Mountain Project Logo

Moving to Irvine. Where to live/climb?

Original Post
Bill B · · WNC · Joined Jan 2017 · Points: 0

Thinking about moving to work for a company based in Irvine. Any suggestions on where to live as young couple who enjoys climbing, skiing and the outdoors? I've heard Irvine itself can be kind of sleepy.

I know J tree and New Jack City are like 2.5-3 hours away but are there other closer places to climb as well?

Kevin Worrall · · La Jolla, Ca · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 264

Tahquitz and Suicide

Here too, probably < 2 hrs from Irvine:

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/107008184/eagle-peak

El Cajon Mountain and Corte Madera in San Diego County also

Randy · · Lassitude 33 · Joined Jan 2002 · Points: 1,279

If working in Irvine, I would look for housing in East Orange, Orange Park Acres, Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch and parts of northern Mission Viejo. Your commute would be reasonable (depending on where in Irvine your work is located), and you would have pretty easy access to the 241/133 Toll Roads that can speed your escape to Tahquitz, Joshua Tree, San Bernardino Mts.and other climbing (and skiing) to the east. Josh would be more like a 2 hour drive (as long as you do not try to leave during Friday commute times) as would Tahquitz. There is a lot of climbing in the high desert areas as well.

There are other climbing areas (some currently closed, like the Riverside Quarry and Williamson Rock), but Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside has great bouldering and there are a variety of climbing areas in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mts. 

By staying in the eastern part of OC, you are near lots of open space if you are into Mt. Biking or hiking.

As Kevin points out, there are excellent climbing areas in San Diego County to the south. 

Holcomb Valley near Big Bear (SB Mts.) is fun with a fair number of good sport climbs, but has become so over-run with often new out of the gym types that the scene has become pretty intolerable (imo). The drive is longer than you might think (2.5-3 hrs). There are other crags in the same Mts. where you won't find the same scene and often a bit closer of a drive.

Orange County does not have much climbing, the "best" being Pirates Cove in Corona Del Mar and off of Ortega Highway in the Santa Ana Mts. 

 

Sunshine Burns · · Irvine, CA · Joined Oct 2019 · Points: 0

I'll just throw in rockreation Costa Mesa is a great gym for weekdays

Bill B · · WNC · Joined Jan 2017 · Points: 0
Randy wrote:

If working in Irvine, I would look for housing in East Orange, Orange Park Acres, Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch and parts of northern Mission Viejo. Your commute would be reasonable (depending on where in Irvine your work is located), and you would have pretty easy access to the 241/133 Toll Roads that can speed your escape to Tahquitz, Joshua Tree, San Bernardino Mts.and other climbing (and skiing) to the east. Josh would be more like a 2 hour drive (as long as you do not try to leave during Friday commute times) as would Tahquitz. There is a lot of climbing in the high desert areas as well.

There are other climbing areas (some currently closed, like the Riverside Quarry and Williamson Rock), but Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside has great bouldering and there are a variety of climbing areas in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mts. 

By staying in the eastern part of OC, you are near lots of open space if you are into Mt. Biking or hiking.

As Kevin points out, there are excellent climbing areas in San Diego County to the south. 

Holcomb Valley near Big Bear (SB Mts.) is fun with a fair number of good sport climbs, but has become so over-run with often new out of the gym types that the scene has become pretty intolerable (imo). The drive is longer than you might think (2.5-3 hrs). There are other crags in the same Mts. where you won't find the same scene and often a bit closer of a drive.

Orange County does not have much climbing, the "best" being Pirates Cove in Corona Del Mar and off of Ortega Highway in the Santa Ana Mts. 

 

Thank you, this is great. Any and all other additional suggestions/beta welcome!

Ben Crowell · · Fullerton · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 331

I live in north OC and love it, but I would never live in Irvine. It's an endless, flat, conformist sea of beige. Housing there is also ridiculously overpriced compared to the same house in an equally good school district in north OC. A house that goes for $900k in Fullerton is $1600k in Irvine.

Gym climbing at Sender One in Santa Ana is great.

It would be misleading to suggest that there is any significant amount of good outdoor climbing in OC itself. Ortega Falls is fun toproping for one day.

