Excuse me, that would be Escondido

My impressions on Escondido is this: Since other areas are so damn expensive, Escondido is where the poor people end up. It is one of the inexpensive places (if that is even possible) to live. Crime rates are higher there. But then again it is the gateway to awesome long climbs toward Ramona, Palomar and other areas. Vista would be a great alternative that has a better rep. Same with San Marcos, some fairly affordable condos in that area. Palomar Airport Rd and Rancho Santa Fe would be a great place to set up. This would be the northern edge of San Elijo Hills as was mentioned before. San Elijo is a brand new community, too expensive for me right now. There is great access to the Elfin Forrest area for off road biking/running, Double Peak, and Del Dios Hwy.
In my own personal price range I have looked at condos at Lake San Marcos at just about 200k up to 300k. From that neck of the woods you can cruise down Palomar, Cannon, Del Dios, Rancho Santa Fe and other back routes to PCH and be in a cycling mecca.

Good neighborhoods in Vista, Carlsbad, and Oceanside by the 76 (El Camino to College) can find housing prices a bit lower. The newer communities have much higher prices. These areas are starting to build out again.
I wish I had my act together years ago and bought in Aviara, I could easily have sold a $300,000 home then, for over a mil now. The big question is where will the next Aviara be at?

What's everyone's opinion on Encino area (San Fernando Valley) vs. Oxnard? Training? Quality of life?

Encino has incredible riding in the Santa Monica's, along with great trail running. However, traffic is a huge PITA.

I'm not too familiar with Oxnard area....

Oxnard/Encino is actually pretty good for tritraining. Great biking in Santa Monica mts, and ocean swims are not far.

The (big) drawback - because of the slightly lower (but still pricey) real estate, traffic in the wrong direction is horrendous at rush hour, and around it. Not as bad on weekends, but almost itself a deal-killer on weekdays if you have to drive outside that little valley.

I would say Santa Monica is the best place near LA for triathlon training, with the beach towns nearby a close 2nd. That's the hub of where the triclubs and road bike clubs meet. Note that you won't be actually training IN santa monica for a lot of the good stuff; it's the immediately <5min drive proximity to the Santa Monica mountains and the ocean that gives all the awesomeness of the area while not being so far away from civilization that it's prohibitive. Air is still clean in Santa Monica - move inland 5-6 miles, and not so.

I am with Jakers on this. North San Diego county is the way to go for good training (riding, running, and lots of swim choices)
What do you consider crazy expensive, btw?
KS

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Karen ST Concierge

I have friends in Encinitas and Oxnard. They both love where they live. They both cycle, one does triahtlon. Excinitas is a bit of a surfer hang out area... my buddy currently has multiple vw buses camped out in front of his place, they've been there for over a month. He doesn't mind lol. My buddy from Oxnard rides a lot and I always check his rides out on strava. Looks decent. I dunno I'm from Maine what do I know about SoCal. Take my lack of information with a grain of salt. All I will say is my buddy says Encinitas > Carlsbad...

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"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul"

Pasadena actually has a pretty broad fitness / endurance community of cyclists, runners, swimmers, and triathletes. We have a 5k closed loop for bike and run (super safe) and Olympic pool with one of the best swim programs around. Additionally, Pasadena (SFV in general) has a lot of trails for running, and world class XC mountain biking (fire roads for days). You're also close to Big Bear where you could train in elevation. Pasadena night life is above average, but you're still close to Hollywood, etc. if you want to get out.

The beach cities probably have Pasadena beat (c'mon, hello boardwalk and ocean views!). But the cost of living is ridiculous! Not to mention traffic.

Dave, the commute isn't that bad from what u
I hear. My next door neighbor works at ASICS and commutes from Carlsbad every day. Also a couple of people around the corner from me work at Oakley and commute there every day, maybe you could carpool. Lol

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

I know people do it. After spending years as a sales rep, I've had enough windshield time to last a lifetime though.

-SD

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https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era

People doing those commutes should also look into taking the train. Busses connect the train to all those locations or use a bike.

I work in the area, but luckily I also live in the area.

Encino is close to a lot of LA Tri Club members and workouts. Traffic on .ventura Blvd can be dangerous, though. Also, check into the Fortius coaching group. Good people, do a lot of triathlon workouts.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

Lot of great spots all spelled out here, i have lived in most of them. Cannot go wrong with north county san diego, Leucadia was my spot and would be again there. San Clemente is also on the top of my list, but you are going to be hard pressed for night life there, same in north county SD.

South Bay LA is awesome, tons of things to do and night life, but a bit crowded for biking. You can escape to palos verdes and the santa monica mountains, but not always easy to get to. My order there would be Manhattan beach, hermosa, torrance, redondo, el segundo, then playa del rey.

Going north(where i live now) Ventura is cool, and Santa Barbara is very nice but expensive. Same with Malibu. I live in a tiny town of Port Hueneme right on the beach, a stones throw from either of these two book ends. I don't do night life, so fine for me. Great cycling right out the door in this area, you can ask rappstar about all the routes. Few swim clubs and great running and MTB. It was the price that put me exactly here, but i bought, perhaps you are just renting?

