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Old 09-02-2015, 07:18 AM
 
53 posts, read 63,859 times
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Hi peeps,

We're in Dallas now and considering moving to San Diego. Noticed a few really nice properties in exclusive gated communities with 1-2 acres for in the $1m+ range which might be a bit more elsewhere.

Never been to Escondido but is it a bad area?

If you live in San Diego and you state your city is Escondido to people automatically assume middle to low income?

We are expecting our first child. So while schools don't have to be best in nation they also can't be terrible - how are schools?

Does the city have character including beauty, shopping, coziness downtown etc?

Any feedback greatly appreciated!
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Old 09-02-2015, 08:13 AM
 
Location: SoCal
6,418 posts, read 11,557,908 times
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Parts of Escondido are gorgeous, and parts are economically challenged so less attractive. Eccondido does not have the reputation of 'upscale'.

Given your budget, you might expand your search to include parts of Poway, Santa Luz, some of the coastal areas (but I don't know about lot size there).
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Old 09-02-2015, 09:25 AM
 
8,368 posts, read 7,576,099 times
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Frankly, most people from other parts of the country don't get up to Escondido on a regular basis, so the best idea would be to visit yourself to form your own opinion. But, I agree with oddstray - parts of Escondido, are absolutely beautiful. Downtown Escondido used to have its challenged areas, but has improved in recent years. There are also some "economically challenged" areas. It's those challenged areas and the former downtown (now improved) that most people think of when they hear someone lives in Escondido.

That said, I personally would not have an issue with living in the nicer areas of Escondido but I live in East County San Diego, which a lot of people also denigrate without realizing how great it can be as a place to live, so what do I know?

However, the other issue to consider with Escondido is that it is at the North of the I-15 corridor, which means getting into downtown or towards the southern end of the county, during rush hour the traffic on I-15 can add significantly to the drive time if you don't time it right.

Finally, the schools in Escondido are OK, but most would not consider them the best the county has to offer. You'll want to carefully research the schools serving the gated communities you're considering; it would be a long schlep from Escondido to the better private schools in the county.

Where will you be commuting to? That will obviously determine where you look for homes. As mentioned above, there are other areas that might suit you very well in San Diego County, depending on where you need to be each day.

Last edited by RosieSD; 09-02-2015 at 09:33 AM..
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Old 09-02-2015, 11:46 AM
 
Location: San Diego
50,105 posts, read 46,689,362 times
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"economically challenged" = barrio = ghetto in case anyone needs a decoder ring
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Old 09-02-2015, 11:54 AM
 
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No one is going to equate Escondido with Del Mar or La Jolla but there are very nice areas as well. Do you really want 2 acres to maintain?
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Old 09-02-2015, 12:11 PM
 
Location: San Diego
50,105 posts, read 46,689,362 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardiff Kook View Post
No one is going to equate Escondido with Del Mar or La Jolla but there are very nice areas as well. Do you really want 2 acres to maintain?
Yup. My buddy who had to have all that turf is going crazy now that there is no cheap water. He's letting all but 2 of his fruit trees die and a lot of his other trees/shrubs too.
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Old 09-02-2015, 12:12 PM
 
Location: Laguna Niguel, Orange County CA
9,808 posts, read 11,078,344 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardiff Kook View Post
No one is going to equate Escondido with Del Mar or La Jolla but there are very nice areas as well. Do you really want 2 acres to maintain?
^^This. I sometimes toy with the idea of selling and buying a home on a giant lot in San Diego County. I see gorgeous homes in Fallbrook, for example. My rationale for this daydream revolves around having tons of trees: avocados, etc. Given the drought conditions , fire risk, and hugely increasing population as compared to a few decades ago (competing for water), the dream seems unrealistic.
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Old 09-02-2015, 12:22 PM
 
Location: San Diego CA>Tijuana, BC>San Antonio, TX
6,484 posts, read 7,453,945 times
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Its true, Escondido is alot Lakeside where I live. You can find beautiful custom homes on hill-sides/hill tops with acreage, but the towns by no means foster feelings of Ooooh and ahhhh like Del Mar, La Jolla, and Rancho Santa Fe, not even close.

OP, considering this post and your other post, it sounds like you should look elsewhere since it sounds like zip code prestige is really important to you which is typical of Dallas, Texas transplants.
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Old 09-02-2015, 02:30 PM
 
5,151 posts, read 4,494,952 times
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There are some really nice, rural areas on the Escondido outskirts, particularly near the mall & around Daley Ranch/Dixon Lake. Escondido had the foresight to not subdivide Daley Ranch...there is good hiking & mtn. bike riding there.
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Old 09-02-2015, 02:51 PM
 
9,523 posts, read 30,385,945 times
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You can spend a million almost anywhere in SoCal. Doesn't mean you should. The big risk to spending $$$ in a place like Escondido is they need tax increment so they raze your park or golf course and try to build tract homes. If I was spending 1MM++ I would look at Poway, RSF, Del Mar or completely built out areas of San Diego that can't be further subdivided (i.e. La Jolla). Watch out for tract areas with unbuilt land (i.e. Carmel Valley, San Marcos, Chula Vista etc.) because your canyon view and trails could easily become 20 homes / acre. There is a lot more buildable land in SD County than people think, and most of it is in areas where the large tracts already are.
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