A few days ago, I was having lunch with some of my co-workers and the topic about living in L.A. vs O.C. came up. One way or another, this topic somehow come up in any conversation that I have with someone from California. Whether it’s in a job interview (yes, it’s happened), in casual conversations or coffee breaks; people always seem to identify themselves either as an Angelino (L.A. local) or an O.C. local but, never both. This always leaves me pondering why there’s a divide between L.A. and O.C. Can’t we all just get along?Without a doubt, people from L.A. have strong opinions about people living in O.C. and vice ver ca. People from O.C. also have the same strong opinions about people living in L.A. It seems that if you pick one or the other there’s a bad connotation that follows behind it and I always fall in the middle where I have no preference as long as my commute to work is short, I have a good place to live and I’m close to family or friends.

In other words, I’m the last person to ask whether I identify myself as an Angelino or as an O.C. local because I’ve lived all over the world. What I’m confused about is why people have to choose one or the other? Is it so bad to live in O.C. vs L.A.? or Why is it better to live in L.A. than O.C.? To me, I think it is a matter of personal preference and no one should be judged for it.

Personally, I’ve lived in both areas and each one has its positives and negatives. L.A. is a city and if you prefer that, you’ll get a wide variety of things to do or see from museums to the beach. It’s hip, life is fast, you’ll likely see younger crowds and traffic is an epidemic. On the other hand, O.C. is more family friendly, you’ll likely see retirees, there’s more space, it’s less traffic and it is good for a quieter/slower lifestyle. Whether you live in L.A. or O.C., to me it’s the same. You’ll see the same architectures, food, products, etc. in O.C. that you’ll find in L.A. The major difference is the amount of traffic.