Good place to live with children

[asragov]

San Diego County school test scores are available here:

http://api.cde.ca.gov/AcntRpt2007/2007GrthAPICo.aspx?cSelect=37,San,Diego

You can debate what is good and what is not so good, but you can check out Scripps Ranch (highest middle school score – Marshall Middle), La Jolla (highest elementary school score at Bird Rock), and Preuss School at UCSD (high school) to get an idea of the top. This is in the San Diego Unified school district.

You have some higher scores outside the San Diego Unified district (a whole other conversation – but I believe if your kids are talented, it is better to be in the San Diego district) at Sage Canyon (Del Mar Union elementary), and Carmel Valley Middle. Preuss UCSD beats most anyone in any district, but can also be considered a special case (charter school etc. etc.).

It is easy to scan these and see that La Jolla, Scripps Ranch, Del Mar-ish, and Coronado have excellent schools. Some other areas, well, not as much.

I do recruiting (volunteer) for my school’s alumni association, so I am very attuned to school performance.

I understand the desire to buy, but consider that many analysts feel that the market is still 30-50% overvalued. By renting for a year or two or three, you might be saving over $100k-$200k.

PLEASE consider renting, if not only to learn the neighborhoods, but also to, possibly, save a huge, giant, enormous bundle.

[CardiffBaseball]

I second Encinitas. I work in La Jolla, and live near Birmingham in Cardiff, and exit at Genessee and rarely does the morning drive take more than 25 minutes. The afternoon drive is generally about 30 minutes. So the downtown drive would probably add 20 minutes or so.

I see a lot of houses for rent east of El Camino Real, between Encinitas Blvd. and Leucadia (Rancho Santa Fe Rd.) making it quite easy to move when you are ready and stay within the same schools. The Park Place area of Cardiff is very family oriented, and has a good mix of rental and for sale homes, and you wouldn’t have to switch schools.

[CardiffBaseball]

I second Encinitas. I work in La Jolla, and live near Birmingham in Cardiff, and exit at Genessee and rarely does the morning drive take more than 25 minutes. The afternoon drive is generally about 30 minutes. So the downtown drive would probably add 20 minutes or so.

I see a lot of houses for rent east of El Camino Real, between Encinitas Blvd. and Leucadia (Rancho Santa Fe Rd.) making it quite easy to move when you are ready and stay within the same schools. The Park Place area of Cardiff is very family oriented, and has a good mix of rental and for sale homes, and you wouldn’t have to switch schools.

[CardiffBaseball]

I second Encinitas. I work in La Jolla, and live near Birmingham in Cardiff, and exit at Genessee and rarely does the morning drive take more than 25 minutes. The afternoon drive is generally about 30 minutes. So the downtown drive would probably add 20 minutes or so.

I see a lot of houses for rent east of El Camino Real, between Encinitas Blvd. and Leucadia (Rancho Santa Fe Rd.) making it quite easy to move when you are ready and stay within the same schools. The Park Place area of Cardiff is very family oriented, and has a good mix of rental and for sale homes, and you wouldn’t have to switch schools.

[arenter]

I definitely think renting should be an option for you. Our move out here to San Diego earlier this year was our 2nd move in 3 years (from Washington DC to Denver to San Diego). We made the huge mistake of buying a house shortly after arriving in Denver, only to find out we weren’t thrilled with the neighborhood and could’ve gotten better deals elsewhere, but we just weren’t familiar enough with the area. Also, we ended up having to try to sell the house 2 yrs later when we were relocated yet again. Although I grew up in San Diego and am fairly familiar with the area, we made the decision to rent. It was not an easy decision, especially with two young children, two big dogs, a desire to settle into a house we called “home” and having been homeowners since college. We figure we’ll rent for another year or two, really get to know the areas better and probably get more for our money in the long run. Make sure, however, you find a rental you really like in case you end up staying for a while. I’m not too thrilled with the place we have, but we don’t plan to move again unless it’s into our own home.

