Commute to San Diego from Carlsbad/Oceanside (Vista, Fallbrook: for rent, house)

[iwa808]

My husband and I will be relocating to San Diego, and we are looking for a house to rent near Camp Pendleton. My husband's job will be closest to the Pulgas gate of CP, and so far we have been looking at single family homes for rent in Oceanside or Carlsbad in order to minimize his commute to work. However, my job will likely have me commuting to San Diego/Mission Valley, which seems to be a long commute. Is there a nice area that would be a happy medium for both of us? How bad a commute would it be from Carlsbad or Oceanside to SD? Is there any mass transit available to San Diego?

[ranzchic]

You can use the coaster from North county, transfer to the trolley in Old Town to go to Mission Valley. Generally, Trolley/train access is better than bus service because they are on their own track and is not affected by traffic conditions.

[zzeezzee]

Originally Posted by iwa808

My husband and I will be relocating to San Diego, and we are looking for a house to rent near Camp Pendleton. My husband's job will be closest to the Pulgas gate of CP, and so far we have been looking at single family homes for rent in Oceanside or Carlsbad in order to minimize his commute to work. However, my job will likely have me commuting to San Diego/Mission Valley, which seems to be a long commute. Is there a nice area that would be a happy medium for both of us? How bad a commute would it be from Carlsbad or Oceanside to SD? Is there any mass transit available to San Diego?

As someone previously mentioned, there are buses and the trolley. Depending on where in San Diego you're headed, the commute from base is about an hour, give or take.

However, if you plan to rely on public transit, I would recommend living around Mission Valley and having your husband commute north. It's not much more expensive compared to Oceanside or especially Carlsbad, and you'd have a much easier time getting around.

If you want to take public transit and be near base, I cannot stress how important it is to stay in Oceanside rather than spreading out to Vista, Fallbrook, etc. It's night and day as far as mobility is concerned, even with simple things like sidewalks and crosswalks.

[iwa808]

Thanks for the info!

[sav858]

The commute north to Camp Pendleton from central San Diego is going to be a lot easier than the commute south from Oside/Carlsbad to SD. Basically the heaviest traffic is heading towards the Sorrento Valley/Sorrento Mesa/Carmel Valley/UTC area where all the office parks are. So points north will have heavy traffic southbound in the am and points south it will be northbound. I find the 805 to be a lot worse than the 5 when heading Northbound from Mission Valley in the am.

I'd try for somewhere between Solana Beach and University City/Clairemont.