ramona or valley center you tell me (San Diego, Escondido: low crime, custom home)

[goldminer]

my priorities are

1 lot size & weather
2 traffic
3 commute to places to do business and get supplies, groceries building supplies
4 schools i know it should be NR 1
5 low crime
6 fire danger

Does valley center cooler temps in summer?
according to weather.com it's only median high of 91 posters in forum says Ramona summers are in the 100.

[j760]

I can't answer all of your questions but I'll give you some information that I do know.

Comparing both cities I would say Valley Center will offer you more in terms of being close to businesses and other cities, your close to Escondido and between Valley Center, Escondido, & San Marcos which is close to Escondido you will have everything you need as far as that goes. Ramona is more distant from other cities.

When it comes to schools I'd give the edge to Ramona, their school district is better and has more to offer than Valley Center's. Neither are worth bragging about but that's just my opinion, I have heard more good things about Ramona though when it comes to schools versus Valley Center.

Fire danger is a concern in both cities unfortunately, both cities were hit during the 2003 firestorm, and Ramona was hit again in 2007. I live in Escondido and remember seeing the Valley Center fire in 2003 from my front yard. Now, it doesn't mean they are guaranteed to have more fires, but it's a concern is all I would say and something you'd want to think about when looking for a place to live there.

Since I don't live in either city I can't really speak on the crime to much or the traffic within the cities. I just wanted to offer some help on what I did know at least.

[goldminer]

What a bout Fallbrook is it nicer than valley center? is there trails to ride?

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by goldminer

my priorities are

1 lot size & weather
2 traffic
3 commute to places to do business and get supplies, groceries building supplies
4 schools i know it should be NR 1
5 low crime
6 fire danger

Does valley center cooler temps in summer?
according to weather.com it's only median high of 91 posters in forum says Ramona summers are in the 100.

Based on your criteria, it's a toss-up mostly.

They are both pretty remote, Valley Center is closer to Escondido, Ramona does have it's own town but is farther from big city amenities. Traffic is bad in both but worse because of the 15 and commuter traffic in Valley Center. Schools, neither is terrific. Plan on driving your kid to school. Low crime, if you are buying acreage should not be an issue. Fire danger is extremely high in both areas and you will have to learn to live with it. Weather will be similar... hot.

Valley Center is becoming a more upscale / custom home area while Ramona remains more semi-rural horse property / ranch area.

[j760]

Originally Posted by goldminer

What a bout Fallbrook is it nicer than valley center? is there trails to ride?

Yes I would say it's nicer, and there are some better areas to live at there as well. I'm not exactly sure about the trails but if I had to guess I'd say yes, someone else should be able to confirm this though.

[goldminer]

What about trails for horse back riding ? Is there more in valley center?

[Fallbrook]

Some great trails in and near Fallbrook and just south, in Bonsall, too. Horse Trails in Fallbrook California Fallbrook is about 10 degrees warmer than the ocean since it's inland a bit but much more comfortable than Valley Center or Ramona which get very hot in the summer.

[VC mom]

Depends on where you're looking, parts of Fallbrook are only about a mile from parts of Valley Center. It's a matter of finding the feel you're looking for. You can figure about a half a degree in temps for every mile you go inland. Valley Center has some wonderful areas on the Western side which have great ocean breezes and is in the "avocado belt" - with no (real) frost and no super hot temps - perfect for fussy avocados........and the schools are pretty comparable between VC, Fallbrook and Ramona.

[bws932522]

Ramona and Valley Center are two of the towns I'm considering moving to. Low crimes, low density/rural atmosphere, and withing an hour or so commute of Northern San Diego are my three top criteria. Are there any other towns you can recommend that are comparable? Thx