Where to live in SD as DINKs (Kensington: buying, good schools)

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by mr_gondola

Hey all - moving to SD, seeking advice. Probably renting for a year then will look at buying.

We are currently in Seattle, and hate the weather and the city gov. My SO, from NYC, thought she was a liberal until she saw the PNW. She's decided she's more of a moderate...

Details:
- Late 30s, DINKs (+dog). We don't party, and don't want to be on top of college kids or party/bar scenes. We do want to be walkable to restaurants/bars/shops.
- Safe, fairly calm area. We're coming out of Capitol Hill in Seattle, so fewer needles and homeless would be a treat...
- Ideally near-ish to the ocean.
- Easy commute to office (north UTC/Torrey Pines), though WFH a lot. Need airport once a month.
- Don't need to pay for good schools. Would just like a good gym and a lap pool nearby maybe.

Any advice is appreciated. We liked La Jolla Village when we visited, but I worry it's just a retirement location (?).

I don't think of La Jolla Village as a retirement community. Sure people might be older, but it's one of the prime locations in San Diego and meets your needs. Very walkable, close to ocean, and easy commute to UTC. South Park is indeed a great backup plan, but a bit far from UTC once traffic is flowing again. I think both are about equidistant to the airport.

Some have suggested North Park... I don't consider it to be very peaceful. It's very different from South Park.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by moved

You're going to have the same problem with the homeless here.

Not in LJ Village...

[moved]

Originally Posted by stablegenius

Not in LJ Village...

Don't bet on it....

[mr_gondola]

Originally Posted by sfosyd

The crime rate is much lower in San Diego. Seattle was really, really bad and I wasn’t even in Capitol Hill; I was in Greenwood. It was really night and day when I moved down here. Feels like Mayberry even in a core urban neighborhood.

Also, it seemed like there was a lot of gun violence comparatively. Makes sense since the gun laws are much laxer in Washington. It did feel like everyone was “packing” on the highways, which I guess made people somewhat more polite, and San Diego feels much more like the Northeast in terms of gun, and driving, culture.

Yeah, Woodland Parks is just a tent city at this point. I was weaving between fires and tents to get to the dog park this weekend...


You felt a gun culture around Seattle? That's surprising. I assume no one has a gun around here. I grew up in Texas, and I was told to "probably not honk" when driving, because I might be shot at.

[mr_gondola]

It sounds like affordability might depend on if we are talking only SFH or also condo/townhome. There are condos in LJ that are fine SF for me, but shared walls, etc. - not "the dream" per se.



But across SD, looks like prices could be $500-$750 /SF around the city, which isn't that different vs. Seattle.


-- I'm guessing this is outside my walkable criteria, but how would you think about Del Mar and north? Seems like maybe prices come down near the ocean vs. LJ? Or am i just really really wrong?

[someguy10]

Originally Posted by mr_gondola

It sounds like affordability might depend on if we are talking only SFH or also condo/townhome. There are condos in LJ that are fine SF for me, but shared walls, etc. - not "the dream" per se.



But across SD, looks like prices could be $500-$750 /SF around the city, which isn't that different vs. Seattle.


-- I'm guessing this is outside my walkable criteria, but how would you think about Del Mar and north? Seems like maybe prices come down near the ocean vs. LJ? Or am i just really really wrong?

I had previously started a post to ask if you've considered giving up the "walkable" requirement and/or the easy commute to UTC and looked further north. Your list is a pretty tall order under a substantial (eg $2m+) budget. Generally, areas that families like tend to be safer and have less riff raff around, which ties into schools, which generally does NOT tie into being walkable.

How often do you WFH vs go into the office and when you do go in, can you control the times? I generally agree that those in the office 4-5 days a week from 8/9 to 5 would do well to live near work. But, at one or two days a week, especially with some time flexibility, and it may be worth expanding your radius.

I'm not clued in on the commute at rush hour information, but I was thinking maybe Encinitas. You won't be buying a SFH in the walkable "downtown" area (or maybe anywhere) of Encinitas at your $900K budget, though.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by moved

Don't bet on it....

You'll have some sure, but nowhere near like you have downtown or areas near downtown.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by someguy10

I'm not clued in on the commute at rush hour information, but I was thinking maybe Encinitas. You won't be buying a SFH in the walkable "downtown" area (or maybe anywhere) of Encinitas at your $900K budget, though.

For a while I was commuting from downtown to Carlsbad. 35 miles each way. It took me a 45 minutes in the morning and anywhere from 1 hour to an hour and 15 minutes in the evenings. In the morning I was leaving at 7am then I'd leave work at around 5pm.

This was almost 10 years ago and I'm pretty sure traffic has only gotten worse. I don't commute anymore though.

[mr_gondola]

Originally Posted by someguy10

...giving up the "walkable" requirement and/or the easy commute to UTC and looked further north. Your list is a pretty tall order under a substantial (eg $2m+) budget. Generally, areas that families like tend to be safer and have less riff raff around, which ties into schools, which generally does NOT tie into being walkable.

How often do you WFH vs go into the office and when you do go in, can you control the times?

I'm not clued in on the commute at rush hour information, but I was thinking maybe Encinitas. You won't be buying a SFH in the walkable "downtown" area (or maybe anywhere) of Encinitas at your $900K budget, though.

Yeah, as with everyone, I've got a "wish list". The main issue is that I drive, so am fine with being a bit more in a burb, but the SO doesn't really. Presents challenges. However, $2M is out of the question unless some lottery tickets (which I haven't bought) hit. Will definitely have to be a bit of discovery on finding what works for us.


Good call out on WFH - who knows what things will look like when covid life recedes, but I'd love to WFH 3+ days a week, making the office trips only for social/brainstorming issues. My team is pretty distributed. Will also depend on where SO finds a job - might be in downtown.

[someguy10]

Originally Posted by mr_gondola

Yeah, as with everyone, I've got a "wish list". The main issue is that I drive, so am fine with being a bit more in a burb, but the SO doesn't really. Presents challenges. However, $2M is out of the question unless some lottery tickets (which I haven't bought) hit. Will definitely have to be a bit of discovery on finding what works for us.


Good call out on WFH - who knows what things will look like when covid life recedes, but I'd love to WFH 3+ days a week, making the office trips only for social/brainstorming issues. My team is pretty distributed. Will also depend on where SO finds a job - might be in downtown.

IMO, WFH is an underrated benefit; moreso in a place like SD. It can easily saves thousands a year in car costs (maintenance, repair, gas, depreciation) not to mention massive time savings which is especially nice in San Diego with (relatively) bad traffic and so many other things to do instead with that time (due to the weather).