1 acre, usable lots, around 600k with a nice house and consistently green landscaping in the area is not easy to find. A particular yard might have that but the neighbors won’t all follow suit or there will be open space that is dry in the summer or both situations exist. With a smaller lot of course your choices get much bigger….but then perhaps La Mesa would be better.
I find the heart of Rancho San Diego to be nothing more or less than a suitable suburb. It does have the family orientation and the retirement thing going on simultaneously, IMO. Of course, to the east you have Jamul, which is basically the Rancho Santa Fe of the south county(inside joke).
The parks are pretty clean and safe as far as I have experienced with fairly frequent use. If you want to see your potential neighbors, I would go to the library,new YMCA, grocery store and movie theatre. My family mostly makes contact with people in the region through our direct neighbors or through the kid’s school and sports team participation. We are very happy with the parents, teachers, coaches ect. that we meet.