Tahquitz is some of the best multipitch trad in the world. It's about 2.5 hours from Irvine.

Hiking and trail running in So Cal is fantastic. It kind of doesn't matter that much exactly where you live, because we have three different mountain ranges surrounding the densely populated region, and at best you can be close to one of them. There are also some smaller ranges more nearby to the east of Irvine which have fairly nice trails and some decent hills.

Skiing is not super great in So Cal. Climate change has made Baldy basically not that viable anymore. Wrightwood is sometimes decent from what I hear. Cross-country skiing and backcountry skiing and snowboarding exist, but realistically if you want to get in a lot of good downhill skiing over the course of a winter, you're going to be driving to Mammoth. I enjoy snowshoeing in the mountains. You can do stuff like winter ascents of Baldy and San Gorgonio in snow. Some years have a lot of snow, some have almost none. Most years are in between, and in November and February it will sort of repeatedly fall and then melt off.

p zoobs · · Orange County, CA · Joined Oct 2018 · Points: 65

Work in Irvine.

Live literally anywhere else.

Fat Dad · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 60

As someone who grew up in OC (Costa Mesa) and who still goes down every couple of weeks to visit the folks, I don't quite get the hate for Irvine.  Irvine is like the rest of Orange County--planned, generic and filled with chain restaurants.  Also a lot of fun folks who refused to wear masks back when they were required or strongly suggested elsewhere.  It's an appropriately boring place to raise a family, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  It can breed a certain agoraphobia, where locals think LA is a big scary place because we have traffic and diversity and an occasional edginess.  My brother in law refuses to come visit for that reason (and we live in the way mellow Westchester).  But I digress...

Randy is correct that if you live on the east side of OC, you are closer to getting out to Josh and Tahquitz quicker.  However, you'll have deal with traffic getting to and from work everyday.  Also, if you're just climbing on the weekends and getting an early start, it won't really matter.  Don't even bother trying to go on a Friday afternoon or evening.  It is also a LOT hotter in the summers the more inland you go.  If you enjoy the coast and cooler temps, Irvine is nice and close.  It's close to mt. biking at Crystal Cove and Laguna, and not that far from the stuff around Saddleback.  If you surf or want to learn you're golden.  You are close enough to boulder at the Beach ( mountainproject.com/area/11…) after work.  Sender One is reasonably close as well (sorry but Rockcreation is so dinky and cramped it's hard to recommend). Local skiing is not bad, though last time I went other than midweek, I was shocked at the traffic. Good public schools too. Commuting to and from inland OC will deprive you of much of this and give you an unwanted daily dose of So Cal traffic to boot.   To me, if your commute is light or easy, your life will be that much more relaxing.  You can also consider nearby cities like Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, parts of Costa Mesa (the older parts near the Back Bay are nice). The first two will have more expensive housing, but each of those will provide a reasonable commute that may not require freeway driving.   

Ben Crowell · · Fullerton · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 331
Fat Dad wrote:

As someone who grew up in OC (Costa Mesa) and who still goes down every couple of weeks to visit the folks, I don't quite get the hate for Irvine.  Irvine is like the rest of Orange County--planned, generic and filled with chain restaurants. 

No way. Irvine was master planned. That's what makes it *distinctive* compared to the rest of OC.

If you want to see a contrast to Irvine within OC, come to Fullerton. It's an old railroad town with a pedestrian-friendly downtown. There's a major bar scene if you're into that (pretty rowdy, actually), and a hilly trail system where you can ride or run off your hangover.

Also a lot of fun folks who refused to wear masks back when they were required or strongly suggested elsewhere.  It's an appropriately boring place to raise a family, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  It can breed a certain agoraphobia, where locals think LA is a big scary place because we have traffic and diversity and an occasional edginess.  My brother in law refuses to come visit for that reason (and we live in the way mellow Westchester).  But I digress...

This is not really accurate in my experience. The ultra-right-wing thing was OC in the 1980's, not today. In my neighborhood, there are religious fundamentalists and anti-vax nuts, but they are rare, and they're older people. Actually, my neighborhood in Fullerton is 70% Korean. My kids were in Fullerton public schools, and the schools were in our experience a pretty welcoming place for LGBT kids, which is not at all what you'd expect from the outdated Anita Bryant stereotypes. My congressional district is solid purple.

