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First, thanks to all who post here for lots of informative information. Since learning I would be moving to the San Diego area, I've been an avid searcher and reader. And now I was hoping I could get a few opinions on my specific situation. Thanks in advance!
My wife and I are planning to move to San Diego sometime in the fall, and by that time we will have a newborn along for the ride. We are moving for a new job, which will be located in La Mesa. We currently live in Boston (Beacon Hill) and love it - local restaurants, shops, parks, water, overall walkability (haven't had a car in a decade). We FULLY realize we could never quite recreate that setup in San Diego, but we are trying to maximize the village feel as much as we can.
We prefer to buy (and only move once) if we can find the right place, but are open to renting for some time if it ends up being needed. Budget is ~$1M if we were to buy.
Priorities are:
- "Safe enough". We're city people and don't need to be closed up in a gated community, but still would rather not feel the need to be on guard while walking around during the day time.
- Walking distance to at least a handful of quality restaurants, cafes, shops
- Walking distance to clean and safe green space (we also have a dog)
- <30 minute rush hour commute to La Mesa
- Other young families around, and therefore daycare/preschool options, playgrounds, etc.
Lower priority for us:
- Schools. With at least a few years before elementary school, this isn't highest priority yet, but would be a bonus if schools are ok.
Based on some local recommendations, we zeroed in quickly on South Park, and still think it would be a really nice fit for us. However, quality inventory for rent is zero, and things are not much better on the buying side. We have found a few options just north of Switzer Canyon and west of 30th St. in North Park, which should only be a ~10 minute walk to South Park across the 30th Street bridge. The area seems like it has mostly high quality, renovated homes, but not to the extent that the northwestern corner of South Park has. It also seems to be a bit more difficult to access the Park from that area.
A few questions:
- Would we be better off holding out for something in South Park, or will this end up feeling "close enough"?
- Will we find younger families in the area?
- Is the zone within a ~20 minute walk one that my wife feel safe walking with the baby? I'm thinking that gets to University Ave. to the north, Beech St. to the south, and well into Morley Field to the west
- Hard to tell, but is there a way to safely cross Pershing Drive around Redwood St? I see of course that it has pedestrian crossing at Upas. Seems crazy to me to have a road through a beautiful park without giving people a way to cross it!
Thanks for reading the long message. Any thoughts from locals highly appreciated! Thank you!
Personally I would hold off and wait for South Park, my favorite hood in all of San Diego especially for families. I think you know this but don't even entertain the thought of east county or north county including La Mesa...it's not for you.
You won't recreate Beacon Hill but South Park is fantastic in it's own right. Let's wait to see what T. Damon says...an expert on the neighborhood and he has some Mass connections as well.
Thanks sfosyd! Yes, we were fairly confident in ruling out east and north... though there are some really beautiful homes that look tempting. The hard part about our best option in North Park is that the house itself is perfect - great size, nice yard, right price. Hard to let it pass in the hopes that something will come up in South Park, but that may indeed end up being the right answer. Thanks for the thoughts so far.
South Park is infinitely family friendly and especially safe for your family to walk and enjoy. There are so many kids in this neighborhood now that Albert Einstein Charter was established, the young families are in a friendly battle with the single, tatted out hipsters LOL. The quarterly Walkabouts, and the nearby summer Bird Park concert series are a veritable kid fest! And there probably isn't a more dog friendly neighborhood in the city- dogs are present and welcome about anywhere.
It definitely isn't going to be anything like Beacon Hill but my partner and I are urban junkies (he is from Gloucester, MA, and was one of the few adventurous New Englanders there that actually sought out and traveled to Boston oftentimes get that city feel haha) and find it more than urban enough to satisfy our needs. If you walk like most city folks- with a purpose- it is literally about 1/2 hour to: downtown (baseball, bay, Gaslamp); Balboa Park Zoo/Museums; North Park and Hillcrest to satisfy your urban adventures. If the walk seems a bit much to go home or with the little one, the #2 bus runs uptown/downtown along 30th all day/night long mostly every 12 minutes. Or, it's a $6-8 instantaneous Uber ride to any of these places
Getting across Pershing to the park at Frisbee Golf/Bird Park is not as treacherous as it might appear on Google Earth but may take a hustle, or just take the cross walk at the top of the hill.
It really is an ideal place to live in the city but as you've noticed it is increasingly expensive (though I don't think it's gonna shock someone from Beacon Hill) and vacancies are hard to find. I guess the point is, I would aggressively pursue a place right here but understand that the surrounding communities (Golden Hill, North Park, University Heights, Normal Heights, Hillcrest) are all similar and mostly within walking distance to eachother so you can experience that vibe throughout. So, target South Park but keep an open mind, maybe end up temporarily in not your ideal place but become more familiar with the area and maybe luck out and hear of something on the grapevine coming up before it's advertised and jump on it.
We wouldn't move from here if we won the Mega Lottery, so I'm a completely unabashed and biased cheerleader of a community that honestly doesn't even need any, it speaks for itself. We've been here for 18 years, before South Park was cool and here, in our first and hopefully last house we aren't going anywhere! I just vetted and aggressively recruited my new neighbors next door, the 2nd couple I've brought into this cul-de-sac, so it pays to know the locals haha. I just want to make sure they will add to our great little family/get together atmosphere here.
You may have discovered this on you own but here a couple of websites that should help your research and get a better idea of what's out there.
Good luck.
Look us up when you get here and we'll love to have a craft beer with you guys and show you the local scene. PM me if you would like more info.
