Wow some interesting posts here. sdr, I pretty much had the opposite experience you suggested when we moved from Encinitas to Mission Hills.
In Encinitas we had a new 3500+ sq. ft. super house with a panoramic ocean view that the people you talk of in your posts from other neighborhoods dream and lust over but we really didn’t fit in (not rich enough!) and rarely socialized with our neighbors.
In Mission Hills we have a much smaller 100 year old bungalow on a historic street and we are quite a bit happier with the neighborhood. Yes the house needs work but it is not like it is falling down around us and we have a very private canyon lot with the kind of mature landscape that you would never find in a newer tract home development.
There are, contrary to belief, some families with kids in these older neighborhoods. Many of the houses near ours were past down to their current owners and they are actually pretty down to earth people relative to my old neighbors in Encinitas.
We love being able to walk to shops and just go around gawking at all the beautiful old historical houses and nearby parks and not having to drive an hour to get to San Diego attractions is a major plus. So yes, for us this is a prime location and lifestyle.
