Brittany West plans to put down roots and build a life with her fiancé and their newborn in Orange County, which is known as a great place to raise children.
But even though West and her fiancé Ben both had steady incomes, making ends meet became more difficult. Small rent increases in their Irvine apartment, higher prices for basic goods and expensive child care for their 9-month-old son have forced the couple to begin planning to abandon Orange County for cheaper housing in the Sacramento area.
They have long resisted the move, but they see few viable alternatives.
“We don’t want to leave. It’s beautiful here. Our friends are here. My fiancé’s family is here. We’ve built a community in Orange County,” said West, 32. “We just can’t afford to live here.”
The couple’s story is a common one in Southern California, where young people struggle to buy new homes and those approaching retirement worry their money won’t cover their needs.
More than a third of Orange County residents are actively considering moving elsewhere, according to a UC Irvine poll released Friday. What’s the main reason? Housing and basic necessities, including food and gas, are costly.
Overall, more than 50% of respondents were considered “potential leavers,” with women, people under 40, non-white residents and those without a college education more likely than others to leave, the survey found.
For more than two decades, California has been losing residents to other states. In Orange County, however, residents are moving more frequently within California rather than to places like Texas and Arizona.
“Contrary to what some people think, we are not going to lose people to other states because something is wrong in California,” said Jon Gould, dean of the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, who led the poll. (Jon Gould) said. “Polling tells us that a huge storm is brewing that is likely to create a lack of affordable housing in the county.”
Quality of life, weather, proximity to family and access to health care are the top reasons people choose to stay in the area — at least for now. But the appeal of more affordable living has been strong.
For sale sign in front of a house in Huntington Beach.
(Alan J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Orange County rental prices increased 22% in 2021, leveled off a year later, and increased slightly in 2023.
In Irvine, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in August was more than $2,500 per month, up less than 1% from last year. In Anaheim, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is just under $2,000, up 1.8% from 2023.
Since the birth of their son, West has felt cramped in the two-bedroom apartment she rents with her fiancé for about $3,100 a month. The second bedroom is a home office and nursery combo for the couple.
“He was 9 months old and started crawling,” West said. “We’re getting out of this place so fast.”
The couple, who hopes to have another child at some point, looked for larger units in their building and in other Orange County cities, but paying a few hundred dollars more per month wasn’t feasible for them. West said their dream of buying a home in Orange County was becoming more and more out of reach.
In the Sacramento area, they found single-family homes with backyards available for less per month than they were paying now.
Of those considering leaving Orange County, 78% ranked housing cost as a very important factor. Cost of living was a close second at 76%, ahead of other quality-of-life issues including taxes, crime, traffic, job market, political climate and distance from family outside the area, the poll showed.
Even those who have recently moved to the county say housing costs are a serious issue. Among newcomers surveyed, 71% cited a lack of affordable housing as the biggest problem they face, followed by traffic, homelessness, local leadership, taxes, overdevelopment and crime.
“We haven’t built enough housing in Orange County,” said Wallace Walrod, chief economic adviser to the Orange County Business Council. “It’s hard to do and we need to build more housing units across the spectrum — homeownership opportunities, apartments and rentals at all income levels.”
The result could be a continuation of current trends, Walrod said, including reduced state aid to local schools as enrollment declines, increased traffic congestion as more workers commute from other areas, and efforts to retain employees. The challenges facing companies are growing.
The state has been pushing cities to build more housing, with lawmakers asking local governments to allow for increased housing development and density. Still, shortages remain acute.
2020, Southern California Association. Successive administrations have directed Orange County to build approximately 183,000 additional units. Many cities oppose this, arguing that more housing will accelerate the urbanization of suburban communities.
“Orange County is a place that people want to be, but I think what’s surprising is that we haven’t seen that kind of coordinated leadership across the county to address the issues that may be causing people to leave,” Gould said. .
Even those who were able to buy homes in Orange County decades ago are feeling the pinch. This is a particular concern for residents approaching retirement age.
Ronny Shaver, 66, has spent most of his life in Orange County, where he took over his father’s auto repair shop in Santa Ana. But when he started to slow down, he realized his money was going farther than Orange County.
So Schaefer and his wife sold their Ladera Ranch condo and moved to a suburb west of Knoxville, Tennessee. I will never move back.
“Now we have a house four times the size, with lots of square footage, paid for and money in the bank,” Schaeffer said. “It’s hard to beat.”
