help! where to move? (San Diego, Long Beach: buy, schools, air quality)

[everyxheart]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

About the same, but different counties, and depending on where in T.O., up to 15 miles apart, and thus farther from LA, the airport, entertainment.

Also, you can pretty much forget about "good air quality" in SoCal unless you live at the beach. Agoura probably has better air quality of the two, because T.O. is in a valley, and valleys catch more smog.

Thank you for the info!

[everyxheart]

Does anyone have any info on Torrance?

[everyxheart]

Originally Posted by Galaxie Girl

Do either of you have a job that you will be commuting to? Any possibilities of where that might be located, or in demand (if you'll be searching for a job)? Definitely want to account for commute times/distances in choosing where to live.

You mentioned asian markets, which made me think of the Westminster/Garden Grove area here in Orange County. That area has a high concentration of Asians. I'm not Asian, so I don't know anything about their markets there. I'm also not that familiar with the safety of that area since I don't really travel that way for anything.

There are lots of good areas in OC to live, with that housing budget you have. Orange, Anaheim Hills, Tustin, and Irvine all come to my mind and offer some good schools for when your kid is ready for that. I'm sure there are other good cities here in OC that would work great for you as well. Typically good air quality in OC, much better than the IE, and you can still drive just a couple hours to go ride dirt bikes or snowboard. OC has the John Wayne airport (SNA), plus great beaches, the Angels and Ducks, Disneyland, and lots of other attractions.

Thanks for the info! I was looking into Irvine about how far is it to LAX?

[lrmsd]

San Diego: Poway, Ramona [more rural but just next to Poway, lots of people with horses choose Ramona for reference point, though not exclusively], Carmel Valley [close to Torrey Pines state beach/del mar] Poway, San Dieguito [which Carmel Valley is part of] and Carlsbad are the best districts in SD if that is a future concern for you. You can find something your price range in any of these places. Ramona usually has larger lots. Access to mountains/snow and ATV stuff is nearby. Also check east county La Mesa village/Mt. Helix, parts of Escondido esp. Elfin Forest/Lake Hodges area [gets hotter in the summer there, though, than 10 miles inland near the coast. Beautiful area, though.] Also, in south county SD, Bonita might be of interest. Plenty of Asian markets within a 20 minute drive in SD. Kearney Mesa, Linda Vista, Mira Mesa and many other areas will have a solid selection of Asian stores and restaurants.

Temecula in southern riverside will give you a lot more for your money, is closer to the amenities you want as far as outdoor rec. but further from big Asian markets/stores. Great schools overall and a small size city with plenty of the usual amenities....A little cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer, but a pretty valley. It's the winery region of this area. Great farmer's market, too. Has it's issues; search the forums if you are interested further.

ETA: I think I was confused and just re-read the post-didn't realize you wanted 1-2 hours from big city...I will leave my post, however, for future readers on CD.
Temecula might be good for you; 45 minutes to SD in non rush hour. Ramona could still work; it's pretty low key and even closer to the amenities. Fallbrook is also a community to consider. It's former 'avocado growing capital' [may still retain that title, but has some bedroom community developments; it's a mix there, though. Pretty and rural countryside, with some amenities.] Also, Alpine is a little higher in altitude, on the 8 east of SD. Nice community, along with Jamul. Check them out! They are: part bedroom community development, some established folks who have lived in the area for decades, some horse owners, etc....They are close to Mt Laguna and Julian [nice little community int he mountains where you can find apples growing wild at times; you might also check it out]. Laguna gets snow and you can sled (we have!) but you need to travel to Big Bear for skiing/boarding. For reference, Alpine is about 30 min from SD; Julian is under an hour.

SD airport is a great little place to get in and out in my experience over the years. Though LAX has not been bad for me; if you time your flights to non peak.
Last time we flew to Hawaii (last fall) we actually got a steal of a deal and it flew from the tiny Carlsbad airport, via LA. But was much cheaper than LA directly. Plenty of airport options in this region, anyway....

[Social Democrat]

Originally Posted by everyxheart

Does anyone have any info on Torrance?

Much of Torrance is very nice and fairly close to LAX. Candidly, I'm not certain how far 800K will go there as far as housing goes. How about San Diego? Great weather, has a good airport, and 800k should still get a decent house there.
Also, if you want something more out "in the country" but close to big city amenities, Fallbrook is very nice - Fallbrook is near San Diego.
BTW, if you want more info about Ventura or Oxnard check out the Ventura Co. section.

