Orchard Hills VS Hidden Canyon?

[bones]

And here I thought only us poor folk in the toxic flatlands of Irvine argue over which village is best.  Good to know that just because you have a few million in the bank doesn't make you any different.  Never change TI!

 

[nyc to oc]

Setting. The setting is praise-worthy. What premium does HC offer other than location? Even the location of HC is questionable, as the community is... quite literally on a freeway offramp. And I wouldn't even call it a "coastal community" as TIC, Toll Bros, and people here have been referring it to. If none of the homes offer a view of the ocean, it's clear that the "coastal" label is a marketing ploy.

Say what you will about the location, but it doesn't get much better in the city of Irvine. Even though there's only city view the temperature is many degrees cooler than further inland during the summer. If you look at the map you see that HC is 3 miles away from the 405, buffered by LA. It offers easy access without the drawback of proximity to the freeway. It certainly beats the 20 minutes it takes to get to the 405 from OH.

OH is a beantiful community. It has more parks and amenities than HC. I love all the trees in the surrounding area. But, in real estate location is everything. From that perspective, there's no comparison.

Proximity to the 405 is only a plus if that's the freeway you need to use. Some people need closer access to the 5.  I had the choice to move to south Irvine and Uni district, but chose north, because that's what works for my personal life circumstances, and also I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni. So please let's recognize that there's no single "best",  because "best" differs for different people.

 

[Happiness]

Neighborhoods like Quail Hill and Orchard Hills are traditional Irvine residential suburbs.  They have all of the usual amenities and attributes of Irvine residential areas.  Hidden Canyon and Laguna Altura are fill in residential areas located within a commercial area, the Irvine Spectrum, that is full of office parks, industrial parks, self storage, warehouses, high rise buildings, auto dealerships, etc. and lack many of the usual residential area amenities.  I don't think one type of neighborhood is better than another but clearly, there are some people who prefer the traditional suburb while others prefer a mixed use area.

 

[eatthis]

Proximity to the 405 is only a plus if that's the freeway you need to use. Some people need closer access to the 5.

Fortunately, 5 Fwy is also just a few minutes away, past the 405 via 133.

I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni.

The horror! Your kids missed out a once in a lifetime life changing experience and you took that away from them?

So please let's recognize that there's no single "best",  because "best" differs for different people.

That would defeat the whole purpose of TI. 

 

[nyc to oc]

Proximity to the 405 is only a plus if that's the freeway you need to use. Some people need closer access to the 5.

Fortunately, 5 Fwy is also just a few minutes away, past the 405 via 133.

Driving on 5-north THROUGH  Irvine coming from a southern approach  is a nightmare in the AM. If you're headed North in the morning, its better to be on the leading northern edge of Irvine. These days, I like to avoid driving into and through Irvine traffic as much as possible.

 

[hoofhearted]

...and also I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni.

Is there a particular reason why? I thought Uni was the Holy Grail of Public Education(haha), no?
It's because of Uni, my wife and I have been considering the move to south Irvine.

 

[WTTCHMN]

Neighborhoods like Quail Hill and Orchard Hills are traditional Irvine residential suburbs.  They have all of the usual amenities and attributes of Irvine residential areas.  Hidden Canyon and Laguna Altura are fill in residential areas located within a commercial area, the Irvine Spectrum, that is full of office parks, industrial parks, self storage, warehouses, high rise buildings, auto dealerships, etc. and lack many of the usual residential area amenities.  I don't think one type of neighborhood is better than another but clearly, there are some people who prefer the traditional suburb while others prefer a mixed use area.

Damn, $3M for a house in a fill-in area?

Happiness 1, eatthis 0.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

...and also I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni.

Is there a particular reason why? I thought Uni was the Holy Grail of Public Education(haha), no?
It's because of Uni, my wife and I have been considering the move to south Irvine.

I thought the latest hot school was Northwood High. Didn't it beat out Uni on some "Best" lists?

 

[hoofhearted]

Lol everyone is praising the orchards like they are some premium ocean views.

Setting. The setting is praise-worthy. What premium does HC offer other than location? Even the location of HC is questionable, as the community is... quite literally on a freeway offramp. And I wouldn't even call it a "coastal community" as TIC, Toll Bros, and people here have been referring it to. If none of the homes offer a view of the ocean, it's clear that the "coastal" label is a marketing ploy.

It's definitely marketing, however, HC is much more "Coastal" than OH. I'd be much more motivated to hit the beach if I was in this part of town, seven miles of sitting on the 133s is better than crossing town from north Irvine. 

Driving from NP to 5n is a chore. Hop on to Culver from meadow wood, there are approximately six lights that you'll hit or get stuck at before getting on the freeway, as for HC, the freeways are right there, yet the community is well hidden from the 133s/Laguna Canyon(?).

I won't argue that both communities are over priced, but it's Irvine. It's like it's almost immune to any sort of crashes... Thanks FCB's!

 

[hoofhearted]

...and also I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni.

Is there a particular reason why? I thought Uni was the Holy Grail of Public Education(haha), no?
It's because of Uni, my wife and I have been considering the move to south Irvine.

I thought the latest hot school was Northwood High. Didn't it beat out Uni on some "Best" lists?

You know more than I do. My oldest plays her pee wee basketball games at Northwood, I have to say that it's a very nice school. They did a good job of all the tax payer and mello roos money.

 

[nyc to oc]

...and also I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni.

