Is your life wish to relocate to Southern California? If you like beaches and incredible weather all year round, you should learn more about the best places to live in Orange County, CA. This area has much more to offer than sunshine and sand, especially if you’re looking for a new job opportunity or a safe area to raise your kids in 2021.
Also known as the OC, the county is the third most populous area in California and the sixth most peopled in the United States with more than 3 million inhabitants. When thinking about the best cities to live in Orange County, there are 34 incorporated cities with Santa Ana as the county seat. If you’re looking for surfing and great beaches, you can’t go wrong with Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. The city of Newport Beach has a strong business community, great real estate options, and an excellent educational system. If you’re a wine lover, you will enjoy Canyon Winery in Laguna Niguel, and all art aficionados will love Laguna Beach, a strong arts community.
So, whatever your reasons for living overseas are – moving to another country for love, or the accomplishment of breaking the language barrier, know that you shouldn’t be concerned with the question of where to live in Orange County CA. When moving to Orange County, there are plenty of excellent places that will satisfy all your needs and requirements. Just make sure to organize all the necessary things before moving overseas, such as obtaining documents needed to travel abroad and relocation questions to ask the employer to avoid unnecessary moving stress.
Where to Live in Orange County
Before you pick some of the best places to live abroad in 2021, define your wishes and goals as well as crucial factors important for your new life. That being said, it’s not the same if you’re in search of cities with expat communities, planning relocation with dogs, or looking for the best places to live abroad with family. You should consider several factors when deciding what area is the best for you, and some of the essential are:
- Job location
- School districts
- Beaches
- Outdoor activities
Fortunately, OC has a bit of everything for everyone. We’ll help you learn more about its charming towns and their amenities in order to facilitate your searching process.
What Are the Best Places to Live in Orange County CA
Located between Los Angeles and San Diego, Orange County is definitely one of the most attractive suburban areas to relocate to in Southern California. If you’ve done your research, you realized how exciting this region is due to its small beach towns, amazing romantic escapes, and big city vibes. Still, since there are a lot of options (more than 30 cities) to consider, we’ve narrowed down several top OC cities to help you decide what might be the most suitable solution for you:
- Laguna Beach
- Irvine
- Yorba Linda
- Buena Park
- Laguna Hills
- Santa Ana
- Dana Point
Laguna Beach and Irvine Are Considered Among the Best Cities in Orange County
People who like summer concerts, art festivals, and theater shows will be fascinated by Laguna Beach. It’s a cultural mecca of OC and one of its hidden gems when it comes to sea caves, tide pools, sandy beaches, and vast protected wilderness. All in all, whether you’re looking for outdoor adventures, great shopping spots, or a unique art and culture scene, Laguna Beach has it all.
On the other side, there is Irvine, the business hub of OC. It is one of the largest County’s cities with an urban feel. Irvine is ranked near the top of the list for childcare, education, health, and safety, and for that reason, it is one of the favorite locations for families. Besides, the city boasts over 21 community parks and an excellent dining scene, including plenty of international cuisines, such as Mexican, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and others.
Yorba Linda Is Known as One of the Richest Orange County Towns, and Some Would Say Even the Richest City in the U.S.
Yorba Linda, nicknamed “Land of Gracious Living” (Linda means “beautiful” in Spanish,) is a city with small-town character and ranked as one of the best 100 places to live in the US. It is primarily residential with several shopping centers, office parks, and industrial areas. Yorba Linda is considered one of the state’s richest places, with a median income per resident over $120,000 annually. There are plenty of things to do here in terms of arts, culture, and entertainment, such as:
- Visiting Don Bernardo Yorba Ranchhouse site,
- Strolling around Main Street historic district,
- Enjoying performing arts live,
- Spending a pleasant afternoon in Susanna Bixby Bryant Museum & Botanic Garden,
- Sipping coffee and nibbling specialties in some of the numerous restaurants in the Town Center.
If You’re Looking for the Cheapest Places to Live in Orange County, Choose Buena Park
OC is definitely a perfect place to call home. It has everything – from perfect weather throughout the year and fantastic beach communities to an amazing mix of suburban and urban places. Still, many would say it’s an expensive option, which is true to some extent. That being said, some mind-boggling areas are both affordable and excellent for living in Orange County. If you’re looking for decent and adequate housing, the city of Buena Park might be your best bet.
According to areavibes.com, the cost of living in Buena Park is 1% higher than the California average. The city offers numerous single-level properties and great starter homes. For example, the average sale price is $597,572, which is 115% higher than the national average but don’t forget all other amenities that compensate for this. Buena Park is home to Medieval Times, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Pirate Dinner Adventure and offers plenty of entertainment for your family. Still, there is another bonus: goods & services, health care, and utilities are lower than the California average, which is definitely a great advantage if you choose this charming community for living, also known as the “Center of the Southland.”
