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bearishgurl
ParticipantI’ll take a look at Green Valley online, SK. Sounds like a great area (except for the heat)!
I’ll bet your kids were smart and their peers were just jealous of them. So after awhile, they decided they didn’t want to contribute to class anymore to expose how smart they were.
My kids were all social animals in HS and I wished they would have been a little more interested in their studies. But in the end, it seems the qualities of gregariousness and street smarts are worth something too, in the “real world.” I’m anxious to see how my last kid does in college. They have to live on campus for one year as several of the CSU campuses changed their rules for non-service-area freshman in recent years. The CSU also has a few other thorny, new bureaucratic requirements of incoming freshman and juniors transferring in from CC (all in attempt to boost their 4-year graduation rate and retention stats). Also, about eight of the 23 CSU campuses which are not as impacted are now trying to hold freshmens’ hands a little more so they won’t get lost, sign up for the wrong classes, lose their direction, stop coming to class, not ask for help when they need it, etc. Their fees (aside from classes) went up to almost $1000 year but I’m grateful for all the services offered, including tutoring and test prep.
Participant[quote=SK in CV][quote=bearishgurl]
And Poway attracts the Boys with the Big Toys. They’re parked all over the place out there, albeit behind a 6′ high gate if the subdivision has an HOA.
[/quote]Stuff like this is why you get accused of describing communities that you know nothing about. There are some parts of Poway where there is a truck in every driveway. And parts where there are a lot more BMW’s and Mercedes than trucks, in communities that have no functional HOAs.
She can get everything she’s looking for in a house, for a lot less than her upper limit price wise in north Poway, in the Valle Verde and Green Valley area. My kids had a horrible experience in the schools, but they tend to produce very good results and most parents are pretty happy with the schools.[/quote]
I understand all the reasons why Poway is cheaper, SK. Do the Valle Verde and Green Valley area have “lush greenery with lots of trees?”
The reason I mentioned the Big Toys is because the OP posted this earlier in the thread:
[quote=NYMom]We’ve actually stayed in Carlsbad for a week at a rental house and I wasn’t thrilled with the area. It seemed very barren to me in the housing developments. I like lush, greenery and lots of trees and there were LOTS of mobile homes parked in driveways! LOL. The owner of the house said they moved because they’re kids were getting older and the schools there aren’t good. Now they live in RSF, but keep that house as a vacation rental.[/quote]
I haven’t been to the areas of Poway you describe SK, but you have to be honest here, many buyers like the bigger lots precisely because they CAN park all their toys on it and can’t leave them on the street due to the 72-hour limit ordinance for street parking for RV’s and trailered vehicles. Areas with big lots are a draw to this subset of buyers because commercial off-site storage by the month can be expensive. The residential areas I HAVE been to in Poway had a lot of RVs and boats, etc, both parked and stored.
If NYMom ends up putting Poway on her short list, that’s perfectly fine by me … but you must admit that it is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING like the place she described here that she wanted to live in. All it can offer her is her house and lot size (likely along with lengthy Mello Roos payments if the areas she is shopping in online and those recommended to her here are on the outskirts and “newer” construction). Oh yes . . . and it can offer her an exorbitant utility bill almost half the year and a school district that may very likely be forced into bankruptcy in the coming months/years.
Why did your kids have such a horrible experience in the Poway schools, SK? And were they in Elem, Middle or HS at the time?
Participant[quote=NYMom]Yes, I’ve been looking, and Poway has some great inventory! Big lots, houses that all look different and reasonable prices (that sounds ridiculous at this price point, doesn’t it?!). It does seem very inland to me though, is that the case? I read someone had said 5-7 miles inland has the best weather, but I cant tell from the online maps how far that is in reality.[/quote]Poway is warm … inland Poway is even warmer. The difference in temps from Poway vs the coast during July is likely 15-25 degrees. You will need to factor in the cost of running central AC 4-5 months per year in Poway. I’m guessing but would surmise that could cost an extra $250 – $450 mo in electricity, depending on square footage of your house.
