Thinking about moving to Poway. Good or Bad? (San Diego: houses, neighborhoods)

[Jerry21]

Im looking to move to Poway soon. Not sure if it's a good move or not. Anyone have any pro's or con's about it?

Thanks
Jerry

[destroycreate]

I grew up in Poway, I hate it there! But I'm also an urbanite, so I'm not too keen on tract housing developments and relying on my car for everything in life.

Pro's:
Very safe
Has much more sun than the coastal areas
Good schools (relatively of course, this is CA)
Good family environment
People care about the community

Con's:
Extremely conservative for the most part
Intolerant, not very diverse (very apple pie white american types, lots of homophobes, lots of religious people)
Midwestern vibe
LOTS, and I mean LOTS of hardcore drug use at the Middle Schools/High Schools - trust me, I went there
You can't walk anywhere, the car is the only means of transportation
Lack of good restaurants or bars (in fact, are there any real bars/clubs in Poway?), just chains and strip malls galore
It's basically as bland suburbia as it comes
You're 17 miles away from the cool areas of San Diego like downtown, the beaches etc, so expect to drive to get to those places, it can take a while to

I recommend a more central area in the city.

[cruitr]

Originally Posted by Jerry21

Im looking to move to Poway soon. Not sure if it's a good move or not. Anyone have any pro's or con's about it?

Thanks
Jerry

Where do you live now?

[skeke]

I lived in Poway and loved it. I was a stay at home mom raising my kids. It was a great environment for that and my kids graduated from the wonderful Poway schools. It is pretty and nice. Now that I don't have kids I have chosen to live down in the city where I am closer to the amenities of the city. I am happy as a clam here; however when I visit my son in Poway and see how beautifully kept up all the homes in his neighborhood are, I do feel a pang. I live in an older neighborhood with many nice and friendly folks but upkeep is hit and miss. There are a lot of completely neglected houses/yards in my current neighborhood. Oh well, where I am now I can easily pop right over to the kinds of arts and culture events that appeal to me. That's my trade off. There are well kept up neighborhoods in the city too, just not in my price range.

[NYSD1995]

There is very little negative to say about Poway if you have children, if you don't have children it's probably not a place you'd want to live. Safe, quiet, somewhat removed from San Diego in general - a place most people move to for schools and little else.

Poway ranges from very upscale (luxury tracts, ranchettes, mansions, acreage) to very blue-collar (unkept homes and yards). Those two sides are geographically and socially separate from each other.

[esmith143]

LOTS, and I mean LOTS of hardcore drug use at the Middle Schools/High Schools - trust me, I went there

If this is true, I can't help but wonder, are there any AT ALL middle/high schools in the county where hardcore drug use isn't a problem?

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by esmith143

If this is true, I can't help but wonder, are there any AT ALL middle/high schools in the county without hardcore drug use?

My high school (at one time #15/100 in the country) had plenty of hardcore drug use. Heroin in particular has made a big comeback on Long Island, you would rarely see that in CA. It seems endemic to affluent areas everywhere.

[thepinksquid]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

My high school (at one time #15/100 in the country) had plenty of hardcore drug use. Heroin in particular has made a big comeback on Long Island, you would rarely see that in CA. It seems endemic to affluent areas everywhere.

Yeah. I went to another "high performing" magnet high school in South Florida that had plenty--and I mean plenty--of drug use. I'll never forget one time a kid passed out in my German class from apparently what was later found out to be a cocaine overdose.

[eastcoastbias]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

There is very little negative to say about Poway if you have children, if you don't have children it's probably not a place you'd want to live. Safe, quiet, somewhat removed from San Diego in general - a place most people move to for schools and little else.

Poway ranges from very upscale (luxury tracts, ranchettes, mansions, acreage) to very blue-collar (unkept homes and yards). Those two sides are geographically and socially separate from each other.

This is right on.

I think its a great place to live for most people, but I would really recommend Poway to folks moving out here from Middle America. Your a small drive away from San Diego life. Also, Poway seems to be the one of the few places in San Diego that has every level of the socioeconomic chain.

[iskray917]

One of the richest areas in the county.