My best friend lived in Oceanside in a lovely gated community on a hilltop with great views and easy access to the big box stores, Trader Joe’s, etc. It was just a pain in the ass for me and my husband, who live in metro San Diego, to drive up there to have dinner on Friday nights. My best friend and her husband are gourmet cooks. Of course, we would have the same complaint if they moved to Carlsbad. When they moved, they moved to Solana Beach, which is a little bit easier.

I think this board is heavily slanted toward the North County Coast, but I’m just giving you my two cents from a close-to (but not quite) San Diegan.