These days if you want to find an extremely homogeneous environment in OC, you have to seek it out at places like Biola (OK, actually that's LA county) or Irvine (which is economically homogeneous because the housing is so expensive).

Randy · · Lassitude 33 · Joined Jan 2002 · Points: 1,279

I agree with much of what Ben and Fat Dad have stated, but, unless you have a pretty big housing budget, Irvine and coastal areas can be quite expensive. And, depending on where your work is actually located in Irvine (the city is huge), being in the areas I mentioned should not present a difficult commute. 

Fullerton is a great city (I lived there for a few years), but commuting to Irvine from there (or North OC) would be mildly hellish.  

Laguna Hills is a reasonable alternative as well. Close to trails in Laguna Beach area, 133 Toll Road and adjacent to Irvine, but without the "premium" you pay in Irvine.

Laguna Beach is probably the ideal spot, but it makes Irvine seem fairly inexpensive. Summer (OK, now any sunny day, year round) crowds are the only real bummer. Surrounded by Open Space and quick access to Irvine and to get out of Dodge, you can take the 133 Toll Road to the 241 for actual climbing. The Mt. Biking (and hiking trail system) is great and right there.

You may also want to check out your work site vs. the many bike trails in Irvine and adjacent areas. Commuting by bike may make sense, depending.

On a personal note, I don't care for Sender One, at all. Rockreation may be smaller, but a nicer vibe and none of the swarming hoards that typically are found at places like Holcomb on weekends. OK, I'm a snob.

Gumby King · · The Gym · Joined Jun 2016 · Points: 52

Tustin is a nice little secret.  It's about 1Hr 45min to Tahquitz and 2 hours from Jtree.  If you mountain bike you'll have easier access to numerous trails.  Tustin is very close to Sender One.  You're still close to the beaches and the Big Bear area (I can't speak to the climbing location) is around 1.5-2 hours.

Cost of living seems reasonable. Cheaper than Irvine but more expensive than Santa Ana.  Santa Ana can be a bit dirtier and noisier.
--
Please don't become an Irvinite.  Take their money and spend it elsewhere.  

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

It has been many years since I lived in Irvine, but it was nice when I was there. Although expensive, I still can't tell why people in this thread don't like Irvine. Something about all the houses are beige? Is it because Irvine is expensive? That can be a barrier to living there, but is there something else?

Ben Crowell · · Fullerton · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 331

The OP doesn't say whether he has school-age children. If not, then Santa Ana could be an excellent option. Housing prices are reasonable by So Cal standards, many areas are pedestrian-friendly, and the commute to Irvine would be totally doable. Even if he decides he does eventually want to live in the blighted wasteland that is Irvine, an area like Santa Ana could be a reasonable place to wait out the covid spike in real estate prices.

soft crux · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2021 · Points: 0

TLDR

There's no quality outdoor climbing in Orange County

Two hours of driving gets you to many good crags

Fat Dad · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 60
Ben Crowell wrote:

No way. Irvine was master planned. That's what makes it *distinctive* compared to the rest of OC.

This is not really accurate in my experience. The ultra-right-wing thing was OC in the 1980's, not today. In my neighborhood, there are religious fundamentalists and anti-vax nuts, but they are rare, and they're older people. Actually, my neighborhood in Fullerton is 70% Korean. My kids were in Fullerton public schools, and the schools were in our experience a pretty welcoming place for LGBT kids, which is not at all what you'd expect from the outdated Anita Bryant stereotypes. My congressional district is solid purple.

