Irvine or LA for a single mom? (Orange, Berkeley: low crime, neighborhoods)

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally Posted by mr_california

and the mentality between Irvine and Berkeley is very different.

Sounds like you've never been to or lived in either area.

Originally Posted by mr_california

So is the lifestyle. The Bay Area is a much more walkable area and has a much more urban feel in general.

Sounds like you have no idea what the San Francisco Bay Area is. Not walkable not urban.

Originally Posted by mr_california

Orange county, with a few exceptions, is a place where you drive everywhere and is mostly shopping centers, chain restaurants and endless housing subdivisions.

Sounds like you don't know very much about Orange County.

[Grune D]

I agree, best reply. Woodland Hills area is very diverse and open.

Originally Posted by mr_california

Of course people on the Orange County forum will tell you that LA is worse. Hope you posted on the LA forum also. Anyway, Orange County is nice, but it is expensive. Both LA County and Orange County have nice area's. Of course there are parts of LA to avoid. there are parts of Orange County to avoid also.

LA County does have area's with good schools. In the City of LA, look at parts of the San Fernando Valley like Woodland Hills, Granada Hills or parts of West Hills. All of those area's will be cheaper than Irvine. If you really want to save money, look at Santa Clarita. You'll find good schools and lower cost of living. It's just North of LA. Going East of LA (still within LA County), you'll find area's like La Verne and San Dimas. Both have good schools and are cheaper than Orange County.

Orange County on $100,000 isn't really that easy. People are telling you to move to Irvine. The average home is over $1 million and rents are sky high too. You'll find cheaper area's in LA County that have schools that are just as good as Orange County, are safe, close to amenities and will probably be more to your liking politically.

You mentioned Berkeley being more your cup of tea, if it wasn't so run down and expensive. Try looking in area's around Berkeley also. Many people from Berkeley are moving to nearby San Leandro, which is cheaper and cleaner than Berkeley (cheaper than Irvine too). Go North of Berkeley to Pinole or Hercules, they are way cheaper than Berkeley, have some good schools (mostly on the East Side of I80 for Pinole) and are clean and safe. If you want to be close to the water and still be driving distance to Berkeley and like the mindset, try Benicia. Good schools, right on the water and reasonably priced. Plus jobs in the Bay Area pay better than jobs in Southern California.

[NORTY FLATZ]

This is the first time I've read a post, where the criteria is the "majority political leanings" for a city.

Why go to a location where the majority population has views other than yourself? Think you're going to change somebody? (Would they have a possibility of changing you?) See where I'm going with this?

Besides, what you're talking about is 2 different countries.

FWIW~ Trump isn't running for anything, atm. (His health may dictate his future.) He IS getting up there, ya know.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

This is the first time I've read a post, where the criteria is the "majority political leanings" for a city.

Why go to a location where the majority population has views other than yourself? Think you're going to change somebody? (Would they have a possibility of changing you?) See where I'm going with this?

Besides, what you're talking about is 2 different countries.

FWIW~ Trump isn't running for anything, atm. (His health may dictate his future.) He IS getting up there, ya know.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Canada is a more saner country than the U.S. currently. Conservative in Canada is still slightly to the left of moderate Establishment Democrat (e.g. Biden, Pelosi, Obama).

Just being Canadian can open you up to hate speech by moderate anti-immigrant Republicans. And unlike Canada, the hate speech is protected by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Canada inherited the fascism of the British when it comes to free speech.

[mr_california]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

Sounds like you've never been to or lived in either area.


Sounds like you have no idea what the San Francisco Bay Area is. Not walkable not urban.


Sounds like you don't know very much about Orange County.

Who are you to say which area's I know? I was born and raised in San Francisco. I lived there for 28 years before moving to Oakland. I lived there for 15 years...I still own my old house there. I know Orange County too.

