After 27 years living away from California, I just took a job in La Jolla. Curious on BI thoughts on where to live in the San Diego area. Kids are all grown. La Jolla itself is probably a little on the pricey end of the spectrum for our budget. We have been in the burbs of DC and Chicago.

Thanks

oskiwanabe said:

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After 27 years living away from California, I just took a job in La Jolla. Curious on BI thoughts on where to live in the San Diego area. Kids are all grown. La Jolla itself is probably a little on the pricey end of the spectrum for our budget. We have been in the burbs of DC and Chicago.

Thanks

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We live is southern OC, but travel a lot to San Diego County to visit our prorperties, and know something about the different areas. You have a lot of choices, bearing in mind that housing prices in beach side areas in California generally are more expensive than other areas. If you want a more cultural and urban setting, downtown San Diego and the immediate area surprisingly has a lot of nice areas, especially if your wanting to downgrade on size given your empty nest or even consider buying a condo. If you desire coast line, just remember Oceanside and North County areas, .while nice, come with traffic given where you work. If you really want the suburban scene there are plenty of nice areas going inland, and if you like rural places that will be great when you retire (but do require a commute) Romona and other eastern areas are beautiful with dramatic view houses. My suggestion is decide what your looking for first and then get a competent broker. Like I said, you have a lot of choices.

I haven't lived there but my brother did for a few years. He lived in the burbs in Carlsbad and Rancho Bernardo. Carlsbad struck me as a nice neighborhood but very quiet. It's along the coast and a seemingly safe town. Rancho Bernardo was a nice bedroom community close to some really wealthy areas but itself affordable for families with tree line streets and the typical comforts of living in suburbia. Both of these have a commute associated with La Jolla but that's where my brother worked and he managed around it by adjusting his schedule.

Just avoid National City.

Ah, La Jolla. I lived there for a year in 1963. I had dropped out of Cal to work and get my head right. Wanted to get far away from Berkeley. It was paradise. It rained only one day that year. Sunshine every day. I played basketball and golf after work, not to mention the beaches.

The locals used to rent rooms to students from Scripps Institute and so I was able to rent a room in a small cottage located a block from the La Jolla Cove for $13 a week. I used to commute 20 miles inland past Miramar Naval Air Station to Kearny Mesa to work. I went back to La Jolla last year and found the little cottage had been sold in 2015 for $2.2 million. La Jolla is pricey but there is always the occasional good deal. I checked with friends in San Diego, and they say Pacific Beach is affordable. It is just south of La Jolla, and a nice little beach town. They also tell me commute traffic is heavy on many highways in San Diego. Last year when I was there for a week, the only traffic I ran into was in getting in and out of downtown. I could find no good way. Costa Mesa and other inland areas are more affordable, but the weather there is too hot for this San Francisco boy.

I'm thinking of moving to San Diego as well, so let us know where you finally land, or send me a PM. If I hear of any area that might interest you, I will do likewise.

SFCB

ibhoagiesforlife said:

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I haven't lived there but my brother did for a few years. He lived in the burbs in Carlsbad and Rancho Bernardo. Carlsbad struck me as a nice neighborhood but very quiet. It's along the coast and a seemingly safe town. Rancho Bernardo was a nice bedroom community close to some really wealthy areas but itself affordable for families with tree line streets and the typical comforts of living in suburbia. Both of these have a commute associated with La Jolla but that's where my brother worked and he managed around it by adjusting his schedule.

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A neads-up: Carlsbad can be expensive. If La Jolla is too expensive, you probably also want to avoid Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas, Del Mar., Solana Beach, and other adjacent La Jolla cities. Ranch Benardo is inland somewhat, but is a great city with more reasonable housing prices.

My brother lives in University City, just the other side of the freeway from La Jolla, but only 5 to 10 minutes away--definitely far more affordable, but kinda condo--suburbia family oriented. Pacific Beach would be my choice.

My only comment is be very aware of San Diego traffic. It can be horrible...As bad or worse at times as the 405 by LAX. We travel to LaJolla north from South OC a lot, and what is 1 hour one day can be 2 to 2 1/2 the next.

