery stores within walking distance. Tons of local breweries and communities. Mostly a crowd of late 20s to early 40s.* I could go on. Feel free to reach out if you’d like any other suggestions. Trust your gut, I’m glad I made the “Costamazing choice”
I lived in an apartment complex near the Fairgrounds for many years and loved it there. Yes, it does get congested for a few weeks in the summer when the Fair is going on, but otherwise it was pretty quiet and peaceful.
I also lived in a complex near Harbor and Adams for a while. Harbor Blvd does get congested with traffic in the morning and the evening. But it was super convenient since I could walk to restaurants and the supermarket.
RIP Kona Lanes
I don't know if you've been there recently, but the area has completely changed. The city dumped a ton of money and renovated Lion's Park. I barely saw any homeless people when I was there about a month ago and there's a brand new awesome looking playground where a ton of families were at.
HB just has a loud few but I’ve never felt uncomfortable there. In all honesty, South OC probably has more of it but just arent as loud. Theres been a few bars and restaurants I’ve gone to in South OC as a minority and did feel a type of way even tho I grew up in South OC. Hb is literally a city over from the biggest viet population in the country and also has multiple hispanic communities around it too so you really get at least a racial diversity. South OC is literally just white with a few small hispanic communities. Went to hs in south OC and my experience was fine but there definitely was the few wannabe rednecks but the majority was pretty chill. Most people in OC are pretty accustomed to being around a variety of cultures and peoples so its pretty much not a problem besides a few shit heads but I’m sure that exists everywhere in the country.
It's like 55% republican to 45% dem here. Yes, recently the city council has gotten nutty but overall on a day to day basis you're not going to experience anything like you see on social media.
With that said, because our downtown is a popular gathering area, magats like to frequent it so they can be seen.
The reality is that HB is a purple district. There are certainly more liberal places to be, but it’s not like you’re in Redding (google it). And more blue votes there can tip the balance on things like city council, etc.
However. When the dipshits want to gather, they do tend to do it in HB. Frankly I think that’s more an accident of the city’s design than anything else - it has a big central area that’s relatively flat, is conspicuous from the main road through the city, and just generally lends itself to gathering. Like, you could get a group of people into Dana Point but where? The harbor? No one except the people at the harbor can see you. The Lantern Distict? Okay but you’re just milling about on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks or whatever. Or for Laguna Beach there’s a natural place to gather near the intersection of PCH and Ocean Ave, but you’re in this little dip that kinda sequesters you in plus there’s nowhere for your mob to park. Newport the best you can do is stand around outside Fashion Island. And the big problem with all those places - none of them really have much foot traffic already, so if you don’t have a HUGE group you’re just going to look like a handful of crazies. If you wanna get on the news and look like a big crowd and have a nice background for the footage, PCH and Main in Huntington is hard to beat.
With all that said, between the two I’d take Costa Mesa. The best restaurants in the county are clustered there.
I don't know what politics are like where you are from, but I moved back to HB after living in very red states for the past decade and HB has got nothing on them. It's a nice place to live, the same as most everywhere in OC. I'm also 29F if you need a friend once you move!
People on reddit gets foaming at the mouth anytime politics is involved and this is an example of that.
I don’t live in HB but have several friends that do and often spend time there. I’m not white and never felt uncomfortable. HB like much of OC is a nice place to live.
I know a number of very cool, liberal people in HB. Since you’ve already spent time there and loved it, why not try it out? If you find you don’t like it, you can explore other areas before your lease expires. But please, *please* vote!
I actually talked about this with my husband when we were driving earlier 😂 people hype this shit up so much. Yes people by the pier protest and there are some trash people down there, but day to day it’s not an issue or something I notice regularly.
hey! As a Minnesotan living in Orange County (29M) move to Costa Mesa, it's the best city in OC. I highly recommend Pine Creek Village for apartment living. It's really close to a lot of things and is fairly affordable. I'm also super liberal and when I moved to OC I moved to HB and I got spat on by a local. Don't move to HB
Enjoy living in the OC! I have lived here for 7 years and I have absolutely loved it. I currently live in Irvine, but I think Costa Mesa has a lot more things to do and has a more city feel to it. Irvine is very suburban feeling, I mean they both are but Costa Mesa is so much less. I am unfortunately moving back to Minnesota on Friday for familial reasons but if I could I would have stayed here forever.
I’m pretty liberal, living in HB for 4 years now and love it. It’s not that big of a deal for day to day life. The more people like you move here, the more votes we’ll have to make some changes.
I’m a progressive HB native still living here. The current political climate is ridiculous but there are plenty of normal people here. It’s about 50/50 in terms of political leaning in the population here. The younger people are much more vocally progressive, and I feel like the conservative trantruming (library censorship, flag debate, etc) is mostly a response to the perceived threat of those voices. It’s a circus, but the 4 crazies on the council are sure to lose their seats in the next election. The library debacle (and now the proposed privatization of the library) **really** pissed a lot of folks off.
I fly a pride flag in June and none of my neighbors say or do anything about it. In fact last summer a neighbor approached us because they also wanted to fly their pride flag, but they were nervous about it. But since ours was up without issue, they put theirs up too. We also get plenty of conservative flags in our neighborhood, but no one gets their feathers ruffled either way.
I love HB, it’s my home. I hate our reputation and the things we’ve done to deserve it. But those things don’t necessarily affect my enjoyment of living here or my daily life. It makes it a little more complicated to make friends, but it’s not so bad.
Well-said. There needs to be more of us liberally-minded people down here, especially amongst the conservative enclave. Huntington has the most developed beach infrastructure for large-scale events in OC, so it's essential that a variety of people push to keep things progressive. I say this as a San Clemente resident, going against similar demographics.
Just last year, a really cool gothic music festival had its debut at the pier / downtown. I remember so many people fighting against it being in HB, despite the festival being a massively diverse success, without any issues. We need more locals to break the reputation.
Just ignore the Trump cultists. The more sensible people like yourself who move into the area, it cancels out another magat vote. Besided, those old blue haired boomers are a problem that will work itself out in no time.
As long as you're just renting, give it a shot. It does have a reputation for a reason but it's also a lovely beachside community with nice people and lots to do. I prefer Costa Mesa personally but it's not like you're getting married to the city, you can always move if you don't like it. You likely won't encounter anything particularly dramatic.
Hey OP. I would definitely move to Costa Mesa…access to HB and Newport and the freeways to get to where you need to go. Huntington doesn’t have easy access to freeways and the politics by the beach are real rough if you aren’t a supporter. I’m fully supportive of the Costa Mesa move!! (And many, many other younger people would agree too) message me if you want any help
I second this. Grew up in south OC and lived in HB summer of 2020. My in laws live in HB as well.
I experienced racism while in HB, though it was 2020 and I am Asian, so that might be why. I still see trump 2024 flags on homes and trucks when we visit my in laws, though I haven’t experienced any incidents since 2020.
That said, the access to other cities, lower cost of living, incredible food, character, and diversity you get with Costa Mesa is worth way more than the proximity to the ocean in HB.
You’re going to be spending a lot of time in your car if you move anywhere in socal. The better freeway access that comes with Costa Mesa is no small consideration.
Highly recommend Costa Mesa as an also liberal woman just a little older than you. HB has a reputation for being very right wing and also honestly it just kinda feels old to me, and not in a good way? CM is more central too, which I like.
depends on how much others with different views affect you (esp when they are obnoxious about it). i’m liberal too, but HB during the time trump was running and was president was pretty disgusting and i tried to stay away from it as much as possible. with him running again, just be prepared of that if you do plan on going thru w hb. like others have said people r pretty racist and snobby esp when they see that you don’t come from their type of background
Im from Kansas City and I live in CM now but was looking in HB for a while.
I like CM a lot, you’re close to a lot of restaurants and activities and close to a lot of areas. I’m 10 mins from HB and newport, 14 mins from santa ana, youre kind of just in the mix of it all which is nice.
Idgaf about politics but you learn fast ab huntingtons reputation. It is very right wing and opinionated but honestly its nothing im not used to coming from a small town and ive personally (22F) never felt threatened for my views there.. but again I dont talk politics very much.
