Single Mom moving to San Diego considering University City (Chula Vista: condo, safe area)

[MountainMomz]

[quote=Czechsix;51629831]The marinas in the San Diego Bay, or the ones in Mission Bay?

San Diego Bay? Which ever one is downtown by the convention center. I did think about the "Choice" option but I'd prefer my daughter to have a sense of community where she's able to have friends in the same school district and neighborhood. The prices in UC are expensive but I'm willing to make the sacrifice for a good school and neighborhood. It's looking like it'll be about $2800 - $3000 for rent, electricity, water, gas etc. The two bedrooms I've been looking at range from $2300 - 2500. This is comparable to the DC area maybe a little more but I'm not making nearly as much which is why I live about 30 miles south of the city and commute in.


I'm curious to what the commute is... in reality though.. I googled the commute time during morning and rush hours or the time I'd have to be to work which is 8:30 after dropping my kid off at school by 7:20. Is an hour an appropriate amount of time to get from UC to the convention center? Google maps says it's only about a 25 min drive. Is this accurate?

[LaJollaEast]

I agree about having your daughter in the school near where you live. I just mentioned school Choice since someone above suggested Clairemont as a place to possibly look. I asked a friend of mine that commutes from the UC area to downtown each day and he said 25 minutes is about what it takes him.

[cruitr]

Originally Posted by LaJollaEast

The only problem with Clairemont is that schools are not as highly rated as the UC schools. Once you get to San Diego you could try the Choice program to get into the UC schools. Most of the people we knew in Clairemont when our kids were younger "choiced" their children into La Jolla or UC schools.

I live in Clairemont (Bay Ho). My neighbors send their kids to private schools or choice into UC.

One clever neighbor rents a La Jolla UPS Store mailbox. He uses that La Jolla address as his permanent address on everything. All his kids go to La Jolla schools. No questions have ever been asked.

[LaJollaEast]

That's interesting about renting the mailbox and the kids in La Jolla schools. We bought our townhouse in La Jolla so that our kids could attend the schools. I'm really not fond of people gaming the system like your neighbor.

He better watch out when they get to high school. I volunteered at La Jolla High and had to check that kids had correct forms to prove residency before they could register for classes. Back then it had to be SDG&E or a water bill that showed the property address in La Jolla. If they did not have that we passed them over to the administration to deal with it.

[cruitr]

Originally Posted by LaJollaEast

That's interesting about renting the mailbox and the kids in La Jolla schools. We bought our townhouse in La Jolla so that our kids could attend the schools. I'm really not fond of people gaming the system like your neighbor.

With today's printing technology, I bet you could make a fake SDGE, water, or even a property tax bill that passes visual inspection. It would probably take a true audit to catch him. And who is going to pay for the audit of all La Jolla students?

On the other hand, I don't like paying property taxes of almost $10k a year and a different neighbor paying about $1000 a year and we are both living in the exact same model houses with only four houses between us. Prop 13 is legal but it sure seems like theft to me.

[Ultrarunner]

The key to understanding Prop 13 is that it applies equally to all assessed real property in California.

It is a tax based on acquisition rather than opinion of value and provide predictability.

It also require voter approval for new assessments which is a huge benefit... 55% to build or renovate schools.

I understand your point as I am in the same situation... my sellers paid $1200 and the moment I bought the tax went to $8800 and now pushing $11k

That said... I don't begrudge my neighbors in similar circumstances one bit because I don't believe if they paid more I would pay less...

[bigfloor]

Just wanted to see if you made the move and how things are going. I've always wanted to live in San Diego but housing is $$$$.

[moved]

Originally Posted by bigfloor

Just wanted to see if you made the move and how things are going. I've always wanted to live in San Diego but housing is $$$$.

She hasn't posted on here since April, and has apparently decided not to move here, and is considering other places instead.

[davdaven]

In the off chance that somebody else comes across this post, there are plenty of affordable neighborhoods to live in that are accessible to downtown. The school districts in San Diego County are relatively large enough to have a diversity of school campuses and focuses but relatively small enough not to be a cog in the wheel of a broken machine. Moving "north of the 8" seems to be a goal of people who are more interested in getting C's at Harvard than A's at San Diego State, if you know what I mean. FWIW, I grew up in Chula Vista (with a single mom) and its school districts (Chula Vista, Sweetwater Union) were good as long as parents gave 2 sh-ts about their kids' educations. Many of my classmates went on to successful careers in a variety of fields, from lawyering to doctoring and everything in between.

[jordiemunro]

Hi there!

I'm a single mom (recently divorced) moving to San Diego for work and the lifestyle. I am moving from rainy gloomy Seattle and cannot wait to be back in the sunshine! I have a five year old and three year old and would be working in Point Loma. I noticed this post was from 2018 so I'm very curious where you decided to live? And any input you have from your experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!