Orange County is really not a city but  in a way all the cities within this area are viewed as one.  Please do not confuse Orange County to Los Angeles.  I assure you it is not.  While they definitely share a lot of similarities like temperature (all of southern California does) and freeways both cities are vastly different in style and the people who live there.  While Los Angeles has a more liberal feel to it Orange County is definitely “conservative” on the outside and more suburban.

These are the cities that make up Orange County:  Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna, Tustin, and Irvine.  There are several other cities that I left out but they do not have the importance as the main ones I just named.  Those seven cities make up the heart of this famous county and comprise, at least in my biased opinion,  one of the best places to live in the country.

I am going to tell you right now that Orange County is a great place to live.  The weather is always nice and the people in Orange County are beautiful.  If you are a guy the first thing you are going to notice is all the attractive and tanned blonds.  They are all over Orange County.  If you are a woman than you are going to notice all the handsome very fit guys.  This place has a high concentration of attractive people.  But this is California, so that should not be a problem for you.

Weather in this place is great.  I know that the whole state in general has some of the best weather on the planet (Mediterranean climate and only three places in the world have it) but Orange County is a notch better than anyplace else.  This is due to it being right by the beach and getting nice cooling winds from the ocean.  The wind is not exceptionally strong but forceful enough to turn a hot summer day into a pleasant warm feeling.  The weather here is always between 40 and 85 degrees.  You will have a few days a little less than 40 degrees and some days over 85 degrees but its rare.  Unlike Portland and Seattle to the northwest it never rains. You will love the weather here.  I have never spoken to anyone who came here and did not absolutely love the weather in Orange County.

There is literally tons of things to do here.  You can go to the IMAX, Disneyland, or Knotts Bery Farm.  There are tons of attractions in LA and the surrounding areas for you to visit.  Universal Studios and Six Flags Magic Mountain are just two out of many.  The surfing at Huntington Beach is awesome.  There are numerous surf competitions there during the summer.

Orange County has a stigma that was made by Hollywood.  The television shows of Laguna Beach, the Hills, OC, and Real Housewives of Orange County have made people believe that this place is something its not.  Not everyone is rich.  Not everyone drives BMW and Escalades.  You have a lot of people who do.    A lot of rich people live here.  But every city has a rich side of town.  Not everyone is snobby and stuck up.  That’s what people have in their mind but its simply not true.

Having said that the cost of living in Orange County is very high.  This is one of the most sought after places in the US and everyone wants to live here.  Great weather year round and great people combined with being by the beach has property values outrageous.  I was at a friend’s house in Huntington Beach and his neighbor’s house, which is averge by any standard, was selling for 1.5 million dollars.  And that was discounted.  You almost have to be rich to live nice here.  I know that I just said that most people who live here are not but many of these people have been living here for a long time and bought their property before OC became “the place” to live.

You are going to have to have a plan and have a fantastic job to live in Orange County.  I would say the minimum is 70,000 is most places.  You may be able to live in Santa Anna or Anneheim for a little less.  Not much though and especially if you have a family.

The crime here is low.  This county is nothing like Los Angeles to the north.  LA is riddled with gang violence, poor schools, and immigration problems.  Orange County has some good schools and still has a suburban feel to it.

The total population is 3 million.  Its mostly white.  The other two groups are hispanic and asian.  You will not be running into a lot of blacks here.  I see more blacks in Anchorage where I am from.  The hispanics that live in Orange County usually are pleasant, speak English, and are nice hard working people.  Many of them have good businesses or jobs.  I have seen some spanish comunities in Tustin where the houses were huge and the neighborhoods were extremely nice.  I say this to contrasts the “barrios” you might think about when you think some mexican neighborhoods in Southern California.

Overall if you can afford it I say live here.  Traffic is going to be horrible but everything else is good.  I love this place.  Cannot say enough about it.