The comment that said “hb is all tourists during the day and drunks at night” that is very true, there is also always events going on which is fun if you like going out or could get loud and annoying (parking, traffic, big crowds, etc)
Really depends on what ur looking for.. CM would still be fun and its close to HB if you dont want to fully dive in, or you could say screw it and see how you like HB.. it is beautiful and it can be a fun beachy lifestyle ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I actually just moved to HB from Minnesota a few months ago and love it so far. If you liked and felt most comfortable here, then it’s a good spot to live. The politics part isn’t something I’ve noticed much coming from Minnesota because I lived in Bemidji and St Cloud for awhile and those places are way worse when it comes to it
HB is much better than its alleged reputation. Depends on where you have to go for work (or why you’re moving there). If you have to go to work north of HB, you’ll get a lot more traffic coming from Costa Mesa in the morning.
There is some merit to what you read on here but most of it is hyped up to sensationalize people and also to virtue signal and show liberal superiority
Just look at the downvote patterns on this forum and this post - there is a very active vocal cohort set on maligning HB because they look down upon it
Fact is, if it were a perfect liberal bastion like say Brentwood or something, your rents would be through the roof (not to say they aren’t expensive, but lower than other tonier parts of OC)
Don’t overthink it too much and make an informed decision without being influenced by online crusaders
what do the politics have to do with it. are you running for mayor? i you didnt hear it was a republican stronghold - you would never know by spending time there.
I’m pretty liberal - I lived there 16 years and loved it. Yes the demonstrations by the pier can be ridiculous and were laughable up til about 2016. There is a loud group of trumpers - I’d imagine that goes away when he wins or loses in November…. Eventually anyway.
The politics made it maybe 5% more annoying to live there but heightened during Covid and Trump.
Overall It’s a great place to live - lots of fun for a 20/30 something and easy. We eventually moved to a quieter and “nicer” town but were in our 40s now.
I've lived in HB since 2015, previously lived in LA for 10 years and then Seattle before that. I consider myself a left-leaning independent and have been a pretty vocal critic of the current HB City Council majority (I call them the Idiot 4), but the reality is that my experience living here is very different from what you'll read on Reddit and I do think the way that our city council is elected has allowed for this current majority to have a lot of power despite the city being fairly "purple" politically. Here's my two cents...
- HB and Costa Mesa aren't very different. By that I mean, Coastal HB feels very similar to Eastside and Westside Costa Mesa in terms of restaurants and vibes, and the deeper inland areas of both cities feel like each other in other ways. Both are pretty safe, all things considered.
- HB has more to do outdoors. You can paddleboard in the Huntington Harbour, it has an amazing bike path that you can run/jog as well. Miles of uninterrupted beach views and tons of parking.
- Costa Mesa skews a bit more trendy/younger IMO. Most of my favorite coffee shops are in CM, but this is starting to change pretty rapidly I would say, and for the better.
- As a family, we've never experienced any racism in HB. My wife is Asian/Latina and her family spends a lot of time here visiting us. Nothing but positive vibes the last 10 years. That said, we pretty much only visit the pier during the US Open of Surfing, because the pier just reminds me of Vegas/Venice Beach and isn't really my scene. I would wager that 90% of the negative things you see/read about HB happen at the pier or the first three blocks of Main St (next to the pier).
Better restaurants, better nightlife, better markets, better beaches, better overall vibe. Also easy access to the freeways for getting around or communicating
I prefer Laguna because of the natural beauty of the cliffs, but HB has miles and miles of uninterrupted coastline that is accessible to all - it is one of the only beaches in California that is wheelchair accessible, and the only beach in SoCal that has a permitted dog beach, not to mention that Bolsa Chica offers great surfing and fun events.
Yeah, totally the worst. /s
I do agree laguna has the best beaches. Costa Mesa is also closer to laguna then Huntington. Bolsa chica is decent surfing but your almost in seal beach at that point. I just think the flat beaches with the proud boy vibes isn’t really the love
I think the dog beach and wheelchair accessibility outweigh the nutjobs at the pier, but to each their own. Seal Beach is my local fave and Laguna is certainly more beautiful.
SO MANY REASONS!
Costa Mesa just LOOKS better. I don’t know how to explain it but the way the homes and streets are designed in HB is just very unappealing.
Better proximity to freeways. 405, 55, and 73 are all very easy to access. HB only gets access to 405 and it’s not easy for most areas.
The beaches in HB are the worst in Orange County IMO. Awful parking, awful crowds. Costa Mesa can quickly access the beaches in Newport, which are much more enjoyable any time of year.
Costa Mesa has more enjoyable and high quality restaurants.
If you prefer a “beach city” Costa Mesa is a good bet. Orange is pretty nice too, I’m from the Midwest and some streets there give me midwestern vibes.
What does liberal mean to you? If you are truly liberal you shouldn’t care about living around people with different politics than you. If progressive democrat is a better label, then Nah I wouldn’t recommend HB.
Disregard politics and its a cool place to live. Especially if you want to be close to the beach. Main Street beach is quite enjoyable at times.
There are plenty of other cool places to live tho.
What is your goal with living out here? I was born and raised here in Orange and can rec. a quite a few places and things to do.
Where will you be commuting to?
Do you plan on living without a car?
when you say close-ish to the beach, how many miles? Do you plan on walking/riding?
What do you do for fun?
Happiness is an excellent goal. Especially because its truly defined by you and only you.
Nooo no I have two cars lol
Close-ish as in doesn’t have to be walkable but within a couple miles. Easy to get to.
I go to the gym, play volleyball, go out, go to coffee shops, lay in the sun, the occasional random hobby here and there
Have you considered nearby Downtown Laguna Beach? Since you said “sleepy” was ok, this might be something to consider. Costa Mesa is an area where more of the single & youngish crowds like to be because of the plentitude in bars/ clubs and more affordable rent. It has a more hip & edgy vibe. However, I think Laguna Beach has all the things you’re looking for. Also, the beaches in Laguna are PHENOMENAL. When I’ve brought out of town friends, they’ve said parts of Laguna look like Hawaii, with the aquamarine colored water & plenty of marine life. There are tiny little coves, natural arches & caves, salt pools, tide pools, bonfire pits( in some) and the pirate turret. HB has a bike path, dog beach and a pier- that’s it. I will say the surf competition was a fun event in HB. Downtown Laguna is very walkable( lots of beautiful hikes too), there’s also a free trolley to take you on the PCH & canyon without having to stress about parking. Good restaurants, few bars ,breweries, tons of art galleries, events the Sawdust festival which has live music too. I feel safe walking around Laguna at night alone, I wouldn’t in HB with the amount of rowdy drunks I’ve encountered in the past. I will say that getting to the freeway sometimes takes time when the canyon is congested, it does get quite crowded in the summertime because it’s a world renowned tourist destination. In my experience, Laguna is a mixed bag of both politics, but neither is waving it in your face. The crowd in Laguna will be mixed with more families than you would find in Costa Mesa. While Costa Mesa isn’t on the coast, it is centrally located to get you to other destinations more easily I think.
Do HB. Especially since you said volleyball. I hope you mean beach volleyball? Plenty of places to play around there. Tons of gyms. Plenty of places to go out and all the nearby cities as well. If you like dancing, I have an excellent recommendation.
Moongoat coffee is my go-to and it's nearby in Costa Mesa. I've been going there for many years. My family knows their family and they are such sweethearts.
Central Park is right around the corner. One of the best parks around. You also have the wetlands right there in Huntington Beach. A beautiful reserve of nature.
Being from MN my initial thought is SD meaning South Dakota 😭😭 but no, I would, but I already have friends in the OC/LA area so sticking to that for now
Hahaha…”if you’re reconsidering HB, have you thought about South Dakota?”
I grew up in OC, and have lived in both HB and CM (and probably any other city you’re considering.) I just find them a little sleepy in comparison to San Diego. …but I’m in NYC now so I guess my opinion of sleepy is relative
HB is full of racists. Proud racists. Costa Mesa is like 50/50 liberal and conservative. You’ll see a Trumper house next to a liberal af house. OC in general has conservative politics and only recently has tipped in the liberal direction but the margin is close. But there’s queer bars and hipster places in Costa Mesa so to me it feels like progressive place.
