Young Family relocating to San Diego for Residency needing advice (Oceanside: apartment complexes, rent)

[DCStudent]

Hey All,

We are hoping to move to San Diego from Tennessee for a residency (and hoping to stay permanently after that). We have a 3 year old and a dog. We have always lived in areas that are more artistic and "hippie", and/or areas with personality. (i.e. No Homeowners Associations, Cookie cutter homes, etc.) I was hoping that I could get some advice on what areas are safe/not safe and are family friendly areas with good preschools. I would be rotating between clinics in the Oceanside, La Jolla, and Mission Valley areas. I talked to some people in the program now, and they gave me several different areas to look at (but not much information regarding those areas). I listed those below. Any and all info about any of those areas would be greatly appreciated.

Also we are hoping to live within walking distance from the beach for $1500 or less per month, is this feasible? and my husband has experience in personal training, management, and serving, are people hiring in these areas?

1. University Heights

2. Banker’s Hill
3. Hillcrest
4. Mission Valley
5. North Park
6. Little Italy
7. La Jolla
8. Oceanside

9. Pacific Beach
10. Poway
11. Mira Mesa
12. Clairmont
13. Sorrento Valley
14. Del Mar
15. Carlsbad



Thanks!!!!

[Encinitan]

I'm not sure why some (or even most) of the locations are on your list. Mira Mesa and many other listed are all about cookie-cutter tract housing and about the furthest thing from hippie that you can get.
You should look at Cardiff by the Sea and Leucadia in North County. Not sure what areas of San Diego proper would fit the bill. I'll leave that to others here. Good luck in your search!

[BacktoBlue]

Ocean Beach, hippy galore!

[moved]

Also we are hoping to live within walking distance from the beach for $1500 or less per month, is this feasible? and my husband has experience in personal training, management, and serving, are people hiring in these areas?

Living close to the beach can be very expensive. Your husband will have lots of competition in those areas from the locals. Personal trainers and servers are a dime a dozen, and management is even harder to get into.

[DCStudent]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

I'm not sure why some (or even most) of the locations are on your list. Mira Mesa and many other listed are all about cookie-cutter tract housing and about the furthest thing from hippie that you can get.
You should look at Cardiff by the Sea and Leucadia in North County. Not sure what areas of San Diego proper would fit the bill. I'll leave that to others here. Good luck in your search!

Thanks! Those that I listed were all the ones people told me to look into, but they didn't really tell me what kind of areas they were. Can you make some suggestions about which other ones I should cross of the list?

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by DCStudent

Thanks! Those that I listed were all the ones people told me to look into, but they didn't really tell me what kind of areas they were. Can you make some suggestions about which other ones I should cross of the list?

Well, just using your factor to live within walking distance from the beach, only a few really apply:

9. Pacific Beach
La Jolla
Little Italy (if you consider SD Harbor "the beach," which I don't but at least it's water)
Oceanside
13. Sorrento Valley (More Carmel Valley)
14. Del Mar
15. Carlsbad

The rest are too far inland, and while some may have some of the funky characteristics you are looking for, most are suburban communities with tract housing and big wide boulevards.

[kettlepot]

DCStudent you have such a wide variety of moving parts in your criteria, that I think we need to know what is more important to you, and what is less so.

Your criteria so far are:

Proximity to the beach
No Cookie-cutter tract housing
Rent ceiling of $1500
Safe and family friendly
Good Schools

Not mentioned, but definitely something we need to know is, do you want to live equidistant between Oceanside, La Jolla, and Mission Valley, or do you want to live close by to one primary location and have longer commutes to the locations visited less often.

Also unmentioned, but I would have to assume, is that you understand that you will be living in an apartment. Just so you know, areas that have an artistic vibe, are usually older, have older apartments, and those older apartments don't come with areas for kids to play. Is a park for the 3 yo important, or do you think he can have enough fun running around the apartment?

So, sort out your criteria a bit further, and we'll be able to give you more meaningful answers.

