Poway vs. other areas outside of San Diego (Carlsbad, Encinitas: real estate, renting)

[someguy10]

I think sometimes folks automatically suggest the areas where jobs tend to be clustered because traffic/commute for traditional in-the-office workers is such a big factor. However, since you both work from home, that gives you a big advantage. Price tends to be highest near downtown (south) and the ocean (west). As you move north and/or east, prices go down.

I second checking out Carlsbad. It's almost all the way north but also touches the coast. The schools are good and there are plenty of families there. There are various areas with different feels. It has a nice "downtown" village area surrounded by homes that tend to be a bit older and more unique surrounded by more planned community type neighborhoods.

It might be worth considering certain areas of Vista as well. You can get a nice single family home with some yard there for $500-$600K and could apply the savings for private school.

[RosieSD]

Have you read through this thread? It may give you some more ideas that you haven't yet considered.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-d...out-where.html

In addition to Hitman's great recommendations, I'd add Alpine and Rancho San Diego as possiblities, especially if you don't have to commute to a specific part of the county every day. Since you don't have to commute anywhere, you might also look at Ramona, Valley Center, Fallbrook and maybe even Julian. These all are less congested areas and some have real small town feels. Although the following areas are more congested, other nice family oriented neighborhoods to explore might include University City, Tierrasanta (just south of Scripps Ranch), and even more urban core neighborhoods like South Park and Mission Hills.

As Hitman noted, San Diego County is full of great family oriented communities that aren't often mentioned here. Broaden your horizons beyond the usual and you just might find the perfect place for your family. Good luck with your search!

[BizrulesSD]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

How much longer are Poway schools going to be considered the "best" in San Diego? Because from what I can tell, as the father of two soon-to-be high schoolers, they no longer are.
Years ago maybe they were, but more recent rankings (and I know rankings can be picked apart, but for what they're worth) I see San Dieguito Union schools like Canyon Crest, Torrey Pines, San Dieguito Academy and even La Costa Canyon at or near the top of the list. Poway schools, once the toast of the county, are near the bottom or entirely out of the top 10.
https://k12.niche.com/rankings/publi...go-metro-area/
Canyon Crest Academy Ranked 5th in California Top 100 - Del Mar, CA Patch

I don't get this at all.... PUSD was 2,3,8,9 and 10 on this list. So much for not being in the top 10. The difference is that the majority of PUSD schools are very good where SDUSD (or other districts) is very much hit or miss and outcome variance only gets worse once the kids go to high school.

I will be the first to concede that Canyon Crest is a better school than the PUSD high schools but you need at least a million to buy anything near there. PUSD price range for a SFH is around $275-350/sq ft. Carmel Valley is at least 400/sq ft.

I grew up in PUSD and now have kids in the district. Things are different now than it was 20 years ago but the fact that people move to the area just for the school district/education means that you are going to have lots of like minded people all going towards the same goal.

Yes, Poway and the surrounding area is boring as heck. Every weekend we are driving at least 20-30 minutes to do something fun as a family (beach, Sea World, Zoo, etc). This is the world of soccer moms, wine bars and Costco.

Good luck!

[sprez33]

Originally Posted by BizrulesSD

I don't get this at all.... PUSD was 2,3,8,9 and 10 on this list. So much for not being in the top 10. The difference is that the majority of PUSD schools are very good where SDUSD (or other districts) is very much hit or miss and outcome variance only gets worse once the kids go to high school.

I will be the first to concede that Canyon Crest is a better school than the PUSD high schools but you need at least a million to buy anything near there. PUSD price range for a SFH is around $275-350/sq ft. Carmel Valley is at least 400/sq ft.

I grew up in PUSD and now have kids in the district. Things are different now than it was 20 years ago but the fact that people move to the area just for the school district/education means that you are going to have lots of like minded people all going towards the same goal.

Yes, Poway and the surrounding area is boring as heck. Every weekend we are driving at least 20-30 minutes to do something fun as a family (beach, Sea World, Zoo, etc). This is the world of soccer moms, wine bars and Costco.

Good luck!

Not sure what prompted Encinitan's original comments. But it seems that there is an enduring lore that the Poway school district is by far the best in SD County. When we relocated to SD in 2003 and were researching school districts, there were several people who were insistent that Poway was the only place we should consider (from a school quality perspective). Even though the Carmel Valley school districts were at least as good, even somewhat higher ranked in terms of APIs and other rankings (for what they're worth).

It appears that both districts are very good based on these rankings. Ultimately we chose to live in Carmel Valley for a number of reasons beyond educational concerns.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by BizrulesSD

I don't get this at all.... PUSD was 2,3,8,9 and 10 on this list. So much for not being in the top 10. The difference is that the majority of PUSD schools are very good where SDUSD (or other districts) is very much hit or miss and outcome variance only gets worse once the kids go to high school.

I will be the first to concede that Canyon Crest is a better school than the PUSD high schools but you need at least a million to buy anything near there. PUSD price range for a SFH is around $275-350/sq ft. Carmel Valley is at least 400/sq ft.

