Young Family relocating to San Diego for Residency needing advice

[RunMichelle]

I lived in Oceanside for 3.5 years with a newborn through almost his third birthday. 2004-2008 We lived off of College and Oceanside Blvd in one of the Rancho Del Oro neighborhoods. I felt extremely safe and both my husband and I would go running, alone, without a single issue.

Also for price example. $1500 for an apartment West of the 1-5 sounds likely but we were only paying $1600 for our 3bed2bath 2 car garage single family home. We were maybe 5 miles straight down from the Ocean. Of course it was cookie cutter but had parks galore, walking paths, and great elementary schools. Of course this was also almost three years ago so just food for thought.

Maybe Oceanside has gone down hill since mid 2008 but for the years we lived there I was very happy and never felt unsafe.

[cruitr]

Carmel Valley is very safe, close to the beach, and located between La Jolla & Oceanside. If you look around a bit, you'll probably find something in your price range.

Here's a Carmel Valley rental example: Camino Villas 2BR/2BA downstairs condo (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/apa/2120562908.html - broken link)

[DCStudent]

I have been looking on Craiglist at places in the south portion of Oceanside and Carlsbad. I've found some decent apartments in these areas that are within our price range but of course Craigslist ads are not always the most honest. Also are there any specific areas (apartment complexes) to avoid at all cost?

Also is Cardiff-by-the-Sea a nice area?

Originally Posted by makingcoffee

Hi DCStudent -- here's my rundown of the neighborhoods from north-south. Hope it helps...

Oceanside itself is probably the most affordable, but I'm not sure I'd call it safe. It's a military town, so there are a lot of car repair shops and the like. There's a little more crime there too. There are pockets that are nice though. The long commute to points south might get on your nerves.

Carlsbad is next to Oceanside and is a nice, lovely, family-friendly beach town (I live there now). It's more affordable than places further south. I pay $1200 rent for 750 sq ft 2BR/1BA place, and I can walk to the beach in 15 mins. The downside is the commute to La Jolla: 45 mins during rush hour.

Leucadia-Encinitas is right in between Oceanside and La Jolla, and has a hippie/beach vibe. Encinitas is the more developed area, but it's more expensive. You might have to look more inland towards Olivehain ... but the further inland you go the more suburban and "cookie cutter" it gets. Leucadia is less developed but might be more affordable. Their motto is "Keep Leucadia Funky" and has more of an artistic/hippie feel. Again, more inland = more affordable = more cookie cutter.

[cruitr]

Try this site: Apartment Ratings :: The leading source of apartment reviews by renters for renters.

Yes, Cardiff is nice.

[djxpress]

If I was you, doc, I'd stick to Leucadia or Cardiff/Encinitas. However, it may be hard to find anything close to the beach in those areas for $1500, unless you're looking for a studio or 1 bedroom.

[CapObvious]

Anyone have any opinion on vista, ca? ive been looking at housing around the area, and vista has been coming up on trulia, etc, with some affordable houses, nice land, updated kitchens etc.

[DCStudent]

Originally Posted by CapObvious

Anyone have any opinion on vista, ca? ive been looking at housing around the area, and vista has been coming up on trulia, etc, with some affordable houses, nice land, updated kitchens etc.

I took a week and visited all the neighborhoods and apartment complexes I could last month.

Vista was a nice area especially south of the 78. I was looking mainly in, and west, of the Shadowridge area. I went north of the 78 a couple times to check out specific places and was a bit sketched out (but take that with a grain of salt because I only saw a very small portion of the area). Bella Terra apartments and the apartment complexes right around the shadow ridge golf course all had reasonable prices, good updates on their units, and felt very safe.

I really loved the Carlsbad, La Costa, Encinitas, and Rancho Santa Fe areas. Unfortunately, many of the complexes would only hold apartments 30 days and we aren't planning to move until the end of May. (Hopefully things will still be available.)

Hope this helps!

[DCStudent]

Don't know if anyone still reads this thread...
I had direct question about where we ended up, so I thought I'd post a quick update.

We ended up in Encinitas, about a couple miles or so East of the beach (an easy bike ride there, but all up hill coming back.) We love it here! Knowing what I know now, I might have started out renting an apartment in south Carlsbad first though, just because jobs are hard to find (as we were warned) and my husband had a rough time finding steady full-time work, which meant eating into most of our savings.

In Encinitas you are looking at a minimum of around $1500 monthly for a decent 2 bedroom place. We lucked out and found an apartment for right at $1500 with over a 1000sq.ft. (2bed/2bath) and we love it.

[Clevelandgal]

a lot may depend on when you are commuting. It is obviously best to go against traffic (traffic primary heads toward downtown in the am, reserve in the PM). When you narrowed down your criteria you kind of lost that not cookie cutter thing. I definitely think north county can get more cookie cutter, but while you are in your residency being close to work and being able to spend time with family instead of a long commute is a priority I am sure. If decide you like it here and get a permanent position, then the county will be your oyster so to speak and you can get more things on your wish list.