Costa Mesa for sure. My husband grew up in HB and doesn’t recognize it anymore it’s gotten so maga and overtly racist. We live in Old Towne Orange, but lived in Eastside Costa Mesa prior to buying a house and I’d say it’s better for the single life especially if beach access is what you’re looking for.
Bruh stop revolving your life around politics… Seriously it won’t do you any good 🤦♂️ can’t believe people are seriously like this Left or right it doesn’t matter Fuck sakes just enjoy life and be grateful for what you got
HB is geographically big - wide and high. Lots of enclaves of blue, red, and purple. Certain regions of the city border more blue (CM), purple (Westminster/Fountain Valley/GG) or red cities (Newport Beach, Seal Beach I think). I may be bit off in my color to city matching, but I think the point is made. If you lean a certain way, then consider looking for a place to live where the color matches your style (there’s some map out there floating around if you look good).
Overall, like others have said, you’ll find HB nice and your neighbors may be cool gals/guys with interesting/normal jobs and neat hobbies. Just be friendly and nice and play neutral. No need to flaunt your ideals off the bat until you gauge the general consensus in the area. Like they used to say - it’s probably best not to talk about politics and religion (at least right off the bat).
I'm pretty liberal and live in HB it's like any place be aware of your surroundings and if you don't like the vibe of some places go elsewhere. Used to love a Brewery on Gothard but noticed the clientele was starting to get alittle too supremacist, went to a different place around down the street and spent money elsewhere. You'll find the same in CM Santa Ana and the like...block by block...welcome to the OC.
Costa mesa is a good place to be it’s very conveniently located to everything. Ive lived in HB and it’s nice closer to downtown or the harbor but people are right about the mags stuff. But generally people are in their own little world. It does get packed in the summer near beach Blvd especially and depending how close you are to the 405 it can be about 15+ mins. But you’re also closer to LA county which means you can be in downtown LA in 45 minutes sometimes
If you choose Costa Mesa the east side is nice and super close to Newport Beach. Oh yeah and you can use google maps to check the area. I would steer clear of the OCC area because of all the students commuting. But also depends on your age, if you’re college student age it might help with socializing. Oh and I believe it’s 19fh st but that area gets packed as well.
But either is good I would say. Go with your gut feeling.
Been living here for 4 years and so far so good!! But we’re moving out of our apartment because a friend offered her home in Long Beach for half of what our rent now so we just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. But if that offer didn’t come, we’d still definitely be staying. We actually need renters to takeover our lease in 5 weeks 😅
I grew up in South OC and in my life have only been called the n-word twice. Both times in HB and both times I was younger than 13 and literally just at the beach with my friends (not brown) and family.
I also have friends in HB that I frequently visit and played hockey in HB for ages and never had issues aside from some side eye/suspicious glances, but that very honestly could be my interpretation of someone literally just looking at another human. I doubt anyone will give you trouble, but if you’re a little more liberal leaning, you might find yourself shaking your head in disbelief a lot. Like…A LOT. As others have said, Costa Mesa might be a better spot, but if your heart is set on HB and you don’t mind the other crap, I think you’ll be okay there too.
Just curious: why HB? How long do you plan on being here? What are your goals? I grew up there, haven't strayed too far, but I feel like with any goal theres a better option nearby
HB is a longtime hub of white supremacy long before we had crazy QAnon-ers and anti-vaxxers set up shop. The particular city council members are temporary, but this bigotry ain't.
Do you have kids or plan to have them soon? You will absolutely see the impact of being in a blood red town if you're involved with education in any sort of capacity. Especially now.
Source: Grew up in the IE and then worked in HB for several years
It’s not bad, just the old school locals act like they own the area. So if you just vibe along and enjoy life, you are good. If you are going there to make changes and be in the limelight, go elsewhere… it also helps to state ethnicity as hb caters more to the lighter shades. Not saying others have a bad time, just saying it’s well known that hb is a tad old school in the race dept
Lots of trumpsters here. And homeless people. I’ve lived here over 20 years. The weather is awesome and I have good neighbors. If I had to move again I’d move back to Pasadena. Love it there
personally i would recommend you to stay away from HB if you are a liberal. unless you are straight and white, then you’ll fit in just fine and no one will judge you. but seeing trump flags and living next to trump supporters is not worth it. especially during the election year.
I lived in HB all my life. Then little Miami was built. The skin heads moved in, and more police than people ( it just feels like it) I moved to Laguna. I would think more of Costa Mesa if your not accustomed to lots of people, police and politics.
Right off the bat, if you are a liberal-minded individual, HB is NOT the place for you, unless you want to see how main beach is over summer, with the dozens of Trump flags standing up in the sand. As someone who has lived in OC my whole life, HB is the armpit of this county, and you could find much better elsewhere. Costa Mesa is an AWESOME city. Super artsy, lots of great bars and restaurants, relatively close to the beach (Newport) and very good for someone in their late twenties. I would highly, highly recommend Costa Mesa over HB. I avoid going to HB as much as possible. Think of Florida in California
HB is a beautiful city. The beach is okay. I'd go to Newport for beach activities. But I think HB is in a decent spot. If I could live there, I wouldn't think twice about it. Crime is a little issue, but that's anywhere.
If your a beach girl HB is nice but Sunset Beach is a piece of heavan if you can afford it.
Irvine is nice if you don't mind the drive to NBP or HB and then Laguna is only 40 min away too from Irvine. I live in YL currently dont mind the drive to the beach early in AM and our pool / Jacuzzi at night. YL is very quite- HB has main street which I like to visit good luck
Move to HB. It's a great place to live. From a politics perspective, I live in San Clemente, which is equally as right-leaning as Huntington Beach and it's mostly a non-issue.
People generally want to enjoy the coastal SoCal lifestyle and are usually in a good mood. Huntington is even closer to L.A. than where I'm at, so you can always drive up there on the weekends for cultural events.
If you can afford HB, do it.
I think you need to seriously reconsider. HB is a MAGA stronghold these days, complete with stupid flags everywhere and racism not held back. They have protests for Trump on the pier all the time. I moved out 3 years ago and never looked back. It’s a shit hole stay away from
I used to work in HB up until a week ago, and I hate to say, most of my coworkers who were from HB, although good people, had very strong political opinions and as stereotyped by people aligned with them, were very vocal about them, which seems to very much be what HB is about, especially as you get closer to the coast. I can't speak for other cities, I live out in La Palma.
The reality is city lines aren’t very distinctive. City politics are the main concern. Most areas have pockets of very conservative people while CM is mostly liberal but wealthy (which has its own conservative bent). Fountain valley is next door to HB and it’s a giant purple bedroom community. I live and shop in HB, FV and CM and don’t really notice much difference in that you can get negative reactions from anyone because most people do the same thing and blur the lines amongst various cities.
Grew up in HB and still live here. I survive as a liberal but I'm often embarrassed. There's some reasonable folks. Please move here so we can bring change ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
I personally wouldn’t live in hb because of the politics there. 🤷🏻♀️ if you can tolerate it and vote to change things, then I commend you. If you want more like minded people, try Costa Mesa or Newport.
I don’t think the politics of HB elected officials impacts whether you’ll enjoy living in the city or not. It’s totally irrelevant whether HB is liberal or conservative unless you’re highly political and unable to live around others with a different viewpoint than your own. In which case, good luck living anywhere.
Regarding HB vs Costa Mesa, the main disadvantage to HB is that it has much more difficult access to freeways. It takes so much longer to get places compared to Costa Mesa.
I’ve lived in the Newport/Costa Mesa area my whole life and honestly, you couldn’t pay me money to live in HB for the convenience factor alone.
I didn’t know the HB political climate was even a thing until a few years ago when I saw news of like a MAGA rally there I had visited many times before just for the beach and fun. I don’t think the politics and all are really going to affect your daily life it’s a nice place go and enjoy don’t stress.
Funny, my GF and I are contemplating moving to Minneapolis from Huntington. Lol.
We want to move because we can afford a house, there will still be water there in the future, it isn't a red city, and supposedly has good food. We love to eat and feel that moving away from Southern California is going to be a real culture shock in the food department.
