At least that’s our way of finding our perfect area.
If you yahoo map an area you’re interested in you can easily pick out all the parks and go visit them.
We really get a feel for the individual neighborhoods by the parks and the people that frequent them.
For example, we thought we really wanted Poway Unified at one point but were able to eliminate most of Poway County as our type of ‘hood based on the graffiti and used condoms laying around the park parking lots. There is one really nice neighborhood though called “The Palisades”.
Also, there is a park in Sabre Springs where every moringing it’s filled with Chinese people doing Tai-Chi (however you spell that) and playing with what must be their grandkids. I think the area must be filled with multi-generational Chinese families all of whom we’ve always found very nice towards us (we’re as white as they come) and our dogs. We could never find a home there that worked for us (we’re renters and the pickings were always very slim in Sabre Springs).
So since you have time before you need to buy I say make a few trips a week with your toddler to parks in areas you like. You’ll really get a feel for the people who live in the immediate area.
