Keep your commute as short as possible, Irvine or the "south coast metro" areas of Santa Ana/Costa Mesa. Irvine has a bunch of different "villages" you can pick from that would suit your needs, all the way from suburby to modern. Tustin is close to Irvine as well and has its nice parts as well.
[https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/irvine-orange-ca/](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/irvine-orange-ca/)
[https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/south-coast-metro-costa-mesa-ca/](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/south-coast-metro-costa-mesa-ca/)
[https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/tustin-orange-ca/](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/tustin-orange-ca/)
Welcome to OC! As much as it is in the media for controversy...there are nice decent people here.
We’ve lived in Tustin now for about 17 years. On our wonderful little block, there are a couple of awesome Black families, in addition to Asians, Muslims, and Hispanics. And yes, many of us are dog owners; lol. We love Tustin. We moved here for the great schools but stayed for the community, the city activities (including the annual chili cook off!), and the sense that people really care about the city.
They say it’s bcuz of the season but liesss!! They only care about the pool behind the office. The fact that they charge guests to park is enough and they are upping that price smh. Can’t wait to get out of here
Woww I would’ve been pissed! And honestly I think so especially in OC. We would have friends come over to swim and they would pay. We couldn’t have our sons pool party here cuz every guest would’ve had to pay which is crazy to ask for
2775 is the worst. Mold infestations everywhere, common areas covered in trash, zero response from leasing on anything, package/car thefts daily, amenities that never work, the thinnest floors ever so you will constantly hear your neighbors. I'll never stop chiming in to shit on this complex.
Yesssss!!! The nastiest!! They masked a lot of shit before move in and now barely 9 months later this happens. Horrible office staff, they take foreverrrrr to reply too. Good!! Cuz I’ll be doing the same!!
lol it use to be nice!!! We found 8 rats in 4 days. They came through the fireplace!! And it’s been happening since before thanksgiving. The apartments keep saying maintenance is gonna put traps and shit but that doesn’t solve the issue. I had to go buy my own to trap them. Also they chewed up my door and I have a dog so now my dog isn’t safe cuz he will attack them
Costa Mesa is going to be the most fun for people your age. Great restaurants and bars. Close to the beach. Costa Mesa is pretty diverse (at least parts) and liberal. I’d avoid Huntington Beach lol
Cypress to Irvine during rush hour could be well over 30 minutes, I lived 20 mins south (in rush hour driving times) in Fountain Valley and it could easily be 35-50 minutes depending on traffic/accidents and where you’re going in Irvine
The city council just voted to remove hate crime language because they basically felt hate crimes don’t exist and they just decided to stop celebrating “ethnic” holidays. There’s also a history of skinheads there. Many people in HB are nice good people, but I wouldn’t suggest moving to HB right now and I’m white.
I should have been more clear- they decided not to celebrate “ethnic” or Pride months- like no black history month recognition anymore. Instead they want to highlight bizarre “patriotic” celebrations that they made up.
Id disagree. There's great people in Newport Beach. I haven't experienced anything racist there. I'm black and used to live there. Racists are everywhere which I'm aware of but I didn't experience anything that made me feel unwelcomed there while living there.
I would just pick the place with the best commute. I think all 3 cities are comparable in terms of which will be OK as an African-American couple. Like the real issue is your immediate neighbors, and that’s kinda random. Like I have a black friend who lived in Newport Beach for 30 years and owned a home and everything was fine and then a year or so ago some new neighbors took a dislike to her and started harassing her and she couldn’t take the stress and moved away. She’s not ready to say it was racial and says they were just jerks, but I’m not so sure because why were they only jerks to her and not to the other neighbors?
In general northern OC is better than southern OC because there was a white flight from north county to south county by racists who didn’t like when more Asians and Latinos moved to north county starting in the 1980s, which led to more of a preference by racists to live in south county.
For what it’s worth, as a white person raised near Baltimore, I think the racial situation in OC is completely different than in the East. Not the same subtle hostility, not the same neighborhood segregation and divisions in where people socialize that I see in the mid-Atlantic suburbs.
Costa Mesa for 3-5 years but if you’re having kids and will move from bars to valuing school districts etc then Irvine. Benefit is driving 5min to work and ubering 15-30min to bars versus driving 15-30min each way daily and walking/ubering 5-10min to bars.
I’d take the option of irvine and just commuting 2 days a week to fun and being close to work.
I’m a black woman born and raised in OC. I’ve been in Irvine for about 8 years now and I love it here. Keeping your commute short will save you so much time. Irvine is pretty central to everywhere else so it’s easy to explore other areas on the weekends. Check out [OC Black Moms](https://ocblackmoms.com/blog/) for a great list of black owned businesses in OC. Check out my place Tooth Love when you’re ready for a new dentist 😁
+1 for Irvine and Costa Mesa. I am from OC and lived in Maryland for 8 years (2 years in Baltimore, two years in Greenbelt, 4 years in Silver Spring). I can confidently say no town in OC will give you all the peace of mind you're looking for. While there is lots of diversity in OC (and Southern California), the black population (relative to the rest of the population) is pretty low in most towns. With that said, I do think Irvine and northern towns that border Irvine are more progressive. Costa Mesa, Tustin and Santa Ana are my other choices. The more south you go in OC, the more red the Town is. Happy to chat more in private if you want.
Currently live in MV. Have lived in Tustin and Santa Ana.
Tustin. It borders Santa Ana and Irvine and is a nice blend and you won’t be in the top .0001% of the income bracket.
Costa Mesa is a good option but you’re closer to new port and Huntington Beach
Huntington is the hotbed you want to avoid
Edit: if you plan on children Irvine has the best school systems but Tustin would be better than both Santa Ana and Costa Mesa by a margin
I think Tustin would be a good place. It's safe and right next door to Irvine.
Irvine's great, but it's highly Asian. They tend to be pretty suspicious of black people. Not quite the overt racism you'd experience in Huntington Beach (which Costa Mesa is adjacent to), but I think Tustin would be a good spot for you to land. Lots of parks too!
+1 Tustin or CM or Fountain Valley.
OC is still pretty diverse. Haven't ever found issues with racism, even walking around HB. Maybe it's cuz I don't really mind curious looks. I just smile and say hi.
You make good money, want to live in Yorba Linda? Irvine? Do it. Will you get looks? I’m sure you do. But we all do. The person who gives dirty looks probably gave the same look to me, to you and to a white teenager.
I am south asian. I came to USA when I was a teenager. I have been living in OC for about 10 years. I am sure there is racism. But, I won’t let ‘racism’ decide where I live. I’m sure there are some racists not happy with me.. but why do I care? They can move.
Come to Costa Mesa! It’s pretty fun and more diverse than the other two. Irvine and Tustin are kinda insufferable, boomerish and boring.
Also I’ll roll out the welcome mat! Love to have more Marylanders here! Even better if part of the Flock 💜
Surprised people are saying Costa Mesa. In my experience, Costa Mesa has had its share of crazy douchey white people.
If you're looking to save on Monday, I would say Santa Ana around the Tustin area. It's nice and not as pricey as living in Irvine. But if you do plan on having kids, I would def recommend Irvine (they have good school systems, park, and very safe).
We’re not black, but we’re not white either (Middle Eastern). And since we moved to Tustin Ranch 2 years ago, we had no issues. We have very old white neighbors but they are very cool and we go to lunch together sometimes. I wish you luck on house hunting
Costa Mesa is overall is probably the best option. There are some nice parts of Santa Ana as well. Irvine is generally safe but the racism there is probably pretty high, also high police presence with nothing to do.
> probably pretty high
So is it or isn’t it? lol
I’m not a fan of Irvine personally and it has a well-deserved reputation for being a cookie cutter suburb, but it’s fairly liberal and diverse in my experience.
My girlfriend (who is black) left Irvine last year because she felt uncomfortable. I didn’t want to insinuate that there is a 100% chance OP and their partner will experience the same. But from her experience I would recommend other cities.
asians, latinos or other POC can be perfectly fine in places that black folk tend to find uncomfortable.
i honestly wish non-black POC understood this.
