east chula vista (San Diego, Compton, Bell: real estate market, rental, condos)

[pinal]

Hi ,

I have gotten some wonderful info. on this forum. We are moving to chula vista in april and are looking at possible rental condos/townhouses in the eastern chula vista area. I will be working in otay mesa and my husband in bostonia. With the new freeway open, will it help with the commute.

Are there any good gated communities/townhouses for rent -4 bdrm or so. Which are the better elementary schools in the area. I am asian american, will diversity be something I can look forward to. Is it better to rent or even think about buying. We loved the area with new shopping and restaurants and such when we visited.

thanks
pinal

[Smelly Belly]

The "freeway" (125) is a tollway and it will eat up your budget quick. If you get a fasttrack it will cost you 75c to get to otay ranch... but your husband will pay at least $2.25 each way just to connect to the 54 which is only one exit away. My advice to him would be to take either Proctor Valley Road or Coral Springs to Bonita, then go down Briarwood to catch the 54, which connects to the 125 (which is free north of the 54). Pretty much all the schools in Eastlake are good. Plenty of diversity, and the good kind, not ghetto people. Lots of professionals of all races. It is a bit plastic though. Stay away from the area surrounding Walmart, it's a special low-income housing area and tacky tacky tacky, filled with loud obnoxious brats running around unsupervised. I like Eastlake Greens best. Eastlake Shores is also really nice. They are the older, more established areas. Some of the new developments with their million dollar homes are filled with Tijuana trash (drug lords, etc.). Behind all that marble is dirty drug money and other new money of dubious origin. Bonita is by far superior to eastlake, with more established families and less of a McMansion-esque vibe. It is more genteel, not so flashy/brashy (like eastlake). But to each his own taste. I wouldn't venture out west of the 805 unless I had a death wish, though unless you are visiting the downtown area along third avenue, which is cute. Everywhere else is like a Boyz in da Hood movie. I like La Bella Pizza Garden on Third. It's family owned and like all the other establishments along that cozy strip, full of history. No Starbucks encroachment yet!

[sdlife619]

Dang, Smelly Belly is right on the money. Good post

Eastlake is very plasticky, it's too cookie cutter for me ( I hate master planned crap anways). I like the older parts of Chula Vista a lot better, so what if it looks sorta like LA, it has more of a neighborhood feel, many great dining place to eat at, you can walk to stores, while in Eastlake it feels like your far away from everything, it's wayyyyyy tooooo suburban.

[blakazdog]

Originally Posted by sdlife619

Dang, Smelly Belly is right on the money. Good post

Eastlake is very plasticky, it's too cookie cutter for me ( I hate master planned crap anways). I like the older parts of Chula Vista a lot better, so what if it looks sorta like LA, it has more of a neighborhood feel, many great dining place to eat at, you can walk to stores, while in Eastlake it feels like your far away from everything, it's wayyyyyy tooooo suburban.

thats what i'm talkin about.

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by blakazdog

thats what i'm talkin about.

Yep
I agree with your agree.
I lived in the older side for 18 years and I've lived out here on the Eastside for the last 28 months and I still don't understand how people live over here at times.It's a little weird but at the same time I sort of like the convenience that some Eastside developments have to offer.

[kcda]

I like all the retail and restaurants available now on the eastside. I also like the master planned communities and all they have to offer. Lots of parks, trails, pools, fields, gyms, rec centers all very new and manicured. Yes, there is a bit of a cookie cutter feel to some of the neighborhoods but not all of them. It's a bit like Disneyland, very manicured and clean (which I happen to like). I lived in Bonita but actually prefer Eastlake/Rolling Hills. Bonita can be shabby and some areas are too close to "bad areas".

[jkoz]

Originally Posted by Smelly Belly

Stay away from the area surrounding Walmart, it's a special low-income housing area and tacky tacky tacky, filled with loud obnoxious brats running around unsupervised

Best Walmart in San Diego. I find it less crowded, better stocked and very helpful friendly staff. I stay away from all the other Walmarts now. Otay-Eastlake Walmart is going to be a Super Walmart in the fall

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by jkoz

Best Walmart in San Diego. I find it less crowded, better stocked and very helpful friendly staff. I stay away from all the other Walmarts now. Otay-Eastlake Walmart is going to be a Super Walmart in the fall

No way!!!
Chula Vista is stepping it's consumer game up.BJ's,In N Out,Furniture stores off of Fenton and Otay Lakes,and other places that you would not expect in the South Bay.

[usmingan]

Originally Posted by jkoz

Best Walmart in San Diego. I find it less crowded, better stocked and very helpful friendly staff. I stay away from all the other Walmarts now. Otay-Eastlake Walmart is going to be a Super Walmart in the fall

agreed!! if I need to go to Walmart, that's the one I pick.

also... in response to some of the other posts... west of the 805 is not that bad. it doesn't look as pretty, but it's not like living in Compton. would I prefer to live east of the 805, yes... but I'm just saying the west side isn't that bad.

I moved out here from DC and sometimes I think people in San Diego don't understand how not bad this city really is. it has it's places, but not nearly as bad as LA or DC.

[yankee.peddler]

Over the past eight years I've marveled at how much development has occurred in this area. With that said, is this area being particularly hard hit by the downtown in the real estate market?