Tierrasanta vs Clairemont vs Mira Mesa (San Diego, San Carlos: middle-class, 2011, for rent)

[gladysb2]

Greetings! We are relocating to SD this summer and are heavily researching homes to rent. After much consideration, and elimination of many areas based on things like cost, commute times, schools, crime, etc. have settled on one of these three areas:

• Tierrasanta
• Clairemont
• Mira Mesa

Like any family we have multiple considerations. For the most part, from what we have seen, the homes for rent in these areas are roughly withing the same price range. So, with $ not being a factor, I'd be interested in hearing peoples thoughts on our particular needs in respect to each of these spots.

Me: I will likely be working dowtown, so ease of commute and times are important.

Wife: Will be full time phd student at UCSD. For her closer to campus is best.

Kids: This is the big one. Three kids, 2 in school, so public schools are of paramount importance, espcially safety. We are pretty involved so we can overlook some "test score" & API issues if the school's environment is solid.

Family: As a family we are fairly active outdoor people. Parks and the like are important. Looking for diverse neighborhoods with kids and other families too, so the kids are able to make new friends and acclimate to the new digs that much quicker.

We BOTH seem to like what we see in Clairemont, but of the three it seems to have school choices that are not ideal.

For reasons I can't explain I personally seem drawn to Tierrasanta and my wife is drawn more to Mira Mesa listings.

SO, between the three...best schools? Best/tolerable commutes? Family areas? Other considerations I have not taken into account?

Thanks much in advance.

[Sassberto]

Tierrasanta is a much nicer area than Mira Mesa. Elementary / Middle schools are comparable but Mira Mesa has the better high school. Clairemont is probably inbetween, depending on exactly the neighborhood, but beyond elementary, schools decline in a big way.

Personally I would easily choose Tierrasanta (the older, non-tract section) hands down. It has great access to Mission Trails park, urban canyons, and a much more quiet, private, and less commercial setting than either Clairemont or Mira Mesa. You might also want to look at Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, San Carlos as well, as they feed to Patrick Henry which is a lot better than Serra.

[esmith143]

As always, Sassberto is spot on. Tierrasanta is nice, but overpriced (IMHO) and the high school is not particularly good.

If you're looking at Tierrasanta, you should be able to afford University City. It's practically next door from the university, the high school is better than in Tierrasanta or Clairemont (on par with Mira Mesa), two big canyons nearby. Try to settle east of Genesee (better elementary).

[gladysb2]

University City was on the list, but right now at least, there doesn't seem to be much available. Still check from time to time, but these three seem to have the most inventory.

Thanks both! Good input, has me leaning Tierrasanta way a bit more...

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by gladysb2

University City was on the list, but right now at least, there doesn't seem to be much available. Still check from time to time, but these three seem to have the most inventory.

Thanks both! Good input, has me leaning Tierrasanta way a bit more...

I think if you can afford it, University City is going to have the best combination of nice homes and good schools. It tends to be more expensive than the other areas mentioned though.

As for Tierrasanta, there is an expensive part and a less expensive part. There are sections which are very dense tracts with tiny yards (mostly 80's) and then some other sections that are older with larger lots. If you look on google maps, the nicer area is called "Eastern" and it straddles Rueda rd. I think that if you are looking at homes comparable to Clairemont and Mira Mesa, it might be the more dense, less desirable part, called "Tierrasanta" on Google maps.

[gladysb2]

thanks again Sassberto. I am really drawn to the central location of Clairemont...too bad about the schools. I have wonder why this is. Seems like with homes in that price range would have better school scores. Strange.

I agree University City as well is a great location. We stayed near there and drove through a bunch when we visited, and are definitely drawn there as well. Just not seeing much available, esp. when you factor in we need 4 bedrooms ideally (3 kids, no good room-sharing options) PLUS we have dogs. The dogs eliminate at least half or more of the listings out there. At this point I am not holding out hope, though always on the lookout.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by gladysb2

thanks again Sassberto. I am really drawn to the central location of Clairemont...too bad about the schools. I have wonder why this is. Seems like with homes in that price range would have better school scores. Strange.

It is unfortunately typical of most older middle-class SoCal urban locations. They have bad schools. The problem is too complicated to discuss in this thread but it's a statewide problem for the most part, LA and San Diego somewhat moreso than SF Bay area.

[jghall00]

I live in Tierrasanta.

For schools: check out schoolperformancemaps.com

Commute: a non-issue. 15 or 163 to downtown in 20 minutes. 52 to ucsd in 15 minutes. no traffic either way.

Parks. The elementary and middle schools have play areas, and there is a community park. TS also has many canyon trails, and is close to Mission Trails park.

For me, the best parts of TS are the schools and convenience to the rest of San Diego. I think it's a great place for families. I don't know about the other neighborhoods. This is the only one I've every lived in here in San Diego.

If I had to come up with a downside, I'd say the people aren't as outgoing as I would like for them to be. They seem to be helicopter parents that keep to themselves.

[sav858]

Newsweek just came out with a list of America's Top 1,500 High Schools and many SD schools made the list, including Clairemont and Mira Mesa surprisingly. Since most people seem to rank the quality of schools based on just test scores alone I think this list is worth a look.

SD: America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

entire list: America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

[NorthSDLifer]

Originally Posted by sav858

Newsweek just came out with a list of America's Top 1,500 High Schools and many SD schools made the list, including Clairemont and Mira Mesa surprisingly. Since most people seem to rank the quality of schools based on just test scores alone I think this list is worth a look.

Nope, everybody does their own in-depth research before joining that all-too-familiar chorus.