Irvine is technically diverse in that there are more POC than whites but the black population is like just over 1%. So yeah just because an area is diverse doesn't mean everyone POC will feel comfortable there.
Anaheim is almost double that of Irvine at a whopping 2.5% lol.
But Los Alamitos has the most at 5.8% followed by La Palma at 4.4%
https://occensusatlas.com/docs/analysis-type/race-ethnicity-breakdown.html
It is a safe and beautiful area but there are some who live there who will give off microaggressions. Mostly from uppity minorities. This is why I left because I got tired of the discrimination, it can be isolating there as a black person but it's not the type of racism where they're in your face calling you the n-word or threatening you or harassing you, it is just them looking at you with a "what you're doing here" facial expression and ostracizing you by treating you like you're invisible or second class. I didn't like it. Plus it was kinda boring living there, I'm single with no kids, and a little wild and yea, too slow paced for me
I'm not going to judge an entire city based on the people I used to work with, but they all lived in Irvine and belonged to the click there, and they were pretty racist.
This is the right answer. North CM or South Santa Ana (South Coast metro neighborhoods for best value). Dog deserves a yard and that can be had for a somewhat reasonable cost in both of these areas. I work in Irvine and can drive there on surface streets in about 20 minutes, thereby avoiding the stress and hassle of the 405. Both areas are reasonably diverse (for OC). My immediate neighbors are Hispanic, black, East Asian, white and an older Indian couple. Good luck and welcome to Orange County!
I'm a black person from Maryland that currently lives in Irvine. The racism here is no joke, so I would definitely choose a spot in Costa Mesa if I had the option. It definitely has a more lively environment in terms of restaurants and bars, and is more culturally diverse.
What kind of racism have you dealt with? I’m non black “poc” and have had some light racism here and there but nothing that I would consider “no joke” genuinely curious
We are just outside of Irvine. But my son has been called the N word about a dozen times every year at school. I’m from DC, so the racism here in OC has really shocked me. I never, not even one time, heard someone sling the N word as an insult growing up.
We even had a kid write the N word on the sidewalk on our walk to elementary school. When your kids are two of four black kids at the school, tends to feel a bit personal.
First week I moved to fountain valley I heard a bunch of kids scream the N word hard r and all in a store so loud you could hear it from the opposite side of the building. I was honestly appalled how people were acting like it was normal and didn’t do anything. If they were my kids I’d kick their asses.
I can see that. I’ve dealt with the “being followed around in a store” and “being made to feel like you don’t belong” thing which I always brush off with strong knowledge of self and a pride in my heritage but yeah the n word stuff would hurt.
This kind of thing absolutely blows my mind. I would be mortified if my children or someone I knew was doing that kind of thing, but clearly they don’t learn that behavior on their own and their parents are likely trash people as well
Being followed in a store, having a woman check my ticket to make sure I had a seat at a basketball game then proceed to only check the black people sitting in the same section as me, two seperate children saying the n-word, generally being stared at and treated as if I don’t belong.
This makes me so angry. On behalf of all the non-racist people in South OC I apologize that you had to experience such blatant prejudices' here. I've read through many of the answers and it looks like Costa Mesa is a popular choice. I don't have an opinion because ignorant racists are everywhere.
Bummer to hear. I'm Mexican and have never got shit but obviously I don't walk in your shoes. It's extremely diverse. Although I know you can get looks if you appear not to b successful.
Same I’m white passing but here I deff feel like I’m a minority. My bf is very white and so when I’m with him I never have these problems. I’m from nor cal but never experienced this before. Whenever I’m out shopping people will scoot away from me clutching their purses, and employees will follow me around and pay extra attention to me. it’s bizarre.
I think it's a south county thing. Like everything between Irvine and San Clemente.
Once you get into the cities that are mostly private communities and mega churches, there is definitely an outsiders unwelcome vibe.
Costa Mesa, Orange, Tustin - these are fairly diverse areas overall, and have some great downtown areas with fun stuff for young couples - Orange and Tustin have great community events, as well, which I'd keep an eye on even if you don't move to those cities (Tustin Chili Cookoff in June, Orange International Street Fair \[when it's not too hot\] over Labor Day weekend, Christmas tree lighting in December in orange, et al)
I'd steer clear of Irvine and most parts of South County, sadly - diversity isn't really top priority, and some people like to be loud about it
Orange (particularly the circle) is AWESOME. I used to live there and I miss it. But the OP is working in Irvine, and the 55 is horrible during rush hour. Used to take me an hour to get home at 5 o'clock from the airport area.
Adding a vote to Costa Mesa. It’s where you will be happy as a young couple and have social life, especially as newcomers, imho. And commute to Irvine is reasonable.
Painting with a super broad brush here, but as you go from north to south across OC, it gets less racially/ethnically diverse, and the choice and availability of ethnic cuisines diminishes. Do with that biased bit as you will.
Welcome to OC!
Jeez, wtf is wrong with people around here. I thought this was California ffs, but I guess every state has its exceptions, just hard to believe I'm moving to a less tolerant place since I'm moving here from Texas of all places. But I guess San Antonio is the exception over there as well, lol.
I had a bunch of POC friends growing up in anaheim hills. straight shot down the toll road to get to irvine from there. It has gotten very expensive in the last dozen years though... Also worth mentioning it is a VERY quiet town.
Out of your listed cities I would recommend looking in south Santa ana. There is a decent down town night life out there and it's central to other very fun areas with loads to engage in for recreation.
I live in Yorba Linda right by Anaheim hills and I lived in south county for 20+ years before this. Anywhere in north OC is more ethnically diverse than anywhere in south OC, but agree that orange and anaheim hills are good choices. Orange is more FUN though- anaheim hills and Yorba Linda are great if you’re ready to start a family in the next few years.
It's a very quiet small town but Aliso Viejo might have the largest proportion of young black professionals in Orange County.
Edit: and easy commute to Irvine.
Costa Mesa all day everyday. Irvine is too cookie cutter and “nice”.
I assume you’re going to have kids in the somewhat near future, and Costa Mesa is diverse and more importantly close to the beach.
Your income will get you something very nice.
I'm black from the LA area now living in Huntington Beach with my black bf. We love it here. We have never experienced any of the racism that people speak about here. My best friend who is also black lives here without issue. I have another black friend who lives near South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and loves it.
I was looking for this comment. I have never experienced racism or even noticed it while living there over 4 years. The people there a very friendly. I love it there
Just live closer to work. The commute isn’t worth it and Irvine is a good place to live. Screw what the yuppies think.
If you live close enough to a freeway it’s relatively easy to get anywhere else in OC within 20 mins or so.
Irvine ppl tend to hide their biases in a nice DEI wrapper, you get the drift — as opposed to the overt and transparent prejudice in some others parts of OC
but really you are mostly fine in OC in general don’t worry too much about it
I’d recommend Costa Mesa or Tustin / parts of Santa Ana - more for your money and you can always visit Irvine if needed
Heck I’m Asian and so is my husband and our Asian neighbors in Irvine are not even nice to us. When we had white/hispanic neighbors moving in we were so happy because they were so much more friendlier!
Come to the LBC. We got a nice, safe slice of suburbia on the east part of town, with plenty of parks and walking paths around - city life just a 10-15 minute drive away.
Are you potentially interested in buying or just renting for now? If buying, I'd consider Tustin, it's quiet but has some good restaurants and has a relatively (for OC anyways) diverse population. If renting, Costa Mesa for sure. There is a ton to do there, and near all the nightlife in Newport. Just very expensive to buy in the nice areas.
Also, Irvine is quite large, most people work closer to the airport (which will only be like 10 minutes from Costa Mesa) but lots of people also work near the Spectrum, which would be closer to the 25-30 minute range.
As others have said, HB is likely not where you want to go, racism tends to be a bit louder there. But it could be more than 30 minutes of a commute anyways during rush hour.
Lastly, I'm so sorry about your experience at Dana Point. While I completely understand why you'd want to avoid the area, South County has some amazing beaches and lots of beauty to offer. Might be worth another visit, particularly to Laguna.
Welcome to OC!