I've enjoyed reading all the different opinions about OC.  I hope that the OP finds them helpful.   Just to respond Ben's comments.  Not that I disagree with them entirely, just a slightly different view. You're right that Irvine has a lot master planning associated with it.  However, it would be a misnomer to assume that the entire city was master planned.  Irvine used to consist of a LOT of open spaces that actually gave OC a nice rural feel BITD.  One large neighborhood went in.  A few years went by and another one went in.  More folks moved in and more neighborhoods were installed until there was really no open space left.  So the idea that this one all one grand scheme is incorrect.  As the Irvine Company sought to make more bucks, they simply built more.  However, it's clear that a lot of folks in OC clearly like what they built, and the neighborhoods are not THAT different than much of Orange County.  Most of the county consists of generic suburban neighborhoods.  You are absolutely right that some neighborhoods have more charm, maybe a lot more charm than others, but I disagree with the idea that they are that radically different.  Having said that, I do get kind of bummed when I now look out on the Irvine hills and find them covered in houses and how no one really seems to notice or care.  Maybe it's that attitude you're referring to.  

I think what the OP needs to do is come check out areas before making a decision.  This thread reminds of another when a person was asking for recommendations about getting a new mt. bike.  The take away from that was to actually hop on different bikes and see how they feel rather than trying to make a decision based upon how you think they will ride.  

Lastly, since I've got some serious thread drift going, I don't think the county's conservative politics have changed that much since I was a kid.  It is becoming more purple, which really just means it was really red before.  Fullerton may be more progressive, but places like Huntington Beach, Irvine and elsewhere are still pretty darn conservative.  Even a large part of the Asian-American influx is generally conservative as evidenced by the recent election of Young Kim as a Republican congresswoman.  Didn't the county health director resign because all of the grief she got over her efforts to limit the spread of COVID?  Part of that may be due to the older population, but you also have large evangelical churches like Calvary Chapel and Saddleback that are cranking out young Bible toting Trump brownshirts and conservative schools like Chapman University.  My hope is that the county continues to become more progressive like the rest of the state, but the people on the right seem to be doubling down rather than changing with the times unfortunately.  

Ben Crowell · · Fullerton · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 331
Fat Dad wrote:

Lastly, since I've got some serious thread drift going, I don't think the county's conservative politics have changed that much since I was a kid.  It is becoming more purple, which really just means it was really red before.  Fullerton may be more progressive, but places like Huntington Beach, Irvine and elsewhere are still pretty darn conservative.  Even a large part of the Asian-American influx is generally conservative as evidenced by the recent election of Young Kim as a Republican congresswoman.

First Ed Royce (R) had the seat for a long time, then Gil Cisneros (D) won, beating out Royce's protege Young Kim (R), and then in the most recent election Kim beat Cisneros. Kim is actually interesting because she works very hard at projecting one image to her liberal constituents and a different one to her conservative ones. She has two separate web/social media presences, and she steers a given audience to whichever one she wants them to see. Anyway, I would say that if a seat flips parties twice in two successive elections, then that's pretty much the definition of a purple district. All 6 OC congressional districts went blue in 2018, so I don't think there are any that you could call solid conservative districts. If anything, Irvine's congressional district is more liberal than Fullerton's. Irvine elected Katie Porter (D) in 2018 and reelected her in 2020. Porter won by 7% in the most recent election, whereas the Cisneros/Kim elections were both squeakers.

It's true that OC's Vietnamese population is conservative, which is understandable given that it exists because people were fleeing communism. One of my coworkers was a boat person. They had a nice big house there before the war, and when the communists won, she and her family got in a boat and pretended they were going on a fishing trip. But as far as the Koreans in my heavily Korean neighborhood, well, they're all individuals, but in general they tend to be extremely religious and pretty homophobic and transphobic (including Young Kim, who is a really nasty transphobe), but most of them are not very interested in electoral politics.

Randy · · Lassitude 33 · Joined Jan 2002 · Points: 1,279
Gumby King wrote:

Tustin is a nice little secret.  It's about 1Hr 45min to Tahquitz and 2 hours from Jtree.  If you mountain bike you'll have easier access to numerous trails.  Tustin is very close to Sender One.  You're still close to the beaches and the Big Bear area (I can't speak to the climbing location) is around 1.5-2 hours.

Cost of living seems reasonable. Cheaper than Irvine but more expensive than Santa Ana. Santa Ana can be a bit dirtier and noisier.
--
Please don't become an Irvinite.  Take their money and spend it elsewhere.  

Tustin is nice (I grew up there) and I would include it as a good location to consider. There is a very good bike trail system that connects Tustin to Irvine all the way down to Newport Beach. Depending on where your work is located, this could offer a nice commute option.