Laguna Hills Is the Best Place to Live in Orange County With Your Family
If you have kids, you’ve probably always dreamed about the friendliest countries in the world with low crime rates and unmatched family activities. Lucky for you, in OC it’s easy to find an area that fits all your needs, or at least most of them. For example, Laguna Hills is a Californian city with about 31,000 inhabitants and great options to consider if you think about a new start with your children.
What’s so Fascinating About Laguna Hills? It’s Maybe Not Perfect for Your Finances, but Everything Else Will Knock You Off Your Feet
Why should you move to Laguna Hills? Here are some major reasons:
- Short commutes – the average maximum commute is 25 minutes here,
- Low crime rates – the city’s crime rate is approx. 67% lower than the rest of California,
- Employment – the city employs 1.33 times more workers than what anyone could expect from such a small area due to tech services, wholesale trade, and scientific sectors,
- Friendly community,
- Beautiful weather and fascinating, blue ocean surround you,
- Plenty of amenities – restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, parks, schools, hospitals, colleges, and more,
- Family activities – Irvine Spectrum, the South Coast Plaza, and Disneyland in Anaheim are close to Laguna Hills,
- Plenty of outdoor activities – beaches, hiking, and the Laguna Art Museum at Laguna Beach.
Find Out Why Is Santa Ana a Perfect Place if You Have Toddlers and Kids
Santa Ana is not just OC’s largest city, but a cultural hub packed with fancy restaurants, funky shops, and plenty of art. On top of that, it can boast proximity to theme parks, so it’s no wonder why it is a perfect family-friendly destination. So, if you’re looking for the best countries to live in or amicable areas both for you and your children, you can rest assured that Orange County in California and Santa Ana are the right choices. Let’s take a glimpse into things to do here with your kiddos:
- Visit Santa Ana Zoo,
- Be active in Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park,
- Enjoy interactive and educational exhibits in Discovery Cube Orange County,
- Let your kids climbing at Sender One Climbing,
- Visit some of the many kid-friendly restaurants, such as Gypsy Den, 4th Street Market, Tacobar, Hans Homemade Ice Cream, and others,
- Visit the Heritage Museum of Orange County.
This Is a Place Where You Can Enjoy Historical, Artistic and Outdoor Activities
If you’re a person with artistic inclinations or your kids like art, you’ll be thrilled with so many art galleries and art museums in Santa Ana. Besides, this community prides itself in historical locations and outdoor spots where the whole family can spend a pleasant Saturday afternoon. You shouldn’t miss some of the following suggestions:
- Grand Central Art Center
- OC Center for Contemporary Art
- Showcase Gallery
- Floral Park
- The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art and Bowers Kidseum
- Ronald Reagan Federal Building and US Courthouse
If You’re Looking for Great Adventure and Friendly Community, Dana Point Is a Place Worth Relocating
Known as The Whale Watching Capital of the West, Dana Point is nestled between Laguna Beach and San Clemente. It’s an excellent area for everyone who’s looking for friendly neighbors, great eateries, pristine beaches, and numerous activities for the whole family. Dana Point Harbor offers lots of activities for everyone, from shopping, biking, parasailing to sport fishing.
What Are the Best Neighborhoods in Orange County? With Forster Ranch in San Clemente and Canyon Point in Aliso Viejo, You Can’t Go Wrong
People usually like locations with a mix of a charming seaside town and plenty of open-air activities. If you’re one of them, San Clemente will become your favorite destination. Dubbed as the Spanish Village by the Sea, it has ten communities with outstanding real estate, economic stability, plenty of entertainment, and recreational activities. It’s Foster Ranch that is an incredibly popular neighborhood for sports in the open-air – hiking, lounging in a park, playing tennis, or biking along the ocean.
Canyon Point is a beautiful neighborhood in the heart of Aliso Viejo, and it’s perfect for raising a family. With its low crime rate and well-rounded school system (Capistrano Unified Public School District), it is an excellent area for peaceful and cozy family life. There are several parks in the area, and if you decide to become a Canyon Point resident, you’ll have access to grocery stores, freeways, entertainment, retail, and recreation. This neighborhood is only seven miles distanced from Laguna Beach, and you can enjoy many hiking trails here.
Have You Chosen Your Favorite Place in Orange County? If so, Pick the Right International Moving Company and Hit the Road
When moving overseas, you need to think about many things, such as how to live abroad, find the best ways of learning a language abroad, and how to keep in touch with friends. All in all, you should organize everything promptly and learn how to live in another country. Fortunately, the adjustment period is something that can be overcome easily. If you perform your research about a prospective place ahead of time and contact a professional overseas moving company, you shouldn’t worry about a thing. In case you have elementary English proficiency or you’ve already used it for your business needs, then the language shouldn’t frighten you. Moving to the US, in this case, is much easier than moving to Russia or relocating to South Korea. Don’t forget that packing, renting a storage unit, and auto overseas shipping services should be planned ahead of time to provide you with peace of mind. After you contact an overseas moving company, and when this, the hardest part is done, you can dream about your future place in Orange County CA, and prospective life in 2021.
