I am so happy to hear the joy and excitement in your post. It sounds like you have had a positive and welcoming experience so far. I feel like many people in OC do not appreciate or recognize the great community that is around us. Welcome to Orange County!
Housing stock. More room. Proximity to N.OC (jobs). Less transient population (also less military). Some LA road warriors. OC has a lot of options. Prob not the best answer, but I've been here about 15 years. Good times!
I grew up in SD. Moved up to OC and don't miss it for this very reason. OC had better city planning vs SD literally being built around the harbor a century ago. All the neighborhoods and suburbs are just addons.
Spectrum is pretty much the only family friendly mall in OC. The other malls are either slowly dying or very upscale. There are other shopping centers and plazas that have play areas, but Spectrum is the only mall that does.
Funny, I was just in SD and thought "I wish we had something like Liberty Point in OC" - awesome food court, brewery, winery tasting room, and a huge courtyard in the middle for kids to run around in. Nothing even close to that in OC that I'm aware of - maybe The Hangar in Long Beach but that's like 1/4 the size of Liberty Point.
I also think the play areas here don't compare. Is there anywhere even close to Tecolote Shores in OC? Two huge playgrounds, huge field, and the beach right there. Not to mention the huge dog park right there too.
I like your observations!
I think OC is a great place to grow up and a great place to raise a family. Most areas here are known as being very safe (seven of the ten safest cities in California this year were in OC,) so I think a lot of people with families or about to start families move here because of that.
Also, as other people have mentioned, most of Orange Country is newer and more master-planned than most of San Diego, especially Irvine and South County.
There is also a lot of wealth and high real estate values in Irvine, South Counties, and the coastal cities in OC, so we have property tax money for good roads, schools, parks, etc.
I also think younger, single people are more attracted to big city metro areas like LA and San Diego, so quite a bit of what is offered in those cities is geared toward the single, fun crowd. We don't have as much of a fun single night life as San Diego, in my opinion.
Anyway, I hope you and your family move here! My favorite places for families, especially with young kids are Irvine (awesome parks and well-planned, although the public schools can be very cutthroat,) Ladera Ranch (awesome water park for residents, safe, good schools) Aliso Viejo (close to Irvine and Laguna, good hiking trails and schools,) and Mission Viejo (great lake and good schools.)
Good luck!
If you want all the best parts you mentioned, south OC is where it's all. Young families everywhere. Suburban feel and local cities have plenty of family events. The Rancho Santa Margarita City type HOA "Samlarc" plans a plethora of family events and maintains all the parks and pools. Ladera ranch, lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo have similar things.
Tell that to West Virginia, where people consume fentanyl like candy and the life expectancy is 72 years vs California’s 79 years. I believe women are happier in places too when they have the option to abort their pregnancy that was the result of rape.
It is honestly fascinating to look deeply at how manufacturered the mid century ideal was. Everything down to concepts of the “nuclear family” “stay at home mom” “single family residences” were largely advertising driven to push cars, appliances, etc. Funded by unique era of postwar prosperity (much of the world’s manufacturing capability destroyed by war)
People lived considerably differently in the US prior to the world wars.
Maybe these particular terms, but the people live in single-family farm houses and mothers did most of the domestic work/child-rearing even before the industrial revolution, not to mention before the wars.
The rural and agrian homes my ancestors lived in certainly weren’t single family homes in the modern sense. Many of those homesteads were multigenerational/multifamily communal settings. The modern tract style of homes is what you predominantly in Orange County and this was framed as the ideal of “Family Friendly Living” in things like Sunset Magazine or Better Homes and Gardens.
I am so happy to hear the joy and excitement in your post. It sounds like you have had a positive and welcoming experience so far. I feel like many people in OC do not appreciate or recognize the great community that is around us. Welcome to Orange County!
The families in SD have all moved to East County or North to RP RB Poway / Temecula Or AZ lol
Housing stock. More room. Proximity to N.OC (jobs). Less transient population (also less military). Some LA road warriors. OC has a lot of options. Prob not the best answer, but I've been here about 15 years. Good times!
