How did you end up in Irvine?

How did you end up in Irvine?

  • Born/grew up here

    Votes: 2 4.8%

  • Moved here when I was younger

    Votes: 3 7.1%

  • Family

    Votes: 9 21.4%

  • Work

    Votes: 22 52.4%

  • School (<-- or whatever you want to call it)

    Votes: 10 23.8%

  • Friends

    Votes: 1 2.4%

  • FCB

    Votes: 2 4.8%

  • Housing Premium (AKA The Unicorn Effect)

    Votes: 1 2.4%

  • Other (please indicate if you can)

    Votes: 8 19.0%
  • Total voters
    42
irvinehomeowner

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
So at TI Ball Day (http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php?topic=2461.0), we got to talking about how we ended up in Irvine. Even WoodburyDad brought up an interesting point about certain members who used to be in Irvine that have left or are leaving... what brought them to Irvine in the first place (I guess I should post a counter-poll about why people left Irvine).

I used a poll so that you don't really have to share personal information but it would be nice insight into how people end up here.

I didn't end up in Irvine because of real estate prices... I didn't even know where Irvine was until a buddy of mine started dating a girl who lived here and he needed someone to come with him for the long drive. I guess I got hooked on all the trees and green grass (I can kind of see what PStar was saying about the parallels to "The Lorax"). Had I any idea it was going to become a small anomaly to fundamental pricing... I would have had all my relatives/friends buy Irvine properties back before 90s bubble and again before the 2000s bubble.

So... what brought you to the Land of the Unicorn?
 
variable229 said:
The Motor Court Company said:
I attended University of Chinese Immigration.
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In my time it was called University of Civics and Integras.
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It is now full of BMWs/Mercedes driven by the second gen, or Corollas with lots of stuff animals inside, Hello Kitty being the most popular.
 
my wife and i both had long commutes. we moved to irvine so she would have a 15-20 minute commute. I still have my long commute  :(
 
We moved here because of the location.  It's central to friends, family and especially work.  We looked a little south and north of Irvine but we both really loved how so many restaurants we frequent are so close by to our current home.  My wife also liked how everything in Irvine is so nicely manicured and green, reminded us of parts of Northern California we loved.
 
family moved here in 90's, back then I wasn't around that much being in school... lived 1 bachelor year in West LA, got married and settled back to Irvine..
 
Attending UCI brought me here initially. I played 1st base on the baseball team and was in the CWH program.
(transferred and graduated from SCU when the program got cancelled)

Met my wife here, got married here, and moved back here to be close to her parents who live here when our first son was born.

-IrvineRealtor
 
Moved in because of: work locale, master-planned communities, schools, and shopping.
Moved out because of: schools, shopping, other master-planned communities, home values, and potential future work locale.
 
Moved to Irvine after the Company that I used to work for moved their office from Costa Mesa to Irvine back in 2000.
 
A thousand shades of beige, hundred PTO moms volunteering everyday, ten API schools, a cluster of piano/martial arts/debate/SAT academies for every yogurtland, a Target every mile, a Costco in every direction- what's not to like? I saw, I fell in love, I bought! As easy as that.. and then there is UCI if the cluster program fails.

We moved here for work/life balance. Mr.CZ believes in hands on parenting, and likes to spend time with his daughters everyday. When he moved to West LA, we lost on the valuable family time. He would return home after they went to sleep, and had to leave before they woke up. Pasadena was nice, but not enough Asians. Arcadia was OK, schools were good, but the city/houses weren't up to the mark. Irvine was a good compromise. I am enjoying my stay here.

 
We looked at buying in a lot of different areas but ultimately decided that Irvine was the best fit for us.
Proximity to work, friends & family, community and schools helped influence our decision.
 
Growing as a loner. Didn't get a chance to hone my social skills. Introverted proclivities brought me to the ideal city where unfriendliness is a norm. For decades I loved my privacy until other sardines started to invade my personal space.
 
Moved to Irvine in 2000 due to the wife's and my job were in the OC and we were in LA county.  Bought specifically in Irvine because of the cleanliness, good upkeep of homes and the general feel of the city (when it was 140K residents).  Did not care about schools since having kids was not even on the long range radar at the time.

