I like the south side better because it lacks that “grid-like” feeling (lots of straight streets) seen on the north side. Sometimes I have driven around in there and had a feeling of being in an endless sea of cookie cutter houses. I have not felt that way on the south side. I imagine that in the Mission Ranch area, it does not feel that way, either.
On the south side, I am not such a big fan of the Palomino area. To me, it is too much of a hodgepodge to have a brick colonial home next to what I’ll term a “Miami Vice” home. The styles of the homes just do not match at all and it ends up looking odd.
I agree that Ivy Gate is very nice. However, I have not seen any homes for sale there in the past 6 months.
I have not been on the trail to Lake Hodges, but I plan to check that out. It sounds nice. As I mentioned, I live in the Deer Trail area (Talavera). I live within 2 blocks of two different pocket parks. Each of these has access to trails which go down into the canyons and/or soccer fields. I have been on hikes of 4+ miles on those trails. You can apparently walk to Del Sur and beyond to Santaluz, although I have not done so. I’m sure as Del Sur develops further, the views will be less spectacular, but for now it is quite lovely.