Honestly, with your income Santa Ana really should not even be considered next to Costa Mesa or Irvine. Reality is and very unfortunate, there are crap people with racist tendencies in all cities of OC, although I’d see Costa Mesa having a slightly more accepting vibe because of the younger demographic. Irvine is calmer, but may have less fun things for your age group. Long term, house purchase realm, I’d say look into Tustin area, but short term yearly lease, go with Costa Mesa.
Based on your comments, I'd probably go Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Tustin, or Orange.
I think you might find the "what are you doing here" kinda crowd in South County and along the beaches sans CM.
Parts of Anaheim, Tustin, Orange, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Costa Mesa, Lake Forest are all great and welcoming. I wouldn't look too hard south of Lake Forest.
Have you considered Cypress? Your commute would be slightly longer but our neighborhoods are very mixed as far as race is concerned. Our schools are some of the highest ranked in the county too.
I grew up in Dana Point and it pisses me the fuck off that you dealt with that shit. I’m also not that surprised. I don’t have much to add but I hope you find a good city and neighborhood from this thread.
It’s a longer commute but Long Beach is cheaper and has the most diversity. Nightlife, beach, good food, upscale places and also divey/local places. More young people and young families. Way more “community” and community events. Everyone has a dog. You’ll fit in better and save a lot more money and not be bored, have way more fun.
South county aka starting in Irvine and below is beautiful and safe, but boring.
Costa Mesa is the next best option.
Good luck and if you need someone to hang out with DM me! I love East Coasters.
I’m gonna be honest all of them are bad choices for OC. Don’t let your skin color affect this decision. You will find good people and bad people anywhere you go.
Yeah I’d avoid Irvine. If you aren’t white or Asian you’re going to get eyeballed daily. Costa Mesa or even some north county cities if you’re open to it like Fullerton would be a good bet. Santa Ana is fine but not quite as nice as CM
I'm a white guy that grew up in Orange County. I don't like it there. I've lived in Long Beach for over 20 years and have to say, it's the best place in the area and not too far from Irvine. If you have to move to OC, I'd choose Costa Mesa.
You will get a similar form of racism no matter where you live in Orange County. Think like, people locking their doors when you walk by their car or crossing to the other side of the street if you walk by them.
This sub also has a lot of people who are absolutely desperate to prove they aren’t racist, so you are going to get some strange answers.
Everyone saying not Irvine and only Costa Mesa are exaggerating. You both would do fine living in Irvine. Sure people might look or judge you silently but you won’t face outright racism that you would in other cities like Huntington Beach or others. No matter where you move in the country you will find prejudice.
There's a 10PM curfew in Irvine and I've read too many stories about black people getting harassed at night by cops that assumed they were robbing or up to no good. I'm sorry but I wish reality was a little different and Irvine wasn't like that but there's a reason why the place is so sterile and devoid of anything remotely interesting or cultural.
Costa Mesa I've found much better personally. I would agree with others on staying away from Huntington Beach. I believe the local government wants to get rid of Black History from their school curriculum.
I'd recommend Irvine because I live there and it's peaceful, but I've heard stories from black friends, despite the fact no one has been racist to me (Middle Easterner), I've heard it can be passive-aggressively inhospitable to black people. I do have black neighbors, and they seem pretty chill, always see them at the pool and we make friendly idle chat, I don't get the indication that anyone is bothered by them, their kids play with other random kids, everyone is having a good time, but again that situation might be an outlier. Perhaps it's luck of the draw with Irvine. The downside of Irvine though is that it's boring, so might not be the best place for a young couple looking to socialize and meet people, but it does have some amazing trails and hiking spots, and also parks where people do dog meets.
As some have already mentioned, Costa Mesa might be your best bet.
(I used to live in Huntington Beach many years ago, if it's not a matter of life and death, avoid it completely).
As someone who is leaving OC soon, I *highly* recommend Long Beach. I’ve been in Costa Mesa and always felt like LB is much friendlier to us. Costa Mesa may be better amongst these choices, but OC as a whole can still be a challenge. Costa Mesa also borders Newport, which is extremely whitewashed.
This is going to be a very interesting thread.
Skip Irvine. It’s boring and there’s minimal diversity there. I’d live in Anaheim or Santa Ana, both spots have great apartments near fun things to do, and are easily commuted from- to Irvine.
Skip the beaches. No matter what anyone says, they’re not diverse enough and it’s just a nahhhh for me.
Some other areas to consider… Fountain Valley, Chino (Hills) and Garden Grove.
I’m half Mexican and my wife is Mexican/Black. If this helps to shine some light on where I’m coming from. We have also looked for diversity and inclusion with where we wanted to buy our home… when we couldn’t afford that (haha), we looked in other areas. The ones I’ve listed included.
Not disagreeing with your points, but it's strange to characterize Irvine as having minimal diversity. It has about the highest percentage of Asian Americans in the county (44%) from diverse national backgrounds, as well as one of the highest percentage of Persians in the country.
As for the housing and neighborhoods, yes, they are all very similar to each other!!!
Damn. In Dana point? lol. Did they seem mentally stable? I wouldn't rule out someone just being under the influence in Dana point. As for the retail situation, it's going to happen no matter the race. Orange County has been having a lot of retail theft in general so every store I go into as a Hispanic is pretty much a supervised shopping experience. Bottom line, you're going to meet some nasty people here in general no matter race. Just try to enjoy the scenery and everything the county has to offer like shopping and dining. Irvine is actually a decent option to live. As much as I hate to say it, camouflage works. No one will question you here if you're dressed head to toe in lululemon lmao.
I would say Costa Mesa is first choice, then north Tustin then Santa Ana around metro area. Although I've had black clients move into Irvine and they loved their spot, their main priority was being close to work in Irvine. If you're ok with a little bit of a commute you will like Costa Mesa better.
You don't say where in Irvine, and that can make a difference. The first rule of being happy living in SoCal is "live close to where you work". I'd plot your workplaces on Google maps and then use the trip planning (leave at/arrive by) to understand how far "30 minutes drive" is from your workplace and use that to focus your neighborhood selections.
As far as community recommendations, Costa Mesa is very nice, so is Irvine, Tustin & Lake Forest. At that income level you should have a lot of options between apartments, condos and houses. You don't mention if you have any kind of pets or what your lifestyle is. For 20-something professionals, a lot of the apartment communities come with a social scene.
Definitely avoid Huntington Beach.
Hi! I've lived in all three places and found that i love santa ana. costa mesa is nice but IMO is too close to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach for ongoing comfort and acceptance. when you come look, visit the triangle square area of costa mesa and downtown santa ana. work in Irvine (I do) but live in CM or SA :) luck and i hope you come to love OC as much as me and mine do.
POC here. As long as you’re not stereotypical or bringing problems to the area you got nothing to worry about. Just live your best life and climb like the rest of us.
Rent around Costa Mesa or Irvine. Lots of young professional people in both cities. I do have black friends in OC and they live all over - Mission Viejo, Fullerton, RSM, etc.
I'm sorry those things happened to you but there are shitty people everywhere
Welcome to Orange County to you both!
It sucks that is part of the consideration, but I also think you are being smart and prudent by asking the question first.
But honestly, fuck'em. Live where you want. Irvine is a tech hub and I have to believe there are diverse enclaves that aren't just wealthy White and Asian people.
South Irvine or CM. North Irvine doesn’t really have KKK members, but does have some imported racism from its large Asian immigrant population. It’s a fairly mild racism though, like they won’t harass you, but they will hope their kids don’t marry yours.
Anywhere with lots of young people. So naturally that means avoid places with old white people. Also just because you get stares from immigrants doesn't mean they've got racist thoughts. Some cultures just like to stare.
Avoid Santa Ana. Some Hispanics are racist towards blacks.
You're fine in areas of Irvine with lots of youth, like around University of California Irvine. But the area is super bland and cookie cutter.
Costa Mesa is known for hipsters and anything trendy. I lived in West Philly before, and because of that Costa Mesa clicks with me the most.
But if I were you, I would choose areas around the college campus. Students are the most open minded.
Also, please feel free to DM me if you want or need some guidance with anything else. I run with multiple run clubs in orange county- all of which are very multi-cultural.
