Eastlake / Bonita Questions (San Diego, Chula Vista, Vista: big house, safe area, school)

[bloom girl]

Hi again,
could I trouble you for some more guidance please (UK family with SD dream)....

Have been looking at Eastlake as you suggested - big houses but it does look a little sterile....my manin concern is will it have parks, stores, library etc that I can walk to with the kids? I prefer not to have to jump in the car every day to find entertainment...does this rule Eastlake out do you think?

I am conscious however that we are only going to be in SD for 9months or so and I need to make my husbands commute to Rosarito work...so we have ruled South Park out sadly.... I started to wonder also about Bonita...what are your thoughts on this area for young families? Also, do you think my husbands trolley commute to the border would be quicker from here?

Thanks in advance for your help, this forum is so helpful

[soymabelen]

I am sorry I cannot help you with your specific questions. We only relocated to San Diego a couple of months ago ourselves and we are in North County inland.

One question I have is why are you totally ruling Rosarito out? Mind you I am asking genuinelly, I really don't know much about the area, except I went there for a week over 15 years ago for a family vacation and I had a great time! I know Tijuana right now is a bad choice for a family because of the drug related violence. Is that the same in Rosarito or is it far enough from the border to be safe? If it is a safe area, wouldn't it be great to immerse yourselves in Mexican life and even get to learn some Spanish? Your kids will be soon in school back in the UK and they will have to learn two foreign languages throughout their academic lives. Spanish would be a good choice, especially if they get a kick start! You may have considered this possibility already, so please disregard this if that's the case, it's just a thought. You could always spend some time in San Diego, but your husband wouldn't have to commute and he'd be around you guys more to enjoy the experience as a family.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by soymabelen

One question I have is why are you totally ruling Rosarito out?

Baja Calif. police decapitation suspects interviewed

"Mexican authorities are interviewing six people they believe are linked to or have information on this week's decapitation murders of three police officers and a civilian in Rosarito Beach, "

[soymabelen]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Baja Calif. police decapitation suspects interviewed

"Mexican authorities are interviewing six people they believe are linked to or have information on this week's decapitation murders of three police officers and a civilian in Rosarito Beach, "

Got it. Not safe in Rosarito. Welcome to San Diego!

That's really sad... I am still mourning myself the fact that for the first time in 20 years since I left Spain I am living so close to a Spanish speaking country and yet I cannot enjoy its cultural offerings for my children

[bloom girl]

Hi soymabelen, thanks for your post....I think Sassberto post says it all....I don't think I feel gritty and adventurous enough to take on that much local excitement!

The spanish/mexican experience will be a lost opportunity but more than compensated by the adventure of San Diego living I think....SO back to the research again...and another plea to all out there for advice...

Bonita vs Eastlake anybody?

[thepinksquid]

Originally Posted by bloom girl

Bonita vs Eastlake anybody?

I prefer Bonita. Easlake is very nice, and very new...but kind of boring. Lots of large houses on small lots, road and road. Not by any means a bad area though. Bonita is a bit more established... nice homes nestled in hills surrounding a large, scenic golf course. If you search for Bonita in the San Diego forums you'll probably get a better description that I provided!

PS-Welcome to the US. I'm a dual Irish-US citizen myself...much of my family lives in Ireland.

[bloom girl]

Bonita does have some good feedback on this forum...plenty of people say its near to stuff but is it a walkable neighborhood? One of my key requirements is being able to walk to parks, shops etc with the kids...I am very keen to avoid having to drive everyday and for everything...

I'll pick Eastlake over Bonita if its got more walkability (not sure if thats actually a word but you get my drift!)

[soymabelen]

There is a website that will rate an address according to how walkable it is:

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address

It's not perfect but it will give you an idea. Above all, remember this is the USA. Most areas are developped with the car in mind. The address where I live here now gets a score of 32 out of 100. I can easily walk to the school, a couple of playgrounds and a couple of 7/11 type of stores. Everything else is nearby but more within very easy driving range rather than walking range, or if you are brave enough, you could try biking.

[jksouthbay88]

I would take Eastlake over Bonita any day.Though I love the South Bay Bonita and IB are two places I just never was a fan of.There will be no confusion on what city you live in if your in Eastlake,more shopping,more to do,might be a little cheaper and there seems to be more community pride there than in Bonita.

[Surfer619]

Originally Posted by bloom girl

Hi again,
could I trouble you for some more guidance please (UK family with SD dream)....

Have been looking at Eastlake as you suggested - big houses but it does look a little sterile....my manin concern is will it have parks, stores, library etc that I can walk to with the kids? I prefer not to have to jump in the car every day to find entertainment...does this rule Eastlake out do you think?

I am conscious however that we are only going to be in SD for 9months or so and I need to make my husbands commute to Rosarito work...so we have ruled South Park out sadly.... I started to wonder also about Bonita...what are your thoughts on this area for young families? Also, do you think my husbands trolley commute to the border would be quicker from here?

Thanks in advance for your help, this forum is so helpful

Eastlake (Chula Vista) is very nice and fairly reasonably priced. Most of the area is fairly new and they just completed a new toll road (125 South from Spring Valley to the Mexican Border) through the heart of that area.

The only thing you might not like is the commute time, especially if you are trying to get into Mexico. Once you finally make it through the border entrance, you still have a ways to go to rosarito. It's about a half-hour drive on the toll road (Mexico HWY 1). Good luck!