Was there ever a time when Orange County was a commuter suburb of Los Angeles? (Long Beach: house, college)

[Encino.Man]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

You realize there was less traffic in the 50s and 60's right? The freeways would have been free flowing at any time of day. Going from Anehim to DTLA probably took 35 minutes.

With regards to your BIL- in present day, commuting from Banning to LAX every day seems like a literal hell.

That's 100 miles each way. Without traffic that's 3 hours every day of driving. I am not going to comment on your BIL's mental state, but that is not normal. I mean he probably would save money buying a camper and living in that 5 days a week.

Wow you're sassy
I was talking about the commute today

I know traffic was lesser but I wouldn't say "free flowing" I know when my dad was getting into the workforce in the late 60s he commuted from my familys first house in North Hollywood across from NHHS on Colfax and Magnolia to Commerce and he said traffic was horrid even back then.

As for my BIL, he leaves home at around 4 and picks up coworkers in Upland, San Dimas and Pasadena to get to work and then gets home at around 8pm. It's a bit craZy but I know why he did it, he has 4000 square feet and 5 bedrooms in a brand new home with a pool and it costed less than my 1500 square foot ranch built in the 70s in Encino

[luv4horses]

HyperionGap is exactly correct. It took my father 35 min Anaheim to Downey in the 50's and early 60's. He loved it that it gave him an excuse to own one of those oversized cars of the time with a big engine.

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally Posted by Encino.Man

Was there ever a point in time when Orange County was a bedroom community of LA the same way that Contra Costa County is to SF or Suffolk County NY (Long Island) is to Manhattan?

"Orange County" is way too broad a category. The big housing tracts that were built in certain parts of the county were not for commuter jobs like the tracts in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys were.

There have always been people who commuted to different parts of LA to go to jobs, but "LA" isn't like Manhattan. People were going to aerospace jobs in El Segundo, financial jobs in Downtown, ship building jobs in Long Beach, etc.

There was not one set pattern and most OC communities had very few commuters.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

"Orange County" is way too broad a category. The big housing tracts that were built in certain parts of the county were not for commuter jobs like the tracts in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys were.

There have always been people who commuted to different parts of LA to go to jobs, but "LA" isn't like Manhattan. People were going to aerospace jobs in El Segundo, financial jobs in Downtown, ship building jobs in Long Beach, etc.

There was not one set pattern and most OC communities had very few commuters.

Good point.

[honobob]

Fountain Valley to Santa Monica in about 35-45 minutes in 1985. I wasn't the only one on the road.

[incognitoe]

It would make so much sense for people to work in the area they live. A lot of traffic would be reduced if people who live in Long Beach, worked at a McDonalds in Long Beach. Not Irvine.

[Encino.Man]

Originally Posted by incognitoe

It would make so much sense for people to work in the area they live. A lot of traffic would be reduced if people who live in Long Beach, worked at a McDonalds in Long Beach. Not Irvine.

In an ideal world that would be the case but in some places there aren't many jobs, or it's overpriced, or the schools are bad etc. most people work wherever they can find a job and live in the best place they can afford and everyone has to make sacrifices. For people with children sometimes they figure it's better to sacrifice some of their QOL with a long commute to give their kids a better QOL in a nicer home and area.


Take my BIL, he works at LAX so the closest areas would be Westchester (city of LA), the city of El Segundo, Crenshaw (LA) or the city of Inglewood. The first two areas would leave him broke which would affect his family negatively, and the 2nd two areas are cheaper but very unsafe and wound also have a bad affect on his families QOL.

So instead of making his kids and and wife suffer in some way so he can have a good commute. He bought a gigantic 5 bedroom pool home in Banning for less than $200k, sends his kids to private school and commutes...he suffers but his kids and wife are living well. That's why folks commute like that. Not because they love driving but because the crappy drive is worth it so their family can reside in a nice place.


At one point I am assuming that Stanton or Anaheim or whatever offered safer streets, better schools and better prices than somewhere in LA so people commuted. Now it's not any cheaper and schools in Anaheim are probably at the same level as similarly priced areas in LA.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by Encino.Man

Wow you're sassy
I was talking about the commute today

If you are talking about present day, you probably shouldn't have your question include stuff like this which indicates the past tense:

Originally Posted by Encino.Man

Was there ever a point in time when Orange County was a bedroom community of LA the same way that Contra Costa County is to SF or Suffolk County NY (Long Island) is to Manhattan?

[luv4horses]

My family moved to Orange County in the 50's because we liked the Orange groves. Yes, it used to be all orange groves, strawberry fields, and small vegetable ('truck") farms. Sigh.

[kat949]

Originally Posted by Encino.Man

I mean, it's suburban but Orange County is its own economy. I cannot think of many OC to LA commutes that would be practical (maybe Seal Beach to Long Beach or Anaheim to Downey but that ain't much). The distance isn't long at all really but the traffic would be insane. Maybe Metrolink makes it possible if you work downtown but most folks don't work in DTLA.

Was there ever a point in time when Orange County was a bedroom community of LA the same way that Contra Costa County is to SF or Suffolk County NY (Long Island) is to Manhattan?

Yes.

We once had strawberry fields and miles and miles of orange trees. The smell of strawberries and orange groves contrasted with pastures of green hills and cows grazing through rolling fog definitely depicted suburbia.

I miss those days. And, freeway traffic was never as bad as it is now. 405 and 5 actually used to be freeways.