Love North SD County but not sure I could put up with the traffic. So were I working in LaJolla, I would plan to live as close as possible.

You haven't mentioned if you're still young at heart. Pacific Beach or North Park are great if you are. Otherwise I'd look into the northern 'burbs.

I grew up in the Mira Mesa and Scripps Ranch areas. My folks still live in the latter. Very family oriented but as the neighborhoods have aged so have the original residents who remain, so it's not all young families. I see Rancho Bernardo has already been mentioned.

Poway, just north of Scripps and southeast of Rancho Bernardo, is an inland city at the urban fringe. Equal parts east county trailer park, backcountry estate, and new suburban $1M McMansion. You can climb up Mt. Woodson or drive up to Julian in the same amount of time. The area has attracted some decent restaurants. La Mesa and Escondido are both very liveable but more run-down.

Coronado might be the retirement capital of the western United States. Point Loma overlooks the Bay and the ocean and should be an affordable option if you want to be by the water and don't mind jets flying overhead.

Steer clear of south county except for parts of Chula Vista or Bonita.

Welcome to San Diego. I have lived in La Costa for 28 years and think that Leucadia is the finest place in the world to live. Cheers, GO BEARS!!

Been living and working within 10 miles of Torrey Pines/La jolla for 30 years. Happy to give you some ideas. If La Jolla feels expensive and you like the coast I would look at Solano Beach and Encinitas which isn't TOO bad a drive. Carmel Valley is a hop skip and a jump. If in Downtown La Jolla proper then we can talk about PB, Mission Beach or even some of the cooler places toward downtown. PM me and happy to give an overview.

National City is fantastic.

North county coastal is very nice, but I can attest to the fact that the traffic going to downtown, or even La Jolla or Carmel Valley, is terrible. Even more so in the summer, and even on weekends.

Fallbrook is nice and might fit your budget.

Worked for the Navy in San Diego the last 12 years of my career. Stuck in San Diego county since I retired after the last Real Estate collapse. Prices in Otay Ranch (the last major new construction/open space development in the last 20 years) have only partially recovered from there 2008 highs.

San Diego has been the most expensive (monthly) place to own a home (after the initial purchase price) where I have lived in California (other areas were Sunset District SF, Castro Valley 5 Canyons, Oakley, and La Quinta.
Most areas do not have secure, local utility providers, but instead are dependent on out of area providers. New residents will increasingly pay the cost or penalty of acquiring utilities from outside the area. Because of the current Navy presence, utilities will be provided, but expect future costs to remain high. Our house in La Quinta gets water from Imperial Irrigation districts, so does much of San Diego (just at four times the price). The remaining SD landfills are approaching capacity (Mount Chula Vista landfill now blocks much of my view of TJ).

San Diego is run like a small town, unwilling to spend taxpayer money on projects that have been completed elsewhere. Infrastructure maintenance is dismal. San Diego is the last major California municipality to not upgrade their sewage collection and treatment system (I'm sure the Navy presence is a major reason they have had waivers from environmental compliance; the Navy dumps it's waste into the SD systems). Sewage spills from a failed infrastructure are common; fortunately TJ is nearby and can be readily blamed for health scares at South Bay beaches. North County is protected from TJ pollution by distance, but Camp Pendleton for decades had major pollution spills, violations into the ocean. New construction projects at Camp Pendleton should finally provide the best sewage treatment facilities in the county; however the rest of the sewage infrastructure will likely remain inferior and outdated. Fortunately the Grump administration is not likely to bring SD utilities into the 20th Century (the 21st Century is a bridge too far).

I frequently refer to San Diego as the major city of the state of Denial. The current mayor campaigned on fixing potholes in the street. To fulfill his campaign promise he greatly increased pothole maintenance. At the current, accelerated pace all the existing potholes will be completely repaired in FIFTY years. In this area AC pavement has a life expectancy of fifteen years, in fifty years the whole county could be a pothole.
Disclaimer: Many new developments make street maintenance a homeowners responsibility, the city/county do their best to avoid having to maintain new roadways at taxpayers expense. Expect better roads in the area of there is an active HOA; expect nothing in maintenance if the property does not have an HOA.

