Relocating - where should we go!?!??! (San Diego, Santa Ana: house, school district, living)

[tofutie]

Hi - our family of 4 is considering moving to California from Colorado. Three of us have various chronic respiratory illnesses that make living at 5000+ feet difficult. My kids are 3 and 6.

We plan to visit and search around before making the big move, but I feel like there is so much you can't see or experience without actually living there...

Relevant info:
Housing budget up to about $3M (maybe a little more).
Do not have to worry about commute, my husband can set up shop anywhere.
My husband travels for work so proximity to an airport matters (an hour, tops).
Excellent schools and community are extremely important - we want a nice, family oriented town that isn't too snooty (yes, I know. It's California. I'm just want a town with a nice laid back vibe and people that are mostly kind and welcoming. We drove through Newport Beach and knew that wasn't for us, if that helps, haha).
My daughter has (very high fx) autism, so private schools are not really an option so much as a public school where she can be on an IEP. Access to ABA therapy and good services (occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc etc) are also important. Need a school that is willing, able, and happy to work with special needs kids.

Current towns we are looking at - La Jolla, Encinitas, Carlsbad...coastal towns rather than inland. If we are going to leave our beloved Colorado town, it better be to somewhere really beautiful and scenic and amazing!! We don't have to be on the beach, but a view would be a huge bonus!

Bonuses - a yard. A good size house (3000sf+). A view.

Thanks for any input!

[USDefault]

If proximity to airport is important, may want to put Point Loma and Sunset Cliffs on the list, possibly Ocean Beach as well. You can get to SAN without touching a freeway.

From La Jolla, Encinitas or Carlsbad, during commutes you will hit traffic, and a lot of it. And it can get really bad around La Jolla, from the 805 interchange to Gennessee, Gilman, and La Jolla Pkway. North of La Jolla, even longer. If you do wind up having to take the 5, you can take a couple different exits, though most likely you'll take Pacific Highway. But if you can avoid the nightmare that is "north county" traffic, it merits a very close look. Unfortunately, I think you will need to limit yourself to the 5, because the 15 and the 805 have even worse traffic and gridlock. I used to do everything in my power to avoid these freeways from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., basically.

Don't even think about going up to Poway or any of the communities on the 15, worst gridlock ever, you could be in traffic 1.5 hours one way to get to downtown on a good day (then again, you did say coastal community, so you likely aren't looking here). This is why many people tell newcomers, don't expect easy jaunts to downtown San Diego if you live in north county (i.e. Poway, Fallbrook, Escondido, San Marcos, or even Temecula). With traffic, the roundtrip drive could easily take you four hours (and possibly much longer). You do that once or twice, and you're just done with it.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Sounds like La Jolla or Point Loma. Not sure about the special needs angle.

[mauialoha]

I'd add Cardiff, and Olivenhain which you might like though not right on the beach.
Oh, and yes the traffic can be rough from, I'd say, 6:30 till 10, and 2:30 till 5:00 (?) not sure cause I get home early. But I wouldn't trade the times I deal with traffic for living south of here.
Dave

[RosieSD]

I'd add Coronado for consideration, perhaps the Coronado Keys. Strong school district. Also, take a look at Solana Beach and Del Mar. You'll get yards in both places and great schools too.

And, although it sounds like your daughter is high functioning and you want a more mainstreamed education in a public school district for her, you might also want to check out the Winston School. They do great things for kids with learning differences, including students with high functioning autism and aspbergers. School for Bright, Creative Children | The Winston School, San Diego

Keep in mind that La Jolla is in the San Diego Unified District. They have recently announced some cuts at some schools to special ed programs. I would also recommend doing some research on the philosophy of accomodating kids with IEPs in the SD Unified district.

But, really, you're going to want to call the support services offices of ALL of the districts you are considering and ask about their programs for your daughter's specific needs/IEP. You already know the drill.

Finally, I would recommend using the advanced search function to search for previous discussions here about schools and districts vis a vis students wit autism. There have been some good discussions in the past that might be helpful. In the advanced search function, limit the search to the San Diego forum and then use the term "autism."

Good luck with your plans!

[bloom]

Originally Posted by USDefault

If proximity to airport is important, may want to put Point Loma and Sunset Cliffs on the list, possibly Ocean Beach as well. You can get to SAN without touching a freeway.

Would the schools there work for this family in this specific case or not?

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by USDefault

. . .
Don't even think about going up to Poway or any of the communities on the 15, worst gridlock ever, you could be in traffic 1.5 hours one way to get to downtown on a good day (then again, you did say coastal community, so you likely aren't looking here). This is why many people tell newcomers, don't expect easy jaunts to downtown San Diego if you live in north county (i.e. Poway, Fallbrook, Escondido, San Marcos, or even Temecula). With traffic, the roundtrip drive could easily take you four hours (and possibly much longer). You do that once or twice, and you're just done with it.

Some massive exaggeration here. Temecula is not even in San Diego county. So, yes, it would take much longer to get to San Diego airport. I'm making this comment for other people who might be reading this thread.

With your housing budget, you should be able to find something more convenient (than San Diego inland) to the airport and also good for your kids.

[AADAD]

Since you are moving to remedy issues related to respiratory issues I would give a call to the American Lung Assn. They have resources on best places to live. The Santa Ana winds here bring significant amounts of dust spores into this area.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by AADAD

Since you are moving to remedy issues related to respiratory issues I would give a call to the American Lung Assn. They have resources on best places to live. The Santa Ana winds here bring significant amounts of dust spores into this area.

Adding to this, if your family members are sensitive to air quality, you might find the regional air pollution data and forecasts helpful as well: Current Air Quality

[scgali]

We live in Carlsbad and love it. I commute daily downtown but it's still worth living here since we didn't like any areas downtown and I can make my hours so work 6:30-2:30. If we had a $3M budget though we would move to Encinitas West of PCH walking distance to Moonlight Beach and all the shops and restaurants. Everyone is different of course but that is our favorite place to be it's just not in our budget. It's very fun with character and very walkable. Somewhere definitely worth checking out.