University City vs Carmel Valley vs Encinitas (San Diego, San Francisco: rent, houses)

[TacoSoup]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

I live east of the 5 (heck, east of El Camino Real) in Encinitas. I've been to University City. I'd pick inland Encinitas, even my 'hood which is 4 miles due east of Moonlight Beach, in a heartbeat. UC is urban sprawl at its worst. One strip mall after another, broken only by tract housing. Encinitas has more character, more personality.

Once again I think university city is being confused with UTC. Now if you’re associating the northern tip along Nobel Dr, I’ll give you that. The area that’s always been university city, north of the 52, and south of rose canyon and the high school would hardly qualify as urban sprawl at its worst. One could argue that El Camino Real is one long strip mall where you’re at.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by TacoSoup

I think that's because most people are associating Encinitas with west of the 5, its beaches, and its downtown. Once you go east of the 5 you could be in most north county communities and not know much of a difference. The exception in Encinitas being Olivenhain, but I consider that more of a Encinitas/Rancho Santa Fe love child.


I've had several friends start businesses in downtown Encinitas, and subsequently many more friends go to work up there, over the last dozen years or so. All of them either moved up there, sold their stake, or quit their job within a couple of years. They did this mostly because of the commute, and they weren't doing most of their driving against traffic.



Carmel valley is very nice, but also very homogenized. I remember going to a friends house back in the early 2000's before GPS and getting lost. While driving around it felt like the worlds biggest subdivision, even though I was clearly in different ones. This belief was strengthened as my wife and I were recently house hunting. Maybe because I remember when nothing was there, but it's always had a middle of nowhere, no mans land feel, for as weird as that may sound. It is a great centralized location though, perfect for bridging the gap between the city and north county.


University City, in my opinion, is the best option. It has the easiest commute by far to where most of the good jobs are. The schools are really good, and I actually prefer the look of 1960-80's tract housing, to that of the 1990-2000's California McMansion look. Plus the remodels and custom builds gives it more character over Carmel Valley, or Encinitas east of the 5. And no, UTC is not part of University City. Nor is UTC part of La Jolla, that used to be a popular belief, similar to the current UTC/University City one now.


With all that said, if I had a business or a job in north county, or I retired or independently wealthy, I'd choose Encinitas along the coast in a heartbeat. If I wanted/needed a connection to the city for work and entertainment I'd go University City all the way.


Consider yourself fortunate, all three are great, and many people would give anything to have the problem of picking between the three.

I agree with everything you said, except I personally prefer newer tract homes over older ones. Encinitas is simply the cutest town of those three choices, but it's also farther from the rest of San Diego. The best way to hone in on your favorite is simply to visit, explore, and see how each area feels to you.

[someguy10]

Originally Posted by TacoSoup

Once again I think university city is being confused with UTC. Now if you’re associating the northern tip along Nobel Dr, I’ll give you that. The area that’s always been university city, north of the 52, and south of rose canyon and the high school would hardly qualify as urban sprawl at its worst. One could argue that El Camino Real is one long strip mall where you’re at.

FWIW, Google Maps clearly defines "University City" as the full triangle bounded by I-5 on the west, I-805 on the east and 52 on the south. Wiki agrees with this definition. UTC or University Towne Center is shown as the mall area at the SE corner of Miramar and Genesee (ie, contained wholly within University City).

See also https://www.sandiego.org/meeting-pla...wn-center.aspx

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

I live east of the 5 (heck, east of El Camino Real) in Encinitas. I've been to University City. I'd pick inland Encinitas, even my 'hood which is 4 miles due east of Moonlight Beach, in a heartbeat. UC is urban sprawl at its worst. One strip mall after another, broken only by tract housing. Encinitas has more character, more personality.

There's literally just two small strip malls in UC. Certainly nothing close to the extent of what you find on El Camino Real in Encinitas with regards to strip malls.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by sav858

There's literally just two small strip malls in UC. Certainly nothing close to the extent of what you find on El Camino Real in Encinitas with regards to strip malls.

I work off Governor at the 805. When we go to lunch at UTC (up Genessee to the back side of the mall), I pass quite a few commercial developments I would loosely characterize as "strip malls." So unless I'm batting 1.000 and seeing all the UC area has to offer, maybe you're right. Overall, I guess the area and others just feel sort of blah. Run down houses, dead front lawns, bars on windows. Just not a very attractive area. And for the record, I'm not here nor ever am I holding the ECR corridor in Encinitas up as some sort of urban planning role model. It's not why people move to Encinitas. It's just where we Encinitans go to get fast food or Target.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

I work off Governor at the 805. When we go to lunch at UTC (up Genessee to the back side of the mall), I pass quite a few commercial developments I would loosely characterize as "strip malls." So unless I'm batting 1.000 and seeing all the UC area has to offer, maybe you're right. Overall, I guess the area and others just feel sort of blah. Run down houses, dead front lawns, bars on windows. Just not a very attractive area. And for the record, I'm not here nor ever am I holding the ECR corridor in Encinitas up as some sort of urban planning role model. It's not why people move to Encinitas. It's just where go to get fast food or Target.

There's the shopping center with Von's at Gennesse and Governor then the one with Sprouts at Governor and Regents. You would only drive by one of those on your way to UTC via Gennesse and there is no other commercial developments until you hit the mall along that road. Unless you're counting some of the office parks by where you work or those gas stations at Governor/Genessee.

Yeah the area is probably the most "blah" in the sense that it looks the most dated of the three. But any home with bars on the windows would be an exception as the area fairly well kept imo. Location and convenience are the biggest advantages of UC over the other two, not community character.

[ZeApelido]

Votes are quite in favor of Encinitas, but it seems folks are weighing more heavily on Encinitas by the beach, and penalizing University City because they are thinking of the UTC area, not the primarily residential area further south.

Taking account of those issues, it seems main thing is University City houses are older / "dated" vs Encinitas. What else?

[wally99]

University City has a very different vibe than Encinitas. Living in University City you would be 15 minutes from most of San Diego. UC is a very central location. Encinitas is North County, which is not central to the city of San Diego.

My wife moved from Maui to Encinitas because Encinitas had the vibe that was closest to Maui. Now we live in Clairemont (just South of UC), and my wife isn't sure she would move back to Encinitas since most of her friends live in Central San Diego now.

I have friends that live in Carmel Valley and it is more upscale than UC. Lots of people in the Jewish Community live in Carmel Valley as well. Plenty of Synagogues to go around so wherever you pick that won't be an issue.

To Summarize:

UC most centrally located with older and well kept houses.
Carmel Valley upscale with new houses, closest to Del Mar, most suburban, more expensive than UC.
Encinitas has it's own special vibe and is in North County, great if you are working in North County and like the beach vibe.

[ZeApelido]

Thanks

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by wally99

To Summarize:

UC most centrally located with older and well kept houses.
Carmel Valley upscale with new houses, closest to Del Mar, most suburban, more expensive than UC.
Encinitas has it's own special vibe and is in North County, great if you are working in North County and like the beach vibe.

Spot on right here. I will say that Carmel Valley is turning it up a notch with the addition of One Paseo and the expansion of Del Mar Highlands. And then there is Pacific Highlands Ranch to the east, which is even more expensive than Carmel Valley.