Downsides to the Mission Valley area? (apartment complex, home, movie theaters)

[dexter14]

Ive lived in OC for awhile now but have always liked SD a lot and I am contemplating a move there. Visited many times, but visiting doesn't always give you the full picture of what a place is like all the time. I really like the MV area, specifically between the 805 and the 163, but I'd go as far west as the 5. Love the location because its right near all the things I like to do and its only 6 miles from downtown as well as the beach. So what are the downsides to this area? Thanks

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by dexter14

Ive lived in OC for awhile now but have always liked SD a lot and I am contemplating a move there. Visited many times, but visiting doesn't always give you the full picture of what a place is like all the time. I really like the MV area, specifically between the 805 and the 163, but I'd go as far west as the 5. Love the location because its right near all the things I like to do and its only 6 miles from downtown as well as the beach. So what are the downsides to this area? Thanks

It's dull, crammed with apartment buildings, etc.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by dexter14

Ive lived in OC for awhile now but have always liked SD a lot and I am contemplating a move there. Visited many times, but visiting doesn't always give you the full picture of what a place is like all the time. I really like the MV area, specifically between the 805 and the 163, but I'd go as far west as the 5. Love the location because its right near all the things I like to do and its only 6 miles from downtown as well as the beach. So what are the downsides to this area? Thanks

Traffic. Congestion. One huge apartment complex after another, dotted in between huge shopping malls. And did I mention traffic?

[1AngryTaxPayer]

They are building even more now too so it will only get worse.

[RainbowHope]

The are has a lot of traffic congestion, as mentioned here. But, if you live in the area next to the mall, you can get on the trolley there and get to Old Town and downtown pretty easily.

[mricu]

We lived in Mission Valley, but just east of the 15 by Qualcomm and loved it. In that area, traffic is only an issue on game days (8 days of the year).

Dowsides of the area I lived in:
- Your in the valley, so when it rains a little, there most likely will be flooding and streets will be closed off.
- Your on soft ground, so you will feel minor earthquakes (where I lived, we felt 2.0 earthquakes). Maybe it's just us because we come from the east coast and are sensitive to the earth moving beneath our feet.

I won't list what we liked because that would be a huge list ... so we would not hesitate to recommened that area to anyone.

[dexter14]

Thanks for the info so far. I actually find apartment complexes and huge shopping centers a plus. I may be living in one of those apartments and I'm not a fan of long drives. Having a mall, restaurants, movie theaters, book store etc...all within such a short distance is awesome. Similar to the area I'm in now in OC. I work from home so traffic doesn't bother me really, especially if everything I need is within a mile or so.

[malcorub16]

People here on CD love to bash Mission Valley, but the truth is there is a reason to why so many apartment complexes are being built...living in MV is central and convenient.

But since you asked specifically for downsides, abundance of homeless persons is a downside.

[loveautumn]

lots of traffic, but it is probably the best location as far as to being able to get to all other areas of SD, it's very central. Don't know how the area, traffic, etc. will be affected when they tear down Qualcomm and rebuild that land (that's yet to be determined) but it will be a big project for a long time. That's assuming the Chargers will be leaving.

If we do get an El Nino that area always floods a lot.