[quote=Shadowfax]. . . As for San Diego, Encinitas is quite nice–we have friends with kids and they have had a great experience there. Are you averse to moving further south? You might like some of the outlying areas of La Jolla (in between downtown La Jolla proper and UTC, the latter being comprised mainly of off-campus housing for UCSD). I think the area I am thinking of is called La Jolla Farms (lots of professors live there) as well as Mt Soledad. Lastly, my favorite, but far south, is Coronado. VERY family friendly, good schools (public), has a great small town, community feel (you will start to know and recognize people within the first 3 months you live there). Your buying price range will put you into a small house here, but most houses here are 3-4 BR beach bungalows, so beware if you are looking for something bigger.
You could also look into Poway (east of I-15) as they have a great school system and the newer area Carmel Heights (?–the exact name is escaping me), etc. Others here can probably chime in on these. The area is newly developed so lots of tract housing, but I hear the schools are good.
Best of luck!![/quote]
sf2sd, you didn’t say where you’ll be working but I second Shadowfax’s suggestions, namely, LJ Farms, LJ Muirlands and Coronado. Coronado schools are excellent. There are hundreds of kids from active-duty enlisted military families at Strand Elementary, where a large newer multi-unit military housing complex lies along the bayfront so the your kids will be going to school with kids of vastly different backgrounds. The majority of kids from military families attending Village Elem are officer’s children. There are only 4 schools in this small (unified) school district. It is a tight-knit small city where neighbors have known each other for many years and watch each other’s properties. Homes with larger lots are very expensive there, however. The residential streets tend to be wide and many smaller homes on Coronado are perpetually in the process of a first-class enlargement/renovation.
None of these three areas have Mello Roos and there are only a handful of HOAs present.
