A Glimpse of Money Town

RC and I ran into Money Town for a few minutes yesterday.  We needed to drop a few things off with a friend.  I had previously received an email from a reader asking for pictures of Money Town.  I didn't have a lot of time yesterday, and I didn't have my zoom lens with me.  I snapped a few photos anyway while I was there.  The problem is, Money Town can't really be captured in a photograph.  The essence of Money Town is in the attitude.

Again, I want to state that there are some very nice people living in Money Town.  We have several friends who live there.  Now that I've written my disclaimer, I will tell you that they are the first to admit that there is a lot to make fun of in Money Town.  The sense of entitlement, the Swinger's Club, the cutthroat need to keep up with neighbors, the materialism, the plastic surgery compulsion, the competitiveness in every aspect of life imaginable are all attributes you can probably also find in other pretentious affluent neighborhoods.  It is all these things which make Money Town what it is.  It is not a mansion, or several, it is not the array of luxury cars ... it is so much more.

I am sure everyone knows that real estate in California is like gold.  In the South, in the Midwest, and in other areas of America people can own acres of land and large homes for a fraction of the cost of a small lot in Southern California.  Even in current economic conditions, housing is expensive here.  I will show you some photos of large homes in Money Town and depending on where you live, they may not look like much to you at all.  To give you an Orange County perspective, first I took some other photos from a neighborhood adjacent to Money Town.

Orange County is a pretty affluent county which is not to say everyone here is wealthy because I'm they're not.  The neighborhoods surrounding Money Town, however, are nice above-average neighborhoods.  Here is a non-Money Town photo of two houses:

   

These two homes are attached by a shared wall.  The car you barely see in the driveway is a Mercedes.  I point that out so you understand that an attached home like this is not inexpensive and is not affordable to everyone here.  There are no yards for kids to play in at these homes.  Also, take a look at the whole street:

 

Every home looks identical.  They are "cookie cutter" homes.  These homes are in a nice Orange County neighborhood.

In contrast, here's a look at one of the landmark homes in Money Town.

Can you even see the house?  It is that little speck at the top of the hill.  Look closely, behind the gates.  Money Town is a gated community, but a lot of the homes, like this one, are gated behind the gates.  Double gated homes - that's a whole separate topic!  The house looks small from a distance, but it's not.  Trust me on that!  (And yes, it's worth many, many millions.)  I believe the property consists of around 130 acres, but don't quote me on that.  It is rare for a home around here to be situated on even half an acre. 

This is a portion of that same home's front yard.  Behind the white fence is the river they built to run through the property.  I, personally, have yet to build myself a river.  But then, I don't live in Money Town either.  Can you see the oranges on the tree in the background?  I bet the butler makes fresh orange juice every morning.

 

This is a small portion of that same property.  These are just a few of the many orange trees in their orchard.  Isn't it nice to know that there are still orange trees growing in Orange County?  Even if they only exist in Money Town?

This is a different home.  These are miniature horses.  There are a lot of horses in Money Town too.  Most of them aren't miniature.  Money Town is a community made up of many separate neighborhoods.  Money Town residents tend to size each other up at parties by asking, "Which Money Town neighborhood do you live in?"  The whole thing makes me throw-up (just a little bit) in my mouth whenever I attend Money Town parties. 

This Money Town home wouldn't fit in one photograph.  I tried, but it is too large.  I have a friend who lives in this Money Town neighborhood.  He is divorced and lives by himself.  Would you want a home too large to fit in a single photograph if you lived by yourself?

Behind all the plants is a Spanish style home.  It has been featured in magazines before. 

Here's a closer look.  Once again, I was not able to fit the entire home in one photograph.

Let's look one more time.  One mile away we have these two homes:

And in Money Town we have this:

I would have needed to take three photographs to capture this home in it's entirety.  I was hoping you'd settle for seeing the front door(s).

Thank you to all of my readers who participated in the music contest!  The winner will be announced in Monday's post.

  

 

Comments

[alntv]

Are you kiddin' me? Geezuz! Nice neighborhood! I think I could handle living in a home THAT big by myself. Yep...I think I really could!

[EricaB]

I swear - you and I are twins on separate sides of the continent! This is EXACTLY what it means to live in my small town. You have families like us and families that live here 3 months out of the year in a house big enough to fit more people than you can even imagine!

[Margaret Andrews]

Now I'm dying to know what Money Town is. I can't think of what the Bel Air of OC is. Hmm.....Newport Beach? Irvine?

[Jason]

Oh, it's GOT to be Irvine, right?

This is a great post. While I would love living in houses like that, I can do without all the other crud you mentioned!