Work in Mission Viejo but where to live?

[adr789]

Hmm..an hour minimum is definitely not ideal. I guess I won't know until I get there and check out the places.

Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

[jenell]

Parts of Mission Viejo are nice. If you want to be closer to the beach try Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Newport Beach.

Originally Posted by adr789

Hi,

I am a female, 29 y/o teacher moving out to Mission Viejo from Toronto, Canada.

I'm wondering if anyone could suggest some places to live? I want to be somewhere that has a life to it (restaurants, coffee shops, stores, yoga, etc.) that I love being from the city.

I am willing to commute up to but no more than 1 hour both ways (would prefer 30-45m). I have to be at work for 7:45am and will be leaving at 4-5pm.

Leaving near a beach would be really nice too..

Thanks in advance for you help!

[missionhome]

What is your budget by the way?
Also, what school are you working at in Mission Viejo? I could tell you a little about the school possibly if you would like.

There are some pictures of the Mission Viejo area (where you will work) and San Clemente (potential place to live) in the "Pictures of Orange County" thread.

[jordanrbennett]

I think Newport might be your best bet. Except the traffic can be bad. If you could get a planning period at the end of the day, you could leave early and avoid traffic. My wife is a teacher and that is what she has always tried to do.

[Wurzig]

Belmont Shores can be pretty expensive.......

I think I'd check out Dana Point and San Clemente if you want to live near the water...

Laguna Beach is on the water and nice, but not cheap......but there are just a couple of ways to get out of the area.....Laguna Canyon Road or else go down PCH and then Crown Valley.....

Aliso Viejo is a bedroom community, but there are decent homes there, not too old.....afternoon breezes, but not by the ocean....

Living by the water is not cheap, no matter where you go....

[adr789]

From where to MV would be a worse commute: newport, laguna, san clemente or dana?

I don't think I'll be able to get a planning period at the end of the day. So if my day officially ends at 4, would staying later be a bad idea? Is leaving at 5 or 6 worse than leaving at 4?

From the looks of it, they all are pretty much the same cost. I would have to live with roommates which is ok.

[missionhome]

Best to worst: Dana Point, San Clemente, Newport and Laguna pretty much tie. The southern end of Laguna Beach closest to Crown Valley and PCH is closer than Newport, northern Laguna is probably slower than Newport by a little.

[Wurzig]

Well, if living in Newport/Corona del Mar or the northern part of Laguna Beach, you could cut over through the Newport Coast area and hit the toll road, but it's a hassle......and Newport Coast is a fog pocket a lot of the time....

Laguna Canyon Road (one of Laguna Beach's 'escape routes') is bumper to bumper during commute times.....this is right smack in the middle of town.....it starts at the beach and goes inland towards the toll road......and beyond that are the freeways which would take you to M.V... Another choice is to take Laguna Canyon Road and then turn right on El Toro Road, which will take you towards M.V., but lots of stop lights before you get there.....

If you were to live in the southern part of Laguna, (and they call it South Laguna Beach), going towards Monarch Beach or Dana Point, you could take Crown Valley......it has stop lights, but at least it moves...

If you live in D.P., you can go to the south end of town and hop on the freeway and double back to MV...there are several areas where you can get on the freeway....

Inbetween D.P. and San Clemente is an area called Capistrano Beach....older homes, laid back, beachy-types, surf boards on porches type of area, streets curve around........

M.V. is kind of spread out and goes inland.....it would help to know what exit you would be taking to get to your job.....

Laguna Niguel gets a nice overcast (and afternoon breeze every day off of the water), but it burns off.....it doesn't always burn off in San Clemente and Dana Point, but it is not a depressing type of overcast like, say, in Seattle.....

The water around San Clemente is very pretty....Dana Point has a great harbor....safe for walking... S.C. has good surfing.....D.P. did years ago, but they put in the break water and Doheny Beach (by the harbor), is not a good beach.....kinda has little rocks in the sand...

Laguna Hills is also a decent place to live, just as Aliso Viejo is....A.V. is not that old. None of the towns in this area are centered around singles.....they are bedroom communities....

The area in Irvine around UCI has a lot of college-aged, and/or professional singles.....

Towns by the water closer towards L.A., such as Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, etc., are known for 'singles'.... I call those towns Sardine Land.....houses and people are squished up together....

Everything is close together in this area (southern Orange County), and towns run into one another.....the ocean is not that far away no matter where you live in this area.....

For what you get, Laguna Beach is very expensive...however, the ocean is pretty and it's fun to take walks in the area....it has trendy, (overpriced) boutiques......it has gotten very touristy over the years and is a weekend getaway place.....locals try to stay away from Laguna on the weekends and during the summer.....PCH is always bumper to bumper through Laguna....embedded lights flash in the road when people need to cross the street so that they don't get run over....

Look up the areas on mapquest......try not to commute too far if you can prevent it.....commuting is a way of life in S. California and it's a pain... If I were you, I think I'd check out towns or areas that aren't exactly on the water...(example, San Clemente is on both sides of I-5)....live half-way inbetween the job and the beach..... The beach is not that far even if you live on the M.V. side of the freeway so don't rule out the inland towns.....they're hotter, but they are not that far from the water.....

[adr789]

Thank you for such thorough answers!!!!

The school is in between the 5 and 241, near the Wilderness Glen Park.

If I were to live in Laguna (N or S), would it be worth it to go down to the Crown Valley Pkwy and then get on the 5? Or another route?

I sincerely thank everyone for all this help, it's really appreciatted!