What is North County like? (San Diego, Oceanside: to rent, houses, neighborhoods)

[bbjr]

My wife and I are planning a move to San Diego with our 2 young children within the comming months. Because of all of the great info I've gathered from this site we are considering making North County our home. We have vacationed in SD numerous times but never stayed or even visited North County. We will be staying in Rancho Bernardo next month for 10 days just see what it is like compared to the rest of SD, we will try not to do any of the tourist activities and rather try to act like locals for our 10 day stay there. What is North County like compared to other parts of SD? Any suggestions from locals on what to do and what to see to try to get a real feel of what it is like to live there. I read somewhere on this forum that North County is more of an extension of South Orange County than it is San Diego what is meant by this? Is this a negative or a positive? Thanks for any suggestions!!!!!!!!!!

[jksouthbay88]

It's more of the upscale,non-diverse,family oriented area of SD County where they want everything either perfect or near perfect. I would say it is an extension of SOC because they are pretty much the same.Burbs of each county next to each other and it's where the wealthier people live.I just think the Orange County residents are much nicer.From my past and current experiences I just find the North County people rude,and snobby.Plus all the traffic up there is just insane.Weekend traffic is the norm up and down the cost as well.The only positive thing i could think of is where North County is located.Between San Diego City and OC;that's not bad.Other than that,you would have to ask someone else who might live up there;it's just not my kind of place but that's how me and some other people look at it.

[CrissCT]

JK - People in North County are not rude by any means. I find people very friendly. Store clerks will strike up a conversation with you EVERY where you go. Every new sports season I meet new parents and add to my circle of friends.

I don't know why people have such a beef with North County - maybe its just not "gritty" enough for some people, but I say to each his own. I'm not going to knock where someone lives if they like it.

As far as diversity, again, I've had to defend this in past threads saying that from my personal experience, there is no "majority" of one group, there is just a big mix of different ethnicities. I had a friend in town this week and she even commented on how nice it was that my children went to such a diverse school.

Sorry it is so "near perfect" in North County, but some people find that to be a good thing. Most of the people I know are just everyday people with everyday jobs that want to live in a good area to raise their children. A lot of people actually work in North County and choose to live closer to work.

As for advice to BBJR, go to the parks in the area you are looking to live. Meet some parents, talk to them about their community. See if they like where they live. Visit some schools in the communities you are interested in. Find out how far the grocery store is and take a visit. Like you said, pretend you live here and do the things you would do where you live. Good luck to you!

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by CrissCT

JK - People in North County are not rude by any means. I find people very friendly. Store clerks will strike up a conversation with you EVERY where you go. Every new sports season I meet new parents and add to my circle of friends.

I don't know why people have such a beef with North County - maybe its just not "gritty" enough for some people, but I say to each his own. I'm not going to knock where someone lives if they like it.

As far as diversity, again, I've had to defend this in past threads saying that from my personal experience, there is no "majority" of one group, there is just a big mix of different ethnicities. I had a friend in town this week and she even commented on how nice it was that my children went to such a diverse school.

Sorry it is so "near perfect" in North County, but some people find that to be a good thing. Most of the people I know are just everyday people with everyday jobs that want to live in a good area to raise their children. A lot of people actually work in North County and choose to live closer to work.

As for advice to BBJR, go to the parks in the area you are looking to live. Meet some parents, talk to them about their community. See if they like where they live. Visit some schools in the communities you are interested in. Find out how far the grocery store is and take a visit. Like you said, pretend you live here and do the things you would do where you live. Good luck to you!

Like I said, I find them rude.That might just be me.

The reason why,I was raised that way.Some of my friends and co-workers down here,the same way.All I or we've heard from parents,friends,people we went to school with ect. was that it's just not right for us.And your sort if right just not "gritty" enough for me.

Differences on the diversity thing.Not for all, look at Solana Beach,I wouldn't call that diverse.

I see why people want perfect.That's why people are willing to pay an arm and a leg to live in communities like that.Nothing too wrong with that and I'm not going to grab them by the hand and tell them "Hey, Don't go there."When your family came from nothing and had to "restart" in SD you just don't understand why would you do that?It's a quality of life thing.

Like I said before the majority of my posts are the way I see things.They aren't facts,just my opinion in how and what things are.Let's just leave it at that.

[libbykt]

I can't speak to Rancho Bernardo, because I never really venture that far inland to be honest, but I am a former and future North County coastal resident.

We are moving back to Oceanside, although I wouldn't recommend Oceanside for everyone. There are certainly a lot of shady areas. The schools are horrible but there are actually some parts that feed into the Vista school district which has some great schools. The neighborhood where we will live is one of them. That being said, when our son is school age we will definitely move to Carlsbad, or send him to private school. We just needed to fin a home to rent quickly, and this one fit our needs for now.

