Old Town Alexandria to SD--please help w/ neighborhoods (San Diego, Carlsbad: apartment, big house)

[know2walk]

Hello,

My husband and I are planning to move from old town Alexandria in VA, to San Diego. We are looking for a similar neighborhood to live in, if possible. We have a baby and plan to have more children.
Where we live there are many shops, cafes, some bars, tons of ethnic restaurants, and it's walking distance to pretty much everything (grocery, pharmacy, bank). What is unique about old town is that it is full of families although it's urban. It is not a town square or town center stuck in the middle of suburbia--it truly has an urban feel to it and it is packed with people. However, if you walk away just a few blocks, it's very quiet and full of single family homes---so you get the best of both worlds, a family home in a quiet street, and a vibrant urban environment just a few blocks down the street.
Is there anything like this in San Diego? The only neighborhood I can think of is La Jolla, however, in our price range, I'm not sure we will be able to afford anything but a 2 bedroom apartment there, if that. We are looking to spend about 1-1.2 M in a home.
Any ideas? We must have a big backyard, a pool, and at least 5 bedrooms. We don't mind being a little more inland, although being close to the ocean would be nice
Thanks! We are looking forward to moving to SD!

[tonyinsd]

The problem is you want a large house and big backyard and pool, but you also want to be able to walk to everything.

Those two things tend to be mutually exclusive. If everyone's got a big house, yard, and pool, guess what? You can't plop a restaurant down in that area. Think about it. You've got the huge houses in McLean or Potomac, but then you have to drive everywhere because if everyone's got an acre of land, where are you going to put the restaurants and shops?

[bloom]

Mission Hills has all of above

[NYSD1995]

Mission Hills

[T. Damon]

Or Kensington- a little out of the way (of downtown ammenities) and small "village", but very nice area. You are not going to get five bedrooms, a pool and a big backyard though in any of the desirable in-town, classic neighborhoods without upping your budget and even then there will be few and far between properties like that available.

[loveautumn]

boy, I would love to live in Old Town Alexandria! Nothing to compare here but, as others have said, Mission Hills might be the closest. SD County is huge and there are alot of different towns and neighborhoods to consider at your price point. I would say keep an open mind because CA is very different than the east coast, and you may find you want to live in a different type of area, say coastal community like Del Mar or Solana Beach.

If you are looking for another Old Town Alexandria, why move anyway???

[DaCounselor]

Mission Hills is the best match, but you are not likely to find the house and lot you describe for $1.2 mil. To meet all your criteria you are looking at more like $1.75 mil. You will either need to downsize or go with a serious fixer to get in at $1.2 mil. There is nothing like King St. in San Diego other than maybe Prospect St. in La Jolla to a degree, and $1.2 mil is not going to get you what you want in that neighborhood. Welcome to San Diego....

[Cardiff Kook]

i live in NoVA and used to work in Old Town. Have you been to San Diego? Nothing is going to be quite like Old Town there.

however, I'd look at Old Carlsbad, Del Mar, and Encinitas west of the 5

[Clevelandgal]

Another former Washingtonian here...there is nothing like old town here. But the attributes you describe are in mission hills. You should be used to high prices already, so the aforementioned price quotes above should come as no surprise. I don't recommend living inland unless the 5 br house and pool are more important than the community. I know if it were me and I wanted what you did, I would settle for a smaller house in a great community than a big boring house in the suburbs.

[kettlepot]

In addition to Mission Hills and Kensington, look at 28th Street between Upas and Maple Streets in North Park. These houses look west onto the eastern side of Balboa Park. Most typically, they are mansions from the 1920s. The houses have large square footage, and some of them have pools, however, the lots are not especially big, just a typical 5000 square feet (there might be a one and a half lot at 7500 square feet). Value Estimates on Zillow typically run from 800k to 1m with 1.95m for the biggest houses.

What may work from an urban village point of view is your proximity to South Park's restaurant, bar and shopping area, or a bit further away, North Park's commercial center at University and 30th. In between the mansions on 28th Street are several blocks of smaller homes that buffer you from the commercial area, but provide a quiet neighborhood for walking and bike riding. You also have good access to Balboa Park.

Other possibilities might be the Burlingame area. Again, usually no large backyards, however some homes back onto canyons. Canyons aren't usable space, but they are a buffer. Some of the Burlingame houses are large craftsman's from the 1910s. Burlingame is even closer to the center of South Park's urban center.

Another possibility is the western portion of University Heights, west of Maryland Avenue, north of Meade Avenue. This area would give you walkable access to the small commercial district along Park Boulevard, or for trips farther afield, University Avenue in Hillcrest. Again, no large lots, but you might find larger houses that back onto canyons.

In the end, I think the large back yard is just something you will have to give up if you want the urban village atmosphere.