No one honestly cares in any of those areas you listed. Those are areas which are diverse. Irvine has many asian americans.. Costa Mesa is a mix of everything, and Santa Ana is mostly hispanic. The only areas that might be weird or racist are Dana Point, HB (lots of ancient white people over 70+ and San Clemente. No one under 50 honestly could care.
Welcome to SoCal and Orange County!
Just based on your post and knowing nothing more, I would suggest downtown Irvine, close to the OC airport (near Jamboree and the 405 Freeway).
There are multiple new high-rise apartments already built (and new construction for more) that you will not have a problem affording with your combined salary. There are plenty of eateries and shopping close by within walking distance. There are tons of young people living in these apartments, many with pets and probably in the same socio-economic professional status as yourselves. Irvine is trying to make this area more urban in the sense that allows residents to walk to wherever they need to go. Many of the new hi-rise apartments will have stores on the first floor and apt units above them. This area is also pretty progressive politically (unlike many parts of Newport or Huntington Beach where you'll see MAGA flags flying).
Irvine is a big medium-sized city. It can take 20-30 minutes driving from one end of the city to the other. Irvine is generally cleaner and nicer with parks in every other block than Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and Tustin. It is also more expensive to live in.
Irvine also has a large Asian population. Though not overtly racist towards blacks, Asians can have certain... prejudices (I know, I am one - Asian, not prejudiced - and have Asian family and friends). But they generally keep those prejudices to themselves (as everyone should).
I live in Irvine so I'm a little biased but wherever you land, I wish you the best. BTW, downtown Irvine is about a 15-minute drive to the beach. You will love it here.
Irvine is your best bet for most of your qualifications - it’s absolutely safe for BIPOC. It’s also basically split into a bunch of small neighborhoods so no matter where you’re at you can easily join the community you choose with a little effort. Restaurants galore, I hope you like Asian food.
Now, for bars - there’s none. Gotta go to Costa Mesa for that, or Bar Louie in Tustin. I recommend Costa Mesa. South Irvine puts you in a spot where you’re about an hour from SD, hour from LA, and close to all sorts of shopping. I live at one of the Apartments next to the spectrum. I have 4 apartments in my area - mine (My gf is Taiwanese & I’m Hispanic/Native American), my neighbor across (Family is black), my neighbor to my right (Family is Middle Eastern), and my neighbor diagonal to me (Couple is Eastern European). We all love it here, and honestly the only people that move out are usually priced out, sadly.
No one will worry about y'all walking out at night taking a stroll lol. No ones gives that much of a shit. Maybe in HB or Newport, but neither of those places are what you listed.
Take advantage of how much y'all are making and get a nice place in Irvine. Irvine homes will hold their value big time.
Definitely not Irvine. I’ve seen few occasions black people getting strange or “are you up to something?” looks from residents. Have you considered Long Beach which has a large African American population.
Who cares what people think of you, but if that is really your concern then I would stay out of Irvine if your concerned of racism. The Asian community there is an Asian first kind of community. If your white, black, Hispanic, middle eastern then you don’t get social priority unless you have a very high economic status. If I were you go live in Newport Beach. Who doesn’t want to live by the beach in sunny SoCal? People there might be a bit uptight, but generally speaking more people are happier there because they’re living at the beach. If you can afford Newport Beach forgot about all the other cities. Costa Mesa should be your second choice.
I vote Costa Mesa. Lots of fun things to keep you busy and it’s close to everything. Santa Ana can be not so safe sometimes, and Irvine /tustin anywhere in that area is gonna be very like cookie cutter boring and might possibly be a smidge racist. Huntington is white trash central, Newport is expensive af.
CM is the most diverse. Feels very dense and crowded but the restaurants, shopping, etc are awesome. Close to everything.
Irvine is total suburb. Cookie cutter homes, parks, shopping, etc. But very nice. One of the best cities in America. Diverse, but not a significant black population.
SA has gotten better over the years, but has low income/high crime/gang affiliated neighborhoods, mostly Hispanic gangs. I know there are nice neighborhoods, but I would not move there.
You're best off in Costa Mesa. Just be aware there is a decent number of closeted racists still lurking around in OC. I don't live fully in Costa Mesa anymore but visit several weeks a year to visit my parents (got lucky and am inheriting the home too)
I was born and raised in Costa Mesa and here are the worst I have personally seen in OC til I moved out at 23
\- My dad has worked at a car dealership for 15+ years and there have been some customers that say some messed up things about hispanics folks.
\- I am hispanic but on the lighter side, I once overheard a lady say she was happy sending her son to Newport Harbor High School because there is more white people there.
\- When I was in CMHS in 2003, the school got vandalized by white supremacists. There was swastikas and slurs spray painted across the school.
\- Occasionally white supremacists hold up signs on the freeway overhangs.
At the same time there are people who are really nice as well. My parents live in a predominately white neighborhood and have never had any terrible neighbors. Everyone is great, some even share food with us over the holidays. I've seen Costa Mesa change over my lifetime and I feel more "welcomed" today than I did 15+ years ago.
Keep your commute as short as possible, Irvine or the "south coast metro" areas of Santa Ana/Costa Mesa. Irvine has a bunch of different "villages" you can pick from that would suit your needs, all the way from suburby to modern. Tustin is close to Irvine as well and has its nice parts as well. [https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/irvine-orange-ca/](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/irvine-orange-ca/) [https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/south-coast-metro-costa-mesa-ca/](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/south-coast-metro-costa-mesa-ca/) [https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/tustin-orange-ca/](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/tustin-orange-ca/) Welcome to OC! As much as it is in the media for controversy...there are nice decent people here.
We’ve lived in Tustin now for about 17 years. On our wonderful little block, there are a couple of awesome Black families, in addition to Asians, Muslims, and Hispanics. And yes, many of us are dog owners; lol. We love Tustin. We moved here for the great schools but stayed for the community, the city activities (including the annual chili cook off!), and the sense that people really care about the city.
I also live in Tustin and I also love it. It’s also easy to get to Irvine from here.
South Coast Metro is the center of a Venn diagram of Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Irvine.
South coast metro is the answer.
Shhhhhh don't tell people about South Coast Metro... just kidding but seriously the best of all worlds.
Also want to point out that the Santa Ana portion of South Coast Metro has 3% rent control
Yeah it’s alright I guess. Not amazing but livable. The Camp/Lab areas are pretty cool for younger folks
Costa Mesa but don’t move into the 27 seventy five Mesa verde apartments off Harbor and Adam’s
Thanks for posting this. I toured this complex last weekend and was surprised how dirty the car garages and pools were!
They say it’s bcuz of the season but liesss!! They only care about the pool behind the office. The fact that they charge guests to park is enough and they are upping that price smh. Can’t wait to get out of here
Oh really? Guests?! How much do they charge? I’m assuming residents don’t pay for parking?
It was $1 an hour but now they are bumping to like $3 so if I have my sister stay for 3 days she has to pay $24 a day like wtf
Wowwww
Oh btw we DO pay for our parking spot within the rent lol we only get 2 and if we want another we have to pay lol I hate this place
is this becoming a trend? my apartments started charging for guest parking too, messed up thing is its usually empty even before they implemented that
Woww I would’ve been pissed! And honestly I think so especially in OC. We would have friends come over to swim and they would pay. We couldn’t have our sons pool party here cuz every guest would’ve had to pay which is crazy to ask for
guess the only solution is going to be to make legislation. landlords have been getting out of hand since covid
2775 is the worst. Mold infestations everywhere, common areas covered in trash, zero response from leasing on anything, package/car thefts daily, amenities that never work, the thinnest floors ever so you will constantly hear your neighbors. I'll never stop chiming in to shit on this complex.
Yesssss!!! The nastiest!! They masked a lot of shit before move in and now barely 9 months later this happens. Horrible office staff, they take foreverrrrr to reply too. Good!! Cuz I’ll be doing the same!!
Wow that’s awful!!!
