Encinitas -- info wanted on gated communities & thoughts (Carlsbad: townhomes, movie theater)

[MiriamR]

Hello,
Would appreciate information on gated or self-contained communities in Encinitas. We are interested in the sort of place that contains pools, tennis, etc. and either town homes or a mix of town homes and individual homes. Thanks for your help!

People we've spoken to and postings we've read here give favorable opinions on the area. Aside from what we hear can be a terrible commute, are there other negatives that should be considered?

[loveautumn]

I've lived in Encinitas a long time and I haven't really seen any gated communities there...I'm sure there are some, I don't travel into the side streets that much, but I don't think it's that prevalent. Rancho Santa Fe, yes, and probably some in Olivenhain and La Costa area. Hopefully others will have some better input on that.

As far as negatives, Encinitas has ALOT of strip malls all along El Camino Real and Encinitas Blvd. The benefit is we have almost every store and restaurant you can think of, but it does take away from the "charm" of the place.
Fridays and Saturdays are especially bumper to bumper.

There's no movie theatre close by, you have to go to La Costa.

[Axxlrod]

The only gated community I can think of in Encinitas is Sandalwood. The only other gated community I can think that is nearby is La Costa Ridge in Carlsbad.

Gated communities are pretty over-rated anyway.

[Encinitan]

There are not a lot of gated communities in Encinitas. Some in Leucadia, a few in Village Park, but not a lot.
If I might ask, why do you want to live in a gated community? What are you looking for?

[djxpress]

A majority of Encinitas was built in the 70s and before. Which, to my belief, was before the whole "gated" community thing was in vogue.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by MiriamR

Hello,
Would appreciate information on gated or self-contained communities in Encinitas. We are interested in the sort of place that contains pools, tennis, etc. and either town homes or a mix of town homes and individual homes. Thanks for your help!

People we've spoken to and postings we've read here give favorable opinions on the area. Aside from what we hear can be a terrible commute, are there other negatives that should be considered?

What you're looking for is more common in Carlsbad and San Marcos, areas developed in the 80's,90's, and 2000's. Much of Encinitas is pre-1970 and as such has no gates and no community centers.

[Encinitan]

The Village Park community of Encinitas seems to be what the OP is looking for. It's tract housing, but it's old enough (1974 or so) that it doesn't feel like the newer tract communities where you literally can't tell one from the next. There is a mix of large SF residences, townhomes, etc. with a large park/green belt running through the middle of it, where there are lots of community tennis courts, playgrounds, and swimming pools. It's just not gated, which is why I asked about why they wanted gated, since it seems like VP (bordered by El Camino Real, Encinitas Boulevard, Rancho Santa Fe Road and Leucadia Blvd) fits the bill otherwise.

[limitup]

Olivenhain has a few such as Wildflower estates. Or do you guys not consider that to be Encinitas?

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by limitup

Olivenhain has a few such as Wildflower estates. Or do you guys not consider that to be Encinitas?

I do. Encinitas is made up of Olivenhain, Cardiff by the Sea, Leucadia, Old (downtown Encinitas), and New (Village Park) Encinitas. And yes, you're right, there are more gated communities in Olivenhain, most of them holding a few really big lots and really big houses.

[djxpress]

Originally Posted by limitup

Olivenhain has a few such as Wildflower estates. Or do you guys not consider that to be Encinitas?

My view is a bit different on this than Encinitan's. I guess I consider Olivenhain "technically" Encinitas, but not really Encinitas. Like Cardiff and Leucadia, we always used to kind of treat them as their own towns.

There's a big difference between Olivenhain and what I always considered "new" Encinitas (the epicenter being El Camino Real and Encinitas Blvd). That's where we used to go to the movie theater (which is Staples now) and the video arcade.

And then there was good "old" Encinitas, up by the 101 and La Paloma. Great area to hit up a few bars, all within walking distance.