IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE1

Irvine Relocation

Guide

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE2

MG2

We create transformative experiences for brands, destinations, buildings and most importantly, the people who enjoy them.

PEOPLE MAKE THE PLACEAt MG2, we dive in and dig deep. We enjoy what we do and the people we

do it with. We’re curious, empathetic and (mostly) ego-free. We push each

other to be even better, support each other when things get stressful and go

all out to help our clients achieve their goals.

Our culture is based on recognition and appreciation. So we celebrate

birthdays. And anniversaries. And every Friday, we get together for an all-

office breakfast buffet.

We design over-the-top, insanely detailed gingerbread houses, dominate

rec-league sports and know all the best happy hours around. Most

importantly, we take time to give back to our communities, together.

LIFE IN IRVINEMG2’s Irvine office is a quick drive to some of California’s most beautiful

beaches, including Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach.

Irvine consistently ranks as one of most livable and safest cities in the

country, and its public schools rank among the best in the state.

With more than 280 sunny days per year and an average annual temperature

of 64°F, there are ample opportunities to get outside and enjoy the splendor

of the city. And if you’re looking for a weekend getaway, Irvine is located an

hour south of Los Angeles and an hour and a half north of San Diego.

CONTENTAttractions / 3

History / 4

Events / 5

Restaurants / 5

Retail / 6

Surrounding Areas / 7

Family / 10

Transportation / 10

MG2 Office / 11

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE3

Attractions

In Irvine, you’ll find yourself in a community comprised of urban living and natural beauty at the center of Orange County and coastal California.

Find everything you love: sunny days, shopping, hiking

and biking with diverse dining options in this family-

friendly destination. MORE INFO >>

William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center >>

Orange County Great Park >>

Irvine Spectrum Center’s Giant Wheel >>

Children’s Museum of Orange County >>

Tanaka Farms >>

San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary >>

Newport Landing Whale Watching >>

The Irvine Museum >>

Boomers! Buccaneer Cove >>

K1 Speed Irvine >>

1

2

3

4

5

3

6

7

8

9

10

2

9

8

7 6 4

1

10

5

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE4

History

1821Claim to the San Joaquin Valley

passed from Spain to Mexico

and ultimately to the United

States. The land that would

become the city of Irvine was

divided among large ranches

supporting tens of thousands

of cattle and horses.1888 In 1888 the Santa Fe Railroad

placed the Irvine station nearby

the Irvine Company, and a town

slowly grew up around the

agricultural center.

1942Beginning in 1942, the land

devoted to ranching and

farming for 100+ years

began to diversify when

the Irvine Company sold

parcels of land to the U.S.

government for two Marine

Corps Air Stations. 1960 In 1960, the Irvine Company

sold the University of

California 1,000 acres for a

new Irvine campus (UCI) at

the hefty price of $1,

and Irvine’s modern history

was born.1970The Irvine Company

oversaw plans to transform

43 square miles of

undeveloped land near the

new UCI campus into a

master-planned community

for 50,000 people. 2018 While the city now supports

a thriving community of

more than 266,000, Irvine

will always be graced with

a special legacy of its

founding family.

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE5

Restaurants

Restaurants in Irvine offer casual diners and foodies

alike the qualities that are quickly making Orange

County a standout in the Southern California dining

scene: fresh ingredients, diversity and leadership in

“green dining.”

Here, diversity is the norm. In California, healthy never

means boring and culinary innovation is a way of life.

Irvine is perfectly positioned for farm-to-table dining.

Whether in the casual upscale settings of gems like

Bistango or Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails

or one of the many casual restaurants serving family

recipes perfected over generations, many Irvine

restaurants choose local produce and meats not just

for the good of the planet, but for the rich and subtle

flavors they bring to every dish. MORE INFO >>

Events Calendar

Irvine offers a variety of events such as musical performances, festivals, night life and much more!

OCT NOV DEC

JAN FEB MAR

APR MAY JUN

JUL AUG SEP

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE6

Retail

THE BELLA TERRA MALL An open-air dining, shopping and

entertainment center located near

Huntington Beach.

MORE INFO >>

THE CAMP A gathering spot offering wellness

and personal styling services, unique

and purposeful shopping as well as

healthy, local and international dining.

MORE INFO >>

CHOCXO BEAN TO BAR CHOCOLATIERChocolate factory in Irvine making

chocolate directly from beans

providing tours and tasty treats.