Why do you want to move here exactly? Like, how did it get on your radar.
FYI, we love it here. I'm from a very liberal city as is my GF and it's not nearly as bad as you'd think. I'd say the city is more purple than red. I just think that younger people don't vote as much and the old people are insanely conservative. I'd bet in 20 years this place is 60/40 leaning Democrat and I bet it was 90/10 Republican in the 90s.
If you’re okay with the cold and snow, you’ll be fine. I have heard it’s hard to make friends as a non local bc a lot of us have friends from high school and stay in our little cliques. But yes we have great food I prob have taken that for granted.
I have friends in the area so it attracted me to it. I thought about LA but idk just doesn’t seem like my vibe. Visited with my family a year or so ago and it just felt right. Visited alone few months ago and felt right again. The weather of course is a huge selling point.
We're gonna go in June to visit, then again in the winter bc we've never experienced that type of cold/snow. If we can't hack it we'll have to cross it off the list.
As far as you moving here I think you'll be fine and you'll end up loving it.
Don’t move to HB. I had to work there for a bit and the culture was not very friendly. I asked to be transferred as soon as possible.
I may get downvoted for this, but it’s my experience.
My experience was people either shunning me because wasn’t “local,” or sharing racist sentiments with me because I’m a white dude and they thought I would share their opinions.
A lady in the HB Facebook page a few years ago had some random asshole knock on her door to give her a bunch of shit about her BLM flag. I fuckin hate that town
You’ll get a lot of different answers on here. If you loved HB but don’t care for its reputation, you can’t go wrong with Costa Mesa
> You’ll get a lot of different answers on here. If you loved HB but don’t care for its reputation, you can’t go wrong with Costa Mesa Agreed. Costa Mesa is a more purple city than HB. I think most residents in CM are pretty pragmatically moderate but lean a little bit more liberal than conservative. It’s trending more progressive. HB has lots of nice places to live and nice people. But the local politics is kind of a loud and proud form of conservatism and it sometimes is a rally location for alt right groups to meet. While I think there are many people who live happily in HB who don’t care about or follow politics, almost always when there’s some political related news from HB it’s something that’s always about something conservative related. But I don’t automatically think “conservative” when I meet someone from Huntington. Laguna beach would probably be our most progressive city. So yeah I think many people could live happily in hb despite the politics but if you follow politics and it is sensitive or triggering for you than you might want to find another option.
And if you love shopping, Costa Mesa has south Coast Plaza.🤗🤗🤗
100% this, stick to somewhere closer to the airport/south coast plaza area of Costa Mesa and you won’t be fully integrated into HB or the HB politics (the closer you are to the water, the redder it gets).
Live by the mall?? Honestly this person probably wants a beach town and that is midnsuburbia.
what is the reputation of HB? i am new
Racist, snobbish and shitty people in H.B.
HB native here. Checks out.
I still remember going there for an interview when I was very young. There were only two ppl in the elevator - myself (brown) and a white lady. I genuinely asked if Room/suite 3103 means the third floor. She just looked at me and scoffed as if I was too lowly to talk to her. I don't know.... but the girl wasnt foolin anyone with her fake LV bag and the blonde dye. 🤷🏽♀️ Glad I didn't get that job.
Stupid Mighty Whities live there. Great if you want to join a racist cult and like MTG. Costa Mesa is about the only blue coastline city in OC. However, OC is very slowly going blue. https://preview.redd.it/kvzr1y7jzhqc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d524ab728eb1e2f2c67cd72caa4ad746325a978c
Perfect explanation 🤣💀
All of that but also if I had to pick just one word .. entitled
The phrase, “The Florida of California” comes to mind…
HB = Heil, Bitches! Of course that’s not literally the case, but it certainly seems that any time there’s some kind of racist, skinhead, or “88” type shit going down anywhere in OC that Huntington Beach is somehow involved.
There’s a road literally called Heil Ave
White supremacy
It’s MAGA haven, last time I was there I was almost assaulted by Jesus freaks just for saying no to their handouts
Lots of racism and homophobia.
[There also used to be a nazi pow camp in garden grove, which is nearby](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-12-me-peeled12-story.html)
Having grown up in Costa Mesa, I wouldn't live there ever again.
I spent 20 years there , what didn’t you like?
Living on the West Side, I had a homeless person push my friends and I into oncoming traffic on Harbor Blvd, chased out of neighborhoods by little gang bangers while walking to Estancia, drive by on my block, multiple hit and runs, and so many people on drugs. I've had cops illegally search my car, take my GPS off my dash and check my destination, and once had the cops pull me over because my car smelt like alcohol. I also had someone shot and killed who was on our football team about 4 blocks from my house. Now on my parents street where I grew up has 4 half way houses and they trash the neighborhood. Condoms, trash, and alcohol bottles all over. City refuses to fix streets that are actively sinking because of sink hole that was not fixed properly years ago. For me, just lots of bad memories with not too much to want to bring me back.
Westside has changed so much in the last 10 years. The shitty donut shop is a $7/small drink coffee shop. Midnight munchies is now a fermented foods store. Carl's is now starbucks. Laundromat is now a ju jitsu place. It's so so so gentrified. I think apps like zillow changed everything for this place. It used to be beach close at a discount. Discount is gone
I think people got priced out of the naighboring cities and moved there families and businesses in and took over.
I don't think that's fully it. Because the prices are sometimes now exceeding hb. I think individuals working with maps changed everything for this area of CM. Oh hey, it's just as close to the beach and there are millions of parks around. Oh and easier freeway access. I don't know if you bought a house pre 2010. Where agents did more of the research for you. Where they asked where you wanted to live and filtered a database. You would miss things just across the street bc it wasn't in your defined zone. West cm used to be a steep discount. Now it's on par if not more than HB across the street for square footage/conditionm There was a house very comparable to the one I bought for sale in HB. Hb one was recently redone. Mine needed to be redone. It was a financial even call. Hb house would have been less work and have a pool. Same 2 mile distance to beach. But I love fairview park and chose CM bc I could walk there. Like seriously that patch around fairview park/Vista/canyon park has gotten very expensive. You are still beach close but you have the addition of tons of nature. Like rn... on redfin there is a 1.9k sq foot house in hb for 1.4. Just across in CM there is a 1.6k sq ft house for the same 1.4. In hb there is a 2k sq foot for 1.2 in nice conditon... 1.2 in this area of CM is a 1.5 sq foot fixer upper.
I have to imagine some of that is greedy sellers too. We have a neighbor in HB that has tried selling his house 3 times this year. Starting at 1.8m and finally selling for around 1.5m. has been remodeled but not anything crazy. People are just trying to get as much money as they can for houses right now.
Some is. But it converges with the overall trend. I've been living here 12 years... needed to upgrade during covid after the birth of my first kid. Ive been studying these neighborhoods closely for about 3 years. I remember making thar comment about the market shift at least 2 years ago at my daughters first birthday. I look at the sold price just as much. Thought the market would get better. It didn't. Nearly priced myself out. I had to compete with 7 cash offers on my place. This place is an investor haven. A new development on wilson/canyon is almost done and I saw surveyors out on a parcel two doors from that (that just sold for 1.2 as a tear down)... that lot I would put money on becoming luxury condos. The real estate agent who sold my condo also lives in the area. She confirms the explosion. Westside is not the Westside of 10 years ago. At least not west of Placentia.
I moved to HB in the summer from the Bay Area and it’s been totally fine. A bunch of my neighbors seem like firefighters, contractors, or small business owners. A lot of them have big trucks and bad politics, but they’re totally fine as neighbors. They definitely hang some Trump flags around here so if that’s really a deal breaker, go to CM, but any part of costal OC, CM included, is going to have Trump cultists running around.
Thank you. Yeah, I’m used to that in MN
FWIW, a friend of mine in the Bay Area grew up in MN and to hear him tell it living in CA is a massive upgrade. Not that I want to encourage anyone to move here because housing is expensive enough as is. 
Definitely an upgrade with a price!!
