Irvine’s University Town Center: Then and Now

As reported in the Orange County Register, 35 years ago in the University Town Center neighborhood, a cow and an Irvine police car tried to occupy the same space at the same time. The competition for this space, as you might expect, resulted in a collision, causing damage to the police car and the unfortunate demise of a cow. Apparently, some cows in a near by field made it through a broken fence and decided to take a walk down Campus Drive.

This is just one more reminded that, relatively speaking, not that long ago Irvine was mainly an agricultural town. As was inevitable, times have changed. Today, you won’t find any cows walking around Uni Town Center or any of the other villages that are part of Irvine.

What you will find is numerous condos and apartments as well as centers that provide a location for shopping, entertainment and business. You will also find many of these homes within walking distance to UC Irvine and Mason Regional Park. (See the walkable scores listed below.)

One thing has remained the same even if the competitors are no longer police cars and cows: the competition for the same piece of land is still very active in Irvine and the rest of Orange County—and probably much of the world for that matter.

Following are some condos built in the 1980s that won the competition to occupy a spot of land in Irvine’s University Town Center neighborhood.

Asking price: $399,000 ($448 per square foot)
255 Stanford CT Irvine, CA 92612
What: 1985 attached townhouse, 2 beds/1.25 baths, 890 SF
Dues: $278.00 includes swimming pool, tennis court, and private park
Last sold: no information available
Walkable score: 65 of 100

Asking price: $489,000 ($394 per square foot)
115 Lehigh Aisle #43 Irvine, CA 92612
What: 1987 condo, 2 beds/ 2 baths, 1242 SF
Dues #1: $290.00; Dues #2: $32.00
Last sold: 09/19/02 for $350,000
Walkable score: 71 of 100

Asking price: $380,000 ($388 per square foot)
161 Oxford #38, Irvine 92612
What: 1983 condo, 2 beds/1 bath, 980 sf
Dues #1: $238.00; Dues #2: $28.00
Last sold: 06/30/1989 for $153,500
Walkable score: 55 of 100

For more housing options, see the Universtiy Town Center map.