Escondido living? (San Diego, Encinitas: to rent, affordable house, neighborhoods)

[DJJ125]

Hi, I'd like to get some information on Escondido. Is Escondido generally a younger or older population? Is is possible to commute from Escondido to San Diego, and would it be a long/rough commute? Are there good outdoor recreational activities nearby? Last but not least, are rents very high (in comparison to the large cities around it) in the area?

[oddstray]

I'm guessing (don't know for certain) that Escondido has an older population. I certainly wouldn't recommend a 20-something to live there. The commute from Escondido is tough, unless you go in during off-rush hours. There are lots of outdoor recreational activities nearby, and this is true in general of most of San Diego. Escondido has some better areas and some rougher areas, so if you find low rent in Escondido be sure to ask in this forum or elsewhere about the specific neighborhood.

Personally, I like Escondido with all its "flaws". I'm a bit put off that the powers-that-be would like to gentrify it. I think it'll lose a lot of its charm and character if that happens. It'll be just another RB, which is OK but boring.

[robinsito]

My girlfriend and I just moved to Escondido after grwoing up on the north county coastline(Encinitas, La Costa). I'm in my early 30's and she's in her late 20's. After spending some time looking for an affordable house to rent we decided Escondido was the best choice. We have a little mid century house in the old historic neighborhood. I work in San Diego and commute everyday around noon. Traffic isn't an issue but with gas prices the way they are it's a little rough. Although the gas prices are around $.30 cheaper than anywhere else I've seen in SD county. While looking for a house we made sure to stay away from the Midway area. Seems that that's the most concentrated area of gang and drug activity. Oddstray I think Escondido could use a little more gentrification. I grew up in North Park. 20 years ago it wasn't really a place people thought to visit or live if they didn't have to. Today it's a vibrant young community full of great restaurants, bars, art galleries. Grand Ave could use a little more of that.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

I agree with both posters above. However, I think that GOOD planning, by incorporating new and old can be done well if you have good leaders that think long and hard about creating a vision for their respective city. I have not been to downtown Esco in quite some time, but found it quite charming and very much in line with being a 'walkable' area with lots of potential.
For a people in their 20s? Man, I would be bored to tears based on what I have seen without really being near any central urban area.

I presume that some parts of Esco will have cheaper rents than others.

One regular poster here Jenkay had mentioned she does the reverse commute from SD>Esco. I am certain she would have some better input regarding that aspect.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by DJJ125

Hi, I'd like to get some information on Escondido. Is Escondido generally a younger or older population? Is is possible to commute from Escondido to San Diego, and would it be a long/rough commute? Are there good outdoor recreational activities nearby? Last but not least, are rents very high (in comparison to the large cities around it) in the area?

IMHO, Escondido is the pit of North County. It has the (overall) worst schools in North county, the highest crime, and is not well maintained. Of course, this is a huge generalization of a city with over 140,000 people. There are beautiful neighborhoods (with good schools and little crime) scattered in the hills towards the Northern, Eastern, and Southern parts of the city. You just have to be careful about which area you choose because it is a city of huge contrasts.

Escondido is 50% bad and 50% nice . The worst neighborhoods are in the center of the valley around downtown. Since Escondido has a very large hispanic population (relative to North County), the population is younger than nearby communities. The commute is 45 minutes without any traffic, so I think it is fair to call it a rough commute.

Escondido probably has the lowest rents in North County because it is far inland and is less desirable.

Escondido does have some great recreation, however. Fishing, horseback riding, hiking, roller hockey, etc. Pretty much everything you can think of. Just remember that Escondido is further inland and can get pretty hot in the summer. Probably 5-10 days pushing 100 in the summer (this is pretty warm to me).