I might be taking a position out in San Diego and wanted to get some feedback from you all. I am coming from the Washington D.C. area.
What is the scene like out there? Pace of living? Where are the places to live? I have heard San Diego is pretty but the D.C. are is pretty steep too so I am not sure that will phase me to much.
Schools will be important for my young daughter and since I have no idea about the area any places to live or even avoid would be helpful.
Thanks
Live in North county if your budget allows and if it will be convenient for your commute. Check out Carmel Valley, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Solana Beach. Great coastal weather, good schools, access to fabulous rides/runs and beaches, laid back lifestyle. Other communities that are decent but less expensive are Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sorrento Valley. Of course, this is all relative, since almost everywhere in SD is very expensive. But from an endurance sports perspective, and cost of living aside, it’s as good as it gets.
What part of SD will you be working in?
Not sure yet.
Priorities are :
I don’t need to live “in” the city…we would prefer the “burbs.”
welcome to paradise. Can’t really comment with any enthusiams about the cost of living and real estate environment, but if you are looking for family friendly there are lots of options. Be smart about commuting. Traffic kinda blows in SD so i would live as close as possible.
Check out Tri Club of San Diego, triclubsandiego.org…itll give you a pretty good idea of what the scene is. It will make you head spin!
Ramona is the place to be in SD county!!
Not sure yet.
Priorities are :
I don’t need to live “in” the city…we would prefer the “burbs.” Sounds like Coronado described to a T. My wife and I just moved from there about a year ago when we bought in Pt. Loma. It is exactly what you describe above. But it’s pricy, even more so than the rest of the city. All those soccer games, very low crime, great schools, and folks with 2.4 kids comes with a heavy price. I call it Mayberry but it’s probably where I’d be if I had kids and could afford it. All the other listed places are great as well.
I would get a place close to work less than 5-10 miles as traffic will be your living hell ( odd hours could help 6am -3pm ). Most of the beach areas - Pac. Beach - Ocean beach - Del mar $$$ - leucadia - encinitas -solona beach - Cardiff are great but expensive Major traffic / parking issues in the summer.
Places to avoid in north county “Vista & Oceanside” more than a few Wackos live there , 70% of violent police calls are to that area.
Tons on middle and higher income areas to the north county Poway - Escondido , most were built without enough road capacity for the homes . The morning commute to 15 can be bad , but they are widening areas continuously on 15.
You wont find anything cheap , but some pockets can be less expensive . To the south " east lake " chula vista area is the fastest growing . The hardcore country folk ( trucks -horses -guns ) live in Santee -lakeside - El cajon , El cajon can be rough / a bit more crime low end neighborhood is near the court / jail building .
Hillcrest - Kensington - mission hills - have been renewed / rebuilt by young professionals and Gay couples a clean safe area . These are more or less the center / east of town , with a short drive to the airport - harbor - gas lamp - Ball park - Old town . These would be great for people who get plenty of visitors / business related entertaining .
Off of Highway 8 east of san diego state uni., La mesa - lemon grove - varies from middle to low income areas Mount Helix being the $$$ highlight of that area . The rule use to be north of 8 were better areas , as long as your a few block away from El cajon blvd the south side can be "OK " still low end .
On the south side of 8 and El cajon Blvd to highway 94 , there is a patch of Pakistan -Somalia - Philippine immigrants near the college grove shopping center. five years ago it wasn’t uncommon to find more than one spot of scattered 9mm casing while biking down El Cajon blvd.
Heres a tip , you get more sun east of highway 15 ( another highway to hell ) . We have June gloom , overcast clouds till 10am - 12 noon . If your a sun worshiper you get it 50% more east of 15 , that "could "be two weeks at 108 degrees in august as its mostly 5 -10 degrees hotter than the coast.
I would get an apartment in mission valley live there for six months , to get a lay of the land . Its all about what you can afford and where you work .
There are more than a few San diego folks posting here , So if you get more detailed questions someone here will know.
