Move to SD or LA? (San Diego, Oceanside: buying a home, neighborhoods, buying)

[Lexilula]

I probably should post this in the LA section, too, and compare all answers. : )

A bit of background - we lived in Santa Monica for 2 years (2003-2005), rented a place North of Wilshire, on 2nd St... unbelievable location. Just loved living there - lots to walk to (Montana, 3rd St, etc) and great surf spots. We moved to Boston thinking that it would be better for cost of living...what a joke! Who heats their homes with oil heating?! Oh, the people in New England who are super resistant to change and have archaeic infrastructure (dont get me started. ). Anyway, figuring an add'l 5k for the winter in heating costs = cost of living is comparable to living in SoCal. And, the bonus is more normal people (than in New England), lots of sun, and less of the hectic/workaholic/get ahead/no work-life balance.

We do have kids now (we'll have 2 under the age of 3), so we'll need to balance our love for Santa Monica with the reality of raising kids.... which is why we are turning to the SD area as an option.

Any thoughts on areas/towns that are good for young families? Can anyone describe the North County 'feel' or vibe better than, SD is more 'small town' feel than LA? I've only been down to SD a few times and it seemed more like sprawling suburbia than the areas surrounding LA. Just trying to get a better picture before we come out for a research mission.

Oh, and I certainly did NOT love reading about the Black Widow spiders! I thought silverfish were bad up in LA.... That's enough to make me wonder about SD!! : )

Thanks for reading and any info or advice!!

[ubringliten]

Check out "Who's your city?" book by Richard Florida. He's a guru on cities. He and many others rated SD as one of the top five for young professionals and raising families. It is a great place for raising families, and I and my girlfriend are in the singles to young professional phase.

For raising family, yes, North County beats all the neighborhoods in SD. The North County started in the 1970s, and there are quite a bit new developments. Some neighborhoods are new and almost cookie-cutter like Irvine. Lots of detached homes surrounding a plaza which has almost all the necessary amenities. I believe every elementary school has a park next to it. And the schools are pretty good compared to LA.

I used to live in LA for 26 years, and it's definitely not good for raising kids. LA is known for superficiality and entitlement issues which I don't see with San Diegans. LA is dominated by the film industry which I think promotes that image thing, where SD is more down to earth because of biotech industry and health care (more educated you know). It is true that it is alot more sprawl than LA because of the hilly landscapes. It does have alot of crazy insects and reptiles, it is because it has lots of greens/wild here.

Good luck!

[j760]

Originally Posted by Lexilula

Oh, and I certainly did NOT love reading about the Black Widow spiders! I thought silverfish were bad up in LA.... That's enough to make me wonder about SD!! : )

Thanks for reading and any info or advice!!

Believe me, people aren't dying everyday because of black widows.

And they are in L.A. to in certain areas, you just didn't see them. Don't worry about those sorts of things, you seem like a very intelligent person who knows how to be careful if your doing yard work, etc. There is not a black widow out there that's going to chase you or have you as a meal, and not everyone is sentenced to death if they are bit despite what you might have read.

Onto the main issue at hand here, I recommend San Diego. Is it because I'm a homer when it comes to San Diego? Yes. I wouldn't recommend it just because though, for your situation I think it would be a better place for you and your family.

When it comes to the North County there are some very good places to choose from, I personally would recommend you look into Poway. Schools are some of the best in the county, and it's a great place for kids. Let us know how things go for you.

[Sassberto]

If having an irrational fear of spiders is going to impact your ability to make major life choices, I would seriously consider not making any of those major life choices until you've seen a qualified therapist and started to work on getting past what is really a fairly serious emotional issue.

[JakeDog]

For raising families- SD. LA has more varied job opporutinities and higher wages- but also higher usages of coke, more fake boobs and people, more flash, etc.

[cmdreset]

North County is sprawling suburbia, but with a young family this might be just what you want. Basically, the closer you get to the water the more affluent it gets - without more info it isn't possible to know what would be right for you.

And, um, you moved to Boston for a lower cost of living? There must be a story behind that - that's the second to last place I would go for a lower cost of living (NYC would be the absolute last.)

[Unkllars]

North County is appealing if you want a little bigger lot size so you can have fun and know your neighbors, but not know what they wear to bed. It's more affordable and a little slower pace, yet with the expansion North, more communities, jobs, and city rehabilitation efforts taking place int the cities. It's not Boston, its not LA, but its close to anything and everything. 40 minutes to Sea World, 1 hour to Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland, and 1 1/2- 2 hours to your old stomping ground. You could even take the Metrolink from Oceanside into the OC, LA, and up into Ventura county. Great options, spray for bugs and spiders, and you have a house you can call home

[bigdaddy5]

Funny, I work in Santa Monica but my home is in Scripps Ranch.

I'd recommend any community around Scripps Ranch (Poway, Mira Mesa, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch). Mira Mesa being the most affordable and accessable, Poway has one of the best schools, Scripps Ranch can range from affordable to pricey (I'd compare it to Irvine/Newport Beach without the ocean breeze).

[mini_cute]

I have a video of Scripps Ranch (mentioned by other posters) on my blog along with other videos of San Diego including La Jolla. It might help you get a better image of what it's like here. I try to be as realistic as possible while highlighting the pleasant aspects.

The San Diego Turtle

[Lexilula]

Thanks for all your ideas! We've been really dedicated to using Zip Realty (while here and while we were back in LA), so it's been somewhat helpful in just watching and seeing what's out there in certain areas/prices, etc. I'll definitely look into the book by Florida, thanks for that tip. I've been reading the San Diego newspapers every day (online) to start learning little bits that I can...

As for the spiders, I'm sorry it was misinterpreted as me having a 'serious' issue! For someone who has never even seen a black widow, it was kind of shocking to see how big they really can be... just something to get used to, not something to get medicated for. : )

I'll definitely look at the Scripps Ranch video, too - that is so great. Look forward to it!

And just one more clarification on the move to Boston for a lower cost of living.... actually, taking the (now) ridiculous heating costs out of the picture, buying a home in the suburbs of Boston IS less expensive than the LA areas we were looking in (and I dont mean comparing a Boston suburb to Brentwood!). Here we have a 1300 SF house with more than 1/2 acre of land for under 400k, in a great school district. Probably could've found that in El Segundo (minus the land), but who wants to breathe in the pollution from Chevron over there?!

Thanks again, we're looking at an investigative trip later this summer.... will update once there is more action on our end! Any other thoughts, opinions are always appreciated.

Thank you!! : )