I grew up in PUSD and now have kids in the district. Things are different now than it was 20 years ago but the fact that people move to the area just for the school district/education means that you are going to have lots of like minded people all going towards the same goal.

Yes, Poway and the surrounding area is boring as heck. Every weekend we are driving at least 20-30 minutes to do something fun as a family (beach, Sea World, Zoo, etc). This is the world of soccer moms, wine bars and Costco.

Good luck!

There are only four high schools in San Dieguito Union High School District. Canyon Crest (1), Torrey Pines (4), San Dieguito Academy (7) and La Costa Canyon (12). Which one is the "miss" in your book?
Canyon Crest is an academy and admission is on a lottery, at least it is if there aren't enough seats for the kids who want to go there. Anyone in San Dieguito district can send kids there, so I'm not sure where you get the $1mm+ requirement.
I was not trying to put down PUSD schools, just marveling at how the most current rankings don't seem to support the notion that PUSD are the best in SD.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by sprez33

Not sure what prompted Encinitan's original comments. But it seems that there is an enduring lore that the Poway school district is by far the best in SD County. When we relocated to SD in 2003 and were researching school districts, there were several people who were insistent that Poway was the only place we should consider (from a school quality perspective). Even though the Carmel Valley school districts were at least as good, even somewhat higher ranked in terms of APIs and other rankings (for what they're worth).

It appears that both districts are very good based on these rankings. Ultimately we chose to live in Carmel Valley for a number of reasons beyond educational concerns.

That was exactly my point. It seems whenever someone asks "where should we live for great schools," the knee-jerk reaction is "Poway." And I'm just wondering if that's still the best advice, or at least the only logical response. That's all.

[Cardiff Kook]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

That was exactly my point. It seems whenever someone asks "where should we live for great schools," the knee-jerk reaction is "Poway." And I'm just wondering if that's still the best advice, or at least the only logical response. That's all.

I'm OK with that though. Encinitas is crowded enough already

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by Cardiff Kook

I'm OK with that though. Encinitas is crowded enough already

True, but it's not like I gave up a secret surf break

[NYSD1995]

I don't think it's a matter of "best schools" anymore. The reality is that there is a new class of school - "elite school". These are schools that mostly are found in the newer areas and cater to the wealthy. Poway is a much more middle class area than Encinitas or really anywhere in San Dieguito union, so historically it was "best" because no one looking to buy in Poway was really considering Encinitas or Del Mar anyway, those were small, wealthy, elite enclaves mostly undiscovered. Times have changed since then, and now it is truly a different situation,but when Scripps Ranch and Poway were developed, they were catering to people moving up and out of San Diego, out of the inner city areas, not people settling in from all over the country looking for "the best".

As for OP, if you want quaint, walkable, unique homes and great schools you will pay $$$ or have to downsize into an older, frankly crappier home closer to the beach. That's basically it. Closer to the beach means older, smaller, more expensive for the most part. There is no secret to the market here, it's all just a factor of what you can afford and the lifestyle you want. I don't care about walkable neighborhoods with cute shops so it's not worth it to me to pay more and sacrifice too much to live by them. But for some it's unfathomable to live in a bland inland suburb and not have access to the beach. The hard part about SD is there is not a lot in the middle, i.e. relatively affordable well-kept suburb with good schools that isn't crammed to the gills. North of the 8 I would say that Poway and Scripps are about it. Maybe deep inland Carlsbad but the commute sucks. Lomas Santa Fe or eastside Encinitas fit the bill 20 years ago but now are too expensive

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

I don't think it's a matter of "best schools" anymore. The reality is that there is a new class of school - "elite school". These are schools that mostly are found in the newer areas and cater to the wealthy. Poway is a much more middle class area than Encinitas or really anywhere in San Dieguito union, so historically it was "best" because no one looking to buy in Poway was really considering Encinitas or Del Mar anyway, those were small, wealthy, elite enclaves mostly undiscovered. Times have changed since then, and now it is truly a different situation,but when Scripps Ranch and Poway were developed, they were catering to people moving up and out of San Diego, out of the inner city areas, not people settling in from all over the country looking for "the best".

As for OP, if you want quaint, walkable, unique homes and great schools you will pay $$$ or have to downsize into an older, frankly crappier home closer to the beach. That's basically it. Closer to the beach means older, smaller, more expensive for the most part. There is no secret to the market here, it's all just a factor of what you can afford and the lifestyle you want. I don't care about walkable neighborhoods with cute shops so it's not worth it to me to pay more and sacrifice too much to live by them. But for some it's unfathomable to live in a bland inland suburb and not have access to the beach. The hard part about SD is there is not a lot in the middle, i.e. relatively affordable well-kept suburb with good schools that isn't crammed to the gills. North of the 8 I would say that Poway and Scripps are about it. Maybe deep inland Carlsbad but the commute sucks. Lomas Santa Fe or eastside Encinitas fit the bill 20 years ago but now are too expensive

There's a lot of truth in this post! Well done. Oh, and I'm glad we bought in Encinitas when we did!