I don’t feel personal about this at all. I don’t live in either La Jolla or Carmel Valley and as nice as each community is in its own way, I wouldn’t choose to live in either. La Jolla is too touristy and difficult to get in and out of and Carmel Valley is too cookie cutter for us. Just trying to fill the data in with some local color. Although you mention the blog is data driven, we’re all providing opinions at this point, at the request of the OP. Your opinion is in the mix, too, when you state your assumption about which demographic(s) are helping create the delta in real estate prices between La Jolla and Carmel Valley.
This is where we differ – on our opinions. My opinion is that these are vastly different communities and many families who are attracted to Carmel Valley would not choose La Jolla over Carmel Valley. They live in Carmel Valley because it is extremely family oriented, which La Jolla is not.
I guess we’ll never know. But it’s not personal. The OP can live wherever she wants to live; just trying to provide anecdotal background, trying to be helpful to a fellow east coaster who’s moving out here….when we first arrived in the area, we too were smitten by the charm and walkability of La Jolla and started our search there, like many others. But once you live in the area, you begin to see the nuances of each community appear and opinions evolve. Hopefully, that’s helpful, but if not, feel free to ignore. 🙂
