Vista seems so beautiful...am I missing something? (San Diego, Oceanside: house, teaching jobs)

[Imperial1904]

Originally Posted by wanttoteach

PenelopeX-Wow...that post from you came at the perfect time. It looks like we may get to sell our home this weekend. I have some people here in Roseville who really don't want me to leave, so they keep reminding me of the scary things about San Diego, the mexican folk being one of them. So I was just sitting here freaking out about it, and I read your post, and feel better. When I try to explain the area to my friends and my family, they just don't seem to get it. I am leaving a beautiful tract home here, and I am leaving a very secure teaching position, but I am just really unexplainably drawn to the Vista hills. My husband just started a commercial insurance company 2 years ago, and we don't have kids yet, so it just seems like now is the time to move if we are going to. In the past 5 years we have tried to move to Hawaii, Cancun, Grand Cayman...then we saw a pattern-that we need to be in a sunny place by the ocean! I will keep everyone posted. Hopefully it will sell this weekend (which would be a true miracle because it has been on the market for 5 months this year and 6 months last year). Keep your fingers crossed for me please!

What's so scary about Mexicans? Most Mexicans are nice and the culture is spread around San Diego... well all over Southern California actually. Even the illegals are friendly, too.

[wanttoteach]

Originally Posted by Imperial1904

What's so scary about Mexicans? Most Mexicans are nice and the culture is spread around San Diego... well all over Southern California actually. Even the illegals are friendly, too.

Mexicans aren't scary-I am hispanic. I guess I meant the gangs. When I lived in Ventura, it was the Mexican gangs that were scary. I know there are white gangs, but there was very few when I lived there.

[Vickyc]

Want a nice place to live... move to Temecula. We have great schools, people are very friendly and we are still close enough to everything. The price of homes are cheaper than San Diego, Vista, Oceanside, etc... The only downside is that pretty much everyone computes at least an hour to work unless your lucky enough to find a job here in Temecula.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by Vickyc

Want a nice place to live... move to Temecula. We have great schools, people are very friendly and we are still close enough to everything. The price of homes are cheaper than San Diego, Vista, Oceanside, etc... The only downside is that pretty much everyone computes at least an hour to work unless your lucky enough to find a job here in Temecula.

Temecula is a nice option, in fact I moved from Murrieta last year to Michigan, where I currently live.

The only thing is, this poster wants individuality, and as far as homes go, Temecula has very little of that. It's all tract homes. For what this poster wants, I would say continue on with Vista.

[wanttoteach]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

Temecula is a nice option, in fact I moved from Murrieta last year to Michigan, where I currently live.

The only thing is, this poster wants individuality, and as far as homes go, Temecula has very little of that. It's all tract homes. For what this poster wants, I would say continue on with Vista.

I also want sun-lots of it, and a warm winter. I would consider living in Temecula, but how cold are the winters?

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by wanttoteach

I also want sun-lots of it, and a warm winter. I would consider living in Temecula, but how cold are the winters?

Oh, the winters are beautiful. Keep in mind Temecula is only 20 miles inland from the Pacific. Actually I would say that the middle of summer is my least favorite time of year because it's so hot there, but the rest of the year the tempurature is near perfect. Check it out!

[mspiggygreen]

I grew up in Vista/Oceanside area. And it is NOT bad!! Sure... there are some areas you wouldn't want to walk around late at night alone.... but every place has that. I went to Washington Middle School, and Rancho Buena Vista High, and they were excellent!! Especially Rancho. Great neighborhood, great teachers, ect.

I would recommend Oceanside or Carlsbad personally. Vista is hotter... but it's a nice place. Shadow Ridge has some very nice houses. Investigate.

Good luck.

[wanttoteach]

Well, our house has sold! We have a 3 week escrow. San Diego...here I come! Only 1 house that we found would let us rent month to month. Every other house wants a lease, and we want to buy as soon as I get a job. So, it looks like our only option is in the Fire Mountain area of Oceanside. We are thrilled! Hopefully we will only have to stay there 2 months or so. If I don't get a job, then we will lease somewhere. Well, I am freaking out...excited....I really hope it is all that I think it will be!

[Vesper]

Wanttoteach,

I live in San Marcos, which is basically right next to Vista.

Vista has pros and cons like any community. Just be aware that if you move to this part of So.Cal. you are going to be placing yourself smack in the middle of "Little Mexico". The area is beautiful and most people are pretty nice but you are running into an area that is heavily Mexican and whether people speak English or not is a toss up. Vista has lovely shopping areas, but depending on the restaurants, it could be spanish speaking only. This is one of the reasons Vista has the reputation that it does, there is a lot of frustration here about illegal immigrants and they are VERY vocal about what they consider their RIGHTS. ( last two years had demonstrations with kids leaving the schools for protest marches where they carry the mexican flag and walked up and down main streets for hours blocking traffic screaming long live mexico and yelling stuff in spanish........They say you are a hateful bigot if you even think, "it's right across the border, you can go back any time you like".)

Traffic on the 78 SUCKS during go to work hours, it is pretty much a standstill on the fwys at those times. You will need to learn the streets or plan on spending a LOT of time in traffic. Coming east around 3pm it is close to a parking lot, not to mention that there are plans to widen the fwy which means first they have to cut off some lanes..............

Personally I make 54k +bonus and my apartment as part of my pay package and I am telling you now that if I did not have the apartment included I could not afford to live here! Average rent starts around $1200 a month for an apartment. Houses start around $1700 if you are lucky. More common is $1500 - 1700 for apartments and $2200 - 3000 for houses. Purchases don't start below 430k.

Gas averages about $3.30 a gallon with about .20 fluctuation range.

I guess it is all about what you want, your age and energy level, what you are willing to deal with. The area is incredibly beautiful, there is NO doubt about that. The beaches are nice and there are TONNES of things to get into.

Oh by the way, this area gets HOT in the summertime......think parts of Az with tonnes more humidity.

Hope this helps you, I was not trying to be negative, just answer you as best I could. Then again , I have been here far too long and am trying to leave the state, so that does flavor my reply a bit.........

[northcountystooge]

I'd say the militantly anti-illegal immigration crowd is the most vocal of any "side" in that debate. Check out the North County Times' letters section and Web comments on stories. Vista has a large Latino population but the idea that you're going to have trouble getting by without knowing Spanish is just, to be nice, silly. Who really cares that if you go to a small taco shop you might not be able to carry on some detailed conversastion with the clerk behind the counter? Having said that, if you're an elementary teacher at north Vista schools, especially, there will be lots of little English-language learners. (It's funny to write that because us Anglos were learning English too in elementary school, but you prolly know what I mean.)