Is there a particular reason why? I thought Uni was the Holy Grail of Public Education(haha), no?
It's because of Uni, my wife and I have been considering the move to south Irvine.

After interviewing many high school seniors from the various Irvine high schools (and Beckman) for college admissions, I can say that I wouldn't want Uni for my own kids, but I think everyone has a different take on that issue, which has been discussed many times on the education boards on TI.

 

[eatthis]

Neighborhoods like Quail Hill and Orchard Hills are traditional Irvine residential suburbs.  They have all of the usual amenities and attributes of Irvine residential areas.  Hidden Canyon and Laguna Altura are fill in residential areas located within a commercial area, the Irvine Spectrum, that is full of office parks, industrial parks, self storage, warehouses, high rise buildings, auto dealerships, etc. and lack many of the usual residential area amenities.

The location of LA and HC, surrounded by nature preserve, is definitely unique. That's what make them attractive. To say that they are located within a commercial area is quite a stretch. Try driving by on 133/Laguna Canyon some time. There's is no high rise for miles. It's close enough yet far enough from Irvine Spectrum to be a huge plus.

 

[Happiness]

Neighborhoods like Quail Hill and Orchard Hills are traditional Irvine residential suburbs.  They have all of the usual amenities and attributes of Irvine residential areas.  Hidden Canyon and Laguna Altura are fill in residential areas located within a commercial area, the Irvine Spectrum, that is full of office parks, industrial parks, self storage, warehouses, high rise buildings, auto dealerships, etc. and lack many of the usual residential area amenities.

The location of LA and HC, surrounded by nature preserve, is definitely unique. That's what make them attractive. To say that they are located within a commercial area is quite a stretch. Try driving by on 133/Laguna Canyon some time. There's is no high rise for miles. It's close enough yet far enough from Irvine Spectrum to be a huge plus.

Go to the City of Irvine website and look at the planning map.  The southern boundary of the Irvine Spectrum is Lake Forest Drive, which also happens to be the street the HC gate is located on and forms the northern boundary of HC.  Irvine Toyota in the Spectrum is just two blocks down Bake from HC.  If you pretend the world north of Lake Forest Drive doesn't exist, then I guess HC would be located in a nature preserve.

 

[Perspective]

Neighborhoods like Quail Hill and Orchard Hills are traditional Irvine residential suburbs.  They have all of the usual amenities and attributes of Irvine residential areas.  Hidden Canyon and Laguna Altura are fill in residential areas located within a commercial area, the Irvine Spectrum, that is full of office parks, industrial parks, self storage, warehouses, high rise buildings, auto dealerships, etc. and lack many of the usual residential area amenities.

The location of LA and HC, surrounded by nature preserve, is definitely unique. That's what make them attractive. To say that they are located within a commercial area is quite a stretch. Try driving by on 133/Laguna Canyon some time. There's is no high rise for miles. It's close enough yet far enough from Irvine Spectrum to be a huge plus.

Go to the City of Irvine website and look at the planning map.  The southern boundary of the Irvine Spectrum is Lake Forest Drive, which also happens to be the street the HC gate is located on and forms the northern boundary of HC.  Irvine Toyota in the Spectrum is just two blocks down Bake from HC.  If you pretend the world north of Lake Forest Drive doesn't exist, then I guess HC would be located in a nature preserve.

Agreed. "Location" is thrown around like it's all that matters, its meaning is simple, and we all mean the same thing when we use the term. It's a loaded term.

 

[Villager]

I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni.

The horror! Your kids missed out a once in a lifetime life changing experience and you took that away from them?

"Once in a lifetime life-changing experience"?? HAH. Again, the power of marketing is strong. Toll Bros is milking the "Uni cow" at HC to make it seem like it's some kind of psuedo-Harvard public school. I speak from experience when I say that Uni is no better than any other school in IUSD or Beckman. The faculty is below-par. The student culture is degrading. I've talked to several Uni-grads that share these negative sentiments.

 

[irviniteeee]

I DID NOT want to put my kids in Uni.

The horror! Your kids missed out a once in a lifetime life changing experience and you took that away from them?

"Once in a lifetime life-changing experience"?? HAH. Again, the power of marketing is strong. Toll Bros is milking the "Uni cow" at HC to make it seem like it's some kind of psuedo-Harvard public school. I speak from experience when I say that Uni is no better than any other school in IUSD or Beckman. The faculty is below-par. The student culture is degrading. I've talked to several Uni-grads that share these negative sentiments.

Uni grad here. I would have to agree that it's not as GREAT as they try to put out there. The curriculum and education is great, but it was a school full of students who cried about getting an A- rather than an A+. Way too many of my peers were overly stressed, but hey if you want your kids to be in that sort of environment, go for it! I'm still friends with most of my high school friends, so making friends isn't an issue at all.

 

[hoofhearted]

I just want my kids to be as successful as Rage Against The Machine.
#comewititnow

 

[eatthis]

Irvine Toyota in the Spectrum is just two miles blocks down Bake from HC.

Fixed

 

[Oncdoc]

Property tax is lower in HC and weather in HC is about 5 degree cooler than OH.
There are too many communities in OH...HC feels more exclusive
HC wins

 

[Zippohunter]

Property tax is lower in HC and weather in HC is about 5 degree cooler than OH.
There are too many communities in OH...HC feels more exclusive
HC wins

For your personal preference okay.  To generalize no.  If it was that easy this thread would not exist.