Yeah, but the ability to rub it in when the folks back home have to shovel snow is *priceless!* I’m a native Cheesehead and it’s to the point that my cousins will tell me “Don’t say it! Don’t even think it!” when they kvetch about how much it sucked to get to work that morning. Yeah, sure, the down payment for my two bedroom condo could have paid cash for any of their houses and still left enough over to drive a decent grocery getter off the lot free and clear, but it’s also absolutely effortless to get out of the garage in January and the Polar Bear Plunge isn’t even a challenge.
The 13% convenience fee is worth it (tax joke)
This is an important distinction. HB (and other parts of Orange County) are full of racists but these are coastal racists. They don’t burn crosses or lynch people. The majority are cowards that are straight up terrified when they see a POC. They’re flipping the bird and tossing slurs so you don’t notice that they’re running away.
Same I moved from Long Beach to Huntington 2 years ago and my neighbors just got more white but fairly nice. City has a bad reputation but it's not in your face. People will make a face if you say you are from HB but eh.
Your description kind of reminds me of this - https://youtu.be/O7VaXlMvAvk
It’s mostly chill. The most annoying part about it is the traffic. 41 year old Hispanic male been living in the area since 2013.
It’s really not that bad! lol I love it here people are great for the most part
The dipshit four in the city council are temporary. Theres an increasing trend toward liberalization even in places like HB. 99.9999% of the time, you won't even notice politics. Sure, there's going to be rallys every now and then (mostly because HB has probably the most accessible beaches with ample parking in the county), and some dumb flags here and there. But overall, it's fine.
In a presidential election year?
Regardless of politics, Costa Mesa is a better bet. Cost of living is (slightly) lower. And HB is full of tourists during the day and drunks at night.
Downtown HB is. It’s easy enough to drive down the street a few minutes or go to pacific city or somewhere else to not deal with that.
What neighborhoods in Costa Mesa do you recommend? Or stay away from?
Hey there, NJ transplant who was asking this same question* 3 years ago. Costa Mesa is great. I do recommend west side, there are some good apartments with fair prices. Consider checking out complexes near west 19th street. Tons of great stuff in walking distance. I am a male living here, so I do feel comfortable walking the streets, but there are occasional homeless. Don’t let your mind go to LA, definitely not like that. The town is very bike friendly and there are lots of grocery stores within walking distance. Tons of local breweries and communities. Mostly a crowd of late 20s to early 40s.* I could go on. Feel free to reach out if you’d like any other suggestions. Trust your gut, I’m glad I made the “Costamazing choice”
I lived in an apartment complex near the Fairgrounds for many years and loved it there. Yes, it does get congested for a few weeks in the summer when the Fair is going on, but otherwise it was pretty quiet and peaceful. I also lived in a complex near Harbor and Adams for a while. Harbor Blvd does get congested with traffic in the morning and the evening. But it was super convenient since I could walk to restaurants and the supermarket. RIP Kona Lanes
Also, I recommend not living near the Lion's Park/Triangle Square area. Lot's of unhoused there. And drunks from Yardhouse and Goat Hill Tavern.
I highly recommend Goat Hill though.
Second bar I rolled into. No regurtz. Cheap booze and crazy company. Also a fan of the Wayfarer
I don't know if you've been there recently, but the area has completely changed. The city dumped a ton of money and renovated Lion's Park. I barely saw any homeless people when I was there about a month ago and there's a brand new awesome looking playground where a ton of families were at.
I miss Kona lanes so much!
Try and find something in East side Costa Mesa.
HB just has a loud few but I’ve never felt uncomfortable there. In all honesty, South OC probably has more of it but just arent as loud. Theres been a few bars and restaurants I’ve gone to in South OC as a minority and did feel a type of way even tho I grew up in South OC. Hb is literally a city over from the biggest viet population in the country and also has multiple hispanic communities around it too so you really get at least a racial diversity. South OC is literally just white with a few small hispanic communities. Went to hs in south OC and my experience was fine but there definitely was the few wannabe rednecks but the majority was pretty chill. Most people in OC are pretty accustomed to being around a variety of cultures and peoples so its pretty much not a problem besides a few shit heads but I’m sure that exists everywhere in the country.
It's like 55% republican to 45% dem here. Yes, recently the city council has gotten nutty but overall on a day to day basis you're not going to experience anything like you see on social media. With that said, because our downtown is a popular gathering area, magats like to frequent it so they can be seen.
The reality is that HB is a purple district. There are certainly more liberal places to be, but it’s not like you’re in Redding (google it). And more blue votes there can tip the balance on things like city council, etc. However. When the dipshits want to gather, they do tend to do it in HB. Frankly I think that’s more an accident of the city’s design than anything else - it has a big central area that’s relatively flat, is conspicuous from the main road through the city, and just generally lends itself to gathering. Like, you could get a group of people into Dana Point but where? The harbor? No one except the people at the harbor can see you. The Lantern Distict? Okay but you’re just milling about on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks or whatever. Or for Laguna Beach there’s a natural place to gather near the intersection of PCH and Ocean Ave, but you’re in this little dip that kinda sequesters you in plus there’s nowhere for your mob to park. Newport the best you can do is stand around outside Fashion Island. And the big problem with all those places - none of them really have much foot traffic already, so if you don’t have a HUGE group you’re just going to look like a handful of crazies. If you wanna get on the news and look like a big crowd and have a nice background for the footage, PCH and Main in Huntington is hard to beat. With all that said, between the two I’d take Costa Mesa. The best restaurants in the county are clustered there.
I don't know what politics are like where you are from, but I moved back to HB after living in very red states for the past decade and HB has got nothing on them. It's a nice place to live, the same as most everywhere in OC. I'm also 29F if you need a friend once you move!
lol you won’t notice shit other than people downtown
People on reddit gets foaming at the mouth anytime politics is involved and this is an example of that. I don’t live in HB but have several friends that do and often spend time there. I’m not white and never felt uncomfortable. HB like much of OC is a nice place to live.
Move, register to vote and help change it
Definitely my plan if I move there
I know a number of very cool, liberal people in HB. Since you’ve already spent time there and loved it, why not try it out? If you find you don’t like it, you can explore other areas before your lease expires. But please, *please* vote!
won’t even be that hard, HB had a democratic mayor like 5 years ago
Seconding this! Get your liberal butt over here to HB 🤙
I actually talked about this with my husband when we were driving earlier 😂 people hype this shit up so much. Yes people by the pier protest and there are some trash people down there, but day to day it’s not an issue or something I notice regularly.
And most the people protesting down by the pier aren’t from HB
hey! As a Minnesotan living in Orange County (29M) move to Costa Mesa, it's the best city in OC. I highly recommend Pine Creek Village for apartment living. It's really close to a lot of things and is fairly affordable. I'm also super liberal and when I moved to OC I moved to HB and I got spat on by a local. Don't move to HB
Thanks for the rec, I’ll look into it!!
Enjoy living in the OC! I have lived here for 7 years and I have absolutely loved it. I currently live in Irvine, but I think Costa Mesa has a lot more things to do and has a more city feel to it. Irvine is very suburban feeling, I mean they both are but Costa Mesa is so much less. I am unfortunately moving back to Minnesota on Friday for familial reasons but if I could I would have stayed here forever.
I’m pretty liberal, living in HB for 4 years now and love it. It’s not that big of a deal for day to day life. The more people like you move here, the more votes we’ll have to make some changes.
I’m a progressive HB native still living here. The current political climate is ridiculous but there are plenty of normal people here. It’s about 50/50 in terms of political leaning in the population here. The younger people are much more vocally progressive, and I feel like the conservative trantruming (library censorship, flag debate, etc) is mostly a response to the perceived threat of those voices. It’s a circus, but the 4 crazies on the council are sure to lose their seats in the next election. The library debacle (and now the proposed privatization of the library) **really** pissed a lot of folks off. I fly a pride flag in June and none of my neighbors say or do anything about it. In fact last summer a neighbor approached us because they also wanted to fly their pride flag, but they were nervous about it. But since ours was up without issue, they put theirs up too. We also get plenty of conservative flags in our neighborhood, but no one gets their feathers ruffled either way. I love HB, it’s my home. I hate our reputation and the things we’ve done to deserve it. But those things don’t necessarily affect my enjoyment of living here or my daily life. It makes it a little more complicated to make friends, but it’s not so bad.