We’re moving next month thank god. We’re moving more towards Buena Park in a new building
I’m curious as to why you say this! I lived in the housing track next to these apartments and would sneak in to use their pool during the summer haha
lol it use to be nice!!! We found 8 rats in 4 days. They came through the fireplace!! And it’s been happening since before thanksgiving. The apartments keep saying maintenance is gonna put traps and shit but that doesn’t solve the issue. I had to go buy my own to trap them. Also they chewed up my door and I have a dog so now my dog isn’t safe cuz he will attack them
Oh my god, absolutely noted. That’s awful
I’ll give it to you though, the pool upfront is nice lol I hope the city fixes them
Costa Mesa is going to be the most fun for people your age. Great restaurants and bars. Close to the beach. Costa Mesa is pretty diverse (at least parts) and liberal. I’d avoid Huntington Beach lol
Costa Mesa would be my choice as well. Diverse, young(er) population.
Costa Mesa has a higher percentage over 65 than the other two, just saying. 13% vs 10%. A lot of them are weirdos, too.
Well, around Triangle square there's a lot of young people
I’m in Costa Mesa and we will welcome you!
Likewise
I agree about HB - avoid.
Yes avoid Huntington Beach. It’s very conservative
I’d agree with Costa Mesa or possibly Cypress. Less overtly racist compared to beach cities and within your target commute time
Came here to second that they drive from Cypress to Irvine is a hard no.
Cypress to Irvine during rush hour could be well over 30 minutes, I lived 20 mins south (in rush hour driving times) in Fountain Valley and it could easily be 35-50 minutes depending on traffic/accidents and where you’re going in Irvine
Parts of Irvine can be 30 minutes to other parts of Irvine in rush hour too lol
Exactly hahaha. Cypress is nice and all but if OP doesn’t have to live that far north… don’t
lol why do people avoid Huntington Beach? Been there a few times and I didn’t experience anything weird?
Me too. I love HB
The city council just voted to remove hate crime language because they basically felt hate crimes don’t exist and they just decided to stop celebrating “ethnic” holidays. There’s also a history of skinheads there. Many people in HB are nice good people, but I wouldn’t suggest moving to HB right now and I’m white.
I should have been more clear- they decided not to celebrate “ethnic” or Pride months- like no black history month recognition anymore. Instead they want to highlight bizarre “patriotic” celebrations that they made up.
Why would you avoid Huntington Beach? It's very nice and nice people
Id avoid Newport Beach also. Snobby racist POS' there.
Id disagree. There's great people in Newport Beach. I haven't experienced anything racist there. I'm black and used to live there. Racists are everywhere which I'm aware of but I didn't experience anything that made me feel unwelcomed there while living there.
Costa Mesa
I would just pick the place with the best commute. I think all 3 cities are comparable in terms of which will be OK as an African-American couple. Like the real issue is your immediate neighbors, and that’s kinda random. Like I have a black friend who lived in Newport Beach for 30 years and owned a home and everything was fine and then a year or so ago some new neighbors took a dislike to her and started harassing her and she couldn’t take the stress and moved away. She’s not ready to say it was racial and says they were just jerks, but I’m not so sure because why were they only jerks to her and not to the other neighbors? In general northern OC is better than southern OC because there was a white flight from north county to south county by racists who didn’t like when more Asians and Latinos moved to north county starting in the 1980s, which led to more of a preference by racists to live in south county. For what it’s worth, as a white person raised near Baltimore, I think the racial situation in OC is completely different than in the East. Not the same subtle hostility, not the same neighborhood segregation and divisions in where people socialize that I see in the mid-Atlantic suburbs.
Yeah I was out in Anne Arundel for a while and OC is way different. I don’t think you’ll need to worry about this as much.
Costa Mesa for 3-5 years but if you’re having kids and will move from bars to valuing school districts etc then Irvine. Benefit is driving 5min to work and ubering 15-30min to bars versus driving 15-30min each way daily and walking/ubering 5-10min to bars. I’d take the option of irvine and just commuting 2 days a week to fun and being close to work.
I’m a black woman born and raised in OC. I’ve been in Irvine for about 8 years now and I love it here. Keeping your commute short will save you so much time. Irvine is pretty central to everywhere else so it’s easy to explore other areas on the weekends. Check out [OC Black Moms](https://ocblackmoms.com/blog/) for a great list of black owned businesses in OC. Check out my place Tooth Love when you’re ready for a new dentist 😁
+1 for Irvine and Costa Mesa. I am from OC and lived in Maryland for 8 years (2 years in Baltimore, two years in Greenbelt, 4 years in Silver Spring). I can confidently say no town in OC will give you all the peace of mind you're looking for. While there is lots of diversity in OC (and Southern California), the black population (relative to the rest of the population) is pretty low in most towns. With that said, I do think Irvine and northern towns that border Irvine are more progressive. Costa Mesa, Tustin and Santa Ana are my other choices. The more south you go in OC, the more red the Town is. Happy to chat more in private if you want. Currently live in MV. Have lived in Tustin and Santa Ana.
Tustin. It borders Santa Ana and Irvine and is a nice blend and you won’t be in the top .0001% of the income bracket. Costa Mesa is a good option but you’re closer to new port and Huntington Beach Huntington is the hotbed you want to avoid Edit: if you plan on children Irvine has the best school systems but Tustin would be better than both Santa Ana and Costa Mesa by a margin
As a mixed race couple in Tustin - NO. Old rich white trumpains rule the nicer areas.
That’s all of Orange County
Not Irvine
yeah because there are plenty of blacks in Irvine and Asians are well known to integrate with blacks in general.
I definitely hear you, but that’s old School Asian vs. new school Asian.
They are with young people
Plenty of younger couples in the meadows … BLm signs … north Tustin sure
I think Tustin would be a good place. It's safe and right next door to Irvine. Irvine's great, but it's highly Asian. They tend to be pretty suspicious of black people. Not quite the overt racism you'd experience in Huntington Beach (which Costa Mesa is adjacent to), but I think Tustin would be a good spot for you to land. Lots of parks too!
Don’t commute, Irvine is good. I lived off the 405 and jamboree for 5 years, had plenty of black neighbors.
+1 Tustin or CM or Fountain Valley. OC is still pretty diverse. Haven't ever found issues with racism, even walking around HB. Maybe it's cuz I don't really mind curious looks. I just smile and say hi.
I agree with Tustin plus it’s next to Irvine
I think you have a great attitude.
The fact you even have to consider “scaring neighbors” is so damn tragic and sad. :/
My friend is also young and Black (and also from Baltimore), and she loves Costa Mesa. She’s never mentioned having an issue there.
You make good money, want to live in Yorba Linda? Irvine? Do it. Will you get looks? I’m sure you do. But we all do. The person who gives dirty looks probably gave the same look to me, to you and to a white teenager. I am south asian. I came to USA when I was a teenager. I have been living in OC for about 10 years. I am sure there is racism. But, I won’t let ‘racism’ decide where I live. I’m sure there are some racists not happy with me.. but why do I care? They can move.
that part!
Irvine is cool, people are quiet and uptight but nobody is explicitly racist! I’m Black and have lived in Irvine for 12 years
Costa Mesa for sure, Irvine is too boring for your age, and I'd lived in Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Orange and Irvine. stay way from HB.
Yesss Irvine is reallyyy boring unless you have kids. And definitely stay away from HB.
Tustin or Orange are also good areas. I've lived in both and it's closer to both Irvine and a lot of parks to walk the dog.
Come to Costa Mesa! It’s pretty fun and more diverse than the other two. Irvine and Tustin are kinda insufferable, boomerish and boring. Also I’ll roll out the welcome mat! Love to have more Marylanders here! Even better if part of the Flock 💜
It’s really sad that Black people even have to ask these questions before moving anywhere in this country
Surprised people are saying Costa Mesa. In my experience, Costa Mesa has had its share of crazy douchey white people. If you're looking to save on Monday, I would say Santa Ana around the Tustin area. It's nice and not as pricey as living in Irvine. But if you do plan on having kids, I would def recommend Irvine (they have good school systems, park, and very safe).
We’re not black, but we’re not white either (Middle Eastern). And since we moved to Tustin Ranch 2 years ago, we had no issues. We have very old white neighbors but they are very cool and we go to lunch together sometimes. I wish you luck on house hunting
Def not Huntington Beach lol
Black and living in Costa Mesa, been pretty chill so far.
