Hi. I currently live in Tucson and am considering a move to the Orange County area.
How is the riding? Strong group rides? Hills to climb? Nice long routes for all day rides?

I may be offered a job at Sage Hill High School. If you happen to know about the school, I'd love to hear about that too.

Thanks!

https://www.clubs.uci.edu/bike/new2/routes.php

If you're a roadie, you've come to the right place.

Excellent. Yes. Yes - and real mountains a little bit to the north in LA. Yes.

I'm guessing Irvine is probably one of the top 5 cities when it comes to miles of bike lanes and dedicated bike paths. There are mild hills within a ridable distance, or steeper stuff in LA and San Diego counties.

Great! I'm a roadie. So, the next big questions:

1. What should I look to pay in rent for a studio/1 bedroom with about 500-600 sq ft. (guesthouse is fine)

2. Is there a Trader Joe's or equivalent in the area?

A studio in irvine will run you $1000+ most likely. But yes, there is a TJ's across the street from uci, once upon a time I worked there.

While the cost of living in that area is nuts, it's worth it if you can swing it, especially if you're a cyclist. I miss hopping on my bike after class on a sunny spring afternoon and hammering...and then taking an hour break to lay on the beach before cruising home.

Rents are the bad news. $800? with luck.

The good news is that there a a lot of Trader Joe's close by. Saw Pamela Sue in the Corona del Mar one. Cuter in real life than on TV.

the riding is as great as the rent is intolerable.

Well, I don't know anything about Sage Hill High School, but, if you take the job, you'll be right in the middle of some good climbing, as the high school is located halfway up Newport Coast Drive, a nice little climb, and there are other good climbs in the area (San Joaquin Hills, Ridge Park, Vista Ridge, Spyglass Hill).

I went to UCI and live in Irvine currently. You have Newport Coast which is a little less than 1000 feet to the top of Ridge Park depending on which way you approach it. If you're willing to travel 20 miles inland, you have Santiago Canyon which is about 3500 feet of rolling hills if you do some of the back roads.

As for rent, expect to pay $700-$1200 if you want to live across from UCI. Expect $700+ to live in Newport Coast or near the Back Bay. Generally, the farther away from the Ocean and UCI you go, the cheaper your rent will be. I currently pay $600 for my own room about 5 miles away from UCI. A studio would run you at least $1100 if you want to stay in Irvine. PM me if you have any other questions.

Well, those rental prices don't sound bad to me at all. When I think of the Irvine area, I think that most places are pretty nice and no real dumpy areas. So, for under $1000 rent I can deal with that. Or am I wrong and that $800 studio maybe in a crappy area?
Also, any other issues you might bring up for consideration?

I've lived and worked in Irvine for years, the only downside is that accomodation is deffinately not cheap. There are always a lot of places to rent here on the Orange County section of Craigslist to give you some idea. Here's some City of Irvine Bikeways info the Streets are very well maintained with Miles of Bike Lanes, most Traffic Lights have special Cyclist Buttons which are handily located next to the kerb. You can get pretty much from one side of the City to the other via offroad paved Bike Paths. There are several fast rides from a few locations in Irvine. Feel free to PM me for more info. I'm sure you will really like Irvine, the Climate is awesome which makes Roadbiking awesome too!!

Sucks. Glad to be back in Bay Area.

^Bay Area is another consideration on my list. It looks like your joking but can you give me perspective on the differences in riding?

Riding is not going to be a problem. The entire coastal to mid orange county area is excellent for riding. You don't have to drive inland to do Santiago, you can ride to Santiago and back to the Coast. That's about 60 miles round trip.

As to rents... I would be interested to see what you get. Irvine is pricey; not so much anymore because its nice. It got trendy and is now the land of high density housing and people with questionable credit. It used to be a place where you could buy a nice house; its now become, because builders got greedy, especially in the newly developed areas, land of multi-story high rise apartments. More apartments means more people and cars especially since those apartments may contain multiple occupants and/or familes.