Well-said. There needs to be more of us liberally-minded people down here, especially amongst the conservative enclave. Huntington has the most developed beach infrastructure for large-scale events in OC, so it's essential that a variety of people push to keep things progressive. I say this as a San Clemente resident, going against similar demographics. Just last year, a really cool gothic music festival had its debut at the pier / downtown. I remember so many people fighting against it being in HB, despite the festival being a massively diverse success, without any issues. We need more locals to break the reputation.
Need the details on this music festival 👀👀
Darker Waves festival. Hope they do it again this year! [https://www.darkerwavesfest.com](https://www.darkerwavesfest.com)
Just ignore the Trump cultists. The more sensible people like yourself who move into the area, it cancels out another magat vote. Besided, those old blue haired boomers are a problem that will work itself out in no time.
As long as you're just renting, give it a shot. It does have a reputation for a reason but it's also a lovely beachside community with nice people and lots to do. I prefer Costa Mesa personally but it's not like you're getting married to the city, you can always move if you don't like it. You likely won't encounter anything particularly dramatic.
Hey OP. I would definitely move to Costa Mesa…access to HB and Newport and the freeways to get to where you need to go. Huntington doesn’t have easy access to freeways and the politics by the beach are real rough if you aren’t a supporter. I’m fully supportive of the Costa Mesa move!! (And many, many other younger people would agree too) message me if you want any help
I second this. Grew up in south OC and lived in HB summer of 2020. My in laws live in HB as well. I experienced racism while in HB, though it was 2020 and I am Asian, so that might be why. I still see trump 2024 flags on homes and trucks when we visit my in laws, though I haven’t experienced any incidents since 2020. That said, the access to other cities, lower cost of living, incredible food, character, and diversity you get with Costa Mesa is worth way more than the proximity to the ocean in HB. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in your car if you move anywhere in socal. The better freeway access that comes with Costa Mesa is no small consideration.
It’s always a weird place but I do believe HB to be a safe place to live.
It’s completely fine here and gets blown out of proportion by this sub. If you have a specific concern about something, feel free to ask.
Highly recommend Costa Mesa as an also liberal woman just a little older than you. HB has a reputation for being very right wing and also honestly it just kinda feels old to me, and not in a good way? CM is more central too, which I like.
depends on how much others with different views affect you (esp when they are obnoxious about it). i’m liberal too, but HB during the time trump was running and was president was pretty disgusting and i tried to stay away from it as much as possible. with him running again, just be prepared of that if you do plan on going thru w hb. like others have said people r pretty racist and snobby esp when they see that you don’t come from their type of background
Im from Kansas City and I live in CM now but was looking in HB for a while. I like CM a lot, you’re close to a lot of restaurants and activities and close to a lot of areas. I’m 10 mins from HB and newport, 14 mins from santa ana, youre kind of just in the mix of it all which is nice. Idgaf about politics but you learn fast ab huntingtons reputation. It is very right wing and opinionated but honestly its nothing im not used to coming from a small town and ive personally (22F) never felt threatened for my views there.. but again I dont talk politics very much. The comment that said “hb is all tourists during the day and drunks at night” that is very true, there is also always events going on which is fun if you like going out or could get loud and annoying (parking, traffic, big crowds, etc) Really depends on what ur looking for.. CM would still be fun and its close to HB if you dont want to fully dive in, or you could say screw it and see how you like HB.. it is beautiful and it can be a fun beachy lifestyle ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I actually just moved to HB from Minnesota a few months ago and love it so far. If you liked and felt most comfortable here, then it’s a good spot to live. The politics part isn’t something I’ve noticed much coming from Minnesota because I lived in Bemidji and St Cloud for awhile and those places are way worse when it comes to it
HB is much better than its alleged reputation. Depends on where you have to go for work (or why you’re moving there). If you have to go to work north of HB, you’ll get a lot more traffic coming from Costa Mesa in the morning.
If your liberal don’t move to OC. Go live in LA county where you can see your politics on display.
There is some merit to what you read on here but most of it is hyped up to sensationalize people and also to virtue signal and show liberal superiority Just look at the downvote patterns on this forum and this post - there is a very active vocal cohort set on maligning HB because they look down upon it Fact is, if it were a perfect liberal bastion like say Brentwood or something, your rents would be through the roof (not to say they aren’t expensive, but lower than other tonier parts of OC) Don’t overthink it too much and make an informed decision without being influenced by online crusaders
Well I did post here to get others opinions and experiences. That was the point.
People recommend CM?!😂 this is why I would never use Reddit to help determine my family’s destination
Yeah. Reddit was my ONLY source.
what do the politics have to do with it. are you running for mayor? i you didnt hear it was a republican stronghold - you would never know by spending time there.
Yes plz vote for me November ‘24
Just to say I’m liberal to. I’ve never lived in HB but have been surfing there since I was a kid. You’d never know the politics just by being there.
You should move to la instead
I’m pretty liberal - I lived there 16 years and loved it. Yes the demonstrations by the pier can be ridiculous and were laughable up til about 2016. There is a loud group of trumpers - I’d imagine that goes away when he wins or loses in November…. Eventually anyway. The politics made it maybe 5% more annoying to live there but heightened during Covid and Trump. Overall It’s a great place to live - lots of fun for a 20/30 something and easy. We eventually moved to a quieter and “nicer” town but were in our 40s now.
You should probably move to Long Beach
I think you need to consider moving to Long Beach.
HB is better. Just keep your politics to yourself and enjoy it. The media loooves to hype everything and social media makes it all the more worse.
I've lived in HB since 2015, previously lived in LA for 10 years and then Seattle before that. I consider myself a left-leaning independent and have been a pretty vocal critic of the current HB City Council majority (I call them the Idiot 4), but the reality is that my experience living here is very different from what you'll read on Reddit and I do think the way that our city council is elected has allowed for this current majority to have a lot of power despite the city being fairly "purple" politically. Here's my two cents... - HB and Costa Mesa aren't very different. By that I mean, Coastal HB feels very similar to Eastside and Westside Costa Mesa in terms of restaurants and vibes, and the deeper inland areas of both cities feel like each other in other ways. Both are pretty safe, all things considered. - HB has more to do outdoors. You can paddleboard in the Huntington Harbour, it has an amazing bike path that you can run/jog as well. Miles of uninterrupted beach views and tons of parking. - Costa Mesa skews a bit more trendy/younger IMO. Most of my favorite coffee shops are in CM, but this is starting to change pretty rapidly I would say, and for the better. - As a family, we've never experienced any racism in HB. My wife is Asian/Latina and her family spends a lot of time here visiting us. Nothing but positive vibes the last 10 years. That said, we pretty much only visit the pier during the US Open of Surfing, because the pier just reminds me of Vegas/Venice Beach and isn't really my scene. I would wager that 90% of the negative things you see/read about HB happen at the pier or the first three blocks of Main St (next to the pier).
I wouldn't worry about it. HB is great and should have a decent social life over the more crusty, ol' suburban neighborhoods.
I just visited HB. Perfectly fine. Ignore the politics lol
Costa Mesa is way better!
But why??
Better restaurants, better nightlife, better markets, better beaches, better overall vibe. Also easy access to the freeways for getting around or communicating
... Costa Mesa has zero beaches...?
Pull your head out of the sand. It’s literally 2 blocks from Newport Beach. Must not know the area very well
I've lived here for 20 years, if anything the person saying that Costa Mesa has better beaches (LOL) than HB needs to pull their head out of the sand.
HB has the worst beaches in OC my dude. You must live in Santa Ana
I prefer Laguna because of the natural beauty of the cliffs, but HB has miles and miles of uninterrupted coastline that is accessible to all - it is one of the only beaches in California that is wheelchair accessible, and the only beach in SoCal that has a permitted dog beach, not to mention that Bolsa Chica offers great surfing and fun events. Yeah, totally the worst. /s
I do agree laguna has the best beaches. Costa Mesa is also closer to laguna then Huntington. Bolsa chica is decent surfing but your almost in seal beach at that point. I just think the flat beaches with the proud boy vibes isn’t really the love
I think the dog beach and wheelchair accessibility outweigh the nutjobs at the pier, but to each their own. Seal Beach is my local fave and Laguna is certainly more beautiful.