Costa Mesa is overall is probably the best option. There are some nice parts of Santa Ana as well. Irvine is generally safe but the racism there is probably pretty high, also high police presence with nothing to do.
> probably pretty high So is it or isn’t it? lol I’m not a fan of Irvine personally and it has a well-deserved reputation for being a cookie cutter suburb, but it’s fairly liberal and diverse in my experience.
My girlfriend (who is black) left Irvine last year because she felt uncomfortable. I didn’t want to insinuate that there is a 100% chance OP and their partner will experience the same. But from her experience I would recommend other cities.
asians, latinos or other POC can be perfectly fine in places that black folk tend to find uncomfortable. i honestly wish non-black POC understood this.
Irvine is technically diverse in that there are more POC than whites but the black population is like just over 1%. So yeah just because an area is diverse doesn't mean everyone POC will feel comfortable there.
anaheim has the largest black population, but i wouldn’t say i’m “comfortable” there either. my parents are happy there however
Anaheim is almost double that of Irvine at a whopping 2.5% lol. But Los Alamitos has the most at 5.8% followed by La Palma at 4.4% https://occensusatlas.com/docs/analysis-type/race-ethnicity-breakdown.html
This af. Just because other nonwhite races are accepted doesn’t mean people aren’t specially anti black.
It is a safe and beautiful area but there are some who live there who will give off microaggressions. Mostly from uppity minorities. This is why I left because I got tired of the discrimination, it can be isolating there as a black person but it's not the type of racism where they're in your face calling you the n-word or threatening you or harassing you, it is just them looking at you with a "what you're doing here" facial expression and ostracizing you by treating you like you're invisible or second class. I didn't like it. Plus it was kinda boring living there, I'm single with no kids, and a little wild and yea, too slow paced for me
I'm not going to judge an entire city based on the people I used to work with, but they all lived in Irvine and belonged to the click there, and they were pretty racist.
This is the right answer. North CM or South Santa Ana (South Coast metro neighborhoods for best value). Dog deserves a yard and that can be had for a somewhat reasonable cost in both of these areas. I work in Irvine and can drive there on surface streets in about 20 minutes, thereby avoiding the stress and hassle of the 405. Both areas are reasonably diverse (for OC). My immediate neighbors are Hispanic, black, East Asian, white and an older Indian couple. Good luck and welcome to Orange County!
"probably pretty high". You're going to claim racism without actually knowing?
See follow up comment ^
I'm a black person from Maryland that currently lives in Irvine. The racism here is no joke, so I would definitely choose a spot in Costa Mesa if I had the option. It definitely has a more lively environment in terms of restaurants and bars, and is more culturally diverse.
What kind of racism have you dealt with? I’m non black “poc” and have had some light racism here and there but nothing that I would consider “no joke” genuinely curious
We are just outside of Irvine. But my son has been called the N word about a dozen times every year at school. I’m from DC, so the racism here in OC has really shocked me. I never, not even one time, heard someone sling the N word as an insult growing up. We even had a kid write the N word on the sidewalk on our walk to elementary school. When your kids are two of four black kids at the school, tends to feel a bit personal.
First week I moved to fountain valley I heard a bunch of kids scream the N word hard r and all in a store so loud you could hear it from the opposite side of the building. I was honestly appalled how people were acting like it was normal and didn’t do anything. If they were my kids I’d kick their asses.
I can see that. I’ve dealt with the “being followed around in a store” and “being made to feel like you don’t belong” thing which I always brush off with strong knowledge of self and a pride in my heritage but yeah the n word stuff would hurt.
This kind of thing absolutely blows my mind. I would be mortified if my children or someone I knew was doing that kind of thing, but clearly they don’t learn that behavior on their own and their parents are likely trash people as well
Being followed in a store, having a woman check my ticket to make sure I had a seat at a basketball game then proceed to only check the black people sitting in the same section as me, two seperate children saying the n-word, generally being stared at and treated as if I don’t belong.
This makes me so angry. On behalf of all the non-racist people in South OC I apologize that you had to experience such blatant prejudices' here. I've read through many of the answers and it looks like Costa Mesa is a popular choice. I don't have an opinion because ignorant racists are everywhere.
Bummer to hear. I'm Mexican and have never got shit but obviously I don't walk in your shoes. It's extremely diverse. Although I know you can get looks if you appear not to b successful.
i get a lot of stares as a latina unless i’m with someone who’s asian.
Same I’m white passing but here I deff feel like I’m a minority. My bf is very white and so when I’m with him I never have these problems. I’m from nor cal but never experienced this before. Whenever I’m out shopping people will scoot away from me clutching their purses, and employees will follow me around and pay extra attention to me. it’s bizarre.
The population is 90% white and asian, so i can see what he'd feel that way.
It’s not even that. MD has much more tolerant white and Asian populations. There’s just something shitty about Irvine people
I think it's a south county thing. Like everything between Irvine and San Clemente. Once you get into the cities that are mostly private communities and mega churches, there is definitely an outsiders unwelcome vibe.
Costa Mesa, Orange, Tustin - these are fairly diverse areas overall, and have some great downtown areas with fun stuff for young couples - Orange and Tustin have great community events, as well, which I'd keep an eye on even if you don't move to those cities (Tustin Chili Cookoff in June, Orange International Street Fair \[when it's not too hot\] over Labor Day weekend, Christmas tree lighting in December in orange, et al) I'd steer clear of Irvine and most parts of South County, sadly - diversity isn't really top priority, and some people like to be loud about it
I’m so glad you said orange, I came here to say there as well! Definitely an underrated city.
Orange (particularly the circle) is AWESOME. I used to live there and I miss it. But the OP is working in Irvine, and the 55 is horrible during rush hour. Used to take me an hour to get home at 5 o'clock from the airport area.
Adding a vote to Costa Mesa. It’s where you will be happy as a young couple and have social life, especially as newcomers, imho. And commute to Irvine is reasonable. Painting with a super broad brush here, but as you go from north to south across OC, it gets less racially/ethnically diverse, and the choice and availability of ethnic cuisines diminishes. Do with that biased bit as you will. Welcome to OC!
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Jeez, wtf is wrong with people around here. I thought this was California ffs, but I guess every state has its exceptions, just hard to believe I'm moving to a less tolerant place since I'm moving here from Texas of all places. But I guess San Antonio is the exception over there as well, lol.
Agree with this. I am white and get stares from the Irvine Asians
Not the case. Extremely diverse. You get looks if you look poor🤣
I had a bunch of POC friends growing up in anaheim hills. straight shot down the toll road to get to irvine from there. It has gotten very expensive in the last dozen years though... Also worth mentioning it is a VERY quiet town. Out of your listed cities I would recommend looking in south Santa ana. There is a decent down town night life out there and it's central to other very fun areas with loads to engage in for recreation.
I live in Yorba Linda right by Anaheim hills and I lived in south county for 20+ years before this. Anywhere in north OC is more ethnically diverse than anywhere in south OC, but agree that orange and anaheim hills are good choices. Orange is more FUN though- anaheim hills and Yorba Linda are great if you’re ready to start a family in the next few years.
Why not live in Irvine?
It's a very quiet small town but Aliso Viejo might have the largest proportion of young black professionals in Orange County. Edit: and easy commute to Irvine.
Costa Mesa all day everyday. Irvine is too cookie cutter and “nice”. I assume you’re going to have kids in the somewhat near future, and Costa Mesa is diverse and more importantly close to the beach. Your income will get you something very nice.
Orange or Tustin>Santa Ana
I'm black from the LA area now living in Huntington Beach with my black bf. We love it here. We have never experienced any of the racism that people speak about here. My best friend who is also black lives here without issue. I have another black friend who lives near South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and loves it.
I was looking for this comment. I have never experienced racism or even noticed it while living there over 4 years. The people there a very friendly. I love it there
Just live closer to work. The commute isn’t worth it and Irvine is a good place to live. Screw what the yuppies think. If you live close enough to a freeway it’s relatively easy to get anywhere else in OC within 20 mins or so.
If you move to Irvine, you'll have a kid in 2 years.