If you were offered a job at Sage Hill, I suspect you will enjoy it. It's in a lovely area (Newport Coast) and is, as you know, a high end private school. Students and parents are very involved. You might ask around and see if someone at the school knows someone willing to rent a room up on Newport Coast. Alternately places to seek apartments/rooms that are cheaper but areas as nice may be Costa Mesa, Tustin and maybe parts of Santa Ana or Huntington Beach.

Good luck!

Edited to add: OC is the land of group rides. numerous clubs to choice from - when you are ready just ask.

Thanks Pam

I really wasn't...
There is easier access to the mountains, shorter distance to drive/ride to get out of the burbs. If you want to do a long ride you are not limited to MUPS or navigating city streets, or the PCH with all it's beach towns and lights. Racing scene varies, there are actually variety of Road Races. I think pollution is less. Specially if you choose to ride on PCH. In general if you are a MUP rider you would like Irvine area more, if you enjoy variety and riding on roads then I think Bay Area is better. Also there atmosphere/attitude, and this is probably personal thing, somehow it's just better here. The "downside" is the weather. If you are fair weather rider then SoCal is better for that. If you don't mind rain or colder weather then riding here in the winter is good.

I have an apartment at one of the nicest complexes in Irvine, just down the hill from Sage. One bedroom = $1,475/month. That's pretty much the top of the market, literally and figuratively. Rents in the area depend on whether you are in an Irvine Company complex, which tend to be higher end and more expensive, an Arnel apartment, which are a bit more downscale and a bit cheaper but farther from UCI/Sage, or in a unit from a smaller company or private individual. The corporate-owned complexes are pretty well run but really tight-assed. Individuals obviously vary. There are some areas of Irvine that are nicer than others, but none that are particularly bad.

The riding in Orange County fantastic. There is plenty of variety and you can ride almost every day of the year, any time of the day.

I am a fast paced rider, looking to get into racing. I am laid back, not into material things per se: I drive a beat up '85 toyota pickup. I am an avid reader, hiker, runner, and love great weather. I hope that the upscale attitude isn't a turn off for my type. I seriously would take up surfing if I am close to the ocean too.

I grew up in PA, so NorCal cold weather does not scare me. I sent an email to Marin Academy in San Raphael and am waiting to hear back from them.

^Do you know this area??

I have my follow up phone interview tomorrow with Sage, so I made the first cut. Wish me luck!

[QUOTE=2intune;12342463]I have an apartment at one of the nicest complexes in Irvine, just down the hill from Sage. One bedroom = $1,475/month. That's pretty much the top of the market, literally and figuratively. .

QUOTE]

In comparison, I rent a 2 bedroom apartment, in north tustin - it's an older complex but the apartment is garden style, single level with a large yard and a garage. 1400 sq ft. I pay $1,555./mo. My trade off is I don't have a fire place or laundry facilities in my apartment. It's also not a gated community but is in an high end area, although away from the beach. I'm about 15 miles away.... easy peasy by bike!

Rob - good luck on Sage... I mean it. Several friends of mine have children there or have graduated from there. I believe its a great school.

I also spent time in the Marin area. Totally different than So Cal, as one would expect. Prices are higher and weather is colder and foggier. Riding is different as well. Lot more wide open spaces here... there you are basically riding in the hills unless you travel outside the country. Either way, Cal's riding is nice... now the politics - another story!

Holy crap that's expensive.

Get a cheap apartment near the Costa Mesa/Newport blvd, within riding distance of Back Bay, PCH and the Santa Ana River Trail. I live in a 2 bedroom, split rent, so I pay 637 all utilities included.

ThatFood:

Wow: I can manage that.

Pam:

Have you spent time riding in the Bay Area then? I really like tough mountainous rides but any riding is great.

Hey: wish me luck!

+1. Irvine isn't the place to look for an inexpensive apartment. IMO, you'd be better off living on the Newport Beach peninsula for that kind of money. Fortunately, Orange County is a big place.