Work at Montgomery Field - Where to Live? (San Diego, Vista: foreclosure, rentals)

[sponger42]

Us:
30's, professional, hetero, couple, enjoy going out to (walking distance: <1 mile) coffee/bar/beach/park a few weeknights and most weekends. Children soon, so this will change and schools etc. will become important in ~6 years.

Want:
Townhouse or Single-family detached 2b 1ba 900 sqft or larger. Yard (postage stamp size is okay) and/or Patio big enough to sit and bbq on. 400K or less. Foreclosure/fix up is ok.

Criteria:
<30 min commute from Montgomery Field area. The shorter the better. Biking distance (<1 hour ride) would be ideal.
<2 miles from the beach (surf most every morning before work or catch evening glass-off). The closer the better, of course, but within a 15 min. bike ride is fine.
Walk to the coaster would be nice.
Safe, laid-back, yada yada, the usual. Some sense of community would be nice; civic events etc.

Does such a place exist?
Is Solana Beach or Encinitas within range, or would a 8:30 AM commute down the 5 be a nightmare in traffic? La Jolla seems ideal, but I'm guessing it's hyper-expensive. PB would probably be fine now, but might be too seedy for us with kids? What do you think?

Thanks in advance!

[tonyinsd]

My advice to you would be to rent now and then figure out where you want to live when you have kids.

[sponger42]

Ok, thanks. Where should I look for rentals? One major question is how bad is the traffic along the 5 and on surface streets during regular commuting hours? Google maps doesn't look bad, but I'd like to hear from locals.

How far north can I live and still have a reasonable commute (<30 mins)?
How are the bike trails in that area? Is it possible to bike to work from near the beach in La Jolla or PB?

[oddstray]

The biggest logistical problem with what you want is that Mongomery Field isn't near the beach. Google Maps puts the bicycle ride from Solana Beach to Montgomery Field at approx. 2 hours.

Yes, La Jolla is expensive. Yes, PB would probably not be the best area to raise children. You might find what you want (not too far from a surfing beach and not too far from Montgomery Field) in the North Clairmont neighborhood of San Diego.

Since you're anticipating children, consider the quality of the schools before you buy anything.

[mewzikguy]

Check out Tierrasanta - - it's East, just up the hill from the airport. You could ride bike to work. The areas around Vista Grande and Kumeyaay elementary schools are nice.

[tonyinsd]

You can do the beach and the less than 30 minute drive to work. But if you want to be able to bike to work, you're not going to be able to do the beach.

I'd say do something close to the beach now. You'll have a few years to enjoy that, and a few more years on top of that at a minimum when the kid is a toddler.

[bigdaddy5]

I work at Montgomery Field sometimes, the regulars there say that Tierrasanta/Serra Mesa (east of I-15) is the best logical choice to live nearby. All you have to do is get on Aero Dr and you're home within 10 mins. I'd say Clairemont/Kearny Mesa/Mira Mesa are the next choices. The beaches are about 15 mins or less away from these locations, everything good in SD is within a 20-25 min radius by fwy, unlike in LA where it takes about an hour (or more).

I agree, you should RENT first and get acclimated to the area before getting deeply rooted (buying). Find an area you like the best.

[sponger42]

Yep, I figured being near the beach would make it a long trip to work. Looks like an hour or so to PB via bicycle. That'd be okay for the days I don't surf (used to commute 1:15 by bicycle).

Then again, it doesn't look like I can stay on dedicated bike paths, so it's proabably not worth the risk of making it a regular thing.

How's the FWY traffic? Is it reasonable to live up in Solana Beach or Encinitas (<-- My first choice based on visits) and drive down and back every day to work within 30 mins? Google thinks so, but what's the real story.

[oddstray]

I'd say Solana beach or Encinitas to Montgomery Field in less than 30 minutes is a "no". Certainly not on the freeway. Maybe someone does the run through Rancho Santa Fe and finds it can be done that quickly?

[sponger42]

What about OB? That commute looks pretty short, plus it's a 30 min bus ride to downtown. Which way does the traffic flow on the 8 and the 163? Ocean Beach / Point Loma Heights looks like a nice part of town.

I was thinking that a reverse commute, living closer to the city, was a good idea, but google's traffic patterns for SD are strange. Which way do the 5 and the 805 clog up mornings and evenings? I would've guessed that southbound would be bad in the mornings and northbound bad in the evening, but the traffic on the map looks the opposite.