nybuyer, When you move out here, will you still be looking for a bit of the city scene and pace, or completely shift gears and be a flip flop, tshirt wearing surfer dude eating fish tacos? If you still desire the nicer restaurants, an occasional night out on the town, indulging in fine arts, I don’t think Oceanside or Chula Vista would suit you. RSF would be like the Greenwich of the San Diego area. La Jolla would be a Great Neck. Living in Oceanside or Chula Vista would be like moving from the city to Newark, Secaucus, Yonkers….places you’d likely not consider.
Based on what you said about wanting the newer homes, the nice thing about the La Costa area (South Carlsbad) is that its a great neighborhood of professionals, retirees, families. There’s a mix of slightly older but very nice homes, plus there are a number of new developments in the La Costa Greens area I believe. Its in your price range, its a reasonable drive to Orange County if you wanted to go for dinner, and its also not too far from the ocean and Del Mar / La Jolla where there is also some nightlife and good restaurants. Its about a 30 minute drive to Hillcrest/Mission Hills where there are also a number of good eateries, wine bars.
If you are an aspiring golfer, there are in my opinion, better and more public courses in north county worth playing versus the downtown area/east county.
