Laguna Beach/Newport Beach advice for late 20's couple

[Sondeera]

There really aren't as many homeless/drunks in Laguna as there used to be. Most of the riff raff was priced out of the area long ago.

I wouldn't move to the part of Newport that butts against Huntington Beach. It's a LOT of rentals and both of my friends who have houses there really regret buying in the area.

[kay_rock]

Having lived in Orange County for 12 years I can say that homeless people and drunks have never been an overwhelming problem in either laguna or newport.

Where I live (Corona del Mar, which is the southern tip of newport beach) there is zero easy access to freeways, and we get jammed up either on PCH or back roads heading inland to 405. My husband commutes to near the 405/5 interchange and even though it's really only about 21 miles it's almost always more than 45 minutes. However, I do live walking distance to the beach, many restaurants, pubs, a grocer, drug stores, even a saturday farmer's market. Rents here are generally higher, though. When we moved here 11 years ago we were paying 2275 and we're very lucky that they never raised it. We have 2 bdrms instead of 1 but it's a relatively tiny place and I'm pretty sure we have one of the lowest rents here.

Laguna Beach also is not super easy to the freeways - you either need to head north to the toll road, or many people take the back roads in to that area. There are more rental options there, or at least more varieties. Some are more convenient than others. Real Estate agents are often a good way to find rental listings. But finding what you want quickly might be a challenge. Sometimes you have to dig a while to find the diamond.

Balboa island is a fishbowl with difficult parking and only two ways off (the auto ferry to the peninsula or the bridge over jamboree road). In the summer it is a nightmare to get on and off and much of the year it gets jammed with visitors and tourists. It's an adorable little place to visit but friends who have lived there didn't care for it. There are very, very few year-round rentals there. Sometimes you can find a month-to-month school-year rental and then they want you to hop out for three months while they collect 4k/week for the place. It's really not worth it.

Definitely avoid the newport peninsula for similar reasons, only worse parking, very noisy people and tourists, and the never-ending sewage smell from living at sea level. If you are willing to pay WAY higher rent, you can get adorable places there that overcome all the downsides, but personally I don't really see it as worth it when there are so many other places to be.

Another option you might not have thought of is San Clemente. In San Clemente you have very easy access to 5 and it's not a bad jaunt to 405, although traffic right there does get heavy. The town has been evolving a lot over the last few years and there is a lot to do there. It's more family and homey, while newport/laguna areas are a bit more... self conscious? Not sure how to say it politely.

My best advice is to find a month-to-month lease in an apartment somewhere near where the commute will end up (inland is always cheaper), and then spend a few months hunting for the perfect gem of a place. They're here, but they're hard to come by. We spent a few months hunting before we made our escape to the sea, and we're quite happy we did it that way. We saved ourselves a lot of headaches by getting a better feel for neighborhoods before diving in.

[matzoman]

Typical Laguna People, Not Newport, there is a difference.


"Tar Dude" -- Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County -- As not seen on MTV - YouTube

[liz451]

Thanks for all the great tips! The move is officially happening as of today and heading over to apartment search next week! It seems as if Newport will be the best choice for us. We're going to try staying towards the entrance to the Peninsula or perhaps the back bay/CDM. Frankly with how quick we're going to have to do the move my guess is we won't find the perfect place or location but with Phoenix weather of 115+ I think we'll be happy anywhere along the coast . Plus, it'll only be a year, we can always move once the time is up.

Any other specific suggestions for apartments, property management or rental companies, etc. are welcomed!

[FrozenCucumber]

You guys are are talking about Laguna Beach being a scary place with homeless? You guys are nuts! You dig up a youtube article to interview homeless people as proof that Laguna Beach is a scary place??? I have lived in Laguna for 5 years. There are a couple that hang out by the bus stop, and then others who come to panhandle from tourists while playing a guitar or something. So you have identified the negatives in laguna

outweighed by hundreds of million dollar condos, million dollar views, great service, clean streets, walk to a large farmers market, an assortment of restaurants/bars/candy stores in a density you will not find anywhere within a hour drive, etc. In 5 years i have never been asked for money, and the only place its annoying is Forest Avenue where they have the cups open for tourists.

Do you really think million-dollar condo owners and a tourist driven economy will be run over by homeless?

The biggest negative to me is simply do you want to be in Laguna, which is 10-15 min away from 405.. or closer to 405. Traffic works for me since on weekends I'm already in Laguna.. and if I am going somewhere, I am thus going opposite the grain of traffic... unless I am returning in the afternoon which sucks. I think is also better to live in NORTH LAGUNA (North of Broadway) to avoid most of the traffic problems.

I would consider living in Coronda Del Mar, which works better for me geographically. But comparing Laguna to Newport Beach to me is a bit apples and oranges... would I rather walk to Sirena Grill, Broadway, Nektar, Nicks, Commons, Rumari, etc. -- than drive on a highway to get a bite to eat and then be limited by the 1 or 2 options next door.

[liz451]

So after visiting Laguna I didn't notice too many homeless but we ended up choosing a place right next to Hoag Hospital in Newport since we know a couple people that live in the area.

It seems like a great location so far, it's off the peninsula so plenty of room to breathe and only a few minutes up to the start of the 55. My boyfriend's commute has never been longer than 30 minutes to the Irvine Spectrum area. We did only get a 6 month lease though so if we end up not liking the area it'll be easy to move. So far we're loving the walk to the beach, lots of amenities in the complex, and more than enough stores and restaurants within a couple miles. We're paying $1800/month for a one bedroom which is really steep coming from Phoenix but the condo is completely redone, large, has a patio, parking, etc.

Thanks for all the great advice, we're absolutely loving this weather after a couple of months of Phoenix summer!