Regarding the thread drift, I agree with much of what Ben stated.

Patrick L · · Idyllwild · Joined Jan 2019 · Points: 0

Just eschew climbing for a while when you get there and go sample all the korean food places. Find seolleongtang, it is soup. 

Ben Crowell · · Fullerton · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 331
Patrick L wrote:

Just eschew climbing for a while when you get there and go sample all the korean food places. Find seolleongtang, it is soup. 

Mmm, now you're making me hungry. I really like tteokbokki.

Randy wrote:

Tustin is nice (I grew up there) and I would include it as a good location to consider. There is a very good bike trail system that connects Tustin to Irvine all the way down to Newport Beach. Depending on where your work is located, this could offer a nice commute option.

I'm not that familiar with Tustin. How are the schools? Are housing prices less crazy than in Irvine? Is there any kind of a walkable business district?

Kevin Worrall · · La Jolla, Ca · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 264

Woodson is 1 1/2 hr from Irvine if you like splitters

Matt Himmelstein · · Orange, CA · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 194

You either live in OC and drive to your recreation or you live near where you recreate and drive to work.  Considering the commute to work is more crowded and you do it daily, I would suggest living in OC.

The easiest outdoor activities in OC center around mountain biking and hiking. Close to Irvine, you can live in Irvine, Tustin, Orange, Mission Viejo, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Anaheim, or any other city I am skipping over in the area and get out to bike/hike mid week before or after work. You can also get to the beach to surf or paddle pretty easily from any of these places. If you go north a little to Yorba LInda, Brea, Fullerton... you can get out to hike/bike, but you are increasing your commute and putting yourself further from the beach.

For climbing, there are a number of gyms in the area.  Sender One is the big one, then there is Rockreation, and then some smaller ones and bouldering only ones.  Outdoors, you can boulder at the beach in Pirates Cove in Corona Del Mar or drive.  JTree, Tahquitz, Holcomb... are all easy (though long) day trips and easy weekends.  Even Red Rocks is a reachable weekend destination.

You can ski in Big Bear or Writewood, though for me the only local mountain worthwhile (this does not apply to snowboard parks) is Mt. Baldy. If there is good snow, I can be at the lifts at Baldy in about an hour from Orange mid week. If you want to night ski, the local places offer it and there are plenty of folks who work a 3/4 day and then hit a night session. Mammoth and Tahoe are reachable by car for a weekend it you like driving (flying is also an option), and you can fly to Salt Lake, New Mexico, or Colorado for a weekend of skiing.

Housing is pretty high everywhere. Irvine schools are great, but Tustin and Orange schools can also be very good and the hosing is a little cheaper. As you get closer to the water, prices go up.

I live in Orange in what I used to think was an affordable area, but now prices are crazy.70% appreciation in 15-ish years... I can leave my house and be on a hiking or mountain bike trail in a few minutes. I have a really good elementary school that I can get to by crossing one street within my development (not that I need one at this point). I work in Irvine, a 15-20 min commute, go to Sender One, which is located between work and home, and I can get to Tahquitz, Big Bear, or Josh in 2-ish hours, Frustration Creek, the Quarry (both areas are closed now, but should reopen next year) or Big Rock in an hour-ish.

I like the older communities in OC, and the most exciting food options are in Downtown Santa Ana, Tustin, Old Town Orange and Laguna Beach (in my opinion) and there is plenty of great Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and other ethnic options (heck, Anaheim even has Kenyan and Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants).

As for Irvine being sleepy, it is more that Irvine is cookie-cutter.  Master Planned communities and big-box anchored outdoor malls.  But there are lots of parks and community pools for residents.  Aliso Viejo years ago has like 4 approved colors for the exterior of houses in the entire city, and you are not really going to walk to some cool corner coffee shop.  Where I am in Orange, I can actually walk to two independent coffee shops and a community college, as well as a regional park with kid's activities and a small zoo (it is a long walk, but it is walkable and easily bikable).

.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern California
Post a Reply to "Moving to Irvine. Where to live/climb?"

Log In to Reply
Welcome

Join the Community! It's FREE

Already have an account? Login to close this notice.