[Galaxie Girl]

Originally Posted by everyxheart

Thanks for the info! I was looking into Irvine about how far is it to LAX?

Depends entirely on traffic. If you go in the middle of the night (no traffic), you could get there in about 40 minutes I think. If you go during rush hour, it will likely take a couple hours, possibly more. But why deal with LAX when you can use John Wayne airport in OC? I don't fly often, but I'd much rather use John Wayne or Ontario airports rather than LAX. In fact, I generally avoid LA entirely, unless I have to go there for work.

[everyxheart]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

San Diego: Poway, Ramona [more rural but just next to Poway, lots of people with horses choose Ramona for reference point, though not exclusively], Carmel Valley [close to Torrey Pines state beach/del mar] Poway, San Dieguito [which Carmel Valley is part of] and Carlsbad are the best districts in SD if that is a future concern for you. You can find something your price range in any of these places. Ramona usually has larger lots. Access to mountains/snow and ATV stuff is nearby. Also check east county La Mesa village/Mt. Helix, parts of Escondido esp. Elfin Forest/Lake Hodges area [gets hotter in the summer there, though, than 10 miles inland near the coast. Beautiful area, though.] Also, in south county SD, Bonita might be of interest. Plenty of Asian markets within a 20 minute drive in SD. Kearney Mesa, Linda Vista, Mira Mesa and many other areas will have a solid selection of Asian stores and restaurants.

Temecula in southern riverside will give you a lot more for your money, is closer to the amenities you want as far as outdoor rec. but further from big Asian markets/stores. Great schools overall and a small size city with plenty of the usual amenities....A little cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer, but a pretty valley. It's the winery region of this area. Great farmer's market, too. Has it's issues; search the forums if you are interested further.

ETA: I think I was confused and just re-read the post-didn't realize you wanted 1-2 hours from big city...I will leave my post, however, for future readers on CD.
Temecula might be good for you; 45 minutes to SD in non rush hour. Ramona could still work; it's pretty low key and even closer to the amenities. Fallbrook is also a community to consider. It's former 'avocado growing capital' [may still retain that title, but has some bedroom community developments; it's a mix there, though. Pretty and rural countryside, with some amenities.] Also, Alpine is a little higher in altitude, on the 8 east of SD. Nice community, along with Jamul. Check them out! They are: part bedroom community development, some established folks who have lived in the area for decades, some horse owners, etc....They are close to Mt Laguna and Julian [nice little community int he mountains where you can find apples growing wild at times; you might also check it out]. Laguna gets snow and you can sled (we have!) but you need to travel to Big Bear for skiing/boarding. For reference, Alpine is about 30 min from SD; Julian is under an hour.

SD airport is a great little place to get in and out in my experience over the years. Though LAX has not been bad for me; if you time your flights to non peak.
Last time we flew to Hawaii (last fall) we actually got a steal of a deal and it flew from the tiny Carlsbad airport, via LA. But was much cheaper than LA directly. Plenty of airport options in this region, anyway....

I was first interested in Temecula because of housing prices and proximity to dirt biking but I was reading there's a lot of pollution. SD is one place in California that I've never been. I think a trip is in order. Thanks for the info!

[everyxheart]

Originally Posted by Social Democrat

Much of Torrance is very nice and fairly close to LAX. Candidly, I'm not certain how far 800K will go there as far as housing goes. How about San Diego? Great weather, has a good airport, and 800k should still get a decent house there.
Also, if you want something more out "in the country" but close to big city amenities, Fallbrook is very nice - Fallbrook is near San Diego.
BTW, if you want more info about Ventura or Oxnard check out the Ventura Co. section.

I was afraid our budget wouldn't stretch that far. I did see a few houses on Zillow for sale. I'll look into Fallbrook thank you for the info!

[everyxheart]

Originally Posted by Galaxie Girl

Depends entirely on traffic. If you go in the middle of the night (no traffic), you could get there in about 40 minutes I think. If you go during rush hour, it will likely take a couple hours, possibly more. But why deal with LAX when you can use John Wayne airport in OC? I don't fly often, but I'd much rather use John Wayne or Ontario airports rather than LAX. In fact, I generally avoid LA entirely, unless I have to go there for work.

I see, thank you for the info! We would be flying back to Honolulu probably once a year. We fly Hawaiian and I think they only fly out of major airports. (LAX,SFO & SAN)

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

For good air quality, closer to the beaches the better, or in the mountains.

My first thought was San Luis Obispo.