Carlsbad and San Diego (Oceanside, Escondido: apartments, house, safe area)

[haripinc]

I just got an offer for a job in Carlsbad. Do you suggest to live in Carlsbad area (Carlsbad, San Marcos) or in San Diego? San Diego definitely is better in term of food, activity, etc. How is the commute?

Thanks for commenting.

[sav858]

I lived in Pacific Beach and commuted to Carlsbad off Palomar Airport Rd for four years. The commute was doable for me but some people have different thresholds for what they can stand. It was usually around 45 minutes door to door in the morning, 5-10min was just sitting in line to get on the freeway because the PB northbound 5 on ramp sucks. Evenings were worse though, 45 min to an hour usually, sometimes up to 90 minutes in bad Thu/Fri evening rush hour traffic during summer. Summer evening traffic is worse compared to the rest of the year.

I did this commute because I didn't want to live in Carlsbad or anywhere north of the 52 freeway. I just find Central SD more vibrant with more things to see and do and has more character and interesting communities overeall. North County is very nice but just wasn't a place I wanted to live in at the time.

[Encinitan]

Do you have a family? Are you married? What kinds of things are important to you? If you're looking to hit the bar scene every weekend, then Carlsbad is probably not for you. If, however, you have kids or are married and looking to start a family or you just like to live in a quiet safe area, then Carlsbad or adjoining areas such as Encinitas, etc. could be for you. You'll find many people on here think the world stops at the 56 and that life can only exist in North Park, but I would tend to disagree.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

Do you have a family? Are you married? What kinds of things are important to you? If you're looking to hit the bar scene every weekend, then Carlsbad is probably not for you. If, however, you have kids or are married and looking to start a family or you just like to live in a quiet safe area, then Carlsbad or adjoining areas such as Encinitas, etc. could be for you. You'll find many people on here think the world stops at the 56 and that life can only exist in North Park, but I would tend to disagree.

give me a break

[Snort]

Save your gas money and aggravating commute and live in Carlsbad. There are good restaurants there, as well as up and down the coast. Unless you have to live in a city, Carlsbad will suit you fine.

[sdhkshdcny09]

provide more details about your interests or what you are looking for. You basically said "Hi i'm looking for a home in san diego or carlsbad area" That's like 400 sq miles with over 1.5 million residents. Kinda hard to pinpoint an area for you....

I am not a big fan of commuting, so I would recommend living in North County. It's not as hip as SD, but there are some more lively areas....Carlsbad Village, downtown encinitas, etc. Plus, Carlsbad, San Marcos, and Encinitas all have a good selection of restaurants

[haripinc]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have a family with an infant. My wife is a piano teacher so she is flexible in her work. At first, she was worried being a bit far from the city for errands (IKEA) and things to do (Balboa park, etc). However, after your comments for 45 minutes commutes, we decided to live near Carlsbad.

Interestingly, when I visited for an interview couple weeks ago, Carlsbad - San Diego trip at 5 pm on Monday only took about 20 minute-ish which was not bad at all. I guess this is an anomaly.

We are trying to live in a house so we don't have to deal with noise and other apartments issues. If I am wrong, please let me know the apartment/community to live.

I have been looking at Craigslist for Carlsbad, Encinitas, San Marcos and Del Mar (is this too far?). So far it's not that easy with budget under 2000 for 2 bedroom and a big dog .

[sav858]

North County is better for families in general, prob a better choice there.

Monday is the lightest day for traffic, they get progressively worse throughout the week.

[haripinc]

I will be visiting again this weekend to find a place to live.
Is there any area I should avoid? I read somewhere that Oceanside is not really desirable. San marcos and Escondido as well because of warmer climate.

Well, I am from Tucson, AZ. Our 'traffic jam' is 6 cars on the lights. I appreciate your input since I normally visited San Diego as a tourist.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by haripinc

I will be visiting again this weekend to find a place to live.
Is there any area I should avoid? I read somewhere that Oceanside is not really desirable. San marcos and Escondido as well because of warmer climate.

Well, I am from Tucson, AZ. Our 'traffic jam' is 6 cars on the lights. I appreciate your input since I normally visited San Diego as a tourist.

If I were you, during your visit, I'd drive down the coast Highway 101 from Carlsbad to Del Mar. Make some stops where things look interesting to you, check out the areas, and see what fits. If you want to venture out to Escondido or San Marcos, that's fine too. You should be able to nail down a spot to settle down pretty easy and anything from Del Mar north would be an easy 10-15 minute commute to Carlsbad. Enjoy your fact-finding trip!