East Pasadena For Families? (San Diego, San Jose: 2009, low crime, houses)

[jdenver]

Hello, I'm new to this forum as I have been posting mainly in the San Diego forum. My husband and two children 6 and 2 are making a move to CA next year and are unsure of where to go. We can pretty much go anywhere in CA as our jobs (MD and NP) allow us this flexibility. We are moving from Denver (feeling landlocked) and wanting to be near the ocean and great weather!

Of great importance in making our decision is #1 Schools and safety (low crime rates). We would like a family friendly area with neighborhood parks and other children that our kids can play with. We would like to be near the ocean, near shopping and restaurants.

We have been considering several areas in CA including -
1. North County coastal and north county inland areas in San Diego, although we're a bit thrown off by the references of "stepford wives" communities that can be found in the north county coastal area.
2. Irvine in Orange County
3. East Pasadena (my husband is a big Dodgers fan and we had to find something that could probably suit our needs in LA); also sis-in-law lives in LA so we would be close to her as well.
4. Thousand Oaks (?????) need lots more info on
5. San Jose, specifically Palo Alto, Cupertino

Any info on any of these areas will be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks, I love this website!

[CESpeed]

The description sounds like Santa Monica to me. It's very family friendly, the parks are nice (they make the homeless stay at the beach) There are tons of shops and restaurants on the Promenade and you are close to Westwood and Beverly Hills which also have shopping and restaurants. And you can't get closer to the beach than Santa Monica. You may also consider Malibu. I'll warn you the houses are pricey ($1 million plus)

[sgvkev]

North county coastal/inland- Carlsbad and Encinitas would work really good. Poway isn't a bad choice either in terms of being good for families but it's a bit far from the ocean and downtown San Diego so it probably wouldn't work.
Irvine- Probably your best option. No bad areas, close to Newport, Huntington, and Laguna, and great schools. Oh, and LOTS of parks... the only thing that can be considered a flaw is that the neighborhoods are very cookie cutter but I prefer that over run down neighborhoods.
East Pasadena- Not a good choice... several run down areas, not near the ocean, and Pasadena schools aren't the best.
Thousand Oaks- Very nice but a little too far from the ocean... the only cities that are close to the ocean in Ventura county are Oxnard (not the best area and has bad schools), Port Hueneme (like Oxnard, not the best area), and Ventura (good overall but does have a few bad areas). All are on the ocean as well...
San Jose- Don't know much about it.

Santa Monica's a good choice as well... on the ocean and has lots of stuff to do. Not a bad area either.

[jdenver]

Thank you, this helps alot. I think I have narrowed my search down to Carlsbad, Encinitas and Irvine. I know with Carlsbad there are some not so great areas. I am looking at the 92009 zip, is this the safer and nicer part of Carlsbad. What other zip areas should I look at?

[LArenter]

Hi JDenver,

I was actually born and raised in the San Marino/Pasadena area, but moved for college then jobs around the country (SF and NYC). I recently moved back to LA last year and am looking for a home too.

I am considering the East Pasadena area as well (South Pasadena or San Marino would obviously be my first choice but....). My wife is a MD and can easily commute to Childrens LA on the train, and I can hop on the 210 and make it downtown in 40 mins.

SGVkev is right about some areas being sketchy in East Pasadena/Altadena, but if you stay East of Hill the neighborhoods are quiet and quite safe. Again, the school district in Pasadena isn't the best. But for the money, I don't think its that bad of a place to live. You are close to the 210 and Old Town Pasadena.

Living behind the Orange curtain is great as well. Check out Laguna Nigel or Mission Viejo.

I'm also considering Westchester. I hear it is the best location possible in LA. Close to the beach and still a decent commute to downtown. K-8 Schools are decent but I hear the high schools aren't so great.

[rico33]

Its a great place to live, my family is out there it is great from when i've visited

[HockeyFan]

Originally Posted by jdenver

Thank you, this helps alot. I think I have narrowed my search down to Carlsbad, Encinitas and Irvine. I know with Carlsbad there are some not so great areas. I am looking at the 92009 zip, is this the safer and nicer part of Carlsbad. What other zip areas should I look at?

No bad areas in Carlsbad at all, in my opinion. Some areas close to I-5 are older, but they have more of a surfing town vibe. Crime is very, very low in all areas. The south is newer construction, lots of resort-type places, while the north is a more established community -- still upscale, but pretty down to earth. The downtown area is charming in nature, and has some decent restaurants and bars.

Encinitas is similar -- the ocean front areas have character, while the inland areas are more current construction.

A few miles to the north, there are some areas in Oceanside that are not as nice, but even there, most of the city is fine. Schools aren't as good as Carlsbad or Encinitas, I've been told.