I think the one thing that has to give is your lot size. It just doesn’t happen within the coastal areas. And if you add in village feel, it really doesn’t happen.
I rarely agree with bearishgrrl – but I think she may be on to something with Mission Hills. It’s very much a neighborhood with walkability and core businesses (vs strip malls) along Ft. Stockton and Goldfinch. Some of the lots on the canyons are larger – but they tend to go at a premium – perhaps higher than your budget.
Grant Elementary (K-8) is one of the better grade schools in San Diego Unified. For private school Frances Parker Elementary is in Mission Hills as well. As mentioned, the neighborhood can feed into Roosevelt or SDHS. Those schools are a bit more urban – but they offer the IB program. (Disclaimer – I’ve enrolled my boys in Roosevelt middle. It doesn’t look exceptional on paper – but they have a strong GATE/Seminar program and offer the IB program.)
RSF is probably out of your price range unless you go for a real fixer upper. Anything in Del Mar within your price range is likely to be a smaller lot. I like both areas a lot.
Newer areas (Carmel Valley, etc.) are definitely tract homes with less mature landscaping than the older parts of Del Mar, RSF, and Mission Hills.
