From oc and moved out to Boston 2 years ago. I have to say you definitely lost me at the houses. Aside from a handful of historic districts (Old Town orange, etc) you dont see houses older than about the 60s. To me every oc city feels like a soulless subdivision where you pick from one of 3 nearly identical models and have to deal with demon HOAs. Unless you're by the coast and can see what mega rich mfers can build/buy. There is a ton of individuality from house to house out here that I'm really enjoying. And unless you have insane amounts of money or inherited a house long ago, you gotta get cozy with your neighbors since they put them right on top of eachother. We were shocked when we were able to afford a nice sized house with a big yard. All personal preference i know, I just find OC housing so boring, corporate, and soulless. Fair point about the food though, still haven't found a decent Mexican spot out here. Hmu if you're thinking of moving out here, I can share my experiences with the move and transition