Neighborhood Recommendations to Buy a Home (San Diego, Corona: house, neighborhoods, school districts)

[DoggieLover]

Hi All,
Thank you so much in advance for your advice.
I went through recent prior posts, but have not found a thread that speaks to our particular needs, so here goes! We are looking to move to the San Diego area and want to buy a family home, primary residence, with the following considerations:

- Budget: ~3-3.5M
- Locale: conveniently close to safe running and bicycling—we are avid runners and cyclists, also as family activities with the kids (we noticed some areas do not have sidewalks, and don’t want to walk/run on the road)
- Public Schools: top notch elementary through high school—very important for us (Torrey Pines and Canyon Crest appear to be nice high schools)
- Home and land size: we like having a roomy house and lot (probably ~acre or more) for kids to run around; room to build a casita for (if not already a part of the property); and would like to plant a little grove for fruit trees .
- Gravitate more towards areas with mature trees, rather than desert-like surroundings; but may consider the latter if the views are nice and the neighborhood is mature (don’t like living around a bunch of empty lots)
- Great view would be nice

Having done some internet surfing and talking with our realtor, it seems the following neighborhoods might be nice:
- Fairbanks Ranch: the lake is nice, convenient area for walks and the kids to play. (Elementary school seems to be Solana Santa Fe—how good is this school?)
- Rancho Santa Fe, Covenant: we like that there are mature trees (Elementary school is Roger Rowe, appears to have good online reviews?).
- Both of the above are a bit of a distance to the Route 56 Bike Trail—which seems like a nice place to run/bike. Is it a plus to be near this trail? Or are local roads/trails in the above neighborhoods sufficient?

Are we on the right track given our interests? Which do people like better: Fairbanks Ranch or Covenant?
Should we be considering other neighborhoods?

Thank you!

[JoeSanDiegoHomes]

I would shoot for RSF. I think the best biking is along the coast. You might also consider Coronado for the access to running and biking with good schools.

[Axxlrod]

If walking/biking/running is one of your top priorities, then stay clear of RSF. There are no sidewalks, and the roads are rather narrow and windy. Running/biking on those roads is suicidal.

Fairbanks would work, as would would many developments in Carmel Valley along the 56 (Duck Pond, Grand Del Mar). I'd also suggest Santaluz.

All the schools in these areas are top notch; the best in SD.

[DoggieLover]

Thanks JoeSanDeigoHomes and Axxlrod!

Interesting the feedback on RSF. One “pro” and another “con”, and the narrow roads without sidewalks is good caution for picking the exact area carefully. Does the Covenant area have more sidewalks? Or any other area in RSF?

[oddstray]

The 56 Bike Trail may or may not be to your liking. It's all concrete, so in summer it collects warmth and reflects it back at you. It's right next to the 56, so there's always traffic noise. And it's rather heavily used. If this is the kind of bicycling you're accustomed to, then it'd be a good asset for you. But if you're looking for scenic, quiet, low-use bike paths then this won't be so attractive to you.

With your budget, think about Santa Luz. It's newer, up-scale development in RP not far from the 56. And if your biking is on trails, it has several convenient to it. Poway school district, and their schools are generally quite good to exceptionally good.

[DoggieLover]

Thanks oddstray!

Didn’t think about the highway noise and heat around the Rt 56 trail.
I personally like road cycling, but favor the dedicated trails for the kids: we have “rail trails” where we are, multipurpose bike trails made from prior rail routes, and are scenic and tend to be removed from traffic. But seems the Rt 56 trail really isn’t this type, so maybe no need to be close to it.

Thanks for the recommendation about Santa Luz and Poway!
What are the main differences between Fairbanks Ranch, RSF/Covenant, versus Santa Luz and Poway?
While Santa Luz and Poway are newer, that is not necessarily a plus for us—we tend to like more mature surroundings.
But seems we can buy a bit more home for the same cost—a definite plus!
How do the school districts compare? —very important for us.
And what is the overall neighborhood “feel”?

Thanks again everyone!

[Axxlrod]

Originally Posted by DoggieLover

Thanks JoeSanDeigoHomes and Axxlrod!

Interesting the feedback on RSF. One “pro” and another “con”, and the narrow roads without sidewalks is good caution for picking the exact area carefully. Does the Covenant area have more sidewalks? Or any other area in RSF?

The only place in all of RSF that has sidewalks is the two block area that is the village of RSF. That's it. Every other road is narrow, windy, and hardly any shoulder and not a single street light.

Very dangerous to run or bike on. And def not for kids.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by DoggieLover

Thanks JoeSanDeigoHomes and Axxlrod!

Interesting the feedback on RSF. One “pro” and another “con”, and the narrow roads without sidewalks is good caution for picking the exact area carefully. Does the Covenant area have more sidewalks? Or any other area in RSF?

"Downtown" RSF has sidewalks, but the town is 3 blocks by 2 blocks! You might find equestrian walk ways beside some of the larger roads.
Since you're interested in RSF, here's some that are available~

4025 Stonehenge Lane
6bd 6.5ba
$3,895,000

Actually, the others are in the $5+ price point.

Olivenhain isn't a bad area. It's JWO RSF.

1100 Via Del Felicita
5bd 4.5ba
$2,375,000

Found these
www.bhhcalifornia.com

[DoggieLover]

Originally Posted by Axxlrod

The only place in all of RSF that has sidewalks is the two block area that is the village of RSF. That's it. Every other road is narrow, windy, and hardly any shoulder and not a single street light.

Very dangerous to run or bike on. And def not for kids.

Is the trail that goes around the RSF country club open to runners? Seems some bloggers have posted running on it. Several miles around, wouldn’t be a bad run of the trail is in decent condition.

Are the roads better for running/biking in Santaluz?
Same for Fairbanks Ranch?

Thanks again!

[NORTY FLATZ]

Running around the golf course would be ideal. You'd be running on "DG." It is very well maintained, as equestrians use it regularly too. The only problem with it, is you'd get bored to tears with your run, after a few laps. Nothing makes a run seem longer than boredom. On the plus side- the route has very little elevation gain/loss.

Just thinking...there are trails on Del Dios Highway, right by the dam. Also, there are LOTS of trails around Lake Hodges. (Home of the "all-tackle world record" GOLDFISH.) I think it was 6 or 7 lbs.

Based on your handle, here (Doggielover,) you'll need to keep your dogs on a 6' leash when walking them. One other thing...this whole area is VERY RURAL. This means coyotes/mountain lions/rattle snakes. Please train your dogs for these predators.

Fairbanks Ranch is also, very rural, with the same threats.

Both RSF and FR are very nice areas, as yards are manicured to the nth degree. But go just outside where the homes are, and it's wild chaparral. A great fuel for fires, btw.