Heli
San Diego traffic is not that bad. I can think of many places with MUCH worse traffic: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Austin, New York. Sure, there are few “hot spots” in SD that always cause delays at rush hour, mostly on I-5. But overall it’s not that bad. The common perception - or misperception in this case - is that all traffic in SoCal is horrible. That’s not nearly as accurate for SD as it is for LA.
http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/06/worst-traffic-nightmares-cx_rm_0207traffic.html
Real estate in Carmel Valley has taken a dive, so perfect time to buy something in a great (academic) school district (second best in San Diego, IMO. La Jolla being first but very $$$ and real estate hasn’t decreased there…probably never will.) Carmel Valley is all family atmosphere and centrally located so you’ll likely be close most things. Also a good location for long cycling rides- just go east to Rancho Santa Fe and west to the 101 to travel north and south.
SD is a great place to live- you’ll love it. Welcome!
I’m just gonna agree with Lactone on the fact that SD traffic is blown way out of proportion. Yes the 5 and 15 are bad during rush hour but what do you expect. I’m originally from PA so have had my fair share of experience in NYC, DC, VA, rush hour and traffic and it’s not that much worse if any worse at all.
I’m lucky b/c I work odd hours and miss most if not all traffic everyday but even when I hit the traffic it’s not horrendous. Still, I would commute from Escondido and north of there to SD every day like some people but I just don’t like to drive.
I also agree with moving to an apt for a few months. Either Mission Valley or Point Loma. I just moved back there after being in the kensignton area for about a year. I like Point Loma alot.
If you want good public schools and family-friendly surroundings, look to Carlsbad, Leucadia or Encinitas (assuming you want to be within a few miles of the coast). Avoid Oceanside (unless your daughter wants to join a gang in middle school).
Housing costs in the inland portions of Carlsbad, Leucadia or Encinitas are probably familiar to you from the DC area.
– Carmel Valley mentioned above – also great choice.
Ramona is the place to be in SD county!!
LOL
To the original poster, a lot depends on your $ situation, and whether you’ll rent or buy.
I lived in DC (Georgetown and Arlington, 2 years) and San Diego (4 years). One thing’s for certain. The cost differential may not be that great, but what you actually GET in San Diego for the $ is offensive. The architecture in DC is traditional and generally attractive. In SD… well, unless you are ready to unroll at least a million, the style is, well, “undefined”. The Cali ranch-style home degraded into boxes in the '50s when the area began expanding rapidly. So much of what’s out west is uggggggggggggly. Very depressing. The architects of that era should’ve been shot.
I’ll second (or third) the Carmel Valley endorsement. If you can afford it, it’s probably the most ideal location in SD county - close to the beach, easy access to both north county and downtown, right off Rte 56 bike path and running trail, good schools, close to B&L, Nytro, Hi-Tech Bikes, Roadrunner, Solana Beach pool, La Jolla JCC pool, etc, etc. I live there and will never move unless someone (read: Wife) forces me to.
I agree with Ashburn…I’m a big fan of the Carlsbad/Encinitas/Leucadia area. Oceanside is hit-or-miss…there are some decent areas, but also some tough high-crime areas.
We are actually moving from Oceanside to Carlsbad next month due to the better schools (and the depressed market is making it slightly more affordable).
I recommend you plan on cycling to work— Choose a house that lets you ride in on a nice route. It almost never rains out here and every road has a bike lane so there really is no reason to not bike commute.
I work in La Jolla and live in Cardiff. It takes me ~45 minutes each way to bike the 14 miles to work. If I drive it takes me 20 minutes to drive in, but typically 45 minutes to drive home. Traffic is not bad on all roads out here, but I-5 through North County is worse than anything you’ve seen in DC. (North County is a nice place to live if you can stay ouf of the car, though.)
We chose to live in the smallest house we could tolerate in a great location. We went from 2000 square feet and a big yard to ~1200 and almost no yard. We’re even thinking of downsizing again. We figured we’d take full advantage of the area and we don’t spend much time in the house at all anymore. It is sweet to roll out of my front door and see the ocean— Way sweeter then dedicated rooms in the house for each of our different activities.
-Marc
that’s cool John, what part of C’bad?
Hey Marc, not to hijack the thread, but how was costa rica?