Thinking about moving to Ramona California (San Diego, Livermore: sales, real estate, to rent)

[rxt1949]

socketz,

Thanks for educating us on the relationship between 4S, RB, Poway and Ramona.

Good news that our kids talked to one of the 4S builders, and apparently someone backed out on one their models currently under construction, which happens to be the one our kids liked, and is now available (i.e., close May 2007). Otherwise, that same model would not be available until sometime in December 2007. That said, it looks like the move is on, and if we end up in Ramona, it looks like we could take 67 to Scripps Parkway.

rxt1949

[socketz]

Originally Posted by rxt1949

socketz,

That said, it looks like the move is on, and if we end up in Ramona, it looks like we could take 67 to Scripps Parkway.

rxt1949

I would probably take Poway Road to the highway myself, but 67 to Scripps Parkway is yet another option. Since I've never lived there and commuted, I'm not sure which is better.

As for the home in 4S, congrats. If you can afford 4S, I'd have to recommend it over Ramona. Check out the upscale shopping that is going in right there off Camino Del Norte. Also, factor in that 4S is now closer to the ocean with the 2 arteries that now cut through to the west. I also lived near that area (on the edge with lower taxes) and the family life there is world class. I honestly feel that the beating the area is taking now is short lived and soon 4S will equal Carmel MTN in cost per sq/ft, then the east side of RB where the retireees live will become the cheaper area. Very bullish on that spot. Especially since it backs up to the Santa Fe valley. Gorgeous area.

[ml1146]

Hi! I moved down from the Bay Area (San Jose area) to Ramona after I got married. It's definitely a difference in smaller communitites. The weather, as quoted in other posts, is true. It's a good 5 degrees warmer than those temps closer to the coast. During the summer months (Oct being very warm too!) it's a good mid 90's to 100+ here in the hills. At night in the winter it goes down into the teens. Although, being from CO now, that won't be too bad, I suppose! Sometimes we get very dry weather and we have to make sure to watch our water for a couple days at a time. That's about it. Being close to the canyons, there are times we feel the Santa Anas go by strong here in Ramona. (You feel them in San Diego, but especially up here between Ramona & Julian) We have a Main St that has all the usual fast foods, a few nice restaurants, great antique stores and all you can use regular necessities (hardware, books, pet food, etc) However, these are local run stores and have great local flair! We have three supermarkets (one a big name) and the only large known store here is KMart. The people of Ramona are BIG about keeping their town free of the big name stores. You will find those down the hill. Poway has those. Also, like one other post announced, you will find major hospitals down the hill as well. There are a couple doctors here in town, but depending on your coverage, you may have to drive a ways for certain care. Something to look into. It's a great town. Very friendly. Oh! The traffic in town is good. The Main St becomes the hwy out of town. It's all one road. Commute hours can be more congested in the mornings and at night, but other than that, they flow smoothly. Hills are a bit steep, and recommend a 6cyl if you have one. Hope I remembered all you asked for and that it helps.

[trisha]

To rxt1949,

I just was just was notified of your response. Poway and Carlsbad are wonderful places!! That would probably win over Ramona, due to the proximity of shopping, closer to the ocean, and freeways.

Ramona is a great place to have lots of horses and farm animals. It is definitly rural living.
I do not know if you are aware of San diego Country Estates. There is a golf course and very nice homes/condos. (This is in the same area as Ramona)

Colorado sounds so beautiful to me. I have never been there, but I am sure I would like it. My dad is 84 years old, and is actually enjoying the snow! When he lived in Ramona, he would stay on the sofa too much! Snow and his brother's (87) farm keep him going.

Many people are leaving Ca. I get a bit nervous when a mass exodus occurs.
There are so many beautiful places to live. Before he moved, I never traveled out of Ca. What an eye opener!

I am staying put here though. If I did move it would be SD or Ventura Co.
God Bless.

[rxt1949]

Originally Posted by ml1146

Hi! I moved down from the Bay Area (San Jose area) to Ramona after I got married.

