Making the move from UK to Aliso Viejo (Irvine, Orange: home, university)

[sailnd]

Great! I was curious the type of career that would relocate an individual with family in tow and offer a decent salary as well.

Good luck!

[the_sharmins]

Hello, Would you please share hows your relocation experience been? I am relocating to Irvine from London on same salary in next couple of months. I have one year old daughter and my wife wont be working.
I would much appreciate if you could share your experience about cost of living, and decent areas to live in OC ( close to Irvine if not Irvine)
Many thanks in advance.
/S

[peckerwood101]

Hi, I'd be glad to try and help. I know how difficult I found it to get information before our move.

I'm still not that best placed to tell you how far you 90k will stretch. The company I work for has provided us with an apartment and a rental car for the first few months so I haven't had to pay for any of those things as yet. Having said that I have a good idea how much things cost.

Apartment:
Irvine is a very popular place to live, and has more "happening" than some of the other local areas. Irvine Spectrum is a large mall that attracts a lot of shoppers and is a good place for entertainment (lots of bars, restaurants, and a cinema). I would recommend Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, also Laguna Niguel, and if you're after a location closer to the sea, Dana Point. They are all relatively close to Irvine, but its worth mentioning that rush hour in Orange County is notoriously bad. A 20 min journey can turn into a 60+ minute journey in rush hour. Bear that in mind.
If I was you I'd look for a shortish term let in Irvine for now, and get a feel for the place and your priorities before you make any longer term commitment. Personally, I love living in Aliso Viejo (lots of young families, clean, safe, and incredibly well maintained). And its fantastic to be 7 mins from the office, and 10 from Laguna Beach.
Depending on the sq footage (the biggest cost factor here) you should be able to get a 2 bed 2 bath for a bit less than $2000 per month in any of those areas.

Car:
Cars are good value. I'd say roughly the same price in dollars as in pounds.
I don't presume to know your financial situation, but to give you my experience, I found it difficult to get a decent rate of interest over here (they don't take into consideration your UK credit history - good or bad). So I was being offered 22% APR for a lease or a loan. In the end I used a chunk of our savings to buy 80% of a car, and then the remaining 20% of credit I will pay of in 3/4 months (rather than the 36 month term) just to get a foot on the credit ladder.

Other costs:

Expect to pay $300+ per month for utilities (you pay for trash and sewage directly here as a utility).
Groceries are more expensive here (I'd say 50% more than in the UK). Shop at Walmart/Target for anything you can. Also make sure you get the store loyalty cards as they save you 20% on every shop.
Clothes are cheaper.
Electronics are cheaper (I drool over the huge cheap TVs in BestBuy)
Mobile phone bills are more expensive (you even pay to receive calls and txt messages)
Broadband and cable TV is more expensive
Petrol is way cheaper.

And don't forget everything comes priced BEFORE tax. So essentially you have to remember to add 8.5% to all sticker prices.

The one thing I can tell you is that the best things to do are the cheapest. A day at the beach will cost you the price of a home-made picnic and maybe $1 an hour parking depending on the beach. Honestly, sitting on the beach in December enjoying the sunshine with your family makes it all worth while

I'm rambling on now, but if there's anything else I can tell you please let me know.

Good luck!

[pacific2]

Welcome!
Free (Nearly Free, or Not Too Expensive) Things To Do In Orange County- A Sampler:

Angel Stadium Tour - $3 Adults, $2 Children
Orange County Great Park Balloon Rides
Huntington Beach Pier and Main Street
Bowers Museum: First Sundays Are Free
Discovery Science Center - Adults, $12.95 / Kids (3-17), $9.95
MUZEO - Adults, $13 / Kids, $9
Hike/Mountain Bike in an Orange County Park
Orange County's Farmer's Markets
Fullerton Arboretum
Ride the Balboa Island Ferry
Orange County Free (or Almost Free) Events & Activities - Anaheim Orange County California

I’ll add just a few more:
1.Old Barn.This place is dusty, funky and fun with about 75 dealer stalls situated within 10,000 feet of space. You can find all sorts of memorabilia here:
Old Barn Antique Mall
31792 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA, 92693 (949) 493-9144
2. Farmers Market, Laguna Niguel:
Sunday mornings at the parking lot near Henrys at La Paz and Pacific Park Drive. It borders the older section of AV. Go near the 1:00 PM closing time to find bargains. You could also just walk around.
3. The Neighborhood Cup:
The Neighborhood Cup
1 Journey
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
949.716.510
Free live entertainment ( jazz, folk, blues, acoustics) antique car shows, art gallery, open mic nights, swing dance and board games to name a few activities. There are minimal fees for other things like crafts workshop, yoga, etc. This indie place is a rarity for South County and it’s truly worth a visit. It’s attracting people from all over OC and even from San Diego County. BTW, the food is also very good.
4. Concerts/Movies
Aliso offers free outdoor concerts and movies during the warmer months. There are also plenty of events for kids (Santa, Snow Fest for kids- next is 01/22/11 at Grand Park, Halloween activities, etc). I'm sure that by now you know about the Edwards Multiplex in AV. I think Wednesdays may be cheaper.
5. Parks:
Aliso has about 23 parks but, due to the layout of the city, you may need a map to find most of them. I’m fond of Creekside.
http://cityofalisoviejo.com/map/?category=1
Don’t forget Aliso and Wood Canyon for hiking or mountain biking.

