Your best bet is not 4S or Carmel Valley, or Scripps, or Temecula. Your best bet is to come down to San Diego and rent for awhile while you get to know the area. Basically there are plenty of neighborhoods that you will find within 1/2 hour from La Jolla that will be fine choices to raise your children. What you will do while you rent for a year is to hunt around and get to know all of these locations and the impact of the commute, the school districts, the community… etc…
Look, what is important to you? Do you like big yards? Do you like new homes verses older homes? Do you want to tolerate Mello Roos? Do you want to be more coastal? I grew up in Northridge and Marina Del Rey but have been down in San Diego for over 25 years. If I had never been to L.A. but emailed you saying I was moving to L.A. and working in Chatsworth, where should I buy a home, what would you say? There is a multitude to choose from but you don’t know my taste so you would probably say, go rent for awhile and get to know the area.
Same for San Diego, there are plenty of homes or condo’s to rent in the community that are within 1/2 hour of La Jolla. Do that, go for a 6 month or 1 year lease, then you will really get in tune with the city and find the ideal area for you.
