In my opinion, next to the heat index, proximity to employment is one of the biggest factors, followed by neighborhood homogenity and (hate to say it) physical isolation from the lower class and crime. We prefer to be close to work, but not so close that we’re shopping with our workers. The quality of all public services, including schools, is also a factor, but it’s not as dominant as the others. Lots of homebuyers have no kids.
My use of the term “neighborhood homogeneity” refers to how similar the homes in the neighborhood are to each other – you get this in residential subdivisions. Obviously, Poway has residential subdivisions with a high degree of conformity, but so do its neighboring suburbs.
I ran the sales statistics in the MLS for the last 12 months. Coming down the I-15 corridor from north to south, here are the average prices for sales of homes built between 1970-1996 and between 2,000 – 3,000 SqFt (of which Poway has lots), on subdivision-sized lots:
As you can see, Poway does better than Escondido (92025,92029), but neighboring Sabre Springs/Rancho Penasquitos (92128) does slightly better, Tierrasanta (92124) does a a fair bit better, and Scripps does a LOT better – and those zip areas are located in our dreaded San Diego school system. It’s not until you get into Mira Mesa and the mid-cities areas of San Diego that (apparently) the ills of urbanization start making up for proximity to employment.
