Tell Me Something Bad About Daily Life in Del Mar...

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by Surfer619

For the record, according to mapquest (a more relevant source for driving purposes), Torrey Pines High School is 5.76 miles from downtown Del Mar (more specifically, Del Mar Plaza), not 3 miles like some other poster on here mentioned earlier. So if you have children and are thinking of moving to Del Mar, keep that in consideration.

[loveautumn]

haaa...I think one of those 80 year old men (well maybe 75) must be my ex

[JakeDog]

If you can afford it, there is very little wrong with it.

[5FLgirls]

I thought I'd answer some of the questions from my point of view, a mom of four kids living in Del Mar.

1. School traffic: Depends on the school your child attends in Del Mar but then it varies according to any school in DMUSD. I have a friend who waits in the car line at Ocean Air for 25 minutes every day. I leave my house at 2:20, school gets out at 2:30 and we're usually back home no later than 10 to 3. I live less than a mile from DMHA.
Regular traffic: Sometimes turning onto DMH Rd can be a pain for a side street. During rush hour, traffic going east and west on DMH Rd crossing the freeway can be heavy. The fair, as others mentioned, is just a huge pain in the rear end...but it's only for a few weeks and you work around it. There are sacrifices to be made to live in a nice place.

2. Parks: Everyone in the local parks is friendly and nice. I think I've seen a homeless person once.

3. Walking neighborhood: Depends on where in Del Mar. If you live in the town of Del Mar, I don't think it's totally walkable -- although downtown is. Del Mar Heights area (part of San Diego) has sidewalks and it's easier to walk, IMO. Either way, if you want to walk, you do. I live on a busy street in DM and I usually have people walking all day long in front of my house. No, I don't know many of my immediate neighbors but it's only because they're original owners and much much older than us. I think if you're in an area with young children, you'll meet the families. Did I mention I lived on a busy street? My kids don't play out in the street but friends a few streets down do let their children roam around and ride bikes outside...it's your own comfort level there.

4. Driving distances, activities for kids: Once you live here, you get used to driving around. There are TONS of activities in Carmel Valley, Solana Beach and La Jolla for kids, as well as some things in Del Mar. My kids are active in dance, gymnastics, choir, girl scouts, music class, and swimming. Everything is within a 10-15 ride of my home. I do my grocery shopping in La Jolla at Trader Joe's even though there's a Vons less than a mile from our house. I try to hit Target in Encinitas every other week.

5. Can't answer on public transit...never used it.

Finding a home here takes a nice search IMO. We regretted that we didn't do due diligence on our busy our road was. We didn't know it was a major shortcut for Del Martians. Now that I live in the area, I've gotten to know where people with kids live. Your price range seems pretty realistic for finding a great home for your family in Del Mar.

Good luck. We are very very happy living in Del Mar.

[NewportNews]

Originally Posted by Stuff Shredman

We are looking to move to Del Mar (thereabouts.. perhaps Solana, La Jolla, or Rancho Santa Fe).

Both my wife and I lived in SD for ten years as singles. Since getting married, we moved up to the Bay Area then down to LA. Now we have three little children (all under 6).

So, all we know of SD was from a single's perspective. I'd like to get the perspective of families with small, pre-teen or teen kids on how living in these areas of SD effect their daily lives...

Things like... [LIST][*]how bad is local traffic getting your kids to school[*]Do you feel comfortable with the folks that inhabit your local parks[*]How convenient are things like.. grocery shopping, Target, etc[*]Is your neighborhood a walking neighborhood.. do you know many of your neighbors? Do your kids play out in the street?[*]Are those extracurricular activities close by and easy to get to (art class, music, karate, gymnastics, etc, etc)[*]Youth sports (soccer, basketball, etc) held locally or do you have to drive all over[*]Public transit to downtown.. easy, hassle?[/LIST]Also, we're looking for neighborhoods that are much more family friendly.. slightly larger lots. East of 5 plenty fine. We're not pretentious... want good neighbors. Price range: $1.5 - $2.5M

Any thoughts, opinions, etc would be greatly appreciated!

====================
If you are not pretentious, you won't like Del Mar, because pretense is at the core of Del Mar living. For over a decade, Del Mar fought the development of "North City West" which, in itself is pretentious, and insists on being called "Carmel Valley" although it really is simply San Diego. When San Diego widened the bridge on the Coast Highway, Del Mar refused to do so. So now there is a large bottleneck every evening as three lanes (on the San Diego side) funnel down to one lane (on the Del Mar side). U-Turns are illegal between 3PM and 6PM on Camino del Mar, and there are regularly schedule "ticket traps" to boost revenue. Also, you must keep in mind that, as a percentage of total revenue, parking ticket revenue is 60 times higher in Del Mar than any other Southern California coastal city. So be prepared to pay parking fines. It is not a question of "if," but "when" and "how many."

Neighbors are intrusive when it comes to issues of blocking their ocean view in any way, cutting down or not cutting down trees, walking your dog, how much your dog barks, etc.

Public transit to downtown was easier years ago when the train stopped in Del Mar. But when the new Coaster system was developed, Del Mar did not want the traffic, so the station was relocated to the next city to the north, Solana Beach. The Amtrak and Coaster both run from Solana Beach to Downtown, and they take about 45 minutes to get there. Like most of Southern California, "automobile driving" is the assumed method of transportation, and the 101 bus that runs through Del Mar is mainly ridden by domestic laborers, homeless folks, and military veterans on their way to the VA Hospital near the UCSD campus.

Del Mar is very dark at night (no streetlights), so be careful if you are walking. Be sure to carry a flashlight and wear reflective clothing.

If you have a young family, you are probably going to be happier in Poway or Rancho Penasquitos or Scripps Ranch, all nice areas with friendlier neighbors.