Best place to reside in San Diego (Riverside, Escondido: cheap apartments, rent)

[Thecarguy1991]

Hello everyone,

I am hoping to move to and find work in San Diego county in the next few months after living in Riverside my whole life. I would like to know what areas would be best for me. I am 24 years old, single, and about to get my Associates Degree from community college. I hope to either attend CSUSM or SDSU in the future so I would prefer to live near one of those campuses with others in my age range. Realistically, I want to spend no more than $800 a month for my share of the rent and be able to have a private bedroom and bathroom so I will have to have roommates. With that being said I don't need to live by the beach or in Downtown SD, but it would be nice if so . I also do not want to live in an area that resembles Riverside too much. That's the impression I got when I was in El Cajon/Santee a while back. Any suggestions on towns or neighborhoods in the city of San Diego would be appreciated.

-Joseph

[bigdaddy5]

Try to stay west of the I-15.

Now, look at Hotpads.com and do a search.

[RosieSD]

Well, obviously first you have to get admitted to SDSU or Cal State San Marcos. If you'll be transferring next year, I assume you've already applied since SDSU's transfer deadline is Nov 30.

Assuming you're admitted to both schools, you'll want to weigh the differences between them, and choose the school that has the strongest program in your intended major.

I mention all of this because, as you probably already know, the two schools are almost an hour apart from each other, so where you'll ultimately live will depend on which school you pick.

You definitely will NOT be living in the city of San Diego if you're attending Cal State San Marcos -- you'll want to live in North County San Diego (San Marcos or Vista) to avoid a long commute. However, the upside of Cal State San Marcos is that you may be able to find less expensive housing in some of the areas near campus than you will for SDSU.

For SDSU, you'll have a difficult time finding an apartment without roommates for $800 anywhere near campus. Your best bets will be the student apartment complexes right near campus or La Mesa, Normal Heights or North Park. But, apartments for $800 are going to be hard to find, unless you're willing to drive a bit. You won't even find many apartments in El Cajon for $800 these days.

Don't forget, however, that any financial aid you may be eligible for may help you pay for housing costs, so be sure to apply for financial aid by the deadline, even if you're not sure you'll be eligible for it.

Good luck with your applications!

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Well, obviously first you have to get admitted to SDSU or Cal State San Marcos. If you'll be transferring next year, I assume you've already applied since SDSU's transfer deadline is Nov 30.

Assuming you're admitted to both schools, you'll want to weigh the differences between them, and choose the school that has the strongest program in your intended major.

I mention all of this because, as you probably already know, the two schools are almost an hour apart from each other, so where you'll ultimately live will depend on which school you pick.

You definitely will NOT be living in the city of San Diego if you're attending Cal State San Marcos -- you'll want to live in North County San Diego (San Marcos or Vista) to avoid a long commute. However, the upside of Cal State San Marcos is that you may be able to find less expensive housing in some of the areas near campus than you will for SDSU.

For SDSU, you'll have a difficult time finding an apartment without roommates for $800 anywhere near campus. Your best bets will be the student apartment complexes right near campus or La Mesa, Normal Heights or North Park. But, apartments for $800 are going to be hard to find, unless you're willing to drive a bit. You won't even find many apartments in El Cajon for $800 these days.

Don't forget, however, that any financial aid you may be eligible for may help you pay for housing costs, so be sure to apply for financial aid by the deadline, even if you're not sure you'll be eligible for it.

Good luck with your applications!

The Coaster train goes to the university so he could look anywhere it runs.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

The Coaster train goes to the university so he could look anywhere it runs.

Not exactly. You'd have to transfer to the trolley at Old Town to get from the coaster to SDSU. It would be a loong trip, at least an hour each way.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

Not exactly. You'd have to transfer to the trolley at Old Town to get from the coaster to SDSU. It would be a loong trip, at least an hour each way.

Exactly.

