Married Couple w Kids Looking to Rent Near Poway (San Diego: condo, townhome)

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by Teal2

Thanks! Ramona is probably too far east for us. We'll look in Rancho Penasquitos, but I had gotten the impression from my reading on this forum that many consider that area to be undesirable?

Rancho Penasquitos is old. It has some Section 8 housing near the Carmel Mountain exit from the I-15 freeway; you may want to avoid that particular area. Otherwise it's fine.

[Spartanacus]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Rancho Penasquitos is old. It has some Section 8 housing near the Carmel Mountain exit from the I-15 freeway; you may want to avoid that particular area. Otherwise it's fine.

Agreed that PQ is fine. This is the first I've heard that PQ is undesirable. We've been in the PUSD district for going on 7 years and PQ for a little over a year, and we favor that over RB or Carmel Mountain. More of a family feel and being West of the 15 means we're a bit closer to the ocean (we can view the ocean from our street on clear days). Cooler than Poway too I imagine.

[cruitr]

The area of PQ that runs along Black Mountain Rd is not that old. It was built in the 90s. And it's still in the PUSD. Many of the homes in that area don't have A/C. Don't get a place without A/C. PQ gets pretty toasty in the summer. And if you look real closely, some of the homes have a distant ocean view.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by Spartanacus

Agreed that PQ is fine. This is the first I've heard that PQ is undesirable. We've been in the PUSD district for going on 7 years and PQ for a little over a year, and we favor that over RB or Carmel Mountain. More of a family feel and being West of the 15 means we're a bit closer to the ocean (we can view the ocean from our street on clear days). Cooler than Poway too I imagine.

PQ is generally five to ten degrees cooler than Poway.

[NYSD1995]

PQ is predominantly asian and the parts near mira mesa are run down, my guess hence the remarks here. It's pretty nice once you are removed from MM blvd.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

PQ is predominantly asian and the parts near mira mesa are run down, my guess hence the remarks here. It's pretty nice once you are removed from MM blvd.

???

Rancho Penasquitos isn't anywhere near MM Blvd. Its lower boundary is south of Park Village and north of Mercy Road. If it's predominately asian, why am I not seeing them since I live in RP. Are you confusing RP with Mira Mesa?

[photo4fun]

Originally Posted by Teal2

Since finding out that we're relocating to the San Diego area for work, I've been combing through these forums for advice on where to look for rentals, rental rates, safe/unsafe areas, etc. You sure are a helpful bunch of people! But most of the discussions I've been reading come from 5-10 years ago. We won't have the opportunity to live in (or even visit) San Diego for any length of time before choosing a place to live, so we could really use some guidance. Here's what we are looking for:

- Rental budget around $2,500-$2,800
- We have 3 crazy, energetic children, so... 3-4 bedroom SF home or townhome, at least 1,500 square feet?
- 20-30 minute commute to/from work in Poway in traffic (for a 9-5 job)
- Around 30 minutes from the church we'll be attending in Escondido
- Bonus Points: around 20 minutes from the beach, museums, zoo etc.
- More Bonus Points: walking distance to amenities like a library, bookstore, parks, groceries, etc.

The issue is that we aren't finding many options like this right in Poway, which would be the easiest choice since it would be close to work, and we aren't sure what other neighborhoods to consider in our price range. Taking the advice of many others who have posted here in previous years, we are NOT hoping to live on the beach or right downtown on our budget.

Which areas/neighborhoods might fit the bill?

Mira Mesa

- lite traffic: you will be against traffic during rush hour.
- schools are good.
- walking distance to amenities
- within your rental range.
- 30 min to Escondido, beaches,zoo, legoland....

[malcorub16]

^^ Agreed, Mira Mesa is older and a bit grittier in some parts versus other places described, but fits the OP's criteria 100% so I wouldn't discount it.

Rental budget around $2,500-$2,800
- We have 3 crazy, energetic children, so... 3-4 bedroom SF home or townhome, at least 1,500 square feet?
- 20-30 minute commute to/from work in Poway in traffic (for a 9-5 job)
- Around 30 minutes from the church we'll be attending in Escondido
- Bonus Points: around 20 minutes from the beach, museums, zoo etc.
- More Bonus Points: walking distance to amenities like a library, bookstore, parks, groceries, etc.

[Teal2]

Mental note taken to look at Mira Mesa and PQ, and I like the idea of staying west of the 15! Any areas of Mira Mesa to avoid?

[Teal2]

Originally Posted by photo4fun

Mira Mesa

- lite traffic: you will be against traffic during rush hour.
- schools are good.
- walking distance to amenities
- within your rental range.
- 30 min to Escondido, beaches,zoo, legoland....

So rush hour traffic on the 15 generally goes toward downtown San Diego in the morning and away from it in the evening? How's the traffic going East-West, assuming we are going to try to live west of Poway for cooler temperatures?