The rest of North County coastal is fantastic. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in San Diego. And I would never ever want to live in Orange County. I've never understood the comparison between the 2 areas. It's considered to be a slam to NC, imo, to compare it to OC. I mean, think about the reputation that OC has just from the television shows. Would you want to be compared to that? I definitely don't feel a pervasive sense of snobbiness in NC, which I definitely feel in OC. I guess it's all perception, or maybe just who you meet, right?

I just don't see NC the same way the previous poster does. I rarely venture into the cookie cutter suburban neighborhoods, although I know they exist. And I'll probably move into one of them some day. But each of the coastal towns has a unique little downtown, with family owned boutiques and restaurants and surf shops. Part of Carlsbad is definitely developing with the new higher end shopping centers, etc, but the core downtown remains the same. The same goes for Encinitas, Solana Beach, etc.

To answer your question as to what the locals do...we act like we're on vacation! We go to the beach, go out to brunch, hike Torrey Pines. I know you said no touristy stuff, but your little ones might like Legoland, depending on how old they are. And if you lived here, you'd probably have a season pass, so it's something you'd do as a local.

Hopefully someone who lives in the Rancho Bernardo area can chime in on what there is to do out that way.

[EclecticChick]

Originally Posted by jksouthbay88

I just think the Orange County residents are much nicer.From my past and current experiences I just find the North County people rude,and snobby.

I have to disagree with you. I spent my teenage years/early 20s living in Rancho Bernardo, then moved to the downtown area. I STILL go back to the neighborhood CVS to get my prescriptions filled whenever I'm in the area because the store employees are SO much nicer (for example, one of the pharmacy techs always asks after my grandma whenever I'm in). They are also much more professional. I've found getting prescriptions at the CVS/Rite Aid in Hillcrest to be a nightmare in comparison...Rude/indifferent employees, LONG waits, rude customers, etc.

Sure, you'll find snobs where you find wealth, and there is more wealth in much of N. County, but it's a total stereotype to sweep all N. County residents into this category, as I don't think they're any more snobby than anywhere else in SD.

[EclecticChick]

Originally Posted by bbjr

My wife and I are planning a move to San Diego with our 2 young children within the comming months. Because of all of the great info I've gathered from this site we are considering making North County our home. We have vacationed in SD numerous times but never stayed or even visited North County. We will be staying in Rancho Bernardo next month for 10 days just see what it is like compared to the rest of SD, we will try not to do any of the tourist activities and rather try to act like locals for our 10 day stay there. What is North County like compared to other parts of SD? Any suggestions from locals on what to do and what to see to try to get a real feel of what it is like to live there. I read somewhere on this forum that North County is more of an extension of South Orange County than it is San Diego what is meant by this? Is this a negative or a positive? Thanks for any suggestions!!!!!!!!!!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I grew up in Rancho Bernardo (I lived up until a year and a half ago), and if you are looking for a place with great schools, the RB/Poway/Carmel Mt Ranch?Rancho Penasquitos area is a good choice. The Poway school district is excellent and has won many awards. It has a great music program (unlike most schools these days)--both orchestra and band, starting in 4th grade and going through HS.

RB has a very large population of elderly (which can make it boring for a teenager looking for nightlife, but very safe) and has a "small town" feel to it. As a kid, I used to walk/ride my bike everywhere--friends' houses, park, library, movie theater, etc., and my mom never worried about my safety. When my car broke down in the lane of traffic in "downtown" RB, I had no less than 4 people all stop within a minute or two to help me push the car to the shoulder, and make sure I had a tow-truck on the way.

It's definitely suburbia, but in a good way.

As for diversity, I had friends who were asian (chinese, filipino, japanese), middle eastern (Iranian, Saudi Arabian), indian (India), african american, mexican, etc. You'll find the majority of "minorities" to be of asian or indian origin, but there are definitely people from all over.

Check out the picture I've uploaded of me and my friends when I was in HS...you'll see what I mean...

If you have any questions about the area, please feel free to ask

[Charles]

The looming North County housing shortage? - North County Times

[loveautumn]

there is a big difference between inland north county (Rancho Bernardo, etc.) than coastal north county. Even between RB, Poway and Escondido. Each town in SD County is unique in its own way, even though you might not detect it right away. RB has the rep of being a place where alot of older folks live, not sure if that is still true or not. I think there would be other neighborhoods better suited to a young family than RB.

Things are pretty much broken down by east and west of the 5 and east, west, and north of the 15.

[eastcoastbias]

given your situation- Check out 4S ranch. Your kids will be in the Poway unified district they'll grow up in a nice neighborhood, you won't have an out of control communte for work.