We live in Del Mar, and moved here from the east coast (NYC metro area and Fairfield County, CT) almost 10 yrs ago. When we first arrived, we rented and then bought an old beach cottage and completely renovated/added on to it, although it was still small. We loved the area but found that the house became a bit cramped for our family of four (we realized teenagers need space and so do we!) so we moved to a neighborhood still in Del Mar and west of I-5 but a little further east where we could get a little larger house and a bit more of a family-oriented neighborhood. As was the case with our first DM house, we found the right lot/location and then redesigned, upgraded and added on to the house, making it around 3500 sf.
I did a TON of research on surrounding communities and towns. I definitely saw the appeal of a place like Santaluz, but especially after living here for a few years, we realized it was not for us. sdrealtor hit the nail on the head with his observations, all of which are exactly how we feel.
We’ve spent lots of time looking at all the communities on and around the coast, from as far south as La Jolla up to Encinitas in the north and as far east as Santaluz. Although they all had their charms and high points, for us, Del Mar came out the clear winner (for many of the same reasons you state are your goals) and we’re so happy we set down roots here. Our kids have been extremely happy and well-served in the elementary through high schools in this district, and my husband and I have met many wonderful people here, many now close friends, and feel like the community is a perfect fit for us. We feel very lucky to live here.
Yes, there is an undercurrent of entitlement with some kids in Del Mar, which is unfortunately bound to happen when it costs a lot to live in the area and the kids have access to so much. However, this entitlement doesn’t seem to be as prevalent in Del Mar as our kids see (and we do, too) when we meet kids and adults from other communities, especially the “executive communities” of Fairbanks Ranch, Santaluz, the Crosby, etc.
In Del Mar, most people don’t seem to have anything to prove and aren’t striving to keep up (or surpass) anyone. It really is a relatively laid back beach community, albeit populated by many high achievers. Residents are a mix of UCSD professors (some retired or semi-retired who bought here in the 60s), people who have sold very successful companies or are at the peak of their professional lives and are busy traveling or doing lots of interesting things, scientist/researchers/inventors, lawyers, and doctors. Again, this is all a huge generalization, but I completely agree with sdrealtor’s assessment of places like Santaluz and Fairbanks Ranch as being much more homogeneous (and sterile) than Del Mar.
That being said, if your primary goal is to have “instant community” so your kids have friends to play with right away and you and your wife will have an instant social network, and if you prefer a new very large (4500sf+) home and love to play golf more than you like to be at the beach, then one of those communities mentioned might be the perfect place for you.
A couple more areas to throw into the mix would be Rancho Santa Fe (similar to Olivenhein; houses can be more expensive but in my opinion most have more old California charm and more classic design, landscape and architecture), and Solana Beach (similar to Del Mar but less well-known and maybe more casual and a little more diverse).
Regarding schools, the elementary schools in all the areas you mentioned are very good to outstanding, and if you want to compare API scores (which some think is splitting hairs), you can check out the CA Dept of Ed website, which slices and dices all the data in various reports.
The two public elementary schools serving Del Mar residents (Del Mar Heights Elementary on Boquita Drive and Del Mar Hills Academy on Mango Drive) are located in the neighborhoods west of I-5, north and south of DM Heights Rd, to the east of Crest Canyon on the north side and Torrey Pines reserve on the south side.
Both DM Heights and DM Hills are excellent, and in addition, our kids have received fantastic educations at the middle and high school level. The Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) elementary schools have the highest API scores in SD County, but again, all the school districts in the places you mentioned would probably meet your needs. The DMUSD extends from Del Mar in the west into Carmel Valley to the east and incorporates 8 elementary schools throughout the area.
The Del Mar school year starts on Aug 29th this year and, if you end up anywhere within DMUSD, there can be an issue with getting in to the elementary school of your choice. For example, if you choose to live west of I-5 in Del Mar, typically you’ll have a choice between Del Mar Hills and Del Mar Heights but once one the kindergarten class fills up at one, you can get assigned to the other. They are so close to each other, similar size, feel, etc that it probably won’t matter but some families prefer one over the other so you should check them out.
The neighborhoods surrounding both DM Hills and DM Heights elementary schools work well for families, obviously partly because they’re within walking distance of the schools, and also are within a mile or so from the beach, offer family-size houses between $1-2 mil (with some under $1mil although usually needing work), lot sizes are generally between 8000-10,000 sf with nice yards and privacy some with ocean and/or canyon views, and residents are within easy access of the I-5 freeway.
If you prefer to be within walking distance of the beach or village center in Del Mar, you can definitely find a nice house in your $2.5-3.5 mil range but you’ll sacrifice the size of home you’d get in the other communities. The larger homes (3000+ sf) located within the village of Del Mar on a larger lot that are updated and well-designed usually go for over $4 mil, but when you’re ready to buy in a year, this may have changed!
Sorry for the long, rambling post…I wish I could be more concise about it…these are some of my opinions/observations, and I hope they’re helpful!
Definitely come for a visit and stay at the hotels sdrealtor suggested and check out all the areas. You’ll probably quickly get a sense of which place feels like home to you. All the best.