This. I live in the Burbank/Glendale area which is close to Pasadena. I am about 5 mins from Griffiths Park where you could do all your running and cycling, and the LA River path is there too if you feel like riding the flats. A short drive or ride to Montrose gives you access to the LA Crest highway and the crazy climbing possibilities there. 2 swimming pools in town so you do not need to share the lane with 5 people like you would in Culver City or such. Ocean swimming is a drive definitely doable on the weekends or weekdays if you're willing to get out of the house at 5am.

Traffic is pretty bad most of the time, but it is like that in most of SoCal. Apartments can be rented anywhere from $1k per 1 brdm. IMO, San Diego is nice, but job situation there has been crap for decades and it is not going to get any better with the military shrinking. OC is a better bet job wise but also varies from ridiculously overpriced to ghetto to tourist traps. There are some good options there though (Torrance area, some of Irvine) but generally you'll end up driving to LA for work and it will suck majorly.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Hey Alex I live in Burbank too

Work in La Canada, train at Rose Bowl mostly.

Nicer than it used to be but I don't recall lots of young people there except for some high school stories I'd rather not share on the Internet:-)

Better off by the coast in n San Diego if you want any night time activities.

I live in LA now and it is not quite the evil empire some say it is. As others said West LA is the place if you are young and single and into Tri same with some of the beach areas like redondo.

If you like less crowded and urban I would consider Santa Barbara or SLO but SLO is pretty far out from major cities and definitely laid back.

I've lived in San Diego/Coronado and Orange County.

I think that Newport Beach/Laguna Beach/Seal Beach is a pretty nice stretch (removing Huntington Beach from the mix). This area has fantastic outdoor swimming (open water and pools), decent running along the beach, and some strong cyclists in/around Irvine. There are some good hills to ride above Laguna Beach. However, I think the riding options are somewhat limited in terms of diversity of routes.

San Diego is okay, but I find Orange County nicer.

Santa Barbara would be fantastic and has some really solid Mountain Biking just to the north.

San Luis Obispo is home to strong triathletes and great riding.

Regardless, avoid the freeways/roads/driving and you should be happy. Introduce a commute and California quickly loses its luster.

Lucky you! Enjoy the new home.

Cheers,
Puskas

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http://wattieink.com/elite-team/
Raising funds to help wounded veterans and racing RAAM 2013 with http://team4mil.org/
"If you are gonna charge... CHARGE HARD!"

I've lived in Aliso for the past 5 years and I love it for riding. Mind if I ask what roads you're afraid of? For me, the perfect roads to get places are: Los Alisos to get to Santiago Canyon, Laguna Canyon to get to PCH north, Alicia/Crown Valley/Camino Del Avion/Del Obispo to get to Dana Pt and Camp Pendleton. Also, maybe give Ted or his girlfriend AJ a call at G2 Bike in Aliso Viejo. They run all sorts of different organized group rides and they have a pretty good womens only ride. I've known Ted for 10+ years and they're great people, they'll get you sorted.

Lastly, you should totally utilize Aliso Woods Canyon, such an incredible resource. Great running, MTB'ing, and hiking. Not a lot of areas in So Cal where you can see deer, coyote, quail, road runners, bobcats, etc. It's really a great feature of the area. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions if you have any

I love the Port Hueneme / Ventura area. It has a more laid back, quiet vibe. Great trail running across the street from the rifle range at Pt Mugu. I can't remember the name of the state park there. Not sure what it looks like after the fire though. Cycling from Mugu to Malibu is pretty good. That area is on my retirement short list. My wife and I have done MANY MANY weekends there staying on base at Mugu and Hueneme. It is also relatively inexpensive for beach living.

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Simplify, Train, Live

You should give Verdugo pool a chance :) Much nicer than RB unless you're on a masters team.

La Canada is cool... probably the best riding base around here.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Yeah I have been meaning too. I'm not an early morning swimmer though. Since I work in LC it's super convenient to go to RB. But Verdugo is very close to my house, and it's cheaper so eventually I might have to suck it up and wake up early.

Go a little further North of Oxnard/Ventura. Better air, less crowded by far than anything you'll find, more affordable too. There are reasons some Euro Pro's do early training there.

What ever you do, don't even think about Dana Point. Horrible place to live and train!

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Lar Dog

]
Swung by there last night, I will definitly take morning swims at Verdugo. They only offer long course in the mornings, but they are only $5 to get in! The men's locker room is 10x nicer than Rose Bowl, but the pool itself doesn't compare :( Rose Bowl is better IMHO. BUT....here's the interesting thing. While Verdugo is cheaper for one-time entrance ($5 vs. Rose Bowl $10), membership at Rose Bowl is $35/month while membership at Verdugo is $60!?!?!? Crazy! Verdugo has a little better lap swim hours cause they don't have a masters program. But the evening swim is short course, and last night it was too crowded. They gave half the pool to the geriatrics for water yoga =/

I guess I won't become a member at either now. I'll just keep doing my mid-day swims at RB, and early AM at Verdugo.....thx for the advice.