Hammer, when I moved back to SD 18 months ago, my wife and 2 young kids temporarily stayed back in NYC while I moved in with an old high school buddy in South Park / Golden Hill (his craftsman is on Grape near Granada). I was there for about 3 months in Spring, and I really liked it, although I’m not sure it’s a great family neighborhood…yet.
Pros: Proximity to Balboa Park, Downtown, and Freeways; lots of laid back bars and a growing number of decent restaurants nearby; beautiful mix of well cared for Craftsman and Mission style bungalows, all of which have sidewalks out in front. And my buddy’s place gets the best breezes through his house…all year long!
Cons: Ex-cons…seriously, the south end of South Park, near Hwy 94, is home to several halfway houses — you will be shocked if you do an online search for registered sex offenders in the area. A bit of airport noise, especially closer to 94. And I think the local elementary school (Brooklyn?) is still in transition — getting better, but not so good at this point. But SD Unified School District has some magnet and other programs that may be attractive.
If I were single, or if it were just my wife and me, I would love to live in South Park (or Mission Hills, Kensington, Pt Loma). As someone with 2 young kids, it would not be my first choice, however.
