Moving to SD. Where should we live?

[Larry Siegel]

Horses in Pacific Beach? Hmm... PB is a slightly gritty, fun, urban neighborhood full of young people and bars. Stick with Bonita or Poway or Rancho Penasquitos or....somewhere else in the suburbs.

[nikitwocheese]

It's laid-back like Aus, lots of surfers, close to Rancho Santa Fe which has lots of horses, 5-10 minute drive to beach, good schools.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by nikitwocheese

It's laid-back like Aus, lots of surfers, close to Rancho Santa Fe which has lots of horses, 5-10 minute drive to beach, good schools.

Brutal commute to North Island, though.

[lrmsd]

Carmel Valley, 3 miles from Torrey Pines state park, still some horse land in the area, and adjacent to rancho santa fe and Del Mar, which is horse country [along with bonita, ramona and bonsall]....Carmel Valley used to be horse country, prior to development.

Also, it's a GREAT place for SAHM with young children. I have seen [ie, down the street from where I live, currently for rent]3 bedroom, 2.5 bath plus den, single family home, for $3100/month. [It's hard to find a home for rent anywhere in SD for less than that, as far as a family home with any space....CV used to be one of the more expensive, but not so much anymore...] Many parks, very safe, wide, walkable sidewalks, etc.

CV does have diversity of incomes-though is primarily considered an upper end neighborhood. [We rent an apartment and know plenty of others who do, too].
It is walking distance to stores, including health store and other supermarkets, movie theater, restaurants, libraries, schools [top schools in SD county are: Poway, Carmel Valley (san diguito school district) and Carlsbad-La Costa Canyon (i'd suggest this area, too, but it would increase the commute).
Carmel Valley has many parks and trees, yet centrally located, right off the 56, 5 and 805 freeways.

Your commute time request should not be a problem. Google maps shows 22 miles, 27 minutes; so that will be longer in rush hour-depending one when the commute is, you may add 20 minutes or so...in my experience. Peak commute times vary by location the city, too, as SD is so spread out and different 'corridors' or areas, have concentrations of commuters, so those exist would see heavier traffic, but sometimes it's the 8-4 crowd, rather than 9-6 or whatever. Hopefully someone else can chime in with exit stats on that commute.

Surf beaches: Torrey Pines State Beach/reserve is 3 miles away; does not require freeway to get to. A few miles north, is Del Mar Beach, also surfing. La Jolla Shores and Encinitas are each about 20 minutes away, depending on traffic-yep, you guessed it: lot of surfing there, too!

Laid back, friendly: Ah, that's the rub. Anywhere in SD anymore, it's getting harder and harder to find...my spouse is a native SD, and it really has changed a lot, even in the 10 plus years I've lived here. Still, it's pretty laid back as far as big cities go-flip flops, dressing down, etc. Yet, cars and status symbols, while not at LA levels, are still quintessentially 'southern california'.

I am involved in activities all over the county, and have lived in several other neighborhoods prior to carmel valley (including Clairemont for 3 years, actually); I have not found one area to be more friendly than any other...though, I have found east county, including Escondido, to have a little less of the 'status' attitude. Clairemont IS centrally located, but that's about it. It's got some nice canyon homes, but is sterile, 70's style housing tracts. I was a SAHM while there, as well, and I prefer Carmel Valley many times over, even with its 'posh vibe'. There's just nothing in Clairemont, and the closest beaches are pacific beach, which is, as mentioned, gritty, party, college, tattoo parlors and tanning salons have quite literally taken over the yoga studios and other quirky aspects of PB. It's no longer a funky/cool surf neighborhood. And there are territorial surfing zones in SD-Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, for example. The others I suggest are better all around surf areas, welcoming to all. And MUCH safer, cleaner beaches, too, without homeless folks, meth heads and others who permeate the aforementioned beach communities.
I'm more of a hippie/bohemian type, but I just don't find these areas very amenable to my type anymore. And if you have young children, it becomes more of a hassle than a fun, cool place. If you want a place where you kids can just be kids, which is far less stressful to parents(: I also lived in Normal Heights, central SD, and do not recommend these central SD areas for families, either [in case anyone suggests them].

Overall, SD as a whole is very live and let live. No one really cares what you are doing-which is both good and bad-lol.
There's the 'me first' So Cal attitude, and it's increasing steadily in SD, which used to be a 'big small town'.
So, my opinion is that it's not super friendly here, but it's not unfriendly, either. It's friendly if you are coming from NYC, LA, Chicago, etc; perhaps not as friendly if coming from Australia. And there is the superficial 'nice'-shopkeepers and service workers here are superficially pleasant....and you find your niche/location/people that suit you, from there.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Brutal commute to North Island, though.

Yes, that is why I did not suggest Encinitas, as well....long commute. Great town, though growing and I don't find it as laid back anymore.....but worth considering if OP wants to extend commute, as it has most of the other criteria, though schools are hit or miss....

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by possum_magic

Thanks people. I just want to be within 30 min of an equestrian centre with school horses I can train on. I won't own or lease a horse whilst in the US. I'm going to sell my horse before moving to SD. Another place suggested to me was Clairemont (close to all freeways apparently), Misson Hills and Pacific Beach.

Carmel Valley is adjacent to Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe. So you would be minutes away. Also, Encinitas is adjacent to these areas and close to Bonsall. Have you googled horse schools in the area to find out what might suit you?
Carmel Valley has a horse camp for kids/teens each summer; it's funny that it is the 'hold out' from development-you will still see pockets of land that have not built up-Rancho Santa Fe, Ramona, Bonsall and Bonita would be the horse epicenters today, IMO.

Also, Bonita: Depends on your lifestyle needs, as well. You are further from beaches/surfing and also 'trendy' things....even basic things like store variety, unique shops and non chain restaurants, healthfood stores,etc, if this is important to you.

You can probably pull up some good pics from google, to get an idea of any of these areas....sometimes photos can give you the vibe of an area and you will know if it suits you or not....in terms of your personal aesthetic and lifestyle interests. Also, googling stores and restaurants in that area and any other activities you enjoy, including horse schools, should help you narrow down the locale. Good luck!