is dana point too far south

F

financeguy_IHB

New member
I'm considering Dana Point because it is the nothern most safe beach city I can afford. However my extended family and friends all live in Irvine area and some in LA. My work is also located in Irvine. Does anyone commute from Dana point and south to Irvine a lot? What are your experiences? I'm also worried if I find another job in the future. Irvine is very centrally located.



Also, what do you think about home prices in Dana Point. Are they more immune than inland cities and do they have more potential in the long run because it is a beach city?



Thanks for your help.
 
I have never commuted from DP, but also being a beach town fan, considered it at one time because the prices were certainly less than LB, CDM and NPB and San Clemente was just too far. It actually seemed that DP was more difficult and time consuming to get to and fro than San Clemente due to the fact that it's not close to a freeway. HB also seems to have this difficult to get to a freeway issue.



If you like being beach close, perhaps you might want to take a look at Costa Mesa. There are plenty of snobs here that will poo poo CM, but you may find that it offers a lot more for the buck. We live 2 miles from the beach. Ideally I would love to be closer, but you can only afford what you can afford. However, we can ride our bikes to the coast in under 15 minutes and get the ocean breezes. Hubby commutes to Irvine and it's shorter from here than when we lived in CDM. It takes him less than 15 mins to get to work. The 55 being close makes a big difference.
 
Depends on your age. I've spent time in DP and it seemed like a lot of older people (no offense) and retirees. I think SC is better, even though its a little farther. Keep looking or just wait longer, prices are still retreating.
 
[quote author="financeguy" date=1234428441]I'm considering Dana Point because it is the nothern most safe beach city I can afford. However my extended family and friends all live in Irvine area and some in LA. My work is also located in Irvine. Does anyone commute from Dana point and south to Irvine a lot? What are your experiences? I'm also worried if I find another job in the future. Irvine is very centrally located.



Also, what do you think about home prices in Dana Point. Are they more immune than inland cities and do they have more potential in the long run because it is a beach city?



Thanks for your help.</blockquote>


One of my co-workers lives in Dana Point and commutes to our office at South Coast Metro. She takes the toll road in the morning and says it a relative breeze...about 30 minutes if I recall. On the way home she has been taking the 405/5 lately to save money --- could have never done that last year. If you have a job, one upside of a recession is less traffic...
 
[quote author="norcaljeff" date=1234440709]Depends on your age. I've spent time in DP and it seemed like a lot of older people (no offense) and retirees. I think SC is better, even though its a little farther. Keep looking or just wait longer, prices are still retreating.</blockquote>


Well I prefer not to be in an area with "a lot of older people (no offense) and retirees". I favorite location is CDM because of all its shops, restaurants, proximity to the beach, and the lack of frat house parties (ie Balboa), but I doubt it'll ever get in my price range, so I was hoping to find the next best alternative.
 
I lived in Dana Point for about 3 years and at times commuted to Irvine area. It's not a bad drive at all, since the traffic really doesn't hit until near Jamboree. There are patches where it slows down near Crown Valley area, but otherwise it's a breeze. If your work is further up than MacArthur, might be worse though.



As far as the town, I LOVE DP. You definitely get the beach town feel, without the headaches of Newport & Laguna, and you're not as far out as S.C. The freeway is actually an easy reach from just about anywhere in DP, since you can take the PCH down to 5-N with at max a 2 mile drive. It is as laid back as a SoCal beach town can get, and comes with virtually no PooPoo attitude. If you can handle being 30 minutes away from Irvine and beyond, it's the life. And, I'm not a retiree, although I would have to say the demographics is largely 40+ and (lots of) teens.
 
Mrs. ConsiderAgain has a coworker in Huntington Beach that just made an offer in Dana Point. The commute would be too much for us, but the person really likes the area.
 
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