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Didn't mean to bring out the Clairemont chamber of commerce. I've been to that new part of Clairemont- it's not too bad. If the OP would ideally like a walking community and be close to biking, hiking and the beach and is willing to pay 3500 a month (no kids). Probably not looking at 4-5 bedrooms. I just don't see how Clairemont fits the bill. It isn't the worse place he could choose, but for the budget he could do better.
Didn't mean to bring out the Clairemont chamber of commerce. I've been to that new part of Clairemont- it's not too bad. If the OP would ideally like a walking community and be close to biking, hiking and the beach and is willing to pay 3500 a month (no kids). Probably not looking at 4-5 bedrooms. I just don't see how Clairemont fits the bill. It isn't the worse place he could choose, but for the budget he could do better.
I think Clairemont could be perfect for them.
They are into outdoor activities including walking, running, biking (road and comfort). And in San Diego, there is no better place for this than Mission Bay. And Clairemont is located right next to Mission Bay. Mission and Pacific Beach are also very close and very good places for walking / running and bike riding as well.
Plus they can take their dog for walks around Mission Bay during appropriate hours. They can also take their dogs to either Dog Beach (in Ocean beach) or Balboa Park, which has dedicated play areas for dogs.
They like hiking. Clairemont has Tecolote Canyon running right through the middle of it. Or they can drive East and hike along some of the other nearby trails.
They want to be able to walk to restaurants. If they live anywhere near Balboa Ave and Genesee Ave, they will have plenty to choose from.
They are health conscience. Clairemont has a large Sprouts grocery store (all health foods), Panera Bread Restaurant (I believe is mostly healthy foods), and a brand new 24 Hour Fitness Center Super Sport.
Plus in Clairemont, they won't need to drive a long distance to visit other San Diego attractions such as Balboa Park / SD Zoo, Downtown, La Jolla, the beaches, etc.
So why spend $3500 a month for rent when they can pay around half that in Clairemont, and save the rest?
You definitely should open a small Chamber of Commerce special chapter for Clairemont after those posts
The OP said they wanted to be a bit away from the marine layer but close to activities. In my experiences in Clairemont not having lived there, it covers a pretty huge area from the 5>805, the north to the 52 and south to Mt Acadia Bl.
With the marine layer, I am not sure if its La Jolla/topography holding it up, but it seems like it literally stops at the 5, where that huge cloud just hangs over La Jolla from Mt Soldead>Torrey Pines. Does it ever carry over to Clairemont except for the mornings post burn off?
There are times I have been near the 805 and it can really start warming up and the change starts happening once you go uphill past Genesee in the Mesa.
I agree I dont think its 'run down', but it is one of the first San Diego suburbs post WWII. To me its more ecelectic. The age of the homes and condition can vary wildly in some areas from house to house. Its 1950s era suburb meets modern times. It definitely has all the things you could ever need and the prices of homes there keep rising which is great for that area. I certainly dont see any problems there and we have a good friend that lives north of CM Blvd and bought a house there a year ago. They seem to like it and are a family with a 1 year old.
While I wouldnt live there, they seem a bit more detached from the outdoor activities closer to BayHo and have to cross a few busy streets and inclines to/from to get anywhere recreational by bike. But they are right near the shopping areas and with the 1 year old its perfect for them.
Is there any particular part of Clairemont you would recommend for the OP or anyone else looking for that type of lifestyle (outdoorsy and quick access)? South Clairemont (BayHo)? I like this area because its a straight shot the bay for the OP is talking about and really great access to Tecolote Canyon. That is a really prime location for sure
You definitely should open a small Chamber of Commerce special chapter for Clairemont after those posts
The OP said they wanted to be a bit away from the marine layer but close to activities. In my experiences in Clairemont not having lived there, it covers a pretty huge area from the 5>805, the north to the 52 and south to Mt Acadia Bl.
With the marine layer, I am not sure if its La Jolla/topography holding it up, but it seems like it literally stops at the 5, where that huge cloud just hangs over La Jolla from Mt Soldead>Torrey Pines. Does it ever carry over to Clairemont except for the mornings post burn off?
