Commute time to NAS from Mission Hills, Hillcrest, North Park, South Park (San Diego: rental, house)

[possum_magic]

So I am now actively searching for a place to rent Mid June/early July. Our preference atm is Coronado as my other half will be working at the NAS, North Island. However, it appears that rental prices are a smidgen out of our price range. It is definitely doable, but we'd just make it.

In the event we can't find a place in Coronado, I have spread my search to Mission Hills, Hillcrest, North Park, South Park and maybe Point Loma (we have been instructed to live an 18.5 mile round trip by road [or ferry!] to North Island).

I would like to hear from people who work on North Island or in Coronado and live in any of the aforementioned suburbs (or a suburb just as close to North Island, except Downtown). We want to live in a family house or town home.

I have heard so many conflicting stories about commute times across the bridge. So, if you don't mind, I would really prefer to hear from people who actually do the commute or know someone well, who does and has the exact commute times (or approximations).

I have heard it can sometimes take hours to cross the bridge, but I imagine not everyone who works at the NAS lives on Coronado, so surely they are getting to work on time.

TIA

[moved]

I've heard that the time it takes to cross the bridge depends on how many ships are in port. I interviewed for a job at NASNI a couple of years ago, and that's what they told me.

[bloom]

all doable from those locations with certainly much less than 1 hour.
averaging 30 min

[possum_magic]

Wow, that long! Even within the 18.5 mile round trip rule?

[bloom]

What is the '18.5 mile round trip rule'?
30 min is not long, no?
My guidelines for commuting (one-way):
<20 min very good
<30 min good
30-45 min acceptable
45-60 min tough
>60 min lower quality of life

[possum_magic]

Originally Posted by bloom

What is the '18.5 mile round trip rule'?
30 min is not long, no?
My guidelines for commuting (one-way):
<20 min very good
<30 min good
30-45 min acceptable
45-60 min tough
>60 min lower quality of life

It's a military exchange rule. Not from the US military. We are coming over on exchange and we have been directed to live with 18.5 mile round trip from the base.

Bloom, your POV is quite reasonable when you put it like that.

[Clevelandgal]

South Park is the closest (although none are a bad commute) and its a real nice neighborhood to boot. Nice walking, cafes, pleasant homes and so on. The issue is finding something. Renting or buying is tough. Low inventory being a huge issue.

[possum_magic]

There seems to be a hardly anything on Craigslist.

[T. Damon]

I'll ask my Lt. Commander buddy across the street who commutes to Coronado daily (he goes down across from the SEAL base now but used to have to to the North Island gig) from South Park. As others have noted much depends on what ships are in and any flexibility you might have to avoid peak times.

North Park is going to be effectively the same- you just shoot on over to Pershing and down. There will be more options in North Park but you'll really want to try to stick to the Morely Field and Altadena areas, both sides of 30th street preferably south of Dwight.

[Tedsterman]

I was stationed on North Island for three years and use to live in Univeristy Heights near North Park.

With no carriers in port it's a smooth 15 minute commute.
One carrers in port add 10 minutes
Two carriers add an additional 15 minutes
Three carriers in port add an addtional 15 minutes.
Suicide jumper on the bridge, indefinite, recommend coming up the strand (30-35 minutes).

The longest wait is from the beginning of the Coronado Bridge to NAS entrance, can be stop and go. With two carriers in port, expect to wait 25-35 minutes on the bridge to the entrance (on a good day).

If schools are not an issue consider the western part of Imperial Beach near the beach, which has nice areas. If schools are important, bite the bullet and live in Coronado which had the highest ranking Academic Performance Index of any San Diego County school district in 2012. Rents for a 3 bedroom home in the Cays and the Village run $2,800 to $3,500, and you don't have to send your kids to private schools.