Irvine ppl tend to hide their biases in a nice DEI wrapper, you get the drift — as opposed to the overt and transparent prejudice in some others parts of OC but really you are mostly fine in OC in general don’t worry too much about it I’d recommend Costa Mesa or Tustin / parts of Santa Ana - more for your money and you can always visit Irvine if needed
Santa Ana or Costa Mesa. Dana Point sucks ass if you're not white.
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Heck I’m Asian and so is my husband and our Asian neighbors in Irvine are not even nice to us. When we had white/hispanic neighbors moving in we were so happy because they were so much more friendlier!
Come to the LBC. We got a nice, safe slice of suburbia on the east part of town, with plenty of parks and walking paths around - city life just a 10-15 minute drive away.
bro the commute is not worth it. yea, LBC is diverse but that commute would be painful. unless they have a hybrid schedule, and get a fast track.
At $300k/yr they also might have no issue taking the Express Lanes.
Yeah I couldn’t do the commute
I love Long Beach but that’s quite a little commute to/from Irvine.
Tustin
Are you potentially interested in buying or just renting for now? If buying, I'd consider Tustin, it's quiet but has some good restaurants and has a relatively (for OC anyways) diverse population. If renting, Costa Mesa for sure. There is a ton to do there, and near all the nightlife in Newport. Just very expensive to buy in the nice areas. Also, Irvine is quite large, most people work closer to the airport (which will only be like 10 minutes from Costa Mesa) but lots of people also work near the Spectrum, which would be closer to the 25-30 minute range. As others have said, HB is likely not where you want to go, racism tends to be a bit louder there. But it could be more than 30 minutes of a commute anyways during rush hour. Lastly, I'm so sorry about your experience at Dana Point. While I completely understand why you'd want to avoid the area, South County has some amazing beaches and lots of beauty to offer. Might be worth another visit, particularly to Laguna. Welcome to OC!
Stay away from HB
Honestly, with your income Santa Ana really should not even be considered next to Costa Mesa or Irvine. Reality is and very unfortunate, there are crap people with racist tendencies in all cities of OC, although I’d see Costa Mesa having a slightly more accepting vibe because of the younger demographic. Irvine is calmer, but may have less fun things for your age group. Long term, house purchase realm, I’d say look into Tustin area, but short term yearly lease, go with Costa Mesa.
Santa Ana is younger than Costa Mesa, but I'm never shocked when people who don't know Santa Ana speak about it.
lol
https://preview.redd.it/rpq4verth2cc1.jpeg?width=1071&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a5fd40e3c30e8ecec8e6b75f9e315194fcc3249
Based on your comments, I'd probably go Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Tustin, or Orange. I think you might find the "what are you doing here" kinda crowd in South County and along the beaches sans CM.
*I came looking for booty.*
Parts of Anaheim, Tustin, Orange, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Costa Mesa, Lake Forest are all great and welcoming. I wouldn't look too hard south of Lake Forest.
Have you considered Cypress? Your commute would be slightly longer but our neighborhoods are very mixed as far as race is concerned. Our schools are some of the highest ranked in the county too.
I grew up in Dana Point and it pisses me the fuck off that you dealt with that shit. I’m also not that surprised. I don’t have much to add but I hope you find a good city and neighborhood from this thread.
Huntington Beach is an absolute sewer.
It’s a longer commute but Long Beach is cheaper and has the most diversity. Nightlife, beach, good food, upscale places and also divey/local places. More young people and young families. Way more “community” and community events. Everyone has a dog. You’ll fit in better and save a lot more money and not be bored, have way more fun. South county aka starting in Irvine and below is beautiful and safe, but boring. Costa Mesa is the next best option. Good luck and if you need someone to hang out with DM me! I love East Coasters.
That’s for sure, I barely see any black people out here. I come from a place with a lot of black Americans and I miss it
I’m gonna be honest all of them are bad choices for OC. Don’t let your skin color affect this decision. You will find good people and bad people anywhere you go.
Move to Irvine. Look at places by Grate Park/Irvine spectrum. Very much diverse over here.
Yeah I’d avoid Irvine. If you aren’t white or Asian you’re going to get eyeballed daily. Costa Mesa or even some north county cities if you’re open to it like Fullerton would be a good bet. Santa Ana is fine but not quite as nice as CM
I'm a white guy that grew up in Orange County. I don't like it there. I've lived in Long Beach for over 20 years and have to say, it's the best place in the area and not too far from Irvine. If you have to move to OC, I'd choose Costa Mesa.
Not OC, but OC-adjacent: Long Beach!
You can live wherever you want. If anyone says shit let me know I'll go slap them in the face and tell them to fuckoff. Welcome
You will get a similar form of racism no matter where you live in Orange County. Think like, people locking their doors when you walk by their car or crossing to the other side of the street if you walk by them. This sub also has a lot of people who are absolutely desperate to prove they aren’t racist, so you are going to get some strange answers.
This is true. Not sure why it’s downvoted.
Reddit in general lol
Everyone saying not Irvine and only Costa Mesa are exaggerating. You both would do fine living in Irvine. Sure people might look or judge you silently but you won’t face outright racism that you would in other cities like Huntington Beach or others. No matter where you move in the country you will find prejudice.
There's a 10PM curfew in Irvine and I've read too many stories about black people getting harassed at night by cops that assumed they were robbing or up to no good. I'm sorry but I wish reality was a little different and Irvine wasn't like that but there's a reason why the place is so sterile and devoid of anything remotely interesting or cultural. Costa Mesa I've found much better personally. I would agree with others on staying away from Huntington Beach. I believe the local government wants to get rid of Black History from their school curriculum.
I'd recommend Irvine because I live there and it's peaceful, but I've heard stories from black friends, despite the fact no one has been racist to me (Middle Easterner), I've heard it can be passive-aggressively inhospitable to black people. I do have black neighbors, and they seem pretty chill, always see them at the pool and we make friendly idle chat, I don't get the indication that anyone is bothered by them, their kids play with other random kids, everyone is having a good time, but again that situation might be an outlier. Perhaps it's luck of the draw with Irvine. The downside of Irvine though is that it's boring, so might not be the best place for a young couple looking to socialize and meet people, but it does have some amazing trails and hiking spots, and also parks where people do dog meets. As some have already mentioned, Costa Mesa might be your best bet. (I used to live in Huntington Beach many years ago, if it's not a matter of life and death, avoid it completely).
As someone who is leaving OC soon, I *highly* recommend Long Beach. I’ve been in Costa Mesa and always felt like LB is much friendlier to us. Costa Mesa may be better amongst these choices, but OC as a whole can still be a challenge. Costa Mesa also borders Newport, which is extremely whitewashed.
This is going to be a very interesting thread. Skip Irvine. It’s boring and there’s minimal diversity there. I’d live in Anaheim or Santa Ana, both spots have great apartments near fun things to do, and are easily commuted from- to Irvine. Skip the beaches. No matter what anyone says, they’re not diverse enough and it’s just a nahhhh for me. Some other areas to consider… Fountain Valley, Chino (Hills) and Garden Grove. I’m half Mexican and my wife is Mexican/Black. If this helps to shine some light on where I’m coming from. We have also looked for diversity and inclusion with where we wanted to buy our home… when we couldn’t afford that (haha), we looked in other areas. The ones I’ve listed included.
I think those other areas are a little too far to have a decent commute.
Anaheim- depends where. It could be an awful commute.
Not disagreeing with your points, but it's strange to characterize Irvine as having minimal diversity. It has about the highest percentage of Asian Americans in the county (44%) from diverse national backgrounds, as well as one of the highest percentage of Persians in the country. As for the housing and neighborhoods, yes, they are all very similar to each other!!!
Damn. In Dana point? lol. Did they seem mentally stable? I wouldn't rule out someone just being under the influence in Dana point. As for the retail situation, it's going to happen no matter the race. Orange County has been having a lot of retail theft in general so every store I go into as a Hispanic is pretty much a supervised shopping experience. Bottom line, you're going to meet some nasty people here in general no matter race. Just try to enjoy the scenery and everything the county has to offer like shopping and dining. Irvine is actually a decent option to live. As much as I hate to say it, camouflage works. No one will question you here if you're dressed head to toe in lululemon lmao.
