Young Bay Area family moving to San Diego - Help! (Sacramento: low crime, houses)

[ItsCaseyB]

Hey everyone! We're looking at relocating to the San Diego area from the Bay Area, but have no idea what areas to look at houses in. Only been down to the SD area twice before but it was as a "tourist". Reason for relocating to the San Diego area is for a change of scenery and fresh start at life.

About us...I'm a 29 year old single mom of two boys (2 years old and 4 months old) and I live with my mom who would be moving with us. We also have three dogs, but may only be two by the time we move because one's health is failing. We've lived in the Bay Area (Fremont) all our lives, my mom has lived in our house for 49 years now and is ready to "step off the curb" and start fresh. My mom is currently retired and I quit my job to spend quality time my boys, so I'd have to find a job in the San Diego area once we moved, I do not have a degree. We're looking for a house under $900k, in a family friendly area, youth sports leagues, good schools, low crime rate and hopefully not to bad of a commute to where ever work may be. Pretty picky, I know but its a one shot deal for us because once we leave the Bay, it's just to expensive for us to move back.

I have read through a few threads but everything I find seems to be a few years old. I was looking at houses in Escondido, but I've read mixed reviews on living there. Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions on cities/areas to look at for housing would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[RosieSD]

Where will you be working in the San Diego area?

Without knowing that, answering your question is like someone asking you where they should move between Oakland and Sacramento. There are plenty of possibilities, but if the person will be working in Oakland, it makes little sense to recommend Sacramento.

San Diego County is bigger than the entire states of Delaware and Rhode Island, and almost as big as the state of Connecticut. So, you can see the challenge in listing all of the family friendly towns and areas in a place that big.

So, if you don't know where your job will be located, that's the first question for you to answer before you even start thinking about shopping for a house.

If you already know where your job will be, let us know, and I'm sure the good folks here can help you narrow the possibilities down to a reasonable size.

Obviously, if you don't plan to work, or will be telecommuting from home, the work part of the equation is moot. Let us know if that's the case.

In the meantime, this recent discussion will give you a good introduction to many different areas in San Diego County, from the perspective of locals who live in those areas:

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-d...out-where.html

Good luck with your plans!

[ItsCaseyB]

No, I don't know where I'll be working. I'll have to find a job once we move.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by ItsCaseyB

I have read through a few threads but everything I find seems to be a few years old. I was looking at houses in Escondido, but I've read mixed reviews on living there.

Thank you!

Escondido guarantees a bad commute everyday on the 15 freeway. Look at Tierrasanta for a family friendly location with an easy commute to San Diego employment areas. For houses in this area do a search for zip code 92124.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by ItsCaseyB

No, I don't know where I'll be working. I'll have to find a job once we move.

Well, since you said that you said one of your key criteria is " not to bad of a commute to where ever work may be" my advice would be to start by focusing on areas that are family friendly that are fairly central to the rest of the county for commuting.

A starter list of those areas might include:

Rancho Penasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Tierrasanta, University City, Bay Park, Clairemont Mesa, Del Cerro, Point Loma, La Jolla, and La Mesa.

Carmel Valley and Poway are a little farther north, but offer decent access to other parts of the county as well. Chula Vista (east of the 805) and Bonita are two family friendly areas to the south that have decent freeway access to other parts of the county as well. Carlsbad and Encinitas are great family areas as well, but because they are so far north may not be convenient to as many areas for commuting purposes unless, of course, you find a job close to home.

But this list is by no means all inclusive of ALL of the family friendly neighborhoods in San Diego County. There are many other great family friendly areas as well.

San Diego County is, overall, a very family friendly place to live, if you have the budget for it. You have a decent budget for housing, so you should will have good options in many areas. So, I think it will all boil down to where you and your mother feel most comfortable (which you can only tell by coming down together for an extended visit and taking a look around) and where you will be able to find a job.

Good luck with your search!

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by capoeira

Escondido guarantees a bad commute everyday on the 15 freeway. Look at Tierrasanta for a family friendly location with an easy commute to San Diego employment areas. For houses in this area do a search for zip code 92124.

Good suggestion!

[ItsCaseyB]

We are driving down there, Sept.11th and staying for the week. That's why I was hoping to get some input on where to look prior to going down there. I appreciate all your info. My Uncle lives in San Carlos and he suggested San Carlos/Escondido, which is why I asked about that city in particular. My mom will be flying down there next week to visit him, check that area and then we'll drive down the following week to look at other areas.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by ItsCaseyB

No, I don't know where I'll be working. I'll have to find a job once we move.

Jobs aren't necessarily easy to come by here. Be sure you have a fallback fund (or a fallback plan).

[moved]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Jobs aren't necessarily easy to come by here. Be sure you have a fallback fund (or a fallback plan).

This is true, and San Carlos and Escondido are nowhere near each other.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by ItsCaseyB

We are driving down there, Sept.11th and staying for the week. That's why I was hoping to get some input on where to look prior to going down there. I appreciate all your info. My Uncle lives in San Carlos and he suggested San Carlos/Escondido, which is why I asked about that city in particular. My mom will be flying down there next week to visit him, check that area and then we'll drive down the following week to look at other areas.

As moved said, San Carlos and Escondido are no where near each other. They're also very different, from climate to demographics.

San Carlos might be a good location for you, as it is smack in the center of the county, so it may be good for commuting (again it depends on where you'll be working). If you have family who live nearby, that's always a plus too. But, be forewarned: there isn't a huge inventory of homes in the San Carlos area, so competition for nicer ones can be intense and prices are somewhat inflated as a result. If you're interested in San Carlos, add La Mesa north of the I-8 to your list. They are adjoining areas and very similar in some ways.

Escondido has some nice areas, but also some not so nice areas. So, you really need to do your research about neighborhoods there. Let's just say that if I had $900K to invest in a home, and wanted an easy commute to job centers, Escondido wouldn't be at the top of my list. Public school options in Escondido are also not the strongest.

Before I'd look at Escondido, if I wanted to live along the I-15 corridor, I'd look at Poway Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos, , eastern Carmel Valley, and Tierrasanta. Those are all great areas for families with excellent schools. And they are all likely to be an easier/shorter commute to job centers than Escondido.