Question for a single in san diego (Chula Vista, Oceanside: apartment, high crime)

[Happytobehere789]

Hi, I'm planning to move to SD area (open to being far from the actual city though) from Tucson and seeking some guidance. I'm a single female, no pets and can afford solid rent. Not looking to purchase. I need help finding and area that meets the following needs:

- Quiet, not looking to be in the city, no more than 45 min from the beach but open to which beach.
- Safe, I lived in Santa Cruz before and meth was a huge issue, while I realize it's everywhere, prefer safer areas.
- Close to trails - hiking is my #1, doesn't have to be uphill, walking paths good too.
- Within 30 min of a whole foods type store or coop as I eat healthy.
- I'd like a 2 bedroom, clean, can be smaller, for around $2k.
- Need strong internet, work from home so commute not an issue though love to be in a lower daytime traffic area so I can get to hiking, etc. easily.
- A local library and/or some music/coffeeshop scene a plus but not required.

I'd love an area that is up in the hills or something that is a bit further from traffic but close enough I could drive in if I wish to.

Thank you SO much for your assistance. I find this forum invaluable and am so grateful.

Blessings!

PS - If there are other areas that are in California that you feel are better options, my main goal is to be outdoors every day and not have extreme heat or snow for longer than a few days at a time. Feel free to offer ideas, so appreciated, thank you!

[supercad55]

Eastlake/ East Chula Vista, Poway/ Rancho Bernardo/ Lake Murray/ Rancho San DIego

[Ilovepahrump]

Santee perhaps. It is right next door to a lovely hiking trail system - Mission Trails Regional Park. It's also close to Santee Lakes, which is a park with 5 or 6 lakes with walking trails around them. 25 minutes from the beach. Safe. Amenities (library, coffee shops, Sprout's Farmer's Market). Trolley gives you easy access to downtown. The one miss on your list would be "quiet." I guess that's a bit relative, but I wouldn't consider Santee a sleepy small town up in the hills by any means. The roads can get tight at times, Mission Trails gets busy, and the whole area can feel a little bit like suburban sprawl. That's sort of par for the course in San Diego though, unless you want to go really far inland.

You'll find that many of the communities here have the sidewalk trails (not necessarily "hiking" trails). That's sort of a way of life here. Lots of people outdoors! So you really can't go wrong on that aspect.

[sdjimbob]

I'd say Ramona area.

[Mugsy]

I nominate my zip code!

Google Palm City or Nestor

or zip code 92154

Google Ocean View Hills

Imperial beach about 15 minutes away, downtown is 15 minutes away and there are strip malls in this area.

google denerry road sd ca 92154

The demographic are mostly Hispanic, does not bother me at all.

[RosieSD]

La Mesa. Concentrate on the area around Lake Murray if you want hiking right down the street (google Cowles Mountain and Mission Trails Regional Park) and/or the area around the "Village" of La Mesa where a number of new coffee shops and restaurants have opened in the last few months (and more are coming soon).

Alternately, consider a neighborhood that is close to Balboa Park -- South Park, North Park, Normal Heights, maybe Kensington. You're just a short drive to the mountains from any of these areas, but have good access to social stuff for singles too.

Or if you'd rather be by the beach, $2000 will get you a nice apartment in Pacific Beach, Point Loma, "inland" parts of La Jolla, and some of the north coastal communities too.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Mugsy

I nominate my zip code!

Google Palm City or Nestor

or zip code 92154

Google Ocean View Hills

Imperial beach about 15 minutes away, downtown is 15 minutes away and there are strip malls in this area.

google denerry road sd ca 92154

The demographic are mostly Hispanic, does not bother me at all.

I love Nestor! Imperial Beach might also be worth a look, although rents have been rising there.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Any highway has traffic here during rush hour so that is something you'll have to adapt to.

[Happytobehere789]

Thank you ALL for your input!!! I'm going to check these areas out and see what I find, appreciate it! Blessings!