MORE INFO >>

THE DISTRICTA lifestyle shopping experience

with goods and services for all

aspects of life.

MORE INFO >>

FASHION ISLANDAn upscale open-air lifestyle center

in Newport Beach.

MORE INFO >>

HELLO KITTY CAFE Located at the Irvine Spectrum

Center, the Hello Kitty Cafe is a

supercute modular space serving

yummy goodies and sweets.

MORE INFO >>

IRVINE SPECTRUM CENTEROrange County’s premier

dining, shopping and

entertainment destination.

MORE INFO >>

THE MARKET PLACE IN TUSTINAn outdoor shopping center located

in Orange County between the

borders of Tustin and Irvine.

MORE INFO >>

SOUTH COAST PLAZAAn upscale-luxury goods

shopping center; the largest mall

on the West Coast.

MORE INFO >>

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE7

Huntington Beach

Costa Mesa

Santa Ana

Orange

Tustin

Irvine

Lake Forest

Laguna Hills

Ladera Ranch

Laguna Niguel

Laguna Beach

Aliso Viejo

Newport Beach

Surrounding Areas

HUNTINGTON BEACH

The residents of Huntington Beach enjoy living in a city

that has the reputation for being the ideal Orange County

destination to live, work and play. This beautiful city boasts

8.5 miles of wide, sandy beaches and an ideally temperate

climate. Huntington Beach offers residents a charming

community with ideal weather, a diversified economy

overflowing with good jobs, a wide variety of housing, an

excellent educational system, boat marinas, numerous parks

and exemplary healthcare. The city of Huntington Beach

is located along the southern California coast in Orange

County, 35 miles south of Los Angeles and 90 miles north

of San Diego. The city has a population of nearly 200,000

residents. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

PACIFIC OCEAN

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1

1

2

3

4

5

67

1110

9

8

11

COSTA MESA

The city of Costa Mesa— just one mile from the Pacific

Coast in the heart of Orange County—is one of California’s

most eclectic and vibrant cities. The city is home to South

Coast Plaza, one of the nation’s largest shopping centers,

and the world-class Segerstrom Center for the Arts and

South Coast Repertory Theater. Costa Mesa is also the

capitol of the action sports industry and the headquarters

for companies such as Hurley International, Volcom, RVCA

and Paul Frank Industries. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

2

12

13

12

13

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE8

SANTA ANA

Situated in the middle of Orange County along the Santa

Ana River, the city of Santa Ana is both the most populous

and the largest city in Orange County, covering 27.2

square miles. As of 2016, there were 334,215 people living

in the city. Named the county seat in 1889, Santa Ana is

also known as the financial and governmental center of

Orange County. It’s been in recent competition with its

fast growing neighbor, the city of Irvine, in regards to

commercial growth. Working over the years to revitalize

its downtown area, Santa Ana now features The Santa

Ana Artist’s Village, which was created around Cal State

Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

ORANGE

The city of Orange was incorporated on April 6, 1888

under the general laws of the State of California. However,

Orange dates back to 1869 when Alfred Chapman and

Andrew Glassell, both lawyers, accepted 1,385 acres of

land from the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana as legal

fees. Soon thereafter, the men laid out a one-square mile

town with ten-acre farm plots surrounding a forty-acre

central town site. The center of the town site became

known as the Plaza, which has become the symbol of

the community. Today, the Plaza and the majority of the

original one-square mile town site, contain many homes

and buildings dating to the early days of the city; the site

is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.

MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

TUSTIN

People who know this area well sometimes refer to Tustin

as “The City of the Trees.” Although a variety of trees are

responsible for this nickname, this is a distinctive quality

of the area which dates back centuries, to the time of the

early Spanish explorers. Tustin is located in central Orange

County and encompasses an area of 11.08 square miles.

The city continues to be a discernible entity, characterized

physically by its strategic crossroads location and the

hillside areas, which offer sweeping panoramic views

of the Pacific Coast and Saddleback Mountains, prime

commercial, industrial and residential development along

with one of the oldest historical “old towns” in Orange

County. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

IRVINE

Irvine is not only a great place to vacation, it’s an

exceptional destination for meetings and events,

a multicultural home to more than 100 company

headquarters. At the same time, Irvine is one of the

most family-friendly destinations in the country, ranked

“America’s Safest Big City” by the FBI since 2005 and

less than 30 minutes from some of California’s favorite

attractions, including Laguna Beach, Newport Beach,

Disneyland park and Knott’s Berry Farm. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

LAKE FOREST

The City of Lake Forest takes a proactive role in growing

its existing businesses, attracting new businesses and

encouraging entrepreneurialism. At just over 16 square

miles, the City of Lake Forest, located at the heart of

Southern Orange County, remains one of California’s most

desirable locations, and a natural choice for business.

MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

3

4

5

6

7

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE9

LAGUNA HILLS

Orange County was home to two tribes of Native

Americans. The Tongva (also known as the Gabrillino

Indians) lived in the flat lands north of Los Alisos Creek

and the Acjachmen (also known as the Juaneno due to

their proximity to Mission San Juan Capistrano) lived in

the coastal area, foothills and the mountains south of Los

Alison Creek. They harvested acorns, gathered grasses

and fruits, hunted on land and fished in the sea. They also

wove fine baskets and were part of a flourishing trade

network that stretched from the Channel Islands to the

Colorado River. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

LADERA RANCH

Ladera Ranch is a census-designated place and a planned

community located in south Orange County just outside

the city limits of San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa

Margarita and Mission Viejo. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

LAGUNA NIGUEL

Over one-third of Laguna Niguel is designated as open

space. This significant amount of open space is one of the

key features defining the character and urban form of the

city. The city has two community parks, 23 neighborhood

parks, three mini-parks, one dog park, two county regional

parks, two small county parks and the new Laguna Niguel

Skate & Soccer Park. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

LAGUNA BEACH

Laguna Beach is Southern California’s premier coastal

destination nestled between the sparkling blue Pacific

and majestic canyons. A year-round retreat for art lovers,

nature enthusiasts and beachgoers, Laguna Beach offers

seven miles of soft sand, sound of the surf and miles of

hidden coves. Laguna Beach has a long-standing history

as a retreat vacation. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

ALISO VIEJO

With award-winning schools and attractive neighborhoods

along with fabulous shopping, dining and entertainment,

Aliso Viejo is certainly a popular place to live. The city,

which is continually ranked one of the safest cities in

the nation, boasts rolling hillsides, valley terrain and

picturesque views of mountains, streams, parks and

city lights.

This South County city became Orange County’s 34th city

when it incorporated on July 1, 2001 due to the efforts

of the Aliso Viejo Cityhood 2000 Committee, which was

responsible for introducing an initiative on the ballot for

the 2001 special election. Voters passed the initiative with

93.3 percent in favor of incorporation. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

NEWPORT BEACH

The City of Newport Beach is located in the coastal center

of Orange County, with Los Angeles County to the north

and San Diego County to the south. Newport Beach is

known for its fine residential areas, modern shopping

centers, strong business community and quality school

system. It surrounds Newport Bay where approximately

4,300 boats of all types are docked within the 21-square-

mile harbor area. The bay area and the City’s eight miles

of ocean beach offer outstanding fishing, swimming,

surfing and aquatic sports activities. MORE INFO >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR SALE >>

HOUSES AND APARTMENTS FOR RENT >>

8

9

10

11

12

13

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE10

Family

SCHOOLS

MORE INFO >>

MORE INFO >>

MORE INFO >>

MORE INFO >>

MORE INFO >>

MORE INFO >>

CHILDCAREKinderCare Learning Centers

MORE INFO >>

Public Transportation

Getting from here to there in beautiful Orange

County is a breeze with public transportation,

ridesharing and biking. The bus and Metrolink train

services are clean, safe and convenient. Plan routes,

get real-time schedules, view fares, get inspired

and save with special discounts. Discover Orange

County’s bike trails for work and play. MORE INFO >>

BUSIf you’re one of those people who enjoys

convenience, money, the environment, being

productive and relaxing, we have just the

thing for you. MORE INFO >>

METROLINKThis system of eight lines serves the counties

of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and

San Bernardino and can help you travel to major

destinations and employment centers.

MORE INFO >>

IRVINE RELOCATION GUIDE11

MG2’s Irvine Office

BENEFITS / AMENITIES + Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance

for you and your family

+ Collaborative workspaces

+ Competitive time off and paid holidays

+ Training and development programs

+ Telecommuting and flexible work opportunities

+ Company 401(k) match and profit sharing

+ Transit or toll benefits

+ Professional development reimbursement

+ All-office meetings (with breakfast) every Friday