Kensington Freeway Noise? (San Diego: lease, houses, neighborhood)

[SDBound2012]

Hi-
My family and I are relocating to San Diego and are looking at renting a house in Kensington north of Adams. The only drawback we can see is that it backs up to the 15. It's up a hill and a couple hundred yards away, but still. What do you think? Will this be horribly loud? Would this deter you from renting an otherwise perfect house? Besides noise, is there some other downside to proximity to the freeway that we are not considering?
Thanks so much for your help! We are so excited to be moving to your city!

[cruitr]

Tolerance to road noise is a relative thing. What is "horribly loud" to you could be just background noise to someone else.

We live in Rose Canyon with the 5 right below us. Other than morning rush hour, we barely notice the road noise.

Kensington is a nice place with beautiful old houses. But if you're sensitive to road noise, check out the place both day and nite before you sign the lease. Living in a noisy house can make for a really bad San Diego experience.

[kettlepot]

Depending on the actual location and distance from the freeway, the noise may impair your desire to use the backyard. It could be loud enough that you really can't sit in the backyard and have a conversation. Visit the house, sit outside for a few minutes and see if you can hold a conversation.

There will also be the issue of soot from the cars, but frankly, I've had gray dust problems regardless of where I lived in San Diego.

Otherwise, Kensington is a very pleasant neighborhood with houses of character.

[Clevelandgal]

If the freeway is in a canyon you may not hear it. I currently live about 50 yards from 5 and cannot hear a thing...it is deep in the canyon. In the past when I lived near freeways it was almost white noise. The problem is if it is near a hill and trucks start engine braking.

[Jenkay]

The freeway is close as the crow flies, but it's way below Kensington in elevation. You shouldn't be terribly bothered by the freeway noise, unless you're incredibly sensitive.

[PollyGlott]

I second the advice to actually experience the noise level at various times of the day. The 15 runs quite a bit below the houses on the rim, but there is a constant drone from the traffic. I lived in Kensington for 12 years, was several blocks from the 15 on Alder Drive, but could sometimes here it in the early morning. Several houses on the rim have not sold due to the noise issue - it's really up to you to experience it and see for yourselves if it's "too much" or "bearable". Yes, Kensington is a lovely area, and close to everything.

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by PollyGlott

I second the advice to actually experience the noise level at various times of the day. The 15 runs quite a bit below the houses on the rim, but there is a constant drone from the traffic. I lived in Kensington for 12 years, was several blocks from the 15 on Alder Drive, but could sometimes here it in the early morning. Several houses on the rim have not sold due to the noise issue - it's really up to you to experience it and see for yourselves if it's "too much" or "bearable". Yes, Kensington is a lovely area, and close to everything.

Yeah, I live a few blocks off the 805 in North Park, and the only reason I know I can hear the noise from the freeway when I'm home is when I notice it's *not* there, like when I'm out at my folks' house in the 'burbs. In other words, it's just kind of a low-level white noise that I never notice. The freeway noise in Kensington is even less noticeable since the freeway is so far down in the valley.

There *are* days when you can hear it more, depending on atmospheric conditions- just like there are days when you can hear the train whistle all the way from downtown.

It really, really depends on how sensitive you are. I personally wouldn't hesitate to live in the area the OP is describing

[SDBound2012]

Thanks so much for all of the advice. I think we're going to go ahead and do it. The freeway is down in the canyon, the house is awesome, and we love the neighborhood. Unfortunately, because of work, etc., we are going to have to sign a lease before we're able to get out there again. I really appreciate all of the input.

[thepinksquid]

I live very close to the 805 (in Mission Valley, where there's the huge overpass) and I can hear the noise with the windows open at night sometimes, but it totally doesn't bother me. Oddly enough, I kind of enjoy the light "white noise" of a nearby highway. You're a pretty good deal above it in Kensington--I wouldn't worry. That's a wonderful area!

[kettlepot]

In my experience, it is much easier for road noise to travel "up" than it is for it to travel "down". Therefore, you might have a better chance of escaping the noise living on the floor of Mission Valley, than you would living on a canyon rim in Kensington.