Questions about Vista and other cities... (Oceanside, Carlsbad: crime, home, schools)

[htnspz]

Temecula: Hot summers as well as a hotter climate than Vista, 1 hour min away from San Diego, Unbelievable traffic all the time (even in town), 45 mins to the beach, good schools, bargain basement housing

Vista: Mild climate ( a little warm in summer but nowhere near Temecula, decent schools (at least Lake and Madison I hear are good),35-45 mins from San Diego, 15 mins to the beach (isn't that the point of living in San Diego County?), cheaper housing.

If I were you I would check them both out. For me, I always need to stay closer to San Diego for employment possibilities. I would consider Temecula if I could work from home but after living in Vista, I'm not sure I would because It's pretty far away from San Diego as it is. I know a huge allure to Temecula is the cheap housing, but I honestly don't see why people need 3000 square feet (poorly designed at that).

[janineg]

Temecula has good schools and cheaper housing, but it's hotter than the hubs of hell (maybe an exaggeration). If cost is very important, look at district boundary maps carefully. Here's Vista's: Vista Unified School District Lake elementary is the best (according to scores) and that area also leads into Madison middle, which has good scores. The magnet middle scores even better, but can be hard to get into unless your child goes to Casita for elementary (the sister magnet that gets you guaranteed admission).
The San Marcos school district has boundary info, too.

[10,000Lakes]

We live in Oceanside.
Pros: Weather and proximity to the beach!!! Isnt' that was living in SD is all about? About 35 mins to San Diego (longer in the summer since the I-5s is always congested)

Cons: Schools and housing. While some schools are good, there are several that are not. There are some afforable homes but mostly in the areas you don't want to live. Overall though we feel prety safe living here and you can not beat the weather in Oside!!!!

[mark311]

Originally Posted by lalabear

One place we keep coming back to in our search is Temecula. It would mean a farther drive for my poor husband, who already drives more than most daily, but it would be easily $500 less a month for a bigger, newer house. And the dream of owning would be that much closer. I've been lurking in the forums for awhile, and it seems like a lot of SD people hate Temecula. Is there any one reason for that?

The main reason is that it's just so far away and the commute during rush hour really is brutal. Commuting to downtown San Diego during rush hour from Temecula is not fun at all. It could easily be two hours each way during rush hour if traffic is heavy. If he did it during non-peak hours, then it might not be too bad. Temecula would be a risky place to buy right now in my opinion. Home values have dropped a lot there and it will probably take longer to recover than areas closer in to San Diego. I haven't looked up the statistics, but I would be that foreclosure numbers well outnumber areas closer to San Diego. Of course, that also means that there might be some good deals to be had.

[lookingar0und]

Rhanifin, you mentioned Buena Creek Road in Vista. I am wondering what the area north of Buena Creek up along Ora Avo Dr towards the hills is like. I'm not quiet sure what to make of it looking at google street view.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by lookingar0und

Rhanifin, you mentioned Buena Creek Road in Vista. I am wondering what the area north of Buena Creek up along Ora Avo Dr towards the hills is like. I'm not quiet sure what to make of it looking at google street view.

That's the rural part of Vista. It's pretty nice. I think the schools are bad though.

[janineg]

Generally, it's a pretty part of Vista. The elementary school is Monte Vista, which looks decent: Monte Vista Elementary School - Vista, California - CA - School overview The middle school, I believe, is Rancho Minerva and that is to be avoided.
Janine

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Snort

California School Performance Maps

Sweet link. Thanks!

[lookingar0und]

Thanks for the information! Very much sounds like it is worth checking it out!

[sdhkshdcny09]

the california school performance map is outdated. Test scores are from two years ago, and API scores have changed a lot since then. Monte Vista is a decent school. Rancho Minerva is not. The high school RBV is mediocre.

Weird coincidence that you ask about oro avo because i actually have a friend that lives on that street. I personally love the area. But Im really not fond of Vista Unified whatsoever.

In my personal opinion, if you want the best priced house plus the best schools, stay within San Marcos Unified. You can try transferring to SMUSD too.