Irvine, CA Real Estate

Irvine may be the prototypical planned community in the US. Once a working ranch with orange groves, vegetable and bean fields, and cattle, the owners of the ranch began to implement a master plan in the 1960’s.

Today’s Irvine still has some farming going on in its outskirts, but for the most part, it has developed into a city that often tops lists of the safest cities in America. In a recent Yahoo listing, it was one of the best cities (with a population between 100,000 and 300,000) to live in America. Irvine is fast becoming a destination of its own with attractions such as the Irvine Spectrum shopping and entertainment center, The Bren Center for the Performing Arts, University of California Irvine, Verizon Amphitheatre, and the “Great Park” which will eventually occupy the site of the one-time El Toro Marine Air Station.

In addition to UCI, Irvine is home to Concordia University, and the Orange County campuses of both Pepperdine University and the University of Southern California, as well as Alliant International University, and Irvine Valley College, a 2-year community college. Irvine is the home of many corporations, especially in the technology sector, and has also been favored by the automotive industry with the US headquarters for both Mazda and Kia and the prestige group of Ford Motor Co. Allergen, Broadcom, and Taco Bell also call Irvine their corporate home.

Irvine was laid out from the beginning as a city of neighborhoods. If you tell an Orange County resident you live in Irvine, the question that will follow will be, “What village?”
Each village has an assortment of residential housing with its own neighborhood retail center. The first of these villages, University Park, Turtle Rock and Woodbridge were completed in the 1970’s. All of the villages in Irvine (with the exception of Northwood, which was developed outside of the Irvine Co’s master plan) have vigorous Homeowner’s Associations which enforce neighborhood CC&R’s and other rules. This affords most residents of Irvine more uniformity in appearance and upkeep. There are varying opinions as to whether or not HOA’s improve or diminish resale values. When looking for property in Irvine, buyers should take into account the amount of the monthly HOA assessment, and how much dues have increased in recent years.

Each of the villages was originally developed with a specific architectural theme, although in older villages some of this distinctiveness may have been blurred by time. Some of the styles include Mediterranean in Westpark, Moroccan in the area surrounding the Irvine Spectrum, Tuscan in Turtle Ridge, and California modern in West Irvine. The University Hills village offers subsidized residences for UCI professors and retired professors, the first such development in the US.

Most of Irvine is within the Irvine Unified school district. All four of Irvine’s high schools have consistently made Newsweek’s list of top high schools in the nation. Irvine is served by a Metrolink commuter rail station with routes to Los Angeles, Riverside and Oceanside. Plans are being considered for a light rail line to link the Great Park with Irvine Spectrum, with a stop at the Metrolink station.