Does anyone on this forum live in HB? I am considerating makeing the move from Jersey to HB? I have some friends that live there ( non-tri friends) and they are trying to talk me into it.
I have been working in the surf industry for 10 years so I am assuming that finding a job wont be that tough. I am really wondering what the community is like?
How is tri community out there?
Is it a good town for the fitness oriented?
How is Crime, etc…
Any help would be great
i just moved to SD from HB, and as orange county goes, i loved it. the OC is the whitest place on the planet, and i don’t mean racially…it is just white bread boring. Honk shoo. But HB actually has a little color to it, in the form of lifted trucks, tats, and bars. Some people think it trashy, i think it has character. there is a large tri community there, several STers live there, bike lanes everywhere, smooth roads, flat, sun, sand, moderate temps, close enough to LA to still get some culture, and a decided lack of the very prominent Newport Beach Cougar. While rare in other parts of the country, the Newport Beach Cougar flourishes about 10 miles south of HB. They can be found in any number of local watering holes, filled with collogen, botox, and all manor of synthetic beauty enhancements. Do not engage a NBC by staring at either their abnormally large silicone enhancements or directly in their eyes. It also helps to have a drink in both hands so as to give the impression that you are with someone else.
That said, OC in general can leave an east coaster feeling somewhat unfulfilled with the hollow personalities that dominate the population. You will find though that a large percentage of the population are transplants from other areas of the country, and depending on the amount of time they have been exposed to the OC, they will be more worth knowing. All of this can be thrown out the window and is firmly tongue in cheek, as I have met some very nice people who were born and raised in the OC, it’s just that there is a stereotype and some of the people you meet will for sure reinforce that.
Again, great climate, good riding, better riding elsewhere, good pools, awesome beaches, tons to do socially, close to LA, the best of what OC has to offer. I would pick HB over moving back east in a heartbeat.
oh and for what it’s worth…i have a friend who has worked in the surf industry for 20 years, was laid off, and is having trouble finding a job, so make sure you have something lined up before you pull the trigger, or be prepared to switch industries.
Actually, there are a few on ST that live in HB and I’m sure they will help out when they see this thread. Give it a few bumps if you dont hear from them in a day or two so they see it.
I don’t live in HB, but I work for HBPD, so I can probably tackle the crime question. It’s a great town. It is between Newport Beach (ultra rich and very nice) and Sunset Beach, which is also very nice. It has it’s problems like every town in CA now, especially drugs and alcohol and never leave anything in your car overnight. Chances are it will be gone in the morning. Violent crime is extremely low for the area.
There is a big tri community, as you will find thousands of people riding PCH on the weekends. Cyclist/Triathletes have a love/hate relationship with PCH. Love that it is easy to get to…hate that it is flat and one of the only routes easily accesible. There actually is a ton of good rides, but you have to drive to the start of most of them. You have trails too, but you have to drive to them. El Morro canyon is only about 15 min south. They hold an Xterra trail run there. There are several pools in the area and all the open water (ocean) you could ask for. There are also a lot of calm open water areas in the harbors (if you don’t mind an occasional boat and taste of oil).
There are a million races/events every weekend of the year and you really can’t beat the weather for training. Our winter is usually in the 50’s to 80’s with very little rain.
As far as jobs, I would seriously look into a job before you get here. California’s economy is suffering right now and it is only going to get worse. A lot worse. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t want to admit the truth. We have a 10+ percent unemployment that is going up, taxes are going up, and business is leaving. You may fair much better than the average person, since HB is Surf City and there are tons of surf companies. But remember, they are all downsizing, too. Just something to think about.
I’m sure the other guys will have plenty of good insight to offer. PM me if you decide to move out and want to know about any specific apartment complexes or addresses. I will be happy to tell you what I know.
I live in HB 1/4mi from the beach and love it. I moved here in 73 from Long Island, so I know the east coast.
IMHO: SoCal it’s IDEAL for tri training and a good tri community. We have everything pools, ocean, hills, flats, within a hour desert, mountains(with snow).
Low crime. But use some common sense. Don’t leave your bike or board unattended in certain area’s.
I don’t think I need to tell you about the weather or the surf(the reason I moved here).
On the down side it’s not a cheap place to live and Lotsssss of people.
What do you do in the surf industry and do you have contacts( job)? SoCal/Ca has been hit hard with the economic downturn and the surf industry is no exception to this.
There are several STers living in HB and hundreds in SoCal including ST central.
PM me if you have any questions.
Tommy
LOL!
I’m old and married I did not even think of this.
the Newport Beach Cougar flourishes about 10 miles south of HB. They can be found in any number of local watering holes, filled with collogen, botox, and all manor of synthetic beauty enhancements. Do not engage a NBC by staring at either their abnormally large silicone enhancements or directly in their eyes. It also helps to have a drink in both hands so as to give the impression that you are with someone else
…classic 
As a transplant from Chicago, I would say HB is definitely a place for a younger crowd to have fun, but housing can get even more expensive there (I live in Lake Forest, about 15 miles south). It is a beach city, so it is a bit dirtier than the inland cities, has a larger population of homeless - but then again, it IS “Surf City” as dubbed by the Beach Boys 
You may want to check into a job before you get here, things are bad and getting worse. While the surf industry is based here (a couple surf companies right off the 405 in Irvine), as others have mentioned, unemployment is over 10%, taxes are going up, and I have already heard of small companies leaving, and some large companies looking for alternative locations.
On the positive note - now is probably the best time to purchase a home here if you already have a job (and it is stable), and you have the money. I believe my home value has dropped 40% from about 2 years ago, so even though we have equity, you won’t see us selling any time soon. My neighbor is a foreclosure attorney and said he still expects it to get worse through next year.
Training - it IS great. The nice thing about HB is you have all sorts of options for your training. Head north or inland along the river trail - it is pancake flat. Heading south, and even further inland (Santiago Canyon), you have hills, and even mountains that you can climb to your heart’s content (I used to do a 20 mile loop in Laguna Beach south of HB, and I had 8 climbs of over 800 feet in that loop - usually between a 6-12% grade). You can swim in various locations, there are always group rides out of most bike shops (although you don’t need to find one - if you ride along PCH in HB at about 7:30am on Sat. morning - the groups will just find you
So, come on down if you can make it work financially. We can always use less self centered folk from other parts of the country