Berkeley is NOT like Irvine. Irvine is very suburban, Berkeley is not. the lower part of Berkeley is mostly made up of smaller houses, low rise apartments and busy streets lined with businesses. It feels like parts of Oakland and San Francisco. It has a funky type of feel to it, kind of like Haight Ashbury in San Francisco. Lot's of restaurants, cafe's and bookstores. The closest thing to it in Orange County might be Old Town Orange, but Berkeley will have more old hippies, younger socialists and some homeless hanging around and is much bigger than Old Town Orange. The Berkeley hills has larger homes and has an almost rural feel in some area's (lot's of trees and no sidewalks). Tilden park in the Berkeley Hills is nice for families.

The mindset in Berkeley is different than Irvine, as it has a much more progressive mindset, many socialists, anarchists and left wing radicals live there. Irvine doesn't really have that. Irvine is mostly upper middle class and wealthy suburbanites who are college graduates and vote Democrat like most college grads do. Irvine is 28% registered Republican and 35% registered Democrat. Berkeley is 4% registered Republican and 65% registered Democrat. That's a pretty big difference in mindset.

The Bay Area has many walkable area's, especially where the original poster would consider moving to. First of all, after New York City and Washington DC, the Bay Area has the highest percentage of people who use public transportation (before the virus hit). No place in Southern California, much less Orange County has the cosmopolitan/urban feel of San Francisco, Oakland or Berkeley. All of those cities are older and have denser housing than almost any part of Orange County, almost every neighborhood has a main business street lined with shops and restaurants. Most businesses in Orange County have parking lots in front of them, while most in Berkeley, San Francisco and Oakland have street parking and the entrance to the business is right on the sidewalk. Spectrum Center in Irvine is walkable, but it has a big parking lot around it. Shattuck in Berkeley is walkable, but it has street parking and underground BART station. Completely different feel. Berkeley has neighborhoods where you can walk out your front door, walk down a block or two and go to a produce market, restaurant, cafe or some kind if boutique store. Irvine doesn't have that.

If you go further down the Peninsula towards San Jose, or further out in the Eastbay it gets more suburban, but the cities on either side of the Bay Bridge (Berkeley included) have a much different feel than anywhere in Orange County. Not sure why you're trying to make it sound like the Bay Area is the same as Orange County, but it's not. Different feel, different mindset. Don't get me wrong, I like Orange County and the fact that it's not liberal like the Bay Area. Not sure what's so great about Irvine though. There are area's of Orange County that I like much better.

[mr_california]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

This is the first time I've read a post, where the criteria is the "majority political leanings" for a city.

Why go to a location where the majority population has views other than yourself? Think you're going to change somebody? (Would they have a possibility of changing you?) See where I'm going with this?

Besides, what you're talking about is 2 different countries.

FWIW~ Trump isn't running for anything, atm. (His health may dictate his future.) He IS getting up there, ya know.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

That's right, if the Berkeley mindset is what the poster wants, they won't find it in Orange County. Laguna Beach might be the closest thing but still pretty different. Definitely not Irvine.

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally Posted by mr_california

Who are you to say which area's I know? I was born and raised in San Francisco. I lived there for 28 years before moving to Oakland. I lived there for 15 years...I still own my old house there. I know Orange County too.

So like I said..... you've never lived in either one.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

The OP stated in other posts that she would be in faculty housing in Berkeley, Irvine or Westwood. UC takes very good care of their staff.

Good place to be if you can get UC faculty housing - went back to the OP. Then the dineros question kind of gets negated...

[mr_california]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

So like I said..... you've never lived in either one.

Just what I thought. Can't refute any of my arguments. Got yourself into a hole and can't argue your way out. Let's make sure you understand...people in Berkeley and Irvine are not the same. Lifestyle in Berkeley and Irvine are not the same. Food good, fire bad.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Good place to be if you can get UC faculty housing - went back to the OP. Then the dineros question kind of gets negated...

What UC faculty Housing? I know several faculty members from other universities who interviewed at Berkeley, but decided against it, because of the cost of housing. They weren't offered any faculty houseing. Maybe it's something relatively new, like in the last 20 yrs or so?