NWS Seal Beach is near some of the largest, most populated communities in California, in Orange County, one of the most populated and developed counties in California as well. The NWS is in Seal Beach, California, a city of about 25,000 people; larger nearby cities include Garden Grove (172,000), Stanton (39,000), Westminster (90,000), Huntington Beach (190,000), and Cypress (48,000). Other large cities in Orange County include Anaheim (337,000), Santa Ana (331,000), and Irvine (225,000). The major cities of Long Beach (468,000) and Los Angeles (3.8 million) are only a few miles north. There are many other small cities and towns nearby, and lots of local neighborhoods as well.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Orange County area ranges from $1200 to $2200 per month, and can vary a great deal, depending on neighborhood, closeness to coast, size, and other factors.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a detached house in Orange County in the last few years was about $720,000, and for a townhouse about $425,000. This also varies a great deal: the average price for a house in the city of Seal Beach is closer to an average of about $270,000; in Westminster, the average is about $450,000; and can be much more.

Short Description of the Area: Seal Beach is a small city in Orange County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Orange County is a densely populated place in Southern California, just south of Los Angeles, with several cities with over a quarter million people, This is a generally well-regarded place to live, with a fairly low crime rate, and high standard of living. Several beaches are publicly available, and the area generally benefits from warm weather and coastal breezes. The city of Seal Beach is a fairly typical middle class beach community, fairly tightly packed housing, walkable, with a few parks, including a baseball park and long city park running diagonally across the city.

Climate and Weather: The area has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cool, mild, wet winters. Winter temperatures are between the mid 60s and mid-40s and summer temperatures range between the mid-80s and mid-60s. The area is generally sunny, with occasional rain from the Pacific Ocean. Springs may be subject to overcast "May Gray" or "June Gloom" for a couple of weeks; winters sometimes have heavy rain, but usually experience more moderate rain. The Los Angeles area is known for air pollution, but this is today much better than 20 years ago, and the prevailing winds generally blow smog inland: NWS Seal Beach is on the coast.

Earthquake Warning: Southern California is subject to small and large earthquakes. This is very much a regular part of life. Most quakes are small and, to the locals, not very remarkable, but everyone should have a three day emergency supply kit, just in case of a big quake.