Hi Terri,
I am new to So Cal too – I grew up in VT and have lived in Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas & Austin over the last 12 years. We have lived in La Costa Greens in the La Costa area of Carlsbad since April, and we love it. We are renting a home until the market stabilizes. I was very reluctant to rent as I had owned homes for over a decade, but we’re glad we did. I’ve gotten to know the area & now have narrowed down where we eventually want to buy. I highly recommend you consider doing this as well. There are some homes for rent here, and the development is very family-oriented and super-friendly. La Costa Greens has a great pool & community party area called the Presido, and the houses are just a couple of years old at the most (some are brand new as the development is still under contruction). It’s south of Bressi Ranch, out of the commercial construction area and closer to the golf course – some homes are actually on the La Costa golf course. A lot of homes have great views. The only drawback I have is that the school system is San Marcos for most of La Costa Greens. The elementary school (La Costa Meadow) is very good, but the high school is not great, although by all reports it’s improving. Other nice & newer developments in the La Costa area include La Costa Ridge (San Marcos schools) and La Costa Oaks (Encinitas schools, which are great). I highly recommend Carlsbad or Encinitas if you are looking for a family-oriented area on the train line. Good luck to you & your family! You’ll love it out here.
