Thinking of going to Ramona...because (San Diego, Santa Ana: apartment complex, rentals, HOA fees)

[revelated]

I've been in, or lived in, just about every part of San Diego. And I hate it all. The only thing I like about SD are the opportunities for financial gain - which aren't even the best in California, mind. Prices are too high, people are blatantly rude, etc etc etc.

I'm looking to move in this month or May, and Ramona has caught my eye. Have to ask my lender if my loan restricts me to condos or if I can go single family, because to have a 3/2 house for less than 200 grand is just something I can't pass up!

Anyway, I saw this site and a few people asking questions, so I wanted to take this opportunity to lend my knowledge to the cause. Before I begin, I already know that there are some who might disagree - but my perception is based on a certain quality of life that I expect to receive based on the price I'm being charged.

Rancho Bernardo: Certainly one of the nicer areas to live in, especially 4S Ranch. However, the majority of businesses like to post here as well, meaning overpopulation as people like to live close to work - thus driving prices up as demand wins out. Once known as "the retirement community", it's now a place to go if you're making six figures. There are some middle incomers here, but they're the ones who most want to leave San Diego due to the price crunch. Also, the number of people who lost their homes in the fires is high - which you'd think would drive prices down, but instead prices seem to be at an all-time high.

Poway: Poway is actually rather inexpensive compared to RB. The problem with Poway is oversaturation. Too many people live here, and it's not easy to find a place to live. The places that are available that offer what I would consider the basics (washer/dryer in unit, garage, adequate floor space, no popcorn ceiling, full appliance exposure) are extremely expensive, especially rentals. There are a few new homes that were built some years back, but they filled up quickly. The businesses are out on the eastern side, close to the 67, and is a prime location if you're looking to start a business.

Mira Mesa: When you look at the prices in Mira, you'd expect something close to what RB offers, but instead the quality of life is rather low, almost a slap in the face based on the price you're charged for most homes. There are some nice areas, but they're oversaturated. What makes Mira Mesa stand out is the sheer number and variety of businesses that stagger Mira Mesa Blvd - you can find just about everything on that strip.

Escondido: Known as "rental capital of San Diego", Escondido boasts very low prices and not too much oversaturation. The problem with Escondido is the quality of some of the areas. There are parts where illegals stand out on the streets looking for day labor; a horrific sight in the morning commute to work. Some areas are run down, and there are low quality business installations such as gas stations and shopping centers. Also, the police are known for random rolling stops where they spot check cars coming home for work, pull them over, and check for alcoholic influence (and ID/ins/tags while they're at it). Backs up the entire road for a few blocks, and is very annoying, since you can't go around once you've exited on that street. Makes everyone feel like criminals.

San Marcos: The city is a living contradiction, split by San Marcos Blvd. On one side and to the north, houses are almost majestic - not too wide, but very nice inside and outside, with perfectly manicured lawns and great views. On the other side, you'd be hard pressed not to see a run down apartment complex boasting itself as "condominiums" - yet it still has the old bars from 1993 and it's clear there was no renovation done. There are a lot of places to shop though, as SM can claim itself to be one of three areas that contains a Fry's Electronics. IN fact, SM has just about every type of store you can think of.

Paradise Valley/Spring Valley/National City/Skyline: The word "Ghetto" never applied better than in these four small subcommunities. There are more churches here than in any other part of San Diego, and it boasts such known landmarks as "The 4 Corners of Death", an intersection of Imperial Blvd where numerous shootings have occurred, and "Moonlight Market", known for its heavy exposure to gang influence over the past two decades. It's quite inexpensive to live here, but land is at a premium.


To shore it all up, if you want to be close to most of the businesses and nice areas, you will pay quite the premium. If you want to be in the primarily residential areas, you will experience a horrific commute to get to work at most times of the day. San Diego is terribly overpriced, oversaturated, and undervalued. The word "lawn" is almost a myth now. People have to live in the surrounding unintegrated areas such as Ramona and Temecula in order to get a break.

[mewzikguy]

so leave. . .

[cnkad]

just be prepared for the fires.

[mattyk]

yes the fires hit the area to a scary rate. i suggest living in town so you have a good barrier.

[sdurbanite]

Since you've made it loud and clear that you hate San Diego, what makes you think that moving to Ramona is a good idea? There isn't really a difference if you pack up the moving van to move 30 miles away or 300 miles away.

Just leave county so you can find happiness. I hear LA is less crowded, has less traffic and people still have lawns there. Give it a try.

[ginny vegar]

I, too, am not fond of San Diego. We moved to Ramona 30+ years ago to "get away". Please don't go to all the effort of moving just to go to Ramona. The town has grown way beyond it's infrastructure. The traffic is horrendous, both in the morning, leaving for work (really only one way out) and coming home at night. The water district is disorganized, to say the least. There are sufficient grocery stores and drug stores, and plenty of restaurants, just not good restaurants........lots of fast food places. If you don't like heat, don't even think about moving here. Summers get into the 100's and the Santa Ana winds are getting worse every year. And, yes, we are in a catagory 1 fire area. (we lost our house in the Witch Fire of Oct. 2007). That makes 2 HUGE wildfires in the Ramona area in 4 years (Cedar and Witch) (and remember, there aren't a lot of ways out of town......it took us almost 3 hours to evacuate to Poway, usually a less than 1/2 hour trip). Winters aren't too bad, but they do get cold, usually 30's, sometimes into the teens. It's only snowed twice since we've been here, and the first time it didn't stay on the ground (you won't see '4 seasons' here). You mentioned illegals standing on the sidewalk looking for work being a 'horrendous sight'.......if you don't want to see illegals, don't come to Ramona. And Ramona also has quite a lot of 'low-income housing'. If you're thinking of living in the 'estates' (San Diego Country Estates) it is nice, but you've just added 20 minutes more to your drive, not to mention much higher housing prices and HOA fees. I'm sorry this is so long, but I don't want anyone to make the mistake of thinking they can 'get away' from San Diego by moving to Ramona. You still have to drive at least 30 minutes to almost anywhere - Home Depot, Frye's, a good restaurant. You're not getting away from San Diego, you're just making it more tedious to get there. Please reconsider.

[Little pony]

Try lakeside instead. Better prices on gas. Lots of good eating places. No traffic. Better weather. Less expensive housing. Also, the biggest problem with ramona is the toll it will take on your car. Going up and down that hill to go to work plan to change your brakes and rotors out about every 8 months. It burns alot of gas going up and down the hill. And, the strain on the engine really screws it up in the long run(the ash gets in the engine alot). If you live in ramona, you will probably have to work down the hill just to pay bills.

[revelated]

Well...after some additional searching and a personal visit, I decided to settle on Temecula. It's quite the commute, but goodness...it's like night and day. Long Ridge Road alone was simply beautiful, and the home prices were beyond reasonable.

The hilly drive to and from work is going to be a killer...but it's more than worth it for the pride of ownership and quality of living out there.

[amc760]

illegals looking for work a "horrific sight" during your morning commute? wow.

"Oh my god, a Mexican!"

[capitalist09]

Originally Posted by amc760

illegals looking for work a "horrific sight" during your morning commute? wow.

"Oh my god, a Mexican!"

No need to pull the racism card. It's more like, "Oh my god, a criminal who identification is unknown." For all we know he could be a terrorist.