Hi ml1146,

Thanks for taking the time to share your positive experience with living in the Ramona area. We are waiting for the snow to melt before putting our CO home on the market. Spring can get very sloppy due to the big melt. That said, we will probably focus our search to the SDCE area. Forgot about the Santa Anas, but I was worried about the potential fire danger due to high grass. When I grew up in the Bay Area, we had afternoon breezes, but no Santa Anas. Too bad, the Santa Anas don't cool off the hot days. Looking forward to living in the Ramona area after looking how small the lot size of the 4S home our kids just brought. Steep hills are not an issue. Take care.

rxt1949

[rxt1949]

Originally Posted by trisha

To rxt1949,

Ramona is a great place to have lots of horses and farm animals. It is definitly rural living.
I do not know if you are aware of San diego Country Estates. There is a golf course and very nice homes/condos. (This is in the same area as Ramona)

Colorado sounds so beautiful to me. I have never been there, but I am sure I would like it. My dad is 84 years old, and is actually enjoying the snow! When he lived in Ramona, he would stay on the sofa too much! Snow and his brother's (87) farm keep him going.

Hi Trisha,

Again thanks for taking the time to respond. From my experience as a California native, the State has a little of everything that can found in the other 49 states. That said, where we currently live in CO it remains me of the Truckee area in CA because of the Ponderosa trees. We live on 3 flat wooded acres around 7200 feet in altitude and it is beautiful. However, we also loved living in Idaho and New Mexico (Santa Fe).

People move for various reasons. For example, we are following the grandkids. Whether any mass exodus is indictive of a sinking ship, I would not try to guess. Although many times during the time I grew up in CA, I observed people leaving after 3 years after saying when they first moved there that they would never leave. Sometimes great weather is just not enough versus stresses associated with traffic and high population density. In that regard, rationale for looking at the Ramona area. CA has many low population density areas. Obviously, it is a tradeoff because small communities do not necessarily have great shopping with respect to big name retail or selection in diverse places to dine. People differ in priorities, and in our case, have no problem with rural living considering being within 1 hour of the ocean or San Diego or wine country and 3 hours of mountains with snow.

Your Dad will never grow old staying active. God bless you for sharing your insights.

rxt1949

[iamrick]

my daughter and i are moving to california next year and ramona looks like an inviting town. my question is about the school system there. how are the schools? she'll be going into 10th grade when we get there (if all goes according to plan). any info would be appreciated.
rick

[rxt1949]

Sorry rick, I can not attest to the quality of the schools in Ramona. It is my understanding that the schools are not bad considering transfer of educators from Poway, but I do not know that to be a fact.

[BIOLYNX]

To rxt1949:
Hello. I am a native San Diegan and have lived in Ramona for the past 17 years. I have seen tremendous growth in San Diego over the years, especially, in recent years, in Ramona. It's said that the traffic in San Diego is the worst in Ramona and that is because the three roads leading (down the hill) to Escondido, Poway and Lakeside are still only two lanes. The traffic in the mornings traveling west between 5:30-8:30 and the afternoon/evening traveling east between 3-7PM is a parking lot nightmare. The town still retains some of its small town charm but that is changing very quickly. Ramona does have two grocery stores, a couple of drug stores, many fast food restaurants, many hair and nail places, many antique stores and many preschools and day care facilities. Ramona is one of the few towns that does not have a decent infra-structure. There is a mall (30 minutes away in Escondido) down Hwy 78, in Santee on Mission Gorge(30 minutes away off of Hwy 67 and another mall in El Cajon off of Hwy 8. The El Cajon mall is beyond Santee, another 15 minutes. Ramona has dozens of halfway houses for the mentally slow and ex-substance abusers. Unfortunately, Ramona is regarded as the drug capital of San Diego. (Meth labs) The insidence of teen preganancies if very high here as there is nothing in this town for the teens to do. It is very unfortunate for a town to have such a low regard for it's children.

As for the education system in Ramona and the Estates (San Diego Country Estes) there are six grammer schools, one middle school and one high school. There is an alternate home school/Montessori combination that is K through High School, a Charter school, and two alternative home school High schools.