Back in the 1800s downtown portions of Sacramento regularly flooded each year, so do shoreline communities like Pacific Beach. Back in the 1800s Sacramento raise the waterfront streets 12 feet and the yearly flooding stopped; San Diego provides advance notice of when Pacific Beach is expected to flood and helps distribute sandbags, but positive measures (like raising the street level) never appear to be considered.

San Diego is a high humidity area, especially compared to areas like LA 100 miles away. If you are warm blooded you will probably always be sweating. Living here as made visits to Louisiana much more tolerable as the difference is minor compared to when I was living in Northern California. Temperatures have been rising the last few years and are not as moderate as they once were. AC is a must based on the humidity and rising temperatures, but many older houses do not have AC as it wasn't as greatly needed 40-50 years ago. Long time San Diegans tend to not have AC and can usually be identified by a rip, musty presence.

Final disclosure: San Diego has had a long time military presence; however when unused facilities were turned over to the private sector they did not receive the same environmental remediation that communities farther north had required. Some of the areas inland from La Jolla in Mission Valley had been ordnance test and practice areas, but are now surbanized with housing developments. If you see open space with Federal No Trespassing Warnings; stay away there are live munitions in the surface. I would advise against living near these areas as the brush cannot be cleared for wildfire suppression and it is not possible to provide a defensible perimeter. Much of the area under Pt Loma is a large Jet fuel plume from massive storage tanks leaking for decades. All of this was unknown to me when the Navy moved us here in 1999. My wife and I had worked on SF Bay Area remediation locations with local communities demanding much more aggressive cleanup/remediation measures. San Diego was happy to settle for quick and dirty. Caveat Emptor.

BearSD said:

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North county coastal is very nice, but I can attest to the fact that the traffic going to downtown, or even La Jolla or Carmel Valley, is terrible. Even more so in the summer, and even on weekends.

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Coming from South Bay, the I-5 corridor is by far the worst, slowest and longest traffic congestion in the county. I-8 (East West) can be equally bad but only for a relatively short distance. I-15 (North to Vegas) has improved over the last 30 years, and even the last 10; especially if you can use the HOV lane (2 in a car). I drove I-15 yesterday twice, to and from, I-215 and the worst traffic congestion was as expected in Temecula, just outside of San Diego County. Some of the worst street traffic is in the La Jolla area; I avoid the area if I can.

The key to the San Diego region is to live in one of the smaller cities, not the City of San Diego. High property tax and TOT revenue keep the small cities well funded. Coronado and Del Mar are the top 2 options. I prefer Coronado, larger community, great mix of working class Navy, old time residents and second homeowners. 5 minute drive from Downtown and 10 minutes from the airport. The island is flat so everything is 100% walk able. Perhaps the best bang for the buck public golf course in California. The lifestyle seriously can't be matched.

Staying closer to La Jolla I would look at Sunset Cliffs and Bay Park for more bang for the buck. If you don't need public schools, I would look at the Pacific Beach side of Mount Soledad, just south of the La Jolla Zip Code. Prices drop by as much as 50% being in the PB zip vs the La Jolla zip, good arbitrage for the same location/climate/housing stock. Great location close to everything in San Diego, and if you spend a little more you can find outstanding view properties in this area that overlook Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

oskiwanabe said:

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After 27 years living away from California, I just took a job in La Jolla. Curious on BI thoughts on where to live in the San Diego area. Kids are all grown. La Jolla itself is probably a little on the pricey end of the spectrum for our budget. We have been in the burbs of DC and Chicago.

Thanks

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Not sure what housing is like there, but Encinitas is such a cool, sleepy, coastal town around. Loved eating their manhole cover pancakes at Potato Shack (SC owned place but I will let that slide).

Also El Pueblo on Birmingham at Cardiff-by-the-sea has the best $.99 fish tacos I've ever had. Fresh red snapper fish tacos buy as many as you like.

Does this help at all?

