Where to Live?? (San Diego, Escondido, Corona: lease, condo, new house)

[5FLgirls]

We're trying to figure out where to live so looking for some more opinions:

We told our realtor that my husband's office is off of El Camino Real in Del Mar. I will have to travel to Temecula a few times a week. We are looking for excellent schools and we've been told to stay in the Del Mar district for that.

So far, we've looked at Carlsbad and Carmel Valley. We drove through Poway and didn't like what we saw. We really like the Torrey Highlands area but are concerned about the school over-crowding. Today, someone told me we should look around Via De La Valle but I've never been to that area. The realtor sent us some listings on 4S Ranch and Santa Luz. They all look nice and new but for the same price--I could live closer to the ocean(?). In an earlier thread, I requested info and was mostly directed towards 4S ranch, The lakes and Carmel Valley. Is this it? Are there specific subdivisions to look at or stay away from? I haven't really gotten much guidance and don't really want to randomly pick a house that looks decent but is not in a desirable location...If we want to stay in the height of "stuff" (and I mean children's activities, restaurants, shopping -- I mean the closest Target is in Escondido??) should we just stay around Del Mar and Carmel Valley?

[JakeInSoCal]

Ya Carmel Valley and Del Mar are both great areas. Del Mar probably has more of the stores and such just because more people go to visit there. But Carmel Valley is still very nice so just check out both areas.

Best of Luck!

[sdurbanite]

I'm guessing you are looking for a brand-new upscale development? My brother lives in Ladera Ranch in OC and I'd say the comparable areas here would be Carmel Valley, 4S Ranch, Del Sur- basically, anywhere along the 56 freeway. There's also Bressi Ranch and Aviara in Carlsbad and La Costa.

Nice, older areas to consider are Rancho $anta Fe, Fairbanks Ranch, Olivenhain and Coronado.

[CrissCT]

There are no subdivisions in 4S ranch to stay away from. The closest Target is on Pomerado Rd. (only 15 min. away). You really aren't that far away from the ocean, but you are away from the crowding near the ocean. If you have specific questions on 4S ranch feel free to DM me.

[janineg]

I live in a condo (one of the few) in Santaluz. It's very nice here. There is tons of open space that's been preserved and the houses in Santaluz have a very unique feel. There are rules for landscaping that prohibit tropical plants and emphasizes natives. There are ornamental grasses, agaves, native bushes, and such all around. Even the long road into the area is painstakenly landscaped grasses that give a rural feel. 4S ranch is much denser and more suburban-feeling. Some people might prefer this to Del Mar because Del Mar is pretty dense, too. There isn't much open space except for the coastline. I should say that Del Sur is of a high caliber, too, but also not as much open space as Santaluz and closer houses.
Another smallish development right next to Santaluz is Verrazzano. It's more affordable than Santaluz and tries to have an Italian look as opposed to Santaluz carefully cultivated wildness. There's a new elementary school opening up in Santaluz/Verrazzano called Willow Grove: Willow Grove Elementary School ~ Poway Unified School District, San Diego CA. It's in the Poway school district, which is very good. I agree that the city itself of Poway isn't very desirable along Poway Rd.
Oh, there is a Target in Poway that is easy to get to. Go straight on the 56 heading east and it turns into Ted Williams Parkway-- it's right there. There's a nearby Trader Joe's in Carmel Mountain Ranch off of 15 and Carmel Mountain road, too.
Janine

[5FLgirls]

Thank you so much for the information. It's been very helpful. I'm not sure if we're new construction type of people. We've actually never lived in a new house. We usually like newer or need to be updated type of houses. For right now, we're going to lease and figure it out for a year. Sdurbanite mentioned Ladera Ranch in OC and we actually live close by but do not live in there. The subdivision makes us nervous. If 4S or Santaluz are anything like Ladera--we don't want to be anywhere near there...