South Park is an excellent choice, but given your budget I wanted to put in a plug for Kensington. It has all the attributes you are looking for: "Safe enough" or better, a handful or more of quality restaurants, a small neighborhood park, and a larger neighborhood park just over the border in Normal Heights which will be adding a dog park component in a few years. And with all of that, it would put you slightly closer to your work in La Mesa.
However, I then checked Realtor.com and found that inventory is virtually nil, but if the right house came on the market, you would thoroughly enjoy the neighborhood. I think you would like it as much as South Park.
Other options given your price range are northern Normal Heights, western and northern University Heights, and southern North Park.
There is also access to the City's Rapid Bus system at the south west corner of the neighborhood. It will put you downtown in 4 stops. There are also expended bicycle routes coming along Monroe Avenue, and paralleling the I-15 freeway. Plus when you want to venture beyond Kensington, the expanded and decidedly hipper commercial strip in Normal Heights is only about 10 blocks away. Very walkable.
@T.Damon - thank you so much. That's the kind of spirit that has drawn us to South Park from the start. If we do end up just over the canyon, I hope we can "pretend" and walk/bike/bus/uber over enough to feel like part of the crowd. I'll send a PM as well - thanks for the offer!
@Kettlepot - good point on Kensington. It has also been on the relatively short list for us. I'll make sure I've got alerts set up there as well as things come on the market. Thanks!
I grew up and lived in North Park for about forty years until taking some job transfers. I now live in Bonita, which is about 10 miles southeast of North Park, as the crow flies. Although I have been out of the neighborhood for a few years, I still try to stay up to date with the latest goings on with friends that still live there. I also own a rental property in North Park that keeps me around the neighborhood at least a few times a month. I play golf at Balboa a lot as well and make it for the occasional dinner and breakfast in the area. I miss North Park but we are very comfortable and settled where we are now.
My advice:
I would rent something for a year and get to know the area. Get something you could get out of quickly though in case you find your dream home and want to pull the trigger on it. You are going to want to learn the different idiosyncrasies of each neighborhood and what are the good and not so good streets. You are not going to learn this on a quick house hunting trip.
Do not get caught up in the South Park vs North Park debate. The dividing line is barely discernable. In fact "South Park" is a manufactured or possibly re-manufactured title by people that have moved there in the last twenty years. Each area has its share of trendy restaurants, parks and amenities. If you are hung up on South Park, I would wait for something to open up in Burlingame. It is the most exclusive area within South Park and a historic district. Most houses qualify for the property tax exemption.
You will also find the area of 28th street right along the Balboa golf course and Bird park to be beautiful and exclusive as well. When I use the word exclusive, I don't mean it in there sense of cut off and aloof, I simply mean the people are tad bit more affluent and have bigger houses. I think with your budget you can afford to find something in both of these areas. But they don't always go on the market...you have to wait. Thus my renting advice.
So it sounds that you are more into the urban thing, so I would advise the following neighborhoods as well:
University Heights
Hillcrest
Normal Heights
Kensington
Mission Hills
Banker's Hill
North Park and South Park are easily accessible to just about all the major freeways in San Diego-5, 805, 15, 94. I think you could get to La Mesa in less than 30 minutes. If you work regular hours you will be going against traffic in the morning and evening so it shouldn't be that bad. You would either be taking 94 or 8. Not sure where your job is located but it would be a crap shoot as to which would be quicker. That is something you will figure out over time.
Regardless of where you live in San Diego, you will need a car. There is no way around it. Don't even consider not having a car here. It won't work.
Oh, by the way. To get to the park, definitely cross at Upas and Pershing. It is only a few minutes out of the way.
^^^
All great advice and info except for the oft repeated misstatement that the label South Park is a recent invention by snooty newcomers not wishing themselves to be associated with Golden Hill. It is a community within Greater Golden Hill but the South Park designation and boundaries were in place at least back to 1906 if not earlier.
And Burlingamers are very quick to point out that they are apart from South Park, in a playfully (I think, haha) aloof and exclusive way.
^^^
All great advice and info except for the oft repeated misstatement that the label South Park is a recent invention by snooty newcomers not wishing themselves to be associated with Golden Hill. It is a community within Greater Golden Hill but the South Park designation and boundaries were in place at least back to 1906 if not earlier.
And Burlingamers are very quick to point out that they are apart from South Park, in a playfully (I think, haha) aloof and exclusive way.
We are off to The Old House Fair!
I remember the first time I heard the term "South Park". It was from Afton, a realtor prospecting in my neighborhood around the late 90s. She was telling me about a house she sold in South Park and I asked her where that was. She went on to tell me that it was on Date and Granada. I told her that was Golden Hills and she told me it was now considered South Park. I thought, wow that is interesting, a name change. I had never heard the term South Park up until then. I started hearing it more and more the following years. I had honestly never heard that term until then. I grew up in North Park when it was considered kind of sketchy and run down, so I am very happy to see the renovation and gentrification. I find it a little amusing that there are all these new neighborhoods....Altadena is another one...what the hell is that.
Oh well....things seem to be going well for these new/old neighborhoods so I am the last to complain. As a property owner and self-manager for my rental I am very happy.
I do think some of this is manufactured by the realtors that work the area. At one time or another I have been approached by each one of them want to sell my house....Afton, Mary McT, Linda Artiaga, the little guy with glasses and ball cap, Schoffel family, Rancho Buena Vista, Ascent.....so on and so on.
^^^
And Burlingamers are very quick to point out that they are apart from South Park, in a playfully (I think, haha) aloof and exclusive way.
And to reinforce how artificial the dividing line between North Park and South Park is, Burlingame certainly is apart from South Park. It's located in North Park!
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