KoreAmBear said:

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oskiwanabe said:

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After 27 years living away from California, I just took a job in La Jolla. Curious on BI thoughts on where to live in the San Diego area. Kids are all grown. La Jolla itself is probably a little on the pricey end of the spectrum for our budget. We have been in the burbs of DC and Chicago.

Thanks

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Not sure what housing is like there, but Encinitas is such a cool, sleepy, coastal town around. Loved eating their manhole cover pancakes at Potato Shack (SC owned place but I will let that slide).

Also El Pueblo on Birmingham at Cardiff-by-the-sea has the best $.99 fish tacos I've ever had. Fresh red snapper fish tacos buy as many as you like.

Does this help at all?

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It's attached to a gas station, no less!

Encinitas has so many good taco shops it's hard to list them all.

I'd recommend taking a look at the western side of Santee or Tierrasanta. It is nice, quite green (Mission Trails, Cowles Mt, etc.), afforable by San Diego standards, has a now-undeserved poor reputation from an earlier era when the 52 didn't connect through (but now it does), and, perhaps most importantly, it is safe and run in a sane and fairly conservative fiscal manner. The 52 doesn't back up as bad as the 15 or the 5, and you can be at the beach from Santee in less than 20 minutes. It's also far closer to the heart of the city than the far-flung cities to the north on the 15 and 5 corridors.

Take sp4149's advice with caution, he is a die-hard San Diego hater and has posted crazy stuff on this board about San Diego for years. I occasionally call him out on the more out-there stuff. Some of it, as a native San Diegan, I have to laugh at.

Agree on sp4149...some valid points, some not so much. We can agree to disagree, but doesn't every city have some type of issues? The question posed was "I'm moving there, where should I live?" not "what should we do fix San Diego's municipal problems?"

oskiwanabe - I PM'd you, feel free to contact me if you want more information.

Just to follow up - where in La Jolla? Downtown La Jolla vs. Torrey Pines vs. "UTC" each have housing options that different in respect to ideas. So, for example, I wouldn't live in PB if I worked at Torrey Pines but would in a heart beat if I worked in the Village.

And I did enjoy the hating on San Diego above. Frankly I love it here. Miss the Sierra but that is the only knock. You do have to adapt - if you try to make it the Bay Area you will remain deeply disappointed.

Chapman_is_Gone said:

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Take sp4149's advice with caution, he is a die-hard San Diego hater and has posted crazy stuff on this board about San Diego for years. I occasionally call him out on the more out-there stuff. Some of it, as a native San Diegan, I have to laugh at.

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I won't say that I hate the San Diego area, but I do hate the political dishonesty that I see compared to LA, SF and Sacramento. I worked for the Navy for over 36 years, up and down the West Coast; there is a special dishonesty about San Diego that the Navy has perpetuated for years. It only really bothers me when it is used to the disadvantage of the rest of California. San Diego is the West Coast Navy's fair haired child.

The infrastructure and environmental problems are real. Other West Coast cities are much farther ahead. I believe dilution is a solution, however the PW managers in San Diego choose no action most of the time. The Navy has been petitioning to stop the cleanup of toxic waste sites at former West Coast bases. The reason is that the Navy was able to excess contaminated property in San Diego with token cleanup. Since the last round of BRAC base closures, San Diego was made the West Coast lead on Navy environmental remediation. The result is a push to suspend cleanup of former West Coast bases, even when there have been binding legal agreements and the work is far from complete. Rather than honoring their previous cleanup commitments, the Navy has seen that the San Diego plan will save tens of millions along the West Coast, money they would prefer to spend on the war effort or in SD. A lot of this information was classified; as in many cases local citizens would protest if the information was publicized. The fact that San Diegans ignore issues that would raise an uproar elsewhere in California is the reason I see SD as in the state of denial. They have the same problems as many other California cities; but SD consistently chooses inaction.