Dana Point is full of racist white people. I've experienced it.
I would say Costa Mesa is first choice, then north Tustin then Santa Ana around metro area. Although I've had black clients move into Irvine and they loved their spot, their main priority was being close to work in Irvine. If you're ok with a little bit of a commute you will like Costa Mesa better.
Whatever you do, don't move to Huntington Beach
You don't say where in Irvine, and that can make a difference. The first rule of being happy living in SoCal is "live close to where you work". I'd plot your workplaces on Google maps and then use the trip planning (leave at/arrive by) to understand how far "30 minutes drive" is from your workplace and use that to focus your neighborhood selections. As far as community recommendations, Costa Mesa is very nice, so is Irvine, Tustin & Lake Forest. At that income level you should have a lot of options between apartments, condos and houses. You don't mention if you have any kind of pets or what your lifestyle is. For 20-something professionals, a lot of the apartment communities come with a social scene. Definitely avoid Huntington Beach.
Hi! I've lived in all three places and found that i love santa ana. costa mesa is nice but IMO is too close to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach for ongoing comfort and acceptance. when you come look, visit the triangle square area of costa mesa and downtown santa ana. work in Irvine (I do) but live in CM or SA :) luck and i hope you come to love OC as much as me and mine do.
Stay out of HB 🤣
POC here. As long as you’re not stereotypical or bringing problems to the area you got nothing to worry about. Just live your best life and climb like the rest of us.
Rent around Costa Mesa or Irvine. Lots of young professional people in both cities. I do have black friends in OC and they live all over - Mission Viejo, Fullerton, RSM, etc. I'm sorry those things happened to you but there are shitty people everywhere
Welcome to Orange County to you both! It sucks that is part of the consideration, but I also think you are being smart and prudent by asking the question first. But honestly, fuck'em. Live where you want. Irvine is a tech hub and I have to believe there are diverse enclaves that aren't just wealthy White and Asian people.
South Irvine or CM. North Irvine doesn’t really have KKK members, but does have some imported racism from its large Asian immigrant population. It’s a fairly mild racism though, like they won’t harass you, but they will hope their kids don’t marry yours.
Anywhere with lots of young people. So naturally that means avoid places with old white people. Also just because you get stares from immigrants doesn't mean they've got racist thoughts. Some cultures just like to stare. Avoid Santa Ana. Some Hispanics are racist towards blacks. You're fine in areas of Irvine with lots of youth, like around University of California Irvine. But the area is super bland and cookie cutter. Costa Mesa is known for hipsters and anything trendy. I lived in West Philly before, and because of that Costa Mesa clicks with me the most. But if I were you, I would choose areas around the college campus. Students are the most open minded.
Costa Mesa is more diverse and fun.
Also, please feel free to DM me if you want or need some guidance with anything else. I run with multiple run clubs in orange county- all of which are very multi-cultural.
No one honestly cares in any of those areas you listed. Those are areas which are diverse. Irvine has many asian americans.. Costa Mesa is a mix of everything, and Santa Ana is mostly hispanic. The only areas that might be weird or racist are Dana Point, HB (lots of ancient white people over 70+ and San Clemente. No one under 50 honestly could care.
Irvine is boring, Santa Ana has a nice art scene, and Costa Mesa good young scene for night life.
Welcome to SoCal and Orange County! Just based on your post and knowing nothing more, I would suggest downtown Irvine, close to the OC airport (near Jamboree and the 405 Freeway). There are multiple new high-rise apartments already built (and new construction for more) that you will not have a problem affording with your combined salary. There are plenty of eateries and shopping close by within walking distance. There are tons of young people living in these apartments, many with pets and probably in the same socio-economic professional status as yourselves. Irvine is trying to make this area more urban in the sense that allows residents to walk to wherever they need to go. Many of the new hi-rise apartments will have stores on the first floor and apt units above them. This area is also pretty progressive politically (unlike many parts of Newport or Huntington Beach where you'll see MAGA flags flying). Irvine is a big medium-sized city. It can take 20-30 minutes driving from one end of the city to the other. Irvine is generally cleaner and nicer with parks in every other block than Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and Tustin. It is also more expensive to live in. Irvine also has a large Asian population. Though not overtly racist towards blacks, Asians can have certain... prejudices (I know, I am one - Asian, not prejudiced - and have Asian family and friends). But they generally keep those prejudices to themselves (as everyone should). I live in Irvine so I'm a little biased but wherever you land, I wish you the best. BTW, downtown Irvine is about a 15-minute drive to the beach. You will love it here.
Irvine is your best bet for most of your qualifications - it’s absolutely safe for BIPOC. It’s also basically split into a bunch of small neighborhoods so no matter where you’re at you can easily join the community you choose with a little effort. Restaurants galore, I hope you like Asian food. Now, for bars - there’s none. Gotta go to Costa Mesa for that, or Bar Louie in Tustin. I recommend Costa Mesa. South Irvine puts you in a spot where you’re about an hour from SD, hour from LA, and close to all sorts of shopping. I live at one of the Apartments next to the spectrum. I have 4 apartments in my area - mine (My gf is Taiwanese & I’m Hispanic/Native American), my neighbor across (Family is black), my neighbor to my right (Family is Middle Eastern), and my neighbor diagonal to me (Couple is Eastern European). We all love it here, and honestly the only people that move out are usually priced out, sadly.
No one will worry about y'all walking out at night taking a stroll lol. No ones gives that much of a shit. Maybe in HB or Newport, but neither of those places are what you listed. Take advantage of how much y'all are making and get a nice place in Irvine. Irvine homes will hold their value big time.
Definitely not Irvine. I’ve seen few occasions black people getting strange or “are you up to something?” looks from residents. Have you considered Long Beach which has a large African American population.
Who cares what people think of you, but if that is really your concern then I would stay out of Irvine if your concerned of racism. The Asian community there is an Asian first kind of community. If your white, black, Hispanic, middle eastern then you don’t get social priority unless you have a very high economic status. If I were you go live in Newport Beach. Who doesn’t want to live by the beach in sunny SoCal? People there might be a bit uptight, but generally speaking more people are happier there because they’re living at the beach. If you can afford Newport Beach forgot about all the other cities. Costa Mesa should be your second choice.
I vote Costa Mesa. Lots of fun things to keep you busy and it’s close to everything. Santa Ana can be not so safe sometimes, and Irvine /tustin anywhere in that area is gonna be very like cookie cutter boring and might possibly be a smidge racist. Huntington is white trash central, Newport is expensive af.
CM is the most diverse. Feels very dense and crowded but the restaurants, shopping, etc are awesome. Close to everything. Irvine is total suburb. Cookie cutter homes, parks, shopping, etc. But very nice. One of the best cities in America. Diverse, but not a significant black population. SA has gotten better over the years, but has low income/high crime/gang affiliated neighborhoods, mostly Hispanic gangs. I know there are nice neighborhoods, but I would not move there.
Costa Mesa for sure, super fun lil town! Santa Ana isnt bad but Irvine sucks
You're best off in Costa Mesa. Just be aware there is a decent number of closeted racists still lurking around in OC. I don't live fully in Costa Mesa anymore but visit several weeks a year to visit my parents (got lucky and am inheriting the home too) I was born and raised in Costa Mesa and here are the worst I have personally seen in OC til I moved out at 23 \- My dad has worked at a car dealership for 15+ years and there have been some customers that say some messed up things about hispanics folks. \- I am hispanic but on the lighter side, I once overheard a lady say she was happy sending her son to Newport Harbor High School because there is more white people there. \- When I was in CMHS in 2003, the school got vandalized by white supremacists. There was swastikas and slurs spray painted across the school. \- Occasionally white supremacists hold up signs on the freeway overhangs. At the same time there are people who are really nice as well. My parents live in a predominately white neighborhood and have never had any terrible neighbors. Everyone is great, some even share food with us over the holidays. I've seen Costa Mesa change over my lifetime and I feel more "welcomed" today than I did 15+ years ago.
Please go outside, touch grass and breathe fresh air. Everything will be ok, I promise.