Moved out of Irvine two years ago because the growing family and the cost of buying a larger home in Irvine was not worth it.  Wanted the bedroom community feel again since Irvine was now a metropolis (>210K residents) of high rise condos and crowded streets/stores.  Schools mattered now because of our kids but realized there were great schools that were not IUSD {GASP} and have API scores which rival Irvine coveted schools.

I look at Irvine now similar to Big Bear.  I can go to the snow (i.e. stores/restaurants) to enjoy it when I want it but I get to drive home and not have to shovel it (traffic/crowds, etc) every day.
 
Bought here in 1999. As the song by Prince "Party like 1999" The stock market was sky high and everything you buy makes money on the stock market. Housing was just on the amend and nobody want to buy a house then because the stock market double every 6 months. Sounds very familiar isn't it. I was just married in 1998 and all I wanted was a house to turn it into a home. So after 14 month renting aloft in Los Alamitos from a retire cop which was very sad when we left but was very happy for us, we decided to buy in Irvine. We basically look all over O.C. In the 75 mile radius of central O.C. There is no place we did not consider when it comes to budget of 200+ K for single family home in O.C. Keep in mind this is at end of 1998 and beginning of 1999. It took us a year and found our perfect fit home and we still live here in West Irvine.

As times goes by every year from the time that we bought to the crazy manic housing booming, to the fatal crash we still see our home as a HOME.
The values has dropped 100K from the peek, but still more than double what we paid for and I am still loving this community.

The best decision I made is to buy here and not dumping money in the stock market during the PARTY LIKE 1999. Now however, I am opposite of what I did then. Deploying cash and 401K aggressively in the stock market, for a SHORT time being.

 
davenlei said:
Moved to Irvine in 2000 due to the wife's and my job were in the OC and we were in LA county.  Bought specifically in Irvine because of the cleanliness, good upkeep of homes and the general feel of the city (when it was 140K residents).  Did not care about schools since having kids was not even on the long range radar at the time.

Moved out of Irvine two years ago because the growing family and the cost of buying a larger home in Irvine was not worth it.  Wanted the bedroom community feel again since Irvine was now a metropolis (>210K residents) of high rise condos and crowded streets/stores.  Schools mattered now because of our kids but realized there were great schools that were not IUSD {GASP} and have API scores which rival Irvine coveted schools.

I look at Irvine now similar to Big Bear.  I can go to the snow (i.e. stores/restaurants) to enjoy it when I want it but I get to drive home and not have to shovel it (traffic/crowds, etc) every day.
Click to expand...

where did you move to?

I've been here since the early 90's (school).  Actually was one of the first people to eat at the In'n Out across from UCI (grand opening). 

Got a job after school in Irvine and have been here ever since.    My wife grew up in Irvine, her parents still live in the same house.  She loves it and we plan to stay around here for a long time.
 
akim997 said:
davenlei said:
Moved to Irvine in 2000 due to the wife's and my job were in the OC and we were in LA county.  Bought specifically in Irvine because of the cleanliness, good upkeep of homes and the general feel of the city (when it was 140K residents).  Did not care about schools since having kids was not even on the long range radar at the time.

Moved out of Irvine two years ago because the growing family and the cost of buying a larger home in Irvine was not worth it.  Wanted the bedroom community feel again since Irvine was now a metropolis (>210K residents) of high rise condos and crowded streets/stores.  Schools mattered now because of our kids but realized there were great schools that were not IUSD {GASP} and have API scores which rival Irvine coveted schools.

I look at Irvine now similar to Big Bear.  I can go to the snow (i.e. stores/restaurants) to enjoy it when I want it but I get to drive home and not have to shovel it (traffic/crowds, etc) every day.
Click to expand...

where did you move to?

I've been here since the early 90's (school).  Actually was one of the first people to eat at the In'n Out across from UCI (grand opening). 

Got a job after school in Irvine and have been here ever since.    My wife grew up in Irvine, her parents still live in the same house.  She loves it and we plan to stay around here for a long time.
Click to expand...
He is in Laguna Niguel in a house that is worth more than he paid for it back in 2009.
 
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