Moving to North County area

[Summertime]

First of all, I envy your chance to move to North County.
I wish I had never left there.

I lived in Fallbrook, a quaint but busy village.
I lived in Vista.... good markets.
I lived in Escondido.. hot in the summers.
I lived in San Marcos, which is always cooler in the
hot summer days .. there is always a breeze.

Off Rancho Santa Fe there is a housing complex
called Lake San Marcos, which has a lake, a restaurant,
an inn, and a small mall with a post office.

A few years ago it was possible to rent one of the
homes there.. I think they are either condos or
townhouses.. they all have nice gardens, garages,
and are older people who take care of their
homes and gardens.

That is where I would check first.. there is a real
estate office in the small mini-mall.

There is also a cafe and once there was a doctor.
Not sure if he is still alive.

Aside from Lake San Marcos, you could
google San Marcos rentals and find some
amazing looking apartments with pools
and not too spendy. I just did this and
several look inviting.. but there is nothing
like checking it out personally.

Escondido, though warmish, has some
outstanding restaurants, also. Chinn's Chinese,
Guadaljara Grill with wonderful tall, margaritas,
Hernando's Hideaway (off the beaten track).....
ah, to be there again.

The markets are very well-stocked, lots
of good varieties of food, even a health
store which is always hopping.

The only drawback is the traffic.. it can
be a bear. Highway 78 to Oceanside and
Carlsbad, I-15 to San Diego and Temecula,
Murietta.. very busy during commuter rush
hours. But for the climate, the people,
the whole scene of things to do, places
to go, it is worth it, I now find belatedly.

[notinkeys]

Fortunately for me, commute times won't be an issue, since I'll be telecommuting back to Virginia.

Warmish isn't an issue for me, so I'll check those areas you mentioned. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

[NLDC]

Carlsbad is a beautiful place to live and is very close to the beach, restaurants, and anything else you'll need. Oceanside and Vista both have their great and not so great areas. Rancho del Oro (oside) is a really beautiful area and is about a 10-15 min drive from the beach for me because of the back streets. If you're thinking cheaper rent the Shadowridge area (Vista) is also nice and quiet, it takes about the same amount of time to get to the beach because of the freeway.