LA to San Diego (UTC, Encinitas, or neighborhood near city) (Kensington: rental, condo)

[Nicolo09]

We are moving to San Diego from the Los Feliz area of LA and wanted to get opinions from current San Diegans.. My wife and I are in our mid 30's and have a 2 year old and a dog. We are going to rent for the first couple years and think we have narrowed it down to possibly UTC, Encinitas, or a neighborhood near the city, like North Park, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill.. Looking for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house, townhouse or condo.. I am opening an office near where ever we choose so the commute is not an issue, however we do like to have access to nightlife therefore we don't want to be too isolated in a burb like Carmel Valley (although, when we bu it sound like the best choice because of the schools). I would love to hear opinions on the areas we are looking at and any other suggestions of neighborhoods would be greatly appreciated. Thanks..

[cruitr]

What sort of office will you be opening?

[moved]

How much do you want to pay in rent every month?

[Nicolo09]

We are planning on paying 2,800 to 3,500 in rent...

[moved]

I doubt if you'll have a problem finding anything in that rental range. Have you checked Craigslist yet?

[Nicolo09]

Yes, we are finding properties.. We are just curious about the areas we are thinking about moving to.. I guess we are looking for an extensive pr's and cons list of each and any areas near the city that we should check out..

[mlarsen23]

UTC is as sterile as Carmel Valley. Go for a neighborhood around Balboa Park. Mission Hills in the Grant Elementary catchment is the best combo of urban amenities and school quality in San Diego, as long as you can afford the rent (and it seems like you can). But if you liked Los Feliz you would probably also like North Park, University Heights, South Park, Hillcrest, and Kensington.

[Nicolo09]

Thanks mlarsen23. The only issue is that I have not seen that many homes or town homes for rent in those neighborhoods on craigslist. I saw one in Mission Hills, but that was about it..

[mlarsen23]

I just searched - there is one that looks nice in North Park for $2,500. Keep looking by neighborhood name. There are usually a few that look decent in your price range.

[xambanga]

I agree with mlarsen23 re trying University Heights, Hillcrest or Kensington. If you go east a bit further, you wouldn't be in easy walking distance to nightlife, but you might find larger homes in Talmadge. Or try Pacific Beach if the cooler weather might work for you. When I relocated from LA last year my biggest sticking point was how the housing stock in San Diego's pre-WWII neighborhoods is much less substantial than in LA's pre-war neighborhoods. So a spacious 3-2 is harder to find in an old neighborhood here.

I agree that UTC is really dead.

Would you consider incorporating the school factor in a housing decision you'll make in 2 or 3 years?