Woodbury and Portola Springs vs. Foothill Ranch

Minimorty_IHB

Minimorty_IHB

New member
I am a potential buyer sitting on the sideline like most of you waiting for things to come down. While I am familiar with Woodbury and Portola Springs, I know little about Foothill Ranch. I was hoping you guys might be able to tell me some of the pros and cons of buying in Foothill Ranch as opposed to Woodbury or Portola Springs (or Villages of Columbus for that matter.) I work in Irvine so the potentially longer drive could be a factor. What else? Thanks for the help.
 
Mini, the county is supposed to be opening up Alton at some point in the future, connecting Irvine to Foothill Ranch directly (rather than via Lake Forest on Bake which is the closest option right now). If that ever happens, I would become more interested in FR myself.





My (former) favorite hiking spot was Whiting Ranch, so living in FR would have been ideal for me, until the arsonists incinerated it. But it will come back in a few years.





One negative for me (although it would certainly be a positive to a lot of people) is FR's proximity to Saddleback Church. I did an informal interview at the main shopping drag there (Portola/Bake) last year and EVERY SINGLE PERSON I asked was a member of the church. Granted, it was not a scientific sampling but nonetheless, it made me feel quite uncomfortable.
 
I learned two new things from the first person that responded. I knew it would be a good idea to ask you guys.



I had no idea there were potential plans to open up Alton to get through. That would be very convenient.



I can see how that could definitely be interesting living with the church there. But I am sure it is better to live in a community with church-goers, than it would to live in a community of hoodlums.



Why does it seem like the whole community is on sale? Will it be a good place to live in the future? How about raising a family?
 
<p>We lived in FR for about 18 mths before moving to Laguna Niguel, I really liked it, the only cons are that it gets VERY hot up there in the Summer, quite a few degrees hotter than Lake Forest down the Hill...the other thing is getting from there to the 405 fwy, Lake Forest Dr and Bake Pkwy are horrible during the rush hour..</p>

<p>My Wife worked there untill 3 months ago, She took Alton all the way to Bake...</p>
 
<p>PeterUK,</p>

<p>Did you also experience the EXTREME cold in FR too?. The summer can get really hot and humid. I think because the air is trapped between hills. </p>
 
I have lived in FR for 12 years and I think it is a great place for young families. We do not go to Saddleback Church and at times I do feel like we are in the minority, but that is something I can live with. One route that wasn't mentioned above is the 241 toll road. One exit and $1 (I think) and you are at Portola Springs. My husband works in Santa Ana (17 miles) and he can make it to/from work in 25-30 minutes. We have been waiting for that extension of Alton to go through since we first moved here, don't know if it will ever happen. Also, Portola in FH was supposed to connect up with Portola in Irvine so that you didn't have to take the toll road, but I'm sure that won't happen since it seems that people are willing to pay for the connection with the toll road. It does get hot in the summer, but there is a community pool, or there are a lot of homes with private pools. It does get cold in the winter, but we have a heater. As far as the price differences go between Irvine and FR, they are HUGE which is exactly why we moved to FR from Tustin Ranch in 1995. Even as the community grows older, most homes have been well maintained. The schools our kids have attended thus far have been excellent. The biggest downside we have experienced as of late is the ash from the fires. Every time the wind blows we have piles of ash in our yard and the air quality sucks.
 
<p><strong>nirvinerealtor,</strong></p>

<p>I never noticed if it was colder, but in reality, if you check out the Graphs below you'll see that Irvine has consistently Colder and Warmer averages than FH, go figure, I would have said the opposite...</p>

<p>Foothill Ranch <a href="http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USCA0385?par=usatoday&site=www.usatoday.com&promo=0&cm_ven=USAToday&cm_cat=www.usatoday.com&cm_pla=WxPage&cm_ite=CityPage">www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USCA0385</a></p>

<p>Irvine <a href="http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/92614?from=36hr_bottomnav_undeclared">www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/92614</a></p>
 
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