MASTER-PLANNED HUB
Irvine
The county's employment and education center, planned to the block
Irvine is the largest master-planned city in the country and the hub of the region: UC Irvine, the Spectrum, the airport-area office towers, and most of the county's tech and biotech employers are here or next door. Villages, each with its own schools, parks, and shopping, are the unit of life.
For buyers it's a market of trade-offs: newer construction, top-ranked public schools, and safety, in exchange for HOAs, Mello-Roos in the newer villages, and a landscape that some find too tidy. It's the city we recommend most for relocating families who need to commute.
NEIGHBORHOODS WE'RE ASKED ABOUT
Life in Irvine
Parks & the Great Park
Two lakes in Woodbridge, the Jeffrey Open Space Trail, Bommer Canyon and the open-space preserves, and the Great Park's sports complex on the old airbase. Every village has its own pools and parks through the association.
Work, study & errands
UC Irvine, the Irvine Spectrum, and the office parks around the airport put much of the county's employment inside the city. Irvine's food scene, especially around Diamond Jamboree and Culver, is the best in the county for many cuisines.
Schools
Irvine Unified serves most of the city and is a major reason families move here; the northern villages near the Great Park fall under Tustin Unified. School assignment is by village and address, and it's one of the first things we verify.
Getting around
The 5, 405, 133, 241, and 73 all cross the city, John Wayne Airport is on its edge, and two Metrolink stations serve commuters. It's the best-connected city in Orange County, which is why so many residents work elsewhere in the county and live here.
On the market in Irvine
Ask Mark about Irvine →Nothing listed here right now
Inventory moves fast in Irvine. Tell us what you're looking for and we'll call you before it hits the portals.
Irvine questions we hear most
How do the older and newer Irvine villages compare?
The older villages — Woodbridge, Turtle Rock, University Park, Northwood — have mature trees, larger lots, and usually no Mello-Roos. The newer villages near the Great Park and Portola Springs offer newer homes and amenities with higher HOA and special-tax costs. We show both so the trade-off is concrete.
Is Irvine a good fit for relocation?
It's our most common recommendation for families relocating with a commute to consider, because of the schools, the freeway access, and the airport. Buyers who want beach-town character usually end up somewhere on the coast instead, and we'll say so.
What should I budget beyond the mortgage in Irvine?
HOA dues in nearly every village, Mello-Roos in the newer ones, and, for condos and townhomes, sometimes a second master association. We lay out the full monthly cost for any home before you write an offer.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Thinking about Irvine?
Ask us anything — you'll get the version that doesn't show up in listing copy.
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