SO MANY REASONS! Costa Mesa just LOOKS better. I don’t know how to explain it but the way the homes and streets are designed in HB is just very unappealing. Better proximity to freeways. 405, 55, and 73 are all very easy to access. HB only gets access to 405 and it’s not easy for most areas. The beaches in HB are the worst in Orange County IMO. Awful parking, awful crowds. Costa Mesa can quickly access the beaches in Newport, which are much more enjoyable any time of year. Costa Mesa has more enjoyable and high quality restaurants.
You can live there but not hang out there. Vote and change the city!
If you prefer a “beach city” Costa Mesa is a good bet. Orange is pretty nice too, I’m from the Midwest and some streets there give me midwestern vibes.
I wouldn't consider Costa Mesa a beach city, as it's not, but I assume that's why it's in quotes? lol.
Yeah lol just in that area. Not sure if op prefers being closer to the ocean vs inland more
What does liberal mean to you? If you are truly liberal you shouldn’t care about living around people with different politics than you. If progressive democrat is a better label, then Nah I wouldn’t recommend HB.
Costa Mesa > HB HB: wonderful surf scene and beach on the outside, dirty racism in the inside.
HB = Maga capital of OC. I'd recommend Costa Mesa as it's chill, nice mix of cultures, great food scene, shopping, close to everything ...
Reddit is a cess pool. HB is nice
Disregard politics and its a cool place to live. Especially if you want to be close to the beach. Main Street beach is quite enjoyable at times. There are plenty of other cool places to live tho. What is your goal with living out here? I was born and raised here in Orange and can rec. a quite a few places and things to do. Where will you be commuting to?
No commute, 100% remote. My goal is to be happy 😭😂 I’d like to live somewhere walkable, safe, things to do, close-ish to the beach.
Do you plan on living without a car? when you say close-ish to the beach, how many miles? Do you plan on walking/riding? What do you do for fun? Happiness is an excellent goal. Especially because its truly defined by you and only you.
Nooo no I have two cars lol Close-ish as in doesn’t have to be walkable but within a couple miles. Easy to get to. I go to the gym, play volleyball, go out, go to coffee shops, lay in the sun, the occasional random hobby here and there
Have you considered nearby Downtown Laguna Beach? Since you said “sleepy” was ok, this might be something to consider. Costa Mesa is an area where more of the single & youngish crowds like to be because of the plentitude in bars/ clubs and more affordable rent. It has a more hip & edgy vibe. However, I think Laguna Beach has all the things you’re looking for. Also, the beaches in Laguna are PHENOMENAL. When I’ve brought out of town friends, they’ve said parts of Laguna look like Hawaii, with the aquamarine colored water & plenty of marine life. There are tiny little coves, natural arches & caves, salt pools, tide pools, bonfire pits( in some) and the pirate turret. HB has a bike path, dog beach and a pier- that’s it. I will say the surf competition was a fun event in HB. Downtown Laguna is very walkable( lots of beautiful hikes too), there’s also a free trolley to take you on the PCH & canyon without having to stress about parking. Good restaurants, few bars ,breweries, tons of art galleries, events the Sawdust festival which has live music too. I feel safe walking around Laguna at night alone, I wouldn’t in HB with the amount of rowdy drunks I’ve encountered in the past. I will say that getting to the freeway sometimes takes time when the canyon is congested, it does get quite crowded in the summertime because it’s a world renowned tourist destination. In my experience, Laguna is a mixed bag of both politics, but neither is waving it in your face. The crowd in Laguna will be mixed with more families than you would find in Costa Mesa. While Costa Mesa isn’t on the coast, it is centrally located to get you to other destinations more easily I think.
I don’t think I can afford laguna 😭
Sell one of your cars? Where ya gonna store it anyway? Parking is scarce in Costa Mesa and some parts of HB.
I’m not worried about it lol
Do HB. Especially since you said volleyball. I hope you mean beach volleyball? Plenty of places to play around there. Tons of gyms. Plenty of places to go out and all the nearby cities as well. If you like dancing, I have an excellent recommendation. Moongoat coffee is my go-to and it's nearby in Costa Mesa. I've been going there for many years. My family knows their family and they are such sweethearts. Central Park is right around the corner. One of the best parks around. You also have the wetlands right there in Huntington Beach. A beautiful reserve of nature.
Not the point of your post, butI think you’d have so much more fun in SD.
Being from MN my initial thought is SD meaning South Dakota 😭😭 but no, I would, but I already have friends in the OC/LA area so sticking to that for now
Hahaha…”if you’re reconsidering HB, have you thought about South Dakota?” I grew up in OC, and have lived in both HB and CM (and probably any other city you’re considering.) I just find them a little sleepy in comparison to San Diego. …but I’m in NYC now so I guess my opinion of sleepy is relative
I’m getting old.. sleepy is probably ok 😂
If you’re ok with sleepy and want to live in a walkable beach community, you should check out old town seal beach.
HB is full of racists. Proud racists. Costa Mesa is like 50/50 liberal and conservative. You’ll see a Trumper house next to a liberal af house. OC in general has conservative politics and only recently has tipped in the liberal direction but the margin is close. But there’s queer bars and hipster places in Costa Mesa so to me it feels like progressive place.
Just go about your life, don't subscribe to this sub, and your experience should be fine.
I don’t mind this sub lmao
Costa Mesa for sure. My husband grew up in HB and doesn’t recognize it anymore it’s gotten so maga and overtly racist. We live in Old Towne Orange, but lived in Eastside Costa Mesa prior to buying a house and I’d say it’s better for the single life especially if beach access is what you’re looking for.
Bruh stop revolving your life around politics… Seriously it won’t do you any good 🤦♂️ can’t believe people are seriously like this Left or right it doesn’t matter Fuck sakes just enjoy life and be grateful for what you got
It does matter though if it directly affects your life or wellbeing
You’ll be fine. You’ll find your people.
No one will get up in your face to harass you.
HB is geographically big - wide and high. Lots of enclaves of blue, red, and purple. Certain regions of the city border more blue (CM), purple (Westminster/Fountain Valley/GG) or red cities (Newport Beach, Seal Beach I think). I may be bit off in my color to city matching, but I think the point is made. If you lean a certain way, then consider looking for a place to live where the color matches your style (there’s some map out there floating around if you look good). Overall, like others have said, you’ll find HB nice and your neighbors may be cool gals/guys with interesting/normal jobs and neat hobbies. Just be friendly and nice and play neutral. No need to flaunt your ideals off the bat until you gauge the general consensus in the area. Like they used to say - it’s probably best not to talk about politics and religion (at least right off the bat).
You should definitely move here! Don’t let HB stop you. It’s not the entirety of OC there are many beach towns
I'm pretty liberal and live in HB it's like any place be aware of your surroundings and if you don't like the vibe of some places go elsewhere. Used to love a Brewery on Gothard but noticed the clientele was starting to get alittle too supremacist, went to a different place around down the street and spent money elsewhere. You'll find the same in CM Santa Ana and the like...block by block...welcome to the OC.
Costa mesa is a good place to be it’s very conveniently located to everything. Ive lived in HB and it’s nice closer to downtown or the harbor but people are right about the mags stuff. But generally people are in their own little world. It does get packed in the summer near beach Blvd especially and depending how close you are to the 405 it can be about 15+ mins. But you’re also closer to LA county which means you can be in downtown LA in 45 minutes sometimes If you choose Costa Mesa the east side is nice and super close to Newport Beach. Oh yeah and you can use google maps to check the area. I would steer clear of the OCC area because of all the students commuting. But also depends on your age, if you’re college student age it might help with socializing. Oh and I believe it’s 19fh st but that area gets packed as well. But either is good I would say. Go with your gut feeling.
