Hi all! My gf and I are based in SoCal and want to assess whether we can incorporate bike commuting into our lives (most likely for me) by moving to a city with train infrastructure. Currently we both commute by car from Long Beach (30mins for her, 50mins for me, each way). We are not very familiar with other cities in OC, so would love any bikeability/city feedback from people who live in the areas with train stations.
Facts/Constraints:
- Both in early 30's. We love our current rental in Long Beach. Strong young/multicultural/middle-class community, arts vibe, walkable activities and beach. Hoping to move to another city with similar community (ie not Irvine 😅).
- We've both bike commuted before, but in downtown Toronto/DC (safer cycling infrastructure).
- If we live near Norwalk Station, we can both bike/train to work, otherwise my girlfriend has to drive. Trains are not very conveniently timed for her work hours.
- We want to share one car, ie one person can car commute. If we both bike, we'd still own the car for emergencies but save on gas.
Legend:
The grey areas are the bikeable zones to train stations, usually following bike paths. These are the zones we'd look to rent within. Some of the grey zones are small because other roads in the area look horrifyingly busy/unsafe. Yellow is where we currently live (car-commute) and the red are where we work.
Savings:
My job is providing a subsidized commuter savings account. The true costs of bike+train would be between $5 to $85/month for me, depending on which station we live nearby. Even the cheapest beater car would cost me ~$300/month in insurance and gas. Any savings would be shared between us.
Situation:
I love the idea of saving money, being outdoors everyday in California as part of my daily commute. Not having to sit in traffic for ~2 hours per day sounds amazing. Also, the idea of pulling off a nearly free monthly commute in car-addicted SoCal feels like a dream and a big middle finger to the system haha.
However, this mostly benefits me unfortunately, so I'm trying to be considerate. I'm aware that my girlfriend would likely still have to car-commute, and that moving closer to train stations would mean having to move to more suburban boring cities leaving our walkable community behind. I don't want benefits for only me and negatives for her.
Are there any areas/routes highlighted on this map that stand out to you are a good fit? Or any areas I may have not considered?
by ApprehensiveNorth548
6 Comments
Been there, done that.
Consider staying in LBC and getting your motorcycle license. The weather is sooo much nicer by the water and quality of life/walk-ability just can not be matched. Though I suppose downtown Santa Ana has come a log way in that regard over the past few decades, the weather and the vibe in long beach is tops IMHO.
I used to car and bicycle commute between LBC and HB, and being stuck in traffic or being sandblasted by the afternoon winds were what first motivated me to take the safety course at Cerritos College and get my motorcyle license.
I just xposted to bikeLA- they [might also be able to help](https://www.reddit.com/r/BikeLA/comments/1p3f1cy/socal_biketrain_commuters_can_you_help_me_decide/?)
Both the Fullerton and Orange grey sections each have very walkable downtowns.
I would like to say Fullerton or even Anaheim a bit better time wise. There maybe other direct bus options – if you have very fixed/standard work hours like commuter express services. I live in LA and my GF lives in OC/Irvine and do bike/Amtrak-Metrolink a bunch.
I don’t want to speak on the train situation without knowing much, but just want to say I’ve always viewed Fullerton as one of the most centralized areas in SoCal to do the coolest stuff nearby without making huge compromises.
With some close second places being a direct line down from Anaheim to Orange to Santa Ana, but to me Fullerton has the cooler core area than any of those places.
My friends who live in the area are always visiting EVERYWHERE and will be like 2-3 places in the same day. Meanwhile I’m like how do you manage it!? But the area is so ideal, whereas me basically stuck in LA… I have to ESCAPE first before doing anything or going anywhere, even if its out in the sticks.
To me it’s the obvious option, considering you are… Making the decision for you so choosing something like Santa Ana to shorten your commute while making your GFs route the worst wouldn’t be practical.
I feel like something between SE fullerton and NE anaheim is practical. Access to the santa ana path, access to the OC line going from fullerton/anaheim to irvine, and a very ideal location on navigating freeways in the car as you have a few options to get around. 5, 91, 22. (So ya know if a distinct accident happens a re-route is more practical, as opposed to being so far out its not worth it.)
I think I would plan on your gf driving to work. Artesia won’t be convenient for transit until the SE Gateway line is built and Norwalk sucks. That leaves Orange and Santa Ana as good spots to live for your commute (Anaheim near ARTIC mostly sucks, Fullerton is inconvenient). Orange and Santa Ana are the two best parts on inland OC in my opinion. Orange is quieter/nicer/more expensive, Santa Ana is cheaper, more diverse/busy. I’d spend a day in each then look around for good apartments in the areas you like and see what you find!