What place in South Orange county has character without being extremely expensive?|112842

I may relocate somewhere near Aliso Viejo. A lot of it seems like strip malls and look-alike housing developments. Laguna Beach has its charm, but I_ve heard it_s over-the-top expensive. What areas have character?

::sigh::
Another question that_s impossible to answer.

See, OC is all new, for the most part. Have you ever seen the video that shows the opening of Disneyland? The only thing you had outside the park was I-5 and Orange Groves. Everything built since then was done with a cookie-cutter, because that_s what people wanted.

The exceptions to that rule are ALL expensive. Heck, even the cookie-cutter places are expensive. In order to find places with character, you have to go back into the history books. But people who already live in those areas aren_t going anywhere. And the laws of supply and demand dictate a high price for such real estate.

But you can start looking in the following areas:
-Huntington Beach
-Downtown Brea
-Downtown Orange
-Santa Ana
-Laguna Beach
-Newport Harbor
-Fullerton, esp. near downtown
-La Habra (might be your best shot at a decent price)

Remember cost is relative...
Yes, all of Laguna Beach is extermely expensive compared to Omaha, NE, but compared to most of OC there is a lot of responsibly priced rentals. Can you get a 1 bedroom in Irvine and Laguna Beach for $1200 = yes... the one in Irvine will be a much nicer place/the one in Laguna will be a much better location.

If you really want character without cost, I would look at the Old Town area of Orange or Belmont Heights in Long Beach.

FYI - Laguna is far from anything. It takes 20+ mins to get to the freeway.

dddddddddddddddddd

There are no cheap coastal areas, none.