Carlsbad or Poway schools and quality of life (San Diego, San Marcos: real estate, 2014)

[planttrees]

Relocating to Carlsbad or Poway area. Can some people share their experiences in living in this area with elementary and middle school-aged children, please? Which area would you recommend? We're teachers. Thanks.

[Cardiff Kook]

never lived in Poway but I'd take Carlsbad given those two options. You are moving to San Diego for the great weather and beaches right? I'd take Carlsbad in a heartbeat.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by cardiff kook

never lived in poway but i'd take carlsbad given those two options. You are moving to san diego for the great weather and beaches right? I'd take carlsbad in a heartbeat.

x2

[RosieSD]

I'll play devil's advocate and say I would lean more towards Poway than Carlsbad if I was moving here with kids. I think you can find homes with bigger yards there, and the prices for houses in Poway are a little less than Carlsbad, so you may get more for your money in Poway. Plus, to me at least, Poway feels a little bit more like a community than a tourist spot like parts of Carlsbad do. I also prefer the weather inland; I like lots of sun and warm weather, and the coast is so often overcast and more chilly. There's also more to life than the beach.

That's not to say that there is anything wrong with Carlsbad (and no offense meant to anyone who lives there); it's a nice area. Poway just feels a little more "laid back" and child friendly to me. Keep in mind that there are are also many other great family-oriented communities in San Diego County; perhaps you don't need to limit yourself to just these two.

Obviously, a lot will depend on where you will both be working, your budget, and your personal preferences.

(In terms of schools, you can compare the test scores for all of the districts and individual schools in San Diego County here: http://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2014/apiavgcty.aspx?allcds=37 As teachers, you already know that test scores aren't everything, but they can be helpful.)

[GuyInSD]

I've posted this before, but here it is again:

One thing to research before committing to purchasing real estate in the Poway Unified School District:
The school bond measures from 2011; they decided to borrow $105M, with no payments for 20 years. BUT, then the payments kick in, to the tune of around $1B total for the following 20 years - this is about the equivalent of getting a 40-year mortgage at 23% interest - not the brightest thing to do, when interest rates are under 4%. So, right around 15 years from now, the bill starts coming due - I have no idea what effect that will have on the property tax bills, but I would definitely want to know before willingly signing up to help pay that off.

[NorthCountySDGal]

Granted, not as familiar with the Poway area, although I know the schools are fabulous. Carlsbad also has excellent schools and since I love living near the beach, that would be my choice. I'm about a mile and a half from the beach and while it's true the weather is cooler near the coast, it is still plenty warm for me and we save a lot of money because we don't have need of A/C about 95% of the time. My recommendation would be to come out and spend a little time in both areas to see which you prefer. They're both nice communities. Good luck with your plans!

[mauialoha]

I live in La Costa area which is in Carlsbad, but in the San Dieguito School District. My kids went to Capri elementary Oak Crest and La Costa Canyon High. These are very good schools and neighborhoods if you come to this section - South of La Costa Ave.

North of there you have the Carlsbad School district and also San Marcos. I don't know much about those school districts except that San Marcos has improved lately with all the new development. But you need to be sure what school district you are moving into because its not always the one you think and the sellers may not mention.

But I also love it here and way prefer the weather here. I just did a job in Poway last week and it was too hot for me

[hkbruin]

Where are you relocating from? if I may ask.