[Arizona89A]

Originally Posted by Happytobehere789

Hi, I'm planning to move to SD area (open to being far from the actual city though) from Tucson and seeking some guidance. I'm a single female, no pets and can afford solid rent. Not looking to purchase. I need help finding and area that meets the following needs:

- Quiet, not looking to be in the city, no more than 45 min from the beach but open to which beach.
- Safe, I lived in Santa Cruz before and meth was a huge issue, while I realize it's everywhere, prefer safer areas.
- Close to trails - hiking is my #1, doesn't have to be uphill, walking paths good too.
- Within 30 min of a whole foods type store or coop as I eat healthy.
- I'd like a 2 bedroom, clean, can be smaller, for around $2k.
- Need strong internet, work from home so commute not an issue though love to be in a lower daytime traffic area so I can get to hiking, etc. easily.
- A local library and/or some music/coffeeshop scene a plus but not required.

I'd love an area that is up in the hills or something that is a bit further from traffic but close enough I could drive in if I wish to.

Thank you SO much for your assistance. I find this forum invaluable and am so grateful.

Blessings!

PS - If there are other areas that are in California that you feel are better options, my main goal is to be outdoors every day and not have extreme heat or snow for longer than a few days at a time. Feel free to offer ideas, so appreciated, thank you!

Are you referring to Santa Cruz city, Ca?: Or, Santa Cruz county, AZ?

I'm moving from Phoenix to somewhere along the coast between La Jolla and South Orange County.

The reason for those areas is they have less meth, except for Oceanside.

Yes Arizona has a huge meth problem. But so does San Diego. Its part of the culture in both areas and will never go away.

I didn't see much evidence of meth from La Jolla up thru Carlsbad and south orange county up to Irvine.

Then, Costa Mesa was scary. Blood, all over the chair of a $95 a night motel.

I drove through all those areas earlier this year. Carlsbad is very nice and one of the top 15 safest cities in the US. But it borders Temecula and Oceanside which have HUGE meth and crime issues.

Anyway that is the perspective from someone doing the same thing for many of the reasons you list. I don't know why the education system in Arizona and San Diego doesn't teach the dangers of meth. I guess that it is so entrenched in the culture that it may never go away. Cities like Carlsbad, Encinitas, have different school districts than drug ridden San Diego.

You ask about other areas in CA.
Up in OC you might look at Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, etc. They have a lot of high tech workers, according to the OC forum, so there would be less meth. That Costa Mesa motel was only for one night. I got out of there, observed meth heads in the Super target parking lot, and drove to a motel in Laguna Hills. No meth there, very handsome men and beautiful women, and rich elderly couples in that motel.

If you like snowy winters, there is no meth in North Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, or Truckee, but everywhere else in northern California has meth, except Walnut Creek and Clayton. Monterey and Carmel were ok, but north of there to Santa Cruz, lots of meth and high crime. Sad story, I have about 50 relatives in CA, ID, WA, and NC. Most are fortunate to live in areas w/o meth.

Also in Southern California is Ventura County. Huge meth issues unless you're in the incorporated areas such as Thousand Oaks. Toaks was just ranked the safest city for women. Like Carlsbad, they have lots of open space. Toaks has been driving the meth out, but still has some meth, but coming from Phoenix, I could deal with it if I was moving there.

Other areas with open space are Santa Clarita, and Santa Barbara, but I don't know if they have a meth culture.

Furthermore, your tolerance for meth may be greater or less than mine. I was raised in a very conservative suburb with no drugs. When I moved to the southwest, I had to learn that drugs are part of the culture for all ages, all education levels. But I don't want to hang out around people using illegal drugs. Pot and tobacco i dont care about. So, San Diego per se isn't for me, but depending on your background, it might be fine. It is easy for me to type these out since my sister is a single female and wants to move down here, always asking which cities have meth and crime ....... I know that she would do well in Irvine, Carlsbad, or Thousand Oaks.......