There are times I have been near the 805 and it can really start warming up and the change starts happening once you go uphill past Genesee in the Mesa.
I agree I dont think its 'run down', but it is one of the first San Diego suburbs post WWII. To me its more ecelectic. The age of the homes and condition can vary wildly in some areas from house to house. Its 1950s era suburb meets modern times. It definitely has all the things you could ever need and the prices of homes there keep rising which is great for that area. I certainly dont see any problems there and we have a good friend that lives north of CM Blvd and bought a house there a year ago. They seem to like it and are a family with a 1 year old.
While I wouldnt live there, they seem a bit more detached from the outdoor activities closer to BayHo and have to cross a few busy streets and inclines to/from to get anywhere recreational by bike. But they are right near the shopping areas and with the 1 year old its perfect for them.
Is there any particular part of Clairemont you would recommend for the OP or anyone else looking for that type of lifestyle (outdoorsy and quick access)? South Clairemont (BayHo)? I like this area because its a straight shot the bay for the OP is talking about and really great access to Tecolote Canyon. That is a really prime location for sure
My recommendation would be for them to consider the area SW of Balboa Ave and Genesee Ave, near Mt. Acadia Blvd and Tecolote Canyon.
They would be right near B&G, so shopping and restaurants are close by.
And they can even walk their dogs in Tecolote Canyon. It will give them the opportunity to hike and enjoy their dogs at the same time.
The homes in this section of Clairemont are mostly well kept. I can't think of anything bad to say about it.
Yes, Clairemont was built around the 1950s - 1960's, so the homes are not brand new. But the homes are nice in appearance, and the front yards are usually well kept. They are mostly 1 story ranch homes with very large fenced in backyards, which is another plus for a person with dogs.
The area of Clairemont at the top of the mesa doesn't get affected by the marine layer at all. It has cloudless sunny skies when the beach area is covered with clouds.
BayHo (the area immediately next to Mission Bay) just east of I-5 is also nice, and has a great view of the bay, because it is situated right on the slope of the hill leading up to Clairemont. BayHo has smaller stores and restaurants located on Morena Blvd which runs right next to I-5. The closest grocery store is Keils supermarket, which is at the top of the hill. Or they can go a few miles west into Pacific Beach where they can find lots of shopping on Garnet Ave. They also have a Costco at the north end of Morena Blvd.
I'm not sure how much the marine layer affects BayHo since it is so close to I-5?
One nice advantage of living in BayHo is they can walk to Mission Bay because it is so close.
Another thing to consider with this situation...the OP and wife work from home that puts places like Carlsbad, Encinitas, luecadia, del mar, Cardiff in play all areas that are seemingly well within your budget and you will not worry about a commute toward downtown.
To me you either need to deal with a little marine layer or a little heat. Coming from the Midwest the marine layer won't be bad.
I go to yearly meetings in Clairemont honestly it seemed run down to me old homes and outdated business fronts. Maybe there are some areas I haven't seen. If I had a housing budget up to 5k and didn't work anywhere close to downtown San Diego- Clairemont would not be on my horizon.
Another thing to consider with this situation...the OP and wife work from home that puts places like Carlsbad, Encinitas, luecadia, del mar, Cardiff in play all areas that are seemingly well within your budget and you will not worry about a commute toward downtown.
To me you either need to deal with a little marine layer or a little heat. Coming from the Midwest the marine layer won't be bad.
I go to yearly meetings in Clairemont honestly it seemed run down to me old homes and outdated business fronts. Maybe there are some areas I haven't seen. If I had a housing budget up to 5k and didn't work anywhere close to downtown San Diego- Clairemont would not be on my horizon.
If your meetings were along certain sections of Clairemont Mesa Blvd or Clairemont Drive, you may have encountered some older storefronts.
But Clairemont is constantly being improved, and many of the shopping centers are being given new modern looks, as I described in my earlier post. A lot of these changes happened just during the past few years.
Buildings are either being knocked down and rebuilt from scratch (Target did this), or the fronts of the stores are being refaced with new modern look, with new signs, etc.