And the Navy has been an enabler, money saved elsewhere on the West Coast by deferred maintenance is transferred to San Diego bases and thus subsidizes the SD region. The Navy presence ensures San Diego, which does not own much in the way of water resources, can always depend on the Navy to provide them water. Other cities in California have to provide their own. Because Navy bases dump sewage into the SD system, there is no threat of bringing the SD sewage system up to current standards; the Navy doesn't want to pay higher rates. Most San Diegans have no idea of the hazardous materials the Navy has left behind at their closed bases, ranges, fuel depots. It's just in San Diego the cleanup has been minimal. I only know about these issues because my wife was an environmental engineer working these remediation projects and I had to include the disclaimers about specific hazards in base maintenance contracts. There are other hazardous waste contaminated sites in California, some of them quite scary, but cleanup was complete before the property was disposed and houses were built.

If you can afford it, live in La Jolla. Rush hour traffic on city streets in the area can move at a snail's pace.
If you can work odd hours, and avoid peak commute hours like 3:30-6PM, even long distance commutes are feasible. Getting across the downtown core can be time consuming; it's much easier to live in an area where you don't have to cross Mission Valley or the Balboa Park area.

When we moved down here we got plenty of (Navy) advice to avoid areas south of Interstate 8 because of the heavy Hispanic population, comparable houses north of I-8 were 35% higher and in great demand. We ignored the advice, saved the money and bought in Otay Ranch, a heavily integrated community, and have had 18 trouble-free years. Our other homes in Castro Valley and in Denham Springs, LA were in white communities, there just weren't minorities nearby in either area. If you aren't comfortable being a minority where you are living; your choices are more limited. Because Portuguese are not considered Hispanic by the Feds, we were the token white family in the neighborhood for many years. Still we are much closer to TJ than to La Jolla and there is an element of risk involved with that proximity. AS a result home prices in our area remain much cheaper than comparable or smaller homes north of I8. It's a cultural thing for South Bay residents to move north of I8 as they become affluent, several co-workers did just that. We considered 4S Ranch and Valley Center, but the Depression cost us most of our equity when our house dropped over 50% in value and we couldn't afford to make the move.

sp4149 said:

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If you can afford it, live in La Jolla. Rush hour traffic on city streets in the area can move at a snail's pace.
If you can work odd hours, and avoid peak commute hours like 3:30-6PM, even long distance commutes are feasible. Getting across the downtown core can be time consuming; it's much easier to live in an area where you don't have to cross Mission Valley or the Balboa Park area.

When we moved down here we got plenty of (Navy) advice to avoid areas south of Interstate 8 because of the heavy Hispanic population, comparable houses north of I-8 were 35% higher and in great demand. We ignored the advice, saved the money and bought in Otay Ranch, a heavily integrated community, and have had 18 trouble-free years. Our other homes in Castro Valley and in Denham Springs, LA were in white communities, there just weren't minorities nearby in either area. If you aren't comfortable being a minority where you are living; your choices are more limited. Because Portuguese are not considered Hispanic by the Feds, we were the token white family in the neighborhood for many years. Still we are much closer to TJ than to La Jolla and there is an element of risk involved with that proximity. AS a result home prices in our area remain much cheaper than comparable or smaller homes north of I8. It's a cultural thing for South Bay residents to move north of I8 as they become affluent, several co-workers did just that. We considered 4S Ranch and Valley Center, but the Depression cost us most of our equity when our house dropped over 50% in value and we couldn't afford to make the move.

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Love Otay and it is a great development. If my wife didn't work for Poway Unified we would have looked there.

BTW - I have a significantly different take on the above knock on SD politics but life is too short.

Lived in La Jolla for five years. 2 years on campus housing 1 year in UTC and two amazing years on La Jolla Blvd about 100 yards from Windansea beach.

San Diego has some great places to live but I always liked PB and La Jolla heading towards PB.

It's great to have the ocean in close proximity and PB has a great vibe to it. Granted it's a bit partyish but it's lively.

Grigsby said:

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Lived in La Jolla for five years. 2 years on campus housing 1 year in UTC and two amazing years on La Jolla Blvd about 100 yards from Windansea beach.

San Diego has some great places to live but I always liked PB and La Jolla heading towards PB.

It's great to have the ocean in close proximity and PB has a great vibe to it. Granted it's a bit partyish but it's lively.

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Agreed