Quality of life in Irvine vs. Tustin Ranch

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new_to_irvine_IHB

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We are new to Irvine and Orange County in general. While renting in Woodbridge at the moment we are looking at Irvine and Tustin Ranch neighborhoods with the intent to buy within a year or so. I noticed that Tustin Ranch areas are somewhat less expensive and are with bigger yards. In terms of schools, Tustin Ranch has one of the best OC middle schools, very high scored elementary schools, etc. Is there a catch somewhere? What is the advantage of living in Irvine vs. Tustin Ranch if there is any? I've been reading this blog for a few months now and enjoyed all of your opininos about different neighborhoods in the area. Thank you all!
 
IMO, it's zip code snobbery. It is "The OC" after all.

But whatever you do, don't park your car in your driveway. This may cause some people to instantly menstruate and turn into a little bunch of whiny bitches.
 
No interest in staying in Woodbridge? I used to live off of W. Yale Loop, right next to the water. I remember WB being a more "Grounded" than the other parts of Irvine.
 
I really like this area. The fact that there are so many pools/parks/walking/biking trails, etc. is really apealing. This is why we decided to rent here. However, there is practiaclly nothing for sale and whatever is coming on the market is much more expensive that similar homes in neighboring communities. For now I'm just trying to explore what our options are and if there are other nice communities similar to Woodbridge with smaller price tags.
 
I'm biased toward the 714 part of Irvine Ranch (including Tustin Ranch), but I won't bash the rest of Irvine because there is a lot to like everywhere around here. So I'll just say what I like about Tustin Ranch/West Irvine is that the neighborhoods generally feel a little more *neighborhoody* --- yeah, that's not a word, but what I mean is it just seems a little more friendly and open in my observations (BTW, I live in West Irvine). My impression is you are far more likely to have neighborhood block parties, garage sales, obcene Christmas/Halloween light displays, etc in Tustin Ranch/West Irvine than you are to in many other parts of Irvine. Some people don't like that stuff, my family loves it. Also, the neighborhoods tend to have a more traditional look and feel --- maybe its because of when they were built out generally in the 1990-2002 timeframe as opposed to many of the newer bubble-era Irvine alley loaded neigbhorhoods. Generally, I just think Tustin Ranch is a little less pretentious, while being every bit as nice (or nicer in many cases).

Oh, and the schools are great all over Tustin Ranch/West Irvine. One thing that doesn't get mentioned much is the gated campuses for TUSD. You literally need to go through the front office to get access to the TUSD school grounds, at IUSD the campuses are wide open and anyone can walk on from any direction to access where the kids are playing. I'm sure somebody will chide me that "we live in the safest city blah blah"....But one more layer of protection for my kid is a-ok by me.

Good luck.
 
I love Tustin Ranch. I have now lived in Tustin, Tustin Ranch, and Irvine so I've been able to compare them all. What I like about Tustin Ranch (more specifically - north Tustin Ranch / north of Irvine Blvd) is that it's clean, aesthetically-pleasing, safe, conveniently located, and has some wonderful schools. I don't find that the PPSF is much less than Irvine at all, but it seems like the lot sizes are more bang for your buck. The ONLY problem I have noticed is that the area going downhill seems to be creeping in an eastern direction. For example, about 6-8 years ago when I lived in Tustin Ranch, the "border" between the nicer and older areas seemed to be Browning Ave. I moved away for several years and came back and when I did, I noticed that the the side east of Browning was looking a bit run down and I would now consider that border moved east to Tustin Ranch Rd. My concern is that Jamboree is just a stone's throw from there and in another 5 years, will be the new border between run-down & newer area. In 10-15 years, who knows, probably the 261. In a way, I would like to stay on the edge of the sprawl for longevity's sake. But you know, there are pro's and con's to everything. For that matter, I think Irvine has some pretty run down areas that I would never want to buy in. TR is still way up there on my list (more so the north TR and Peters Canyon areas). Good luck to you.
 
TRanch is great, although I disagree that lots are materially larger. We have looked repeatedly at homes in El Dorado, the tract right next to Peters Canyon Elem. The lots sizes there for the most part are just as dinky as Irvine, maybe smaller.

I concur with CK's neighborhly opinion re: TRanch. Downside is that TRanch tracts don't have nearly as many amenities. El Dorado has one small park and at least has a pool. Many of the tracts scattered up and down Pioneer in TRanch have neither park nor pool... Westmont is a good example. Westmont is the tract bordered by Jamboree, TRanch Road, and Portola. Homes are very nice, they do have larger lots on average, but there is no park or pool. Kids would have to cross busy streets to get to Cedar Grove Park.