The weather in Ramona during November through May is very pleasant. There are many days when it's in the 80s and can sometimes climb into the 90s and 100s. In the summer we often have between 100-110+ from anywhere between 3 weeks to 3 months. So that is something to really think about. And, it is not that dry here anymore, it can get quite humid. Last summer was a record breaker worldwide and here in Ramona between the middle of June to the middle of October it was between 100 - 113 daily, averaging 105 with the humidity in the 80s. It didn't cool off at night. No one's AC could keep their homes below 90 degrees and most of the people I know had their utility bills double and triple which meant between $500-$1000a month. But, you still were not comfortable. That was indeed the worst summer ever. The average Ramona summer is not pleasant.

Living in the country has been a blessing for us (not the Estates). My husband and I moved from the coast (Leucadia) and raised our children here from 1990 through 2005. It worked out very well, although we did homeschool them and watched them like a hawk. Our children do not want to raise their own children here, since the changes in the town are not positive ones. For retirees it might be a nice move, although my husband and I are retirees and we plan to move to either Colorado, NM, or Arizona high desert. Our children plan to make the move with us.

I did notice that you mentioned that your children are moving to the 4S area west of Poway. I believe that if you moved to Ramona and wished to visit your children you would take Hwy 67 down to Poway, turn north on Espola, west on Twin Peaks which then becomes Camino del Norte. At that point you would pass under Hwy 15 and continue on for another 2 miles or so to get to the 4S area. At least, that is the way my daughter and I go to do our grocery shopping at the new health food store (Jimbos) out there.

Like others on this BBS I would recommend finding a home in Poway, Rancho Bernardo or Rancho Penasquitos and save yourselves a lot of hassle. If you have horses or any kind of livestock, Poway still has some rural areas where you could have the animals.

If you do decide to move to Ramona. WELCOME!!!
BIOLYNX (Catryna)

[rxt1949]

Originally Posted by BIOLYNX

To rxt1949:
Hello. I am a native San Diegan and have lived in Ramona for the past 17 year....

...No one's AC could keep their homes below 90 degrees and most of the people I know had their utility bills double and triple which meant between $500-$1000a month.....The average Ramona summer is not pleasant.

...For retirees it might be a nice move, although my husband and I are retirees and we plan to move to either Colorado, NM, or Arizona high desert. Our children plan to make the move with us.

If you do decide to move to Ramona. WELCOME!!!
BIOLYNX (Catryna)

Hi Biolynx,

Thanks for your insights. When I left CA back in 1980 (Benica), I was not happy with the negative direction the State was going. That said, our kids are moving to Poway, and we are following.

In regards to Met Labs, they are everywhere. However, drug heads can be a pain if they have resort to breakins to support their stupid habits. Rich kids don't have to steal unless they're bored. Agree with your statement about how kids can be neglected or be treated with low regard. Hence, why we are moving to support our daughter & son-in-law raise the grandkids.

I was afraid that two lane road would backup during rush hours, and appreciate your feedback about the time windows. Being retired we could work around it. Back in 1970s, the traffic in the SF Bay Area used to be predictable, but then it seemed to be heavy no matter what time of day your were on the road, except you were going faster 65-70 mph.

The high temperatures remind me of Livermore, and I know when it starts cooking in the Valley, it is hard to get relief. We will be looking at new homes (1995 or later) with the thinking that they may be better insulated.

My wife and I lived in Santa Fe NM (2000-2005) and Monument CO (currently). We loved both areas. However, I would recommend raising a family in CO versus NM. The Colorado Springs is an excellent small city with great family values, and weather is fairly moderate. Not too hot and not too cold. Monument is about 15 miles north of Colorado Springs, and most the time, when we get snow, it is only raining in Colorado Springs. For the price of a San Diego townhouse, you can still find and buy a 3000+ sq. ft. detached home on 1 or more acres. More importantly, water is not an issue. For example, you may be subject to water restrictions in Santa Fe (e.g. odd days or even days for watering outside or no car washings on your driveway).

Wish you folks the best on your pending move with the family.

Best Regards.

rxt1949 (Richard & Sally)