Irvine’s a very nice place to live but definitely has it’s own form of pathology. You kind of have to experience it to understand – anything or anyone that is in any way unique is simply intolerable.
A horticulturalist friend got hassled by her HOA because she had ‘unacceptable’ flowers (rare orchids) in containers on her back deck. The couple next door found them to be ‘visually obscene’ and lobbied the development until my friend was forced to sell her home. All of her neighbors conveniently overlooked the fact that one had to LOOK OVER THE FENCE to see them in the first place! I felt like that was a pretty egregious situation, but it turns out that brute-force pressure to conform is ubiquitous in Irvine. Some love that, I can’t take it.
Lots of other decent places nearby also. Look around…you might be surprised. Many areas in Tustin are very nice and often more reality based. I quite like Costa Mesa, but there is definitely a less tidy appearance here and some funky locals.
Areas closer to the airport tend to be more expensive, as a reward for the shorter commute to the majority of the jobs that are nearby.