This kind of thing makes me want to live in Woodbridge. What a great place for kids... The lagoons are awesome too. We have been watching, but sales are few and far between on decent sized SFRs.
 
ipoplaya said:
I concur with CK's neighborhly opinion re: TRanch. Downside is that TRanch tracts don't have nearly as many amenities. El Dorado has one small park and at least has a pool. Many of the tracts scattered up and down Pioneer in TRanch have neither park nor pool... Westmont is a good example. Westmont is the tract bordered by Jamboree, TRanch Road, and Portola. Homes are very nice, they do have larger lots on average, but there is no park or pool. Kids would have to cross busy streets to get to Cedar Grove Park.
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Thank you for this "insider" info. We do have 2 young children and parks and pools are necessities for us. What caught my attention in Tustin Ranch is the golf course park with some nice open space areas, lake and fountains here and there. Is it open to the public or part of gated community?
 
ipoplaya said:
Downside is that TRanch tracts don't have nearly as many amenities.
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I don't know what it's called, but how about that complex at Pioneer & Carlson Ct.? From the aerial view it looks like one of the nicest in the area - with a pool, tot lot, and a huge greenbelt area in the center for the kids to play safely. Also the greenbelt has a walking path that takes kids directly to the school right there. It's also on the same side of the street as Cedar Grove Park in case the kids (when they are older) were to walk down and use the basketball court there. That seems pretty nice but perhaps the homes are on the expensive side as most look like they have 3-car garages.
 
SoCal78 said:
ipoplaya said:
Downside is that TRanch tracts don't have nearly as many amenities.
Click to expand...

I don't know what it's called, but how about that complex at Pioneer & Carlson Ct.? From the aerial view it looks like one of the nicest in the area - with a pool, tot lot, and a huge greenbelt area in the center for the kids to play safely. Also the greenbelt has a walking path that takes kids directly to the school right there. It's also on the same side of the street as Cedar Grove Park in case the kids (when they are older) were to walk down and use the basketball court there. That seems pretty nice but perhaps the homes are on the expensive side as most look like they have 3-car garages.
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That's the El Dorado Tract that IPO mentioned previously. I owned a home in there up until a few years ago and really liked the neighborhood. A few things I didn't like were the small family room in most plans, the increase in HOA from $119 to about $180, and the traffic in the morning around the schools. Overall, that area is hard to beat with great schools surrounded by parks.

Home sizes ranged from 2,300 sf to 3,000 sf. Some of the 2,667 sf homes in there have sold for under $800k so wait another year and you might be able to pick one up for around $700k. Good luck!
 
waiting2buylater said:
SoCal78 said:
ipoplaya said:
Downside is that TRanch tracts don't have nearly as many amenities.
Click to expand...

I don't know what it's called, but how about that complex at Pioneer & Carlson Ct.? From the aerial view it looks like one of the nicest in the area - with a pool, tot lot, and a huge greenbelt area in the center for the kids to play safely. Also the greenbelt has a walking path that takes kids directly to the school right there. It's also on the same side of the street as Cedar Grove Park in case the kids (when they are older) were to walk down and use the basketball court there. That seems pretty nice but perhaps the homes are on the expensive side as most look like they have 3-car garages.
Click to expand...

That's the El Dorado Tract that IPO mentioned previously. I owned a home in there up until a few years ago and really liked the neighborhood. A few things I didn't like were the small family room in most plans, the increase in HOA from $119 to about $180, and the traffic in the morning around the schools. Overall, that area is hard to beat with great schools surrounded by parks.

Home sizes ranged from 2,300 sf to 3,000 sf. Some of the 2,667 sf homes in there have sold for under $800k so wait another year and you might be able to pick one up for around $700k. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Yup, that is one of my favorite TRanch neighborhoods. It's gated. Nice family vibe. The tot lot is pretty lame if you are used to Irvine parks. Many of those lots hover around the very low 5000sf range so with a 2700sf home, the yards can be quite tiny. I have been in all of those plans I believe, and for the most part, I would say the layouts were not well done. Small family rooms, small dining niches/areas, etc. The 2400sf place I rent feels as big as the 2700sf model there. If the right house with a good price came on the market there though, we'd be on it.

For a great TRanch tract with smaller home sizes, Vidora is also a good area for families. Here is a listing from that tract:

http://www.redfin.com/CA/Tustin/2336-Ferrey-Dr-92782/home/4775595

They have very low turnover traditionally, much like Ivywood in West Irvine. Lots of young families too with kids that play together out front... Gated and just up from Pioneer Park.
 
Yeah, we like Vidora too (and that looks like a nice yard in that listing.) My only complaint is the lack of an HOA pool there - otherwise it would be great. I guess I consider the pool a must, so that narrows things down a bit, unfortunately.
 
Thanks again for all of your informative replies that enable me to acuire information without asking the question.

BTY doea a YMCA or "public pool" concept still exist in all of there new areas (been gone a long time I know ;-)) ? TIA
 
MovingBack said:
Thanks again for all of your informative replies that enable me to acuire information without asking the question.

BTY doea a YMCA or "public pool" concept still exist in all of there new areas (been gone a long time I know ;-)) ? TIA
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It looks like the nearest YMCA branch would be the one on Newport Ave. in Tustin. I'm not sure what hours / fee there is for access to their pool.
 
What about the McBurney branch?

Graphrix could tell us far more about this subject.

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best wishes,

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