Reviews & Comments
Fullerton, CA
Downtown Fullerton is Great -
8/16/2006Downtown Fullerton offers a beautiful place for daytime shopping, or a varied and ecltic night life. Try Roman Cucina for excellent Italian food, eye candy waiters (mostly male), dark ambiance and some of the best martinis in Orange County. Kettle and Keg is a great low-key place for hookah and dancing. Rockin Taco is always packed with Orange County's hottest people for lively dueling pianos. The city of Fullerton offers a "Taste of Fullerton" night once or twice a year wear they close a five-block strip of Harbor down and businesses open for an evening meet-and-greet.
Fullerton is the only Orange County city I know of that feels more like a small town than a big city. It seems almost out of place compared to the surrounding area, but it's a good place to get lost in.
Fullerton, CA
A $500,000 fixer upper -
8/16/2006The cost of living in Orange County is really terrible, and it's getting worse as the populations in every city is growing. There are very few vacant lots left to develop (and many of those that currently are have future plans already made), so the demand is spurning an incredible increase in price.
In 2004, My husband and I bought a three-bedroom 1950s "fixer upper" in Fullerton (1,258 sq ft) for $480,000.. One 350 sq ft room addition later, the home was recently appraised for $680,000. I find it amazing this rate of appreciation, but also frightening to think of where housing will be 5, 10, 20 years from now. I also am frightened to look at my $2,780 mortgage payment every month. If either my husband or I lose our jobs, we lose our home- more than 50% of our income goes into paying for house (versus the recommended 30% ). This is the situation of most people in Orange County- although most don't admit it.
Anaheim, CA
Not for the faint of home -
8/16/2006The cost of living in Orange County is really terrible, and it's getting worse as the populations in every city is growing. There are very few vacant lots left to develop (and many of those that currently are have future plans already made), so the demand is spurning an incredible increase in price.
I bought a three-bedroom 1950s "fixer upper" in Fullerton (1,258 sq ft) with my now ex-husband for $480,000. Our mortgage was $2,780 a month. When he and I seperated about two years later, I went on a quest to find another place. One-bedroom apartments in most of North Orange County (Anaheim, Fullerton, Santa Ana) are between $1,000-$1,300, an "affordable" alternative to beach and South OC cities that can range from $1,500-$1,900.
I ended up finding a two-bedroom detached duplex unit for $1,300 a month in the Colony area of Anaheim. This area is known today for Craftsman-style architecture of neighborhood homes. There are several beautiful parks, City Hall, the Anaheim library and shopping within a two-mile radius. However, ten years ago the area was ridden with crime - the effects of which are still present depending on what side of Anaheim Blvd. or Lincoln (two major streets) you live on. These areas are poorly maintained, offer less housing choices- mostly small apartments, and are marked with a very high saturation of Mexican immigrants (common throughout most of O.C., but Anaheim and Santa Ana are especially known for this).
It's this contrast that's common throughout most of Orange County. You're either in the ghetto or in a nice area. It's hard to find a middle ground. The so-called middle class neighborhood (such as the one where the Fullerton home was purchased) is not practically obtainable by most classified as middle class. As a college-educated working professional making decent money, it's hard for me to make ends meet on what I earn.
Many jobs that are available are offered at wages comparable to the rest of the country; the illusion that Orange County has more jobs and pays more is a lie. Sure, there are people who can make good money (and most of them work in Orange County real estate), but by and large, one cannot afford a good quality of life without making some serious sacrifices.
Traffic really as BAD as everyone says. My last job was in Irvine- an 18 mile commute from Anaheim, but required up to two HOURS in transit during rush hour. I'm now exactly 6 miles from work, 15-20 minutes via city streets, and it still wears on m