Personally, I think the proximity to Mission Bay is one of the best reasons to choose Clairemont over the beach areas up north. When you live near Mission Bay and in the heart of San Diego, there are so many more things available within a short drive.
If you like live theater (Broadway shows, etc), you are near downtown, which has a lot to offer.
If you like outdoor festivals (art festivals, music festivals, etc.), they happen all year round in nearby places like Little Italy, Normal Heights, etc. All which are a short drive from Clairemont.
If you like concerts, you are near Humpreys By The Bay and Valley View Center (aka Sports Arena) which gets major recording artists and other shows.
If you like museums, you are near Balboa Park, which has lots to choose from. Plus museums are free to SD residents on certain Tuesdays of the month.
If you like watching professional sports, you are not far from Qualcomm Stadium (Chargers) and Petco Park (Padres).
And Mission Bay is the best outdoor recreation area in all of San Diego.
If your goal is to live in a brand new home, you're not likely going to find it in Clairemont.
But if your goal is to live in an area which offers a lot of indoor and outdoor recreational activities nearby, then you should definitely consider Clairemont.
Another thing to consider with this situation...the OP and wife work from home that puts places like Carlsbad, Encinitas, luecadia, del mar, Cardiff in play all areas that are seemingly well within your budget and you will not worry about a commute toward downtown.
To me you either need to deal with a little marine layer or a little heat. Coming from the Midwest the marine layer won't be bad.
I go to yearly meetings in Clairemont honestly it seemed run down to me old homes and outdated business fronts. Maybe there are some areas I haven't seen. If I had a housing budget up to 5k and didn't work anywhere close to downtown San Diego- Clairemont would not be on my horizon.
Yeah thats a great point. They do work remotely and it opens up tons of options for them all the way up to north county, especially with that kind of budget. That could probably put you west of the 5 in any of the coastal cities for a small SFH.
Clairemont is going through a Rennaisaance and gentrification at least compared to how I have seen it over the past decade. But make no mistake, at least IMHO, there is a big difference between Clairemont and Kearny Mesa/Linda Vista. Although people might get the two confused because they are on the same main roads (CM Blvd and Balboa).
I think the Clairemont part of those main roads (in and around Genessee cross streets) especially has really turned a lot of those strip malls around and modernized them. They were outdated looking maybe 6 years ago but have since had face lifts and look more up to date with the times. Definitely I think the socio-economics are shifting upwards there.
Great info folks -- keep it coming! Our place here is very contemporary with a very open floor plan and quite a lot of glass and natural light (as much as the crappy weather gives us). It's huge by SoCal standards and we certainly don't need anything that large in SD.
We did look at some rental units online in the Clairemont area (prior to RD5050's detailed info) and found them really yucky. There're lots of 50/60/70's homes where we lived in the Midwest (in fact, a majority fall into that category) and we dislike them immensely.
Definitely commute isn't an issue. We'd rather our money go toward sunniness (both marine layer and weather and also to a contemporary place with lots of natural light) and our outdoor life (porch/yard and walking/running/biking). Ideally we'd have 3 bedrooms (one for our real bed room, 2 for separate home offices) although 2 BR could work, too.
Honestly we were originally thinking north country. It'd be nice to have a totally walkable place, but if I'm living in SoCal with the amazing weather, I'm going to have a fun convertible, da*& it. And since neither of us have to work traditional commutes or traditional hours, we can time driving any real distance to avoid the worst traffic times.
Being able to exercise is a top priority. For example, during the nicer months in the midwest, I put around 500 miles a month on my road bike and try to keep average speed around 19-20mph. Sometimes the Mrs. comes along at more relaxed pace. Sometimes we take out hybrid bikes to ride for fun or to markets/etc. We also walk 2-6 miles, sometimes several times a day. You get the idea.
If you don't like the older places, you probably won't like Clairmont Mesa. The most recent development is, as you note, in north county. Look at Black Mountain Ranch, Torrey Highlands, Pacific Highlands Ranch, and Del Mar Mesa. (Those are the names of the neighborhoods from this map: Community Profiles | Planning Division The developments are new enough that many people name developments rather than neighborhood names. Offhand, I can think of 4S Ranch and Santa Luz. I'm sure there are more.)
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