Encinitas/Cardiff/Solana Beach (San Diego, Carlsbad: rental, condos, mobile home)

[SDNewbie]

I'm moving to SD with my family in about two weeks. We will search for a house when we arrive. I'm hoping to get feedback on the above areas as places to live -- i.e., how are the schools, recreation, etc., and what is the general vibe? Also interested in estimates on the commute from the above to Sorrento Valley.

Thanks in advance for all responses.

[Fullback]

all are good places to live, and to avoid and not contribute to traffic, take the COASTER which stops in Encinitas, Solana Beach and Sorrento Valley. I believe they even have a shuttle service in SV to get you to work...monthly pass cost is so so, but no traffic, no accidents, etc

[Sampaguita]

I've been spending a lot of time in Encinitas/Cardiff lately because 2 of my closest friends recently moved there. We were in that area all day today & we felt a pretty-laid back atmosphere. Encinitas has a charming "downtown" - old Encinitas on Coast Hwy - lots of good eateries and not far from beach. Housing in both Encinitas & Cardiff is pricey...everything that we were attracted to was in the upper 1-2 milions (yikes!). But, if you go on Zillow.com & type in 92024 or 92007 (Encinitas & Cardiff respectively) you'll see what home values are projected to be.

With my classical music background, I wanted to check out Cardiff's "Composer District". Zillow shows that most of the homes start in the low 1 millions (condos at around 600k+). Still too rich for me.

If we eventually move North (as we expect to do in the next couple of years), we will probably end up in the Cardiff/Encinitas area. Originally, I had thought about the Del Sur/Carmel Valley area, but Cardiff/Encinitas' fits our personalities much better.

Sorry...I do not know much about Sorrento Valley except that my friend's husband takes the coaster in Encinitas to his job in Sorrento Valley.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by SDNewbie

I'm moving to SD with my family in about two weeks. We will search for a house when we arrive. I'm hoping to get feedback on the above areas as places to live -- i.e., how are the schools, recreation, etc., and what is the general vibe? Also interested in estimates on the commute from the above to Sorrento Valley.

Thanks in advance for all responses.

It's an area that has gone from sleepy middle class beach town to uber-wealthy enclave over the past 20 years. There are still plenty of shabby beach shacks right next to multi-million dollar modern mansions. It's great to see all the unrenovated 50's and 60's ranchers still alive and kicking up there. It's still got the laid-back surfer vibe but the old-schoolers are slowly and gradually being replaced with the nouveau-riche from all over SoCal, ripping down those ranchers and putting up concrete n' glass mini-bunkers.

Solana Beach is probably the most consistently upscale being closest to Del Mar, with Encinitas in the middle and Leucadia the funkiest of all the areas. After that you hit Carlsbad and the North County density and tracti-ness set in.

There are great little downtowns on PCH with a mix of old-school diners, nice restaurants, funky little shops and upscale boutiques. It's truly one of the last real beach towns in SoCal. My guess is that in 20 years it will look a lot more like Del Mar or Laguna Beach than it does today. It is already extremely expensive and doesn't really seem to be getting any cheaper.

As for traffic, it frankly is among the worst in San Diego and the I-5 commute from Encinitas to Sorrento Mesa / UTC will be about 30-45 minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

[AnotherBravesFan]

I've been doing some appraisal work there lately. Lomas Santa Fe seems to have bumper-to-bumper traffic trying to get on/off I-5 and into the shopping centers at all hours between 9 & 5. Very frustrating. I'd try to avoid that area if possible. West of 5 is seeing a lot of rehabs, tear downs, and "mansionization" due to high land values. East of 5 more "tract"y, but with some hilltop and lagoon views and some lots close to 1/2 acre. Hope that helps.

[bodah]

we are thinking of moving to Encinitas from the Seattle area. I have researched 55 and over mobile home parks. I have found them to be very comparable in price for the mobile home and lot rental to Seattle. That was a nice surprise for me being that Encinitas is not cheap to buy into. I will be 55 soon.

[Kaycee]

We moved to Encinitas last December and we absolutely love it. It's a very laid-back beach town with a great vibe. We rent, and we don't think rental prices are bad at all, especially compared to what it would cost to buy. We're perfectly happy renting for now. We'll reassess the situation if the housing market here changes.

My husband works in Sorrento Valley. He takes the Coaster to work. It takes 20 minutes on the train, then about 10 more minutes on the shuttle bus to his office building. On the rare occasions when he needs to drive, it takes about half an hour in the morning if he leaves early enough, and anywhere from an hour to two hours in the evening. We highly recommend taking the Coaster if you move to any of the communities you mentioned.

My son goes to La Costa Canyon High School and so far we've been pleased. From what I hear, all the schools in this area are very good.