LA to San Diego (UTC, Encinitas, or neighborhood near city)

[Nicolo09]

xambanga-

The school factor looms large for us in 2 or 3 years for sure. We are really thinking about Encinitas, my only concern is that we will be too far from the city. In non-peak rush hrs, is it less than 25 min drive to dt?

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by Nicolo09

xambanga-

The school factor looms large for us in 2 or 3 years for sure. We are really thinking about Encinitas, my only concern is that we will be too far from the city. In non-peak rush hrs, is it less than 25 min drive to dt?

About 30 mins.

I would look at Mission Hills, Point Loma, or even Coronado with your price range.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by Nicolo09

xambanga-

The school factor looms large for us in 2 or 3 years for sure. We are really thinking about Encinitas, my only concern is that we will be too far from the city. In non-peak rush hrs, is it less than 25 min drive to dt?

Yes, it is right around there. We drive downtown and it takes us about 20 minutes, give or take a few. I think if you settled into Encinitas, you'd find you wouldn't go into downtown San Diego all that often. You'd find what you need for day to day life closer to home.

[xambanga]

Yeah, a beach town like Encinitas may work for you. Depends on the kind of nightlife you're looking for. I wouldn't worry about the drive time to downtown if you're not working there.

Several beach towns are served by a commuter train called "the coaster." So, if you live near the center of old Encinitas or Carlsbad you could bike or walk to the train stop and quickly be downtown. Reminds me of suburbs I've visited in Europe and Japan. Pretty rare in the US.

Several years ago, I moved from the La Brea/Beverly area of LA to the South Bay (of LA). Though I never felt a complete part of the beach culture, I did appreciate the "village" atmosphere, and being able to walk/bike to recreation, food, and nightlife. It's definitely different from city life but not exactly suburban either.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by xambanga

Yeah, a beach town like Encinitas may work for you. Depends on the kind of nightlife you're looking for. I wouldn't worry about the drive time to downtown if you're not working there.

Several beach towns are served by a commuter train called "the coaster." So, if you live near the center of old Encinitas or Carlsbad you could bike or walk to the train stop and quickly be downtown. Reminds me of suburbs I've visited in Europe and Japan. Pretty rare in the US.

Several years ago, I moved from the La Brea/Beverly area of LA to the South Bay (of LA). Though I never felt a complete part of the beach culture, I did appreciate the "village" atmosphere, and being able to walk/bike to recreation, food, and nightlife. It's definitely different from city life but not exactly suburban either.

Re: the Coaster, yes it does make two stops in Carlsbad and one in Encinitas (as well as one in Solana Beach) but to say it's a quick trip to downtown is not exactly true. Like most modes of public transit, it's not faster than a car. It takes about an hour to get downtown on the train. In a car, it's about a half hour.

[xambanga]

You're right, driving is probably faster in most cases. The Coaster schedule shows 43 minutes from Encinitas to downtown and 38 minutes from Solana Beach to downtown. May be competitive with rush hour drive times, especially if your commute leaves you sitting in one of those 10-minute on-ramp queues or if you have a slow parking garage entrance/exit. Of course, if home and work aren't near the train stations there's extra time required on either end. You might see that as a negative or as exercise. Since commute particulars vary widely, so cars may be better for some and trains for others.

[Nicolo09]

Thanks for all of the info from everyone. We will be down for a visit this weekend and checking out a couple of these areas.