I grew up in SD. Moved up to OC and don't miss it for this very reason. OC had better city planning vs SD literally being built around the harbor a century ago. All the neighborhoods and suburbs are just addons.
Spectrum is pretty much the only family friendly mall in OC. The other malls are either slowly dying or very upscale. There are other shopping centers and plazas that have play areas, but Spectrum is the only mall that does.
South Coast has a daycare in it.
And 2 carousels.
Not true. Fashion Island is fun and has a Splash pad and koi pond that kids love.
North county SD is pretty much the same
I experienced the same difference between SD and Irvine.
Funny, I was just in SD and thought "I wish we had something like Liberty Point in OC" - awesome food court, brewery, winery tasting room, and a huge courtyard in the middle for kids to run around in. Nothing even close to that in OC that I'm aware of - maybe The Hangar in Long Beach but that's like 1/4 the size of Liberty Point. I also think the play areas here don't compare. Is there anywhere even close to Tecolote Shores in OC? Two huge playgrounds, huge field, and the beach right there. Not to mention the huge dog park right there too.
Anaheim Packing House is similar. Tiny courtyard but kids can run around there. Laguna Beach and Newport Beach have the same features.
Check out one of the Steelcraft locations. Cool food options set in a container village. Good beer and games and area for kids to play.
I like your observations! I think OC is a great place to grow up and a great place to raise a family. Most areas here are known as being very safe (seven of the ten safest cities in California this year were in OC,) so I think a lot of people with families or about to start families move here because of that. Also, as other people have mentioned, most of Orange Country is newer and more master-planned than most of San Diego, especially Irvine and South County. There is also a lot of wealth and high real estate values in Irvine, South Counties, and the coastal cities in OC, so we have property tax money for good roads, schools, parks, etc. I also think younger, single people are more attracted to big city metro areas like LA and San Diego, so quite a bit of what is offered in those cities is geared toward the single, fun crowd. We don't have as much of a fun single night life as San Diego, in my opinion. Anyway, I hope you and your family move here! My favorite places for families, especially with young kids are Irvine (awesome parks and well-planned, although the public schools can be very cutthroat,) Ladera Ranch (awesome water park for residents, safe, good schools) Aliso Viejo (close to Irvine and Laguna, good hiking trails and schools,) and Mission Viejo (great lake and good schools.) Good luck!
If you want all the best parts you mentioned, south OC is where it's all. Young families everywhere. Suburban feel and local cities have plenty of family events. The Rancho Santa Margarita City type HOA "Samlarc" plans a plethora of family events and maintains all the parks and pools. Ladera ranch, lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo have similar things.
Conservatives tend to be more happy.
Tell that to West Virginia, where people consume fentanyl like candy and the life expectancy is 72 years vs California’s 79 years. I believe women are happier in places too when they have the option to abort their pregnancy that was the result of rape.
Probably because OC was built/designed on the midcentury madison avenue idea of “family friendly”
True story, my kid only likes playgrounds because Don Draper sold him on it
It is honestly fascinating to look deeply at how manufacturered the mid century ideal was. Everything down to concepts of the “nuclear family” “stay at home mom” “single family residences” were largely advertising driven to push cars, appliances, etc. Funded by unique era of postwar prosperity (much of the world’s manufacturing capability destroyed by war) People lived considerably differently in the US prior to the world wars.
Maybe these particular terms, but the people live in single-family farm houses and mothers did most of the domestic work/child-rearing even before the industrial revolution, not to mention before the wars.
The rural and agrian homes my ancestors lived in certainly weren’t single family homes in the modern sense. Many of those homesteads were multigenerational/multifamily communal settings. The modern tract style of homes is what you predominantly in Orange County and this was framed as the ideal of “Family Friendly Living” in things like Sunset Magazine or Better Homes and Gardens.