Reviews & Comments
Irvine, CA
Nice, clean, but very expensive and somewhat bland -
10/5/2022I've lived in Irvine for 2 years and in Orange County for 10 so I'm pretty familiar with the area by now and all it has to offer. Perhaps my review of this place has more to do with my situation and what I have been looking for rather than what someone else (for example a young family with 2-3 kids) might be looking for
PROS:
Very very very clean and beautiful landscaping
Safe
Great public schools
Close by to a lot of freeways
Biking/hiking areas
CONS:
Expensive as hell - almost as bad as the nicest areas of LA
The city feels extremely corporate and somewhat "soul-less". Because most everything is owned by the same company the city's architecture is very "cookie-cutter" and everything looks the same.
Almost zero nightlife. And I mean zero. Which is extremely surprising considering there is a huge university in the city along with other smaller colleges. No corner bar, no clubs. No main area of town with nightlife. Just outdoor shopping malls. There is one brewery.. but that's about it.
The weather is hot most of the year. So if you're used to 4 seasons or even getting a substantial amount of cool weather, you'll be disappointed. I'd say it's 75 and sunny and above for most of the year. 85-90 degree days last well into October and sometimes even November and return in March.
Los Angeles, CA
Overrated, hell, and seems to only get worse -
10/11/2016I've lived in the LA area all my life (grew up in west la/santa monica and live in orange county now) and I can't wait to move out of here. Unless you're extremely wealthy, it's not the hype that everyone talks about
Pros:
Lots of job opportunities
Restaurants
Lots of things to do
Cons:
Weather - I like cool overcast weather and 4 distinct seasons so I guess i'm biased but still, i can't understand the fascination with the weather here. From May - mid October it's incredibly hot and uncomfortable unless you're near the beach. It's hardly even cools down in fall and even when it does, it can still be sunny and 80 degrees during the winter. Also it's nice to have sunny days but when it's 95 percent of the year and there is an ongoing drought it's not that great.
Traffic - the city and surrounding areas are extremely overcrowded and just keep getting worse. New neighborhoods keep popping up and traffic keeps getting worse despite the large freeways.
Cost of living - even in the less expensive and lower class areas the cost of living is ridiculous and about the same or more then expensive areas in many other cities
Also, the city and surrounding areas have zero respect for historical buildings are culture. Landmarks are often torn down to build more fancy apartments or houses. The whole area is based on greed.