[arenter]

I definitely think renting should be an option for you. Our move out here to San Diego earlier this year was our 2nd move in 3 years (from Washington DC to Denver to San Diego). We made the huge mistake of buying a house shortly after arriving in Denver, only to find out we weren’t thrilled with the neighborhood and could’ve gotten better deals elsewhere, but we just weren’t familiar enough with the area. Also, we ended up having to try to sell the house 2 yrs later when we were relocated yet again. Although I grew up in San Diego and am fairly familiar with the area, we made the decision to rent. It was not an easy decision, especially with two young children, two big dogs, a desire to settle into a house we called “home” and having been homeowners since college. We figure we’ll rent for another year or two, really get to know the areas better and probably get more for our money in the long run. Make sure, however, you find a rental you really like in case you end up staying for a while. I’m not too thrilled with the place we have, but we don’t plan to move again unless it’s into our own home.

[arenter]

I definitely think renting should be an option for you. Our move out here to San Diego earlier this year was our 2nd move in 3 years (from Washington DC to Denver to San Diego). We made the huge mistake of buying a house shortly after arriving in Denver, only to find out we weren’t thrilled with the neighborhood and could’ve gotten better deals elsewhere, but we just weren’t familiar enough with the area. Also, we ended up having to try to sell the house 2 yrs later when we were relocated yet again. Although I grew up in San Diego and am fairly familiar with the area, we made the decision to rent. It was not an easy decision, especially with two young children, two big dogs, a desire to settle into a house we called “home” and having been homeowners since college. We figure we’ll rent for another year or two, really get to know the areas better and probably get more for our money in the long run. Make sure, however, you find a rental you really like in case you end up staying for a while. I’m not too thrilled with the place we have, but we don’t plan to move again unless it’s into our own home.

[raptorduck]

No need to compromise.

Lets see, you have stated that:

1. You will be working in La Jolla
2. You want a kid friendly community
3. You want good schools
4. You don’t want to move out of the school district
5. You want a decent commute
6. You don’t want to spend more than $550k

Folks here say rent first.

To me that says Carmel Valley.

1. Based on the STAR testing reports website, API scores, and bestschools.net, Carmel Valley schools have the best scores in SD County, better than even my planned home of RSF, and about as good as the best school districts up here in the Bay Area. That is not to say other SD districts are not great. Just that CV seems to get the top nod on that score. I did all that research down to the school when I first started looking for homes in North County this year. My school aged kids are currently in a fantastic school district (no not San Jose), so that was important to me.

2. Ok, when I lived there, my commute was under 10 min b/c I went to work early. But worse case is probably 20 min in traffic for you I would bet. Just mapquest from either extreme of CV to your work to get an estimate and then do that for the other locals folks mentioned.

3. If you agree with folks here to rent first, you can rent in CV, get a feel for the area, get your kids in great schools, and watch the market continue to plunge until you can get a nice detached house in CV in your price range or until your income lets you afford more house. Either way, seems to me you can’t loose.

Note that I have no vested interest in CV. Although I once lived there and loved it and will be working there, I am not going to live there this time and my kids will end up in RSF schools, although probably Torry Pines for high school. I am also not suggesting that any of the other locals people suggested are not good options. I just saw what you were asking for and CV seems to me to be ideal for what you want.

[raptorduck]

No need to compromise.

Lets see, you have stated that:

1. You will be working in La Jolla
2. You want a kid friendly community
3. You want good schools
4. You don’t want to move out of the school district
5. You want a decent commute
6. You don’t want to spend more than $550k

Folks here say rent first.

To me that says Carmel Valley.

1. Based on the STAR testing reports website, API scores, and bestschools.net, Carmel Valley schools have the best scores in SD County, better than even my planned home of RSF, and about as good as the best school districts up here in the Bay Area. That is not to say other SD districts are not great. Just that CV seems to get the top nod on that score. I did all that research down to the school when I first started looking for homes in North County this year. My school aged kids are currently in a fantastic school district (no not San Jose), so that was important to me.

2. Ok, when I lived there, my commute was under 10 min b/c I went to work early. But worse case is probably 20 min in traffic for you I would bet. Just mapquest from either extreme of CV to your work to get an estimate and then do that for the other locals folks mentioned.

3. If you agree with folks here to rent first, you can rent in CV, get a feel for the area, get your kids in great schools, and watch the market continue to plunge until you can get a nice detached house in CV in your price range or until your income lets you afford more house. Either way, seems to me you can’t loose.

Note that I have no vested interest in CV. Although I once lived there and loved it and will be working there, I am not going to live there this time and my kids will end up in RSF schools, although probably Torry Pines for high school. I am also not suggesting that any of the other locals people suggested are not good options. I just saw what you were asking for and CV seems to me to be ideal for what you want.