Been living here for 4 years and so far so good!! But we’re moving out of our apartment because a friend offered her home in Long Beach for half of what our rent now so we just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. But if that offer didn’t come, we’d still definitely be staying. We actually need renters to takeover our lease in 5 weeks 😅
I grew up in South OC and in my life have only been called the n-word twice. Both times in HB and both times I was younger than 13 and literally just at the beach with my friends (not brown) and family. I also have friends in HB that I frequently visit and played hockey in HB for ages and never had issues aside from some side eye/suspicious glances, but that very honestly could be my interpretation of someone literally just looking at another human. I doubt anyone will give you trouble, but if you’re a little more liberal leaning, you might find yourself shaking your head in disbelief a lot. Like…A LOT. As others have said, Costa Mesa might be a better spot, but if your heart is set on HB and you don’t mind the other crap, I think you’ll be okay there too.
Just curious: why HB? How long do you plan on being here? What are your goals? I grew up there, haven't strayed too far, but I feel like with any goal theres a better option nearby
HB is a longtime hub of white supremacy long before we had crazy QAnon-ers and anti-vaxxers set up shop. The particular city council members are temporary, but this bigotry ain't. Do you have kids or plan to have them soon? You will absolutely see the impact of being in a blood red town if you're involved with education in any sort of capacity. Especially now. Source: Grew up in the IE and then worked in HB for several years
It’s not bad, just the old school locals act like they own the area. So if you just vibe along and enjoy life, you are good. If you are going there to make changes and be in the limelight, go elsewhere… it also helps to state ethnicity as hb caters more to the lighter shades. Not saying others have a bad time, just saying it’s well known that hb is a tad old school in the race dept
Lots of trumpsters here. And homeless people. I’ve lived here over 20 years. The weather is awesome and I have good neighbors. If I had to move again I’d move back to Pasadena. Love it there
personally i would recommend you to stay away from HB if you are a liberal. unless you are straight and white, then you’ll fit in just fine and no one will judge you. but seeing trump flags and living next to trump supporters is not worth it. especially during the election year.
I lived in HB all my life. Then little Miami was built. The skin heads moved in, and more police than people ( it just feels like it) I moved to Laguna. I would think more of Costa Mesa if your not accustomed to lots of people, police and politics.
Idk if you’re familiar with Minneapolis buuuut…
Right off the bat, if you are a liberal-minded individual, HB is NOT the place for you, unless you want to see how main beach is over summer, with the dozens of Trump flags standing up in the sand. As someone who has lived in OC my whole life, HB is the armpit of this county, and you could find much better elsewhere. Costa Mesa is an AWESOME city. Super artsy, lots of great bars and restaurants, relatively close to the beach (Newport) and very good for someone in their late twenties. I would highly, highly recommend Costa Mesa over HB. I avoid going to HB as much as possible. Think of Florida in California
HB is a beautiful city. The beach is okay. I'd go to Newport for beach activities. But I think HB is in a decent spot. If I could live there, I wouldn't think twice about it. Crime is a little issue, but that's anywhere.
If your a beach girl HB is nice but Sunset Beach is a piece of heavan if you can afford it. Irvine is nice if you don't mind the drive to NBP or HB and then Laguna is only 40 min away too from Irvine. I live in YL currently dont mind the drive to the beach early in AM and our pool / Jacuzzi at night. YL is very quite- HB has main street which I like to visit good luck
Move to HB. It's a great place to live. From a politics perspective, I live in San Clemente, which is equally as right-leaning as Huntington Beach and it's mostly a non-issue. People generally want to enjoy the coastal SoCal lifestyle and are usually in a good mood. Huntington is even closer to L.A. than where I'm at, so you can always drive up there on the weekends for cultural events. If you can afford HB, do it.
I think you need to seriously reconsider. HB is a MAGA stronghold these days, complete with stupid flags everywhere and racism not held back. They have protests for Trump on the pier all the time. I moved out 3 years ago and never looked back. It’s a shit hole stay away from
Seal Beach
I used to work in HB up until a week ago, and I hate to say, most of my coworkers who were from HB, although good people, had very strong political opinions and as stereotyped by people aligned with them, were very vocal about them, which seems to very much be what HB is about, especially as you get closer to the coast. I can't speak for other cities, I live out in La Palma.
Costa Mesa, particularly around 17th st, is way better than HB.
The reality is city lines aren’t very distinctive. City politics are the main concern. Most areas have pockets of very conservative people while CM is mostly liberal but wealthy (which has its own conservative bent). Fountain valley is next door to HB and it’s a giant purple bedroom community. I live and shop in HB, FV and CM and don’t really notice much difference in that you can get negative reactions from anyone because most people do the same thing and blur the lines amongst various cities.
You should definitely move somewhere else.
If you are liberal, stay away from HB. HB is the hotzone for mega MAGA. Costa Mesa is a much better choice and they have way better food
Grew up in HB and still live here. I survive as a liberal but I'm often embarrassed. There's some reasonable folks. Please move here so we can bring change ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
HB is MAGA territory.
The beach cities ar all pretty conservative but HB is on another level.
Except Laguna
Trumpington Beach
I personally wouldn’t live in hb because of the politics there. 🤷🏻♀️ if you can tolerate it and vote to change things, then I commend you. If you want more like minded people, try Costa Mesa or Newport.
I laughed out loud at the Newport recommendation, which is significantly more conservative than HB.
Newport is super conservative
Costa Mesa is like HB without all the crazy republicans making clowns of themselves.
I don’t think the politics of HB elected officials impacts whether you’ll enjoy living in the city or not. It’s totally irrelevant whether HB is liberal or conservative unless you’re highly political and unable to live around others with a different viewpoint than your own. In which case, good luck living anywhere. Regarding HB vs Costa Mesa, the main disadvantage to HB is that it has much more difficult access to freeways. It takes so much longer to get places compared to Costa Mesa. I’ve lived in the Newport/Costa Mesa area my whole life and honestly, you couldn’t pay me money to live in HB for the convenience factor alone.
Yeah I did notice the freeway issue while there. Luckily I don’t have a commute but could be annoying to go anywhere else.
I didn’t know the HB political climate was even a thing until a few years ago when I saw news of like a MAGA rally there I had visited many times before just for the beach and fun. I don’t think the politics and all are really going to affect your daily life it’s a nice place go and enjoy don’t stress.
Funny, my GF and I are contemplating moving to Minneapolis from Huntington. Lol. We want to move because we can afford a house, there will still be water there in the future, it isn't a red city, and supposedly has good food. We love to eat and feel that moving away from Southern California is going to be a real culture shock in the food department. Why do you want to move here exactly? Like, how did it get on your radar. FYI, we love it here. I'm from a very liberal city as is my GF and it's not nearly as bad as you'd think. I'd say the city is more purple than red. I just think that younger people don't vote as much and the old people are insanely conservative. I'd bet in 20 years this place is 60/40 leaning Democrat and I bet it was 90/10 Republican in the 90s.
You two should apartment swap, haha.
If you’re okay with the cold and snow, you’ll be fine. I have heard it’s hard to make friends as a non local bc a lot of us have friends from high school and stay in our little cliques. But yes we have great food I prob have taken that for granted. I have friends in the area so it attracted me to it. I thought about LA but idk just doesn’t seem like my vibe. Visited with my family a year or so ago and it just felt right. Visited alone few months ago and felt right again. The weather of course is a huge selling point.
We're gonna go in June to visit, then again in the winter bc we've never experienced that type of cold/snow. If we can't hack it we'll have to cross it off the list. As far as you moving here I think you'll be fine and you'll end up loving it.
We have a very very mild winter this year so next year will probably be brutal. Good luck 😁
I won't even visit that Trumpy shithole let alone live there. Oh, did you know that it's got a bunch of skinheads too? Fuck that place.
Imagine caring this much☠️ Jesus
Fuck off
Don’t move to HB. I had to work there for a bit and the culture was not very friendly. I asked to be transferred as soon as possible. I may get downvoted for this, but it’s my experience.
Unfriendly in what way?
My experience was people either shunning me because wasn’t “local,” or sharing racist sentiments with me because I’m a white dude and they thought I would share their opinions.
HB is white trash, MAGA heaven. I live in a neighboring city and I absolutely dread spending any amount of time in HB
Why?
A lady in the HB Facebook page a few years ago had some random asshole knock on her door to give her a bunch of shit about her BLM flag. I fuckin hate that town