[pacific2]

More Orange County Cheapies:
6. Aliso Viejo Aquatics Center:
http://cityofalisoviejo.com/AquaticCenter/

7. Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo:
Not cheap but, heck, people can check to see if their 3-day free offer is still good. Also, folks might be able to get a corporate discount to either this place, or to 24 Hour Fitness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylgdfrsew6k

7. Dana Point Harbor:
You can stroll, picnic, window shop at the tourist traps, lunch at a restaurant (not too expensive), walk your dog, or just park and watch the boats.

8. Check Marla’s Fisher’s columns to find discounts:
Here are your deals for Monday, Dec. 20 - OC Deals : The Orange County Register

[pacific2]

Orange County Cheapies con’t

Soka University in Aliso Viejo is a great resource:
December - News and Events - Soka University of America

Soka’s Annual International Festival is always fun-and cheap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUpDb6maAw
Soka University's 10th Annual International Festival - May 7, 2011 - News and Events - Soka University of America

[psr13]

Originally Posted by peckerwood101

Hi, I'd be glad to try and help. I know how difficult I found it to get information before our move.

I'm still not that best placed to tell you how far you 90k will stretch. The company I work for has provided us with an apartment and a rental car for the first few months so I haven't had to pay for any of those things as yet. Having said that I have a good idea how much things cost.

Apartment:
Irvine is a very popular place to live, and has more "happening" than some of the other local areas. Irvine Spectrum is a large mall that attracts a lot of shoppers and is a good place for entertainment (lots of bars, restaurants, and a cinema). I would recommend Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, also Laguna Niguel, and if you're after a location closer to the sea, Dana Point. They are all relatively close to Irvine, but its worth mentioning that rush hour in Orange County is notoriously bad. A 20 min journey can turn into a 60+ minute journey in rush hour. Bear that in mind.
If I was you I'd look for a shortish term let in Irvine for now, and get a feel for the place and your priorities before you make any longer term commitment. Personally, I love living in Aliso Viejo (lots of young families, clean, safe, and incredibly well maintained). And its fantastic to be 7 mins from the office, and 10 from Laguna Beach.
Depending on the sq footage (the biggest cost factor here) you should be able to get a 2 bed 2 bath for a bit less than $2000 per month in any of those areas.

Car:
Cars are good value. I'd say roughly the same price in dollars as in pounds.
I don't presume to know your financial situation, but to give you my experience, I found it difficult to get a decent rate of interest over here (they don't take into consideration your UK credit history - good or bad). So I was being offered 22% APR for a lease or a loan. In the end I used a chunk of our savings to buy 80% of a car, and then the remaining 20% of credit I will pay of in 3/4 months (rather than the 36 month term) just to get a foot on the credit ladder.

Other costs:

Expect to pay $300+ per month for utilities (you pay for trash and sewage directly here as a utility).
Groceries are more expensive here (I'd say 50% more than in the UK). Shop at Walmart/Target for anything you can. Also make sure you get the store loyalty cards as they save you 20% on every shop.
Clothes are cheaper.
Electronics are cheaper (I drool over the huge cheap TVs in BestBuy)
Mobile phone bills are more expensive (you even pay to receive calls and txt messages)
Broadband and cable TV is more expensive
Petrol is way cheaper.

And don't forget everything comes priced BEFORE tax. So essentially you have to remember to add 8.5% to all sticker prices.

The one thing I can tell you is that the best things to do are the cheapest. A day at the beach will cost you the price of a home-made picnic and maybe $1 an hour parking depending on the beach. Honestly, sitting on the beach in December enjoying the sunshine with your family makes it all worth while

I'm rambling on now, but if there's anything else I can tell you please let me know.

Good luck!

I find this very interesting. I've always heard that groceries are cheaper here than in the UK.

[pacific2]

Totally free entertainment: Watch a fellow Alisian? Aliso Viejian? Oh heck, on January 2, 2001 at 9 p.m, we can watch someone from Aliso "excel" in a dubious category - "Worst Cooks in America" (The Food Network):
Aliso Viejo nurse stars in 'Worst Cook' | altomari, cooking, cook - News - The Orange County Register

[pacific2]

Aliso Viejo recently celebrated Hanukah:
Aliso Viejo celebrates Hanukkah | viejo, aliso, hanukkah - News - The Orange County Register

…and now Christmas:
Santa has breakfast with Aliso Viejo children
Santa has breakfast with Aliso Viejo children | santa, viejo, breakfast - News - The Orange County Register

Photos: Girl Scouts paint holiday scenes on store windows
Brownie Troop 2158 members Danya Yassine, Bella Testa, Radhika Marolia, Claire Engstrom, Madilynn Holloman : News Photo

BTW, for those interested, Aliso Viejo has Orange County’s largest synagogue.:
O.C.'s Largest Synagogue Set to Open - Los Angeles Times

Temple Beth El of South Orange County

For Jewish people who in the past have asked questions on C-D about Orange County, I hope this helps:

Chabad Jewish Center of Aliso Viejo

Not to fret (for those so inclined), there’s still room for everybody.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by pacific2

there’s still room for everybody.

No there isn't.