[raptorduck]

No need to compromise.

Lets see, you have stated that:

1. You will be working in La Jolla
2. You want a kid friendly community
3. You want good schools
4. You don’t want to move out of the school district
5. You want a decent commute
6. You don’t want to spend more than $550k

Folks here say rent first.

To me that says Carmel Valley.

1. Based on the STAR testing reports website, API scores, and bestschools.net, Carmel Valley schools have the best scores in SD County, better than even my planned home of RSF, and about as good as the best school districts up here in the Bay Area. That is not to say other SD districts are not great. Just that CV seems to get the top nod on that score. I did all that research down to the school when I first started looking for homes in North County this year. My school aged kids are currently in a fantastic school district (no not San Jose), so that was important to me.

2. Ok, when I lived there, my commute was under 10 min b/c I went to work early. But worse case is probably 20 min in traffic for you I would bet. Just mapquest from either extreme of CV to your work to get an estimate and then do that for the other locals folks mentioned.

3. If you agree with folks here to rent first, you can rent in CV, get a feel for the area, get your kids in great schools, and watch the market continue to plunge until you can get a nice detached house in CV in your price range or until your income lets you afford more house. Either way, seems to me you can’t loose.

Note that I have no vested interest in CV. Although I once lived there and loved it and will be working there, I am not going to live there this time and my kids will end up in RSF schools, although probably Torry Pines for high school. I am also not suggesting that any of the other locals people suggested are not good options. I just saw what you were asking for and CV seems to me to be ideal for what you want.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

The price premium for housing in good public school areas tends to multiply if you include all the factors. First, you have to pay way too much for housing. Second, you have to commute at least 45 minutes. Third, your utility bills will be higher for these more inland communities.

If I were looking for an affordable, family-friendly community situated perfectly for working in La Jolla and downtown I would choose Bay Park. The elementary schools are actually quite good, but the middle schools and high school suck.
Consider paying paying for private school from 6th grade on from the money you save on auto/commuting costs, utilities/ housing You can find bay/ocean view properties in areas where you do not need A/C here in the 600K range (and getting cheaper by the month).

P.S. – Regardless of where you end up, I also recommend renting first.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

The price premium for housing in good public school areas tends to multiply if you include all the factors. First, you have to pay way too much for housing. Second, you have to commute at least 45 minutes. Third, your utility bills will be higher for these more inland communities.

If I were looking for an affordable, family-friendly community situated perfectly for working in La Jolla and downtown I would choose Bay Park. The elementary schools are actually quite good, but the middle schools and high school suck.
Consider paying paying for private school from 6th grade on from the money you save on auto/commuting costs, utilities/ housing You can find bay/ocean view properties in areas where you do not need A/C here in the 600K range (and getting cheaper by the month).

P.S. – Regardless of where you end up, I also recommend renting first.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

The price premium for housing in good public school areas tends to multiply if you include all the factors. First, you have to pay way too much for housing. Second, you have to commute at least 45 minutes. Third, your utility bills will be higher for these more inland communities.

If I were looking for an affordable, family-friendly community situated perfectly for working in La Jolla and downtown I would choose Bay Park. The elementary schools are actually quite good, but the middle schools and high school suck.
Consider paying paying for private school from 6th grade on from the money you save on auto/commuting costs, utilities/ housing You can find bay/ocean view properties in areas where you do not need A/C here in the 600K range (and getting cheaper by the month).

P.S. – Regardless of where you end up, I also recommend renting first.

[Artifact]

raptorduck – you forgot 1 point:

I think she said her husband will be commuting to Downtown – still not horrible from CV or Encinitas, but certainly makes the commute different than just thinking about going to La Jolla – I think it make Scripps Ranch and University City more appealing (I personally would prefer UC based on the things I like to do and would want in a neighborhood). Comparing those areas or Encinitas to CV makes it partly a discussion of newer home developments vs the older neighborhoods – not saying either is better, just different.

[Artifact]

raptorduck – you forgot 1 point:

I think she said her husband will be commuting to Downtown – still not horrible from CV or Encinitas, but certainly makes the commute different than just thinking about going to La Jolla – I think it make Scripps Ranch and University City more appealing (I personally would prefer UC based on the things I like to do and would want in a neighborhood). Comparing those areas or Encinitas to CV makes it partly a discussion of newer home developments vs the older neighborhoods – not saying either is better, just different.

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