Family of 4 wanting to move to SD. Is oceanside family friendly? What other areas would you recommend? (Carlsbad: condo, mortgage)

[bluebirdlady]

Great discussion and OP.

I'm also considering moving to Oceanside myself.
The cons listed in the discussion:
- far from OC and SD, and other amenities
- schools are not great.

The reason I'd pick O'side is the affordability. Places like San Marcos have become so expensive during the recent price jump. I know Carlsbad is so much nicer than O'side; but as it's so close to Carlsbad, maybe one day in the future, it'll just as nice?

want to see what ya'll think...

Is O'side currently going through gentrification? how bad is the homeless situation? Is it safe to live there? what are the neighborhoods we should avoid?

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by bluebirdlady

Great discussion and OP.

I'm also considering moving to Oceanside myself.
The cons listed in the discussion:
- far from OC and SD, and other amenities
- schools are not great.

The reason I'd pick O'side is the affordability. Places like San Marcos have become so expensive during the recent price jump. I know Carlsbad is so much nicer than O'side; but as it's so close to Carlsbad, maybe one day in the future, it'll just as nice?

want to see what ya'll think...

Is O'side currently going through gentrification? how bad is the homeless situation? Is it safe to live there? what are the neighborhoods we should avoid?

First and foremost, welcome to the site.

I'd avoid the area out by "Gold Drive" in the valley. Past it (towards the back gate, is fine though.)

O'side used to be quite dangerous in the downtown areas. The City has gone to great lengths to make the downtown areas much safer. (And, it has worked.) O'side has a very healthy tourist industry, now. The City has began to focus on the craft beer/spirits industry, so you know what that means.

If you could give us a ballpark budget, that would help immensely.

Fire Mountain is very nice area.

South "O" is a fairly nice area. (This area is going thru a transformation, slowly by surely.)

North O'side still has a few dregs, but it's getting cleaned up pronto.

Being "far" from OC & SD is seen as a benefit. Close enough to go either way, for something special (not offered in North County) but far enough from those metro's to not have to deal with the dregs that seem to collect in metros. It's actually in a "sweet spot."

Carlsbad does command a premium compared to Oceanside. (Figure another 25-30% for same/same properties.)

[bluebirdlady]

Thank you for your answer notaproblem39!

somewhere between 750k and 800k is my budget

Saw some new construction by KB close to Nichols Elementary School by san luis rey river trail. that isn't a good area right?

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by bluebirdlady

Thank you for your answer notaproblem39!

somewhere between 750k and 800k is my budget

Saw some new construction by KB close to Nichols Elementary School by san luis rey river trail. that isn't a good area right?

That's actually a very good area. (I was looking at the KB Cadence products.) Yes, that area should have very little road noise from Hwy 76. (That's a quite busy East/West artery.)
KB's "Liberty" products are too close to Frazee Rd. That can be busy, but not like Hwy 76. Besides, they're attached...

If you DO decide it's for you, here's a tip:

Frazee Road is pronounced "Frah~zee" Not "Fray~zee."

If you do decide to buy new, just be aware that prices for new units are getting softer, every day.

This time next year, they may be cheaper. But the cost of money may likely be more, so they may offset?

I doubt you'll have much airplane noise, as OCE doesn't get jet traffic. (If it does, then it's a "mayday,mayday,mayday" type event.)

The area you're looking at would be on "final," so the engines are throttled back, making the aircraft much quieter.

[Frac]

Being in close proximity to Camp Pendleton will provide you with plenty of noise issues to consider.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

Frazee Road is pronounced "Frah~zee" Not "Fray~zee."

OMG my husband was born and raised here and always said "Fray-zee," and that's all I've ever heard! Thanks for clarifying that.

I've also heard that Cowles Mountain, which everyone pronounces "COWles" like a cow is actually pronounced "KOHLS" Mountain. Nobody seems to know that either.

I also once came across some locals south of San Francisco who prnounced Junipero Serra Blvd in their city literally as "Juniper" with an o at the end...

Amazing how locals often get their own landmark names wrong!

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by tstieber

OMG my husband was born and raised here and always said "Fray-zee," and that's all I've ever heard! Thanks for clarifying that.

I've also heard that Cowles Mountain, which everyone pronounces "COWles" like a cow is actually pronounced "KOHLS" Mountain. Nobody seems to know that either.

I also once came across some locals south of San Francisco who prnounced Junipero Serra Blvd in their city literally as "Juniper" with an o at the end...

Amazing how locals often get their own landmark names wrong!

So true!

Got another one for you.

Marron Rd in Carlsbad.
Named after Sylvestor Marron.
Via the Spanish Land Grant, he owned the valley that currently has Hwy 78 on it. From Buena Vista Lagoon to Vista. (And some in Vista.)
Family still owns a lot of that land.

Anyway, I had Marron’s son in my office one day, buying stuff for his equipment. My book keeper lived just off Marron Rd. So I asked him, “How do you pronounce your name?” so Kathy the book keeper could hear.

“Mahh-rrr-Ownn” And he rolled the “rrr’s” too.

So, after living in her home for 30 years, she now knew how to pronounce the street name.

(I think she was more impressed that Marron carried 2” of cash in his pocket…lol)

Back to Frazee. I knew Bob Frazee very well. Attended grade school, junior high & high school, with his daughter Lisa. She was always correcting teachers early in the year.

Her dad (Bob) has a beach in Carlsbad named after him.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

If you DO decide it's for you, here's a tip:

Frazee Road is pronounced "Frah~zee" Not "Fray~zee."

I've lived here for over 30 years, and I've never heard anyone call it "Frah~zee".

But then, I've also never heard anyone besides myself who call it "coals mountain" rather than the usual "cowls mountain". Per Ken Kramer, the correct pronunciation is "coals".

So who knows ???

[1AngryTaxPayer]

How bouts this one. Ewiiaapaayp tribe.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Axxlrod

Your income should allow you to live just about anywhere in SD. The half of the home ownership equation is down payment.

For family-friendly areas, you can't beat Encinitas, Carlsbad or Carmel Valley. Those areas also happen to have the best schools. Even though you homeschool, those areas have tons of sports and extracurricular activities for kids. Plus buying in the areas with good schools is a guaranteed way to ensure rising home values.

I can't live in a house in Encinitas (except for the crappy part around the high school) or Carmel Valley on $350K unless I commit most of my after-tax income to housing. We are talking condo.

Carlsbad, inland, is a little better. Here's a sweet one, single family, that sold for a little over a million. https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...9_M29128-34054 Condos are much less.