[moved]

You also need to take into consideration the size of your dog. Some places have size and breed restrictions, so if you have a large or breed restricted dog, you may have problems.

[DCStudent]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

DCStudent you have such a wide variety of moving parts in your criteria, that I think we need to know what is more important to you, and what is less so.

Your criteria so far are:

Proximity to the beach
No Cookie-cutter tract housing
Rent ceiling of $1500
Safe and family friendly
Good Schools

Not mentioned, but definitely something we need to know is, do you want to live equidistant between Oceanside, La Jolla, and Mission Valley, or do you want to live close by to one primary location and have longer commutes to the locations visited less often.

Also unmentioned, but I would have to assume, is that you understand that you will be living in an apartment. Just so you know, areas that have an artistic vibe, are usually older, have older apartments, and those older apartments don't come with areas for kids to play. Is a park for the 3 yo important, or do you think he can have enough fun running around the apartment?

So, sort out your criteria a bit further, and we'll be able to give you more meaningful answers.

Great Suggestion! I realize that we would be living in an apartment or condo unit. Our dog is 20 lbs chi/terrier mix

Criteria list by importance:
1. Safe
2. $1500 rent ceiling
3. Equidistant between oceanside and la jolla



4. Proximity to the beach: 10-15 minute drive or less (not so important, would just be liked)
5. Vibe of neighborhood (not so important at all)

[makingcoffee]

Hi DCStudent -- here's my rundown of the neighborhoods from north-south. Hope it helps...

Oceanside itself is probably the most affordable, but I'm not sure I'd call it safe. It's a military town, so there are a lot of car repair shops and the like. There's a little more crime there too. There are pockets that are nice though. The long commute to points south might get on your nerves.

Carlsbad is next to Oceanside and is a nice, lovely, family-friendly beach town (I live there now). It's more affordable than places further south. I pay $1200 rent for 750 sq ft 2BR/1BA place, and I can walk to the beach in 15 mins. The downside is the commute to La Jolla: 45 mins during rush hour.

Leucadia-Encinitas is right in between Oceanside and La Jolla, and has a hippie/beach vibe. Encinitas is the more developed area, but it's more expensive. You might have to look more inland towards Olivehain ... but the further inland you go the more suburban and "cookie cutter" it gets. Leucadia is less developed but might be more affordable. Their motto is "Keep Leucadia Funky" and has more of an artistic/hippie feel. Again, more inland = more affordable = more cookie cutter.

Del Mar, Carmel Valley and La Jolla are the nicest places and everyone would love to live there. They're beautiful. But they are very expensive. I'm not sure you could find a place for $1500. Maybe starting at $2000.

Clairemont is east of La Jolla, and it is older and more suburban. Kind of like the Brady Bunch 40 years later. It's kind of a big area, and there are parts that are nice, and some areas that are sketchy.

Sorrento Valley is maybe a 15-20 min drive to the beach. But I think it's a weird place. There isn't much there except for a few new housing developments sprinkled in the hills. To me, it feels lonely and isolated from other areas.

Mira Mesa is a 15-20 min drive to the beach. I think it's similar to Oceanside. It's a little more blue collar town and there are second-tier shopping centers and a few apartment complexes. It is, however, more affordable than other areas. It's been built up recently on the east side towards the 15. But then you are pretty far from the beach. Plus, it might be a long drive to Oceanside (1 hr+)

Poway is a nice area. I have friends that live out there and raise families. You're far away from the beach, but the hills are lovely. It feels like you're "out in the country", even though there's quite a bit of development recently. On the downside, it's far enough inland that it gets hot during the summer.

The other areas closer to SD -- like Hillcrest, Univ.Heights, Bankers Hill -- I'm less familiar with. I know a lot of younger people who live down there. These are more like "city" neighborhoods with a lot of local, independent shops. I don't go there much because they are a long way from Oceanside/Carlsbad (I'm afraid to guess how long during rush hour). Hillcrest is known for having a large, active gay community.

Good luck!