Married Couple w Kids Looking to Rent Near Poway (San Diego: crime, homes)

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by Teal2

So rush hour traffic on the 15 generally goes toward downtown San Diego in the morning and away from it in the evening? How's the traffic going East-West, assuming we are going to try to live west of Poway for cooler temperatures?

On SR-56, heavy traffic is westbound in the morning and eastbound in the evening. I don't know, but I'm assuming it's the same on Poway Road.

[sc2sd]

We moved to Mira Mesa from the east coast in June. We LOVE that we can walk to the library, grocery store, park/playground, Target, etc. Mira Mesa fits everything on your list. We are 20-30 minutes from the beach, even. Great location!

[Teal2]

Thanks for the input, everyone! I think we have a good idea of where to look. I'll also continue to read the answers to similar questions on this forum as they come up.

[Teal2]

I just did a search of this forum for opinions on Mira Mesa and PQ (Rancho Penasquitos) and I'm struck again by how many negative views there are of those places... or are those posts probably aimed at folks with budgets higher than ours?

Could anyone shed some light on areas/neighborhoods in Mira Mesa or PQ to aim for, and neighborhoods to avoid?

[Teal2]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

^^ Agreed, Mira Mesa is older and a bit grittier in some parts versus other places described, but fits the OP's criteria 100% so I wouldn't discount it.

Rental budget around $2,500-$2,800
- We have 3 crazy, energetic children, so... 3-4 bedroom SF home or townhome, at least 1,500 square feet?
- 20-30 minute commute to/from work in Poway in traffic (for a 9-5 job)
- Around 30 minutes from the church we'll be attending in Escondido
- Bonus Points: around 20 minutes from the beach, museums, zoo etc.
- More Bonus Points: walking distance to amenities like a library, bookstore, parks, groceries, etc.

Any areas of Mira Mesa you particularly like, or areas to avoid?

[Teal2]

Originally Posted by sc2sd

We moved to Mira Mesa from the east coast in June. We LOVE that we can walk to the library, grocery store, park/playground, Target, etc. Mira Mesa fits everything on your list. We are 20-30 minutes from the beach, even. Great location!

Any areas of Mira Mesa you particularly like, or areas to avoid?

[eastcoastbias]

Originally Posted by Teal2

I just did a search of this forum for opinions on Mira Mesa and PQ (Rancho Penasquitos) and I'm struck again by how many negative views there are of those places... or are those posts probably aimed at folks with budgets higher than ours?

Could anyone shed some light on areas/neighborhoods in Mira Mesa or PQ to aim for, and neighborhoods to avoid?

If it were between PQ and Mira Mesa. I would take PQ all day- every day.


PQ is significantly easier to commute and travel to different places. It can be really difficult to travel on Mira Mesa Blvd at any time of the day. I know of one person that lives in Scripps/Mira Mesa that commutes down Mira Mesa Blvd for work. It seemed close, but the traffic can buildup and there are lots of lights.


It is just going to get worse- they already built some and are building additional condo units right off of the highway that will dump a few hundred more cars into the mess.


The HOAs in PQ seem to be more strictly enforced as well. There are some houses and developments in MM that could use some TLC.


PQ has better schools.

[photo4fun]

with Mira Mesa & Camino Ruiz, you can divide the area into 4 quadrants. IMHO, I prefer NW > SW > NE > SE but this is just my opinion of the area. There are a few "busy" streets you want to avoid like Mira Mesa Blvd (capt obvious), Gold Coast, Black Mountain, Capricorn, and maybe Flanders.

[bigdaddy5]

I grew up in Mira Mesa, went to elementary and high school there. Great diversity, has everything you need. It has grown immensely and it does have a blue-collar feel with pockets of white collar housing to the northwest regions (Calle Cristobal, off Camino Ruiz). Don't be fooled by the snootiness of these white collared areas, thinking they can try to rename their region "Sorrento Mesa" or "Pacific Heights", it's still Mira Mesa.

A few knocks against this town are the heavy car community (rice rockets driving fast, lots of thefts and accidents), pockets of crime/theft, heavy traffic during rush hours (Mira Mesa Blvd used to be a two lane road back in the day and ended at Reagan Rd).

Don't believe the "ghetto" label given to Mira Mesa from the outsiders. "The Mecca" is a very tight knit town, the locals are warm and friendly, the high school is like a small college with a strong self-sustaining support system of teachers/students/families. There's a lot of local pride here.

[sc2sd]

Originally Posted by photo4fun

with Mira Mesa & Camino Ruiz, you can divide the area into 4 quadrants. IMHO, I prefer NW > SW > NE > SE but this is just my opinion of the area. There are a few "busy" streets you want to avoid like Mira Mesa Blvd (capt obvious), Gold Coast, Black Mountain, Capricorn, and maybe Flanders.

Based on that description, I'm in the NW quadrant and we love it. Many people have been here for 20 years. Quiet neighborhoods. Tons of diversity. I, like you, saw people warning us away from MM but we are very happy we bought here (not to mention it was really one of the few places we could afford). Love the proximity to either the 15 (Poway/SR area) or the 805/5 (Sorrento Valley/UC). We have everything we need here!