While I suppose there are students who commute to CSUSM from downtown, the vast majority would probably prefer to live much closer to campus. It gets difficult to participate in things like study groups and social activities, not to mention getting to classes on time, when you have close to a two hour round trip commute. It's the same with SDSU too -- you'll get the best out of your educational experience being closer to campus.

Plus, the OP is on a budget of $800 a month -- add in a coaster pass each month or gas for commuting by car and he/she will have even LESS money for an apartment if they're commuting to CSUSM from downtown.

But, as I said, first the OP needs to be admitted to both schools. Then he/she can decide where to live based on which of the two schools he/she ultimately attends. SDSU has become very competitive for transfer students in certain majors.

[Cardiff Kook]

Also keep in mind that parking passes are pretty expensive at cal state San marcos

[OwlAndSparrow]

There are some cheap apartments near SDSU (around $1000 per month), but that area is pretty scary. I lived there for just a couple of months, but I was robbed multiple times, nearby college kids made ridiculous amounts of noise in the middle of the night, drunk people (not just college kids) kept getting into loud fights in the streets, and the college kids had a bad habit of leaving drug smells, vomit, and garbage everywhere, so I decided it wasn't worth the price. I ended up renting a room in someone's house while I hunted for my own house (I aleady had a 20% down payment saved up).

If you're just renting a place, figure out where you're going to school first, then find an apartment nearby. You're probably better off picking SDSU and enduring a couple of years in a worse housing situation, just like every other college student manages. I don't know too many people who had private bedrooms or bathrooms while in college; you're still a student, so you get by with what you have until you can afford what you really want.

If you're looking for a place to settle down permanently, then San Marcos is, in my opinion, far better than the area near SDSU. It's safe and quiet and peaceful, it has a nice natural beauty to it, it's surrounded by excellent mountains and valleys for hiking, Escondido offers some great cultural amenities (they have a nice performing arts center), and, like everywhere else in the San Diego area, it's close to the beach.

So, I'd advise you to go to SDSU for now (it's better for you in the long run, and it's easier to tolerate inferior living conditions while you're young) and then pick someplace permanent later. Just my opinion, though.

Also, my view of the area near SDSU is biased a bit because I had a bad experience. Some people like that kind of atmosphere, and plenty of people have led good lives there.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by OwlAndSparrow

There are some cheap apartments near SDSU (around $1000 per month), but that area is pretty scary. I lived there for just a couple of months, but I was robbed multiple times, nearby college kids made ridiculous amounts of noise in the middle of the night, drunk people (not just college kids) kept getting into loud fights in the streets, and the college kids had a bad habit of leaving drug smells, vomit, and garbage everywhere, so I decided it wasn't worth the price. I ended up renting a room in someone's house while I hunted for my own house (I aleady had a 20% down payment saved up).

If you're just renting a place, figure out where you're going to school first, then find an apartment nearby. You're probably better off picking SDSU and enduring a couple of years in a worse housing situation, just like every other college student manages. I don't know too many people who had private bedrooms or bathrooms while in college; you're still a student, so you get by with what you have until you can afford what you really want.

If you're looking for a place to settle down permanently, then San Marcos is, in my opinion, far better than the area near SDSU. It's safe and quiet and peaceful, it has a nice natural beauty to it, it's surrounded by excellent mountains and valleys for hiking, Escondido offers some great cultural amenities (they have a nice performing arts center), and, like everywhere else in the San Diego area, it's close to the beach.

So, I'd advise you to go to SDSU for now (it's better for you in the long run, and it's easier to tolerate inferior living conditions while you're young) and then pick someplace permanent later. Just my opinion, though.

Also, my view of the area near SDSU is biased a bit because I had a bad experience. Some people like that kind of atmosphere, and plenty of people have led good lives there.

Burglarized or robbed?

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

Not exactly. You'd have to transfer to the trolley at Old Town to get from the coaster to SDSU. It would be a loong trip, at least an hour each way.

I meant Sprinter, my bad.