And Poway attracts the Boys with the Big Toys. They’re parked all over the place out there, albeit behind a 6′ high gate if the subdivision has an HOA.
Isn’t Poway 95% car-dependent? I don’t recall there being any small neighborhood retail villages in Poway (walkable to by local residents). Do any Piggs know?
NYMom, some of Poway is unincorporated or used to be (esp where the 1 AC lots are). As such, they will not have sidewalks or as many street lights as those areas within the city limits.
ParticipantMYMom, if you don’t live in the same neighborhood as the shops where you want the shopkeepers to “get to know” your kids and instead have to “hop in the car” to get to these shops, the shopkeepers will likely not see your kids often enough for them to remember them if you do your errands while they’re in school, IMO.
Your kids are young yet. You really have little control over so many things they will encounter as they get older, especially in HS (9th) grade or “Senior HS” (10th grade) and beyond. Yes, even where you currently live. Unless you are willing to home school them thru the 12th grade or send them to a rigorous “college prep” private HS (religious or not), they will adopt the culture of their “peers” in HS, whatever that may be. As a parent who will eventually have public high-schoolers (if that is the route you choose), you will often have to “go with the flow” to let your kids “find their way.” They need to be prepared socially for college as well, where they will encounter so many more situations that they will have to make decisions about without you. Your kids will not be able to succeed in a large public university and could become homesick fast and possibly drop out if they cannot adapt to the fast pace and the other students. They will need to: make new friends quickly in a much bigger pond than their HS; advocate for themselves with their academic advisors (esp in CA with budget cuts adversely affecting public university offerings and programs); approach clubs to join them; submit their resume for an on-campus job (if they wish to work on campus) and interview for that job; rush fraternities or sororities the 2nd/3rd week of school; and, try out for athletic teams, etc. They have to be willing and able to let a lot of things roll off their back and keep going.
I know all this seems far into the future for your kids but I’m “ranting” a little here because I’ve seen the effects firsthand of children who have been too cloistered by their parents (not saying that’s the situation with your family). These kids literally cannot function by themselves and at the age of 18-plus-one-minute (hopefully if already finished with HS), they tend to flee their family home to live out their ‘inner wild child.’ Especially the ones who have been prohibited from sleepovers and watching most TV programs, had their (non-smartphone) cellphones blocked except for select numbers, had all their clothing chosen by mom, been prohibited from “dating” or going out with friends, been prohibited from holding down a part-time job, had their internet usage heavily filtered and/or timed, had a 10:00 pm curfew at the age of 17, etc…. ‘Nuff said.
Hundreds of thousands of HS Seniors successfully graduate from CA public HS’s every year with their A-G reqs (for CA public university entrance) met or exceeded. About 55% of them are accepted into CA public universities and the rest begin attending a CA community college, a trade school or private vocational college, an out-of-state and/or private university/college or go on into the military.
NYMom, you don’t need to lose any sleep over changing your kids’ environment. Believe me when I say here that I understand the position you are in so I’m now with FlyerInHi (brian) in that you should let your spouse decide where he wants to move to since he is already familiar with SoCal (since he is from here?) Have HIM give you a “short list” of places to consider. Maybe near where his brother lives?? You don’t want be the one to blame if your new city/town isn’t really what he wanted to live in but he signs up for it, anyway. Then take the other advice here from SDRealtor and flyer? to just rent here your first year or more and see how you both like it. Your kids will like it if you are both happy. You can always buy a house later, when your oldest kid is entering middle school (if they’re going to enroll in public school).
It will all turn out okay.
Participant[quote=moneymaker]I’d say Poway if being near the water is not important, or Encinitas if it is (will have to give up sq.ft. or acreage).[/quote]
I thought of Poway early on, but, like so many good, large-lot areas in SD County, it is car-dependent, too many of its residents have Big Toys parked on their lots and some residential areas do not even have sidewalks, let alone a “neighborhood (retail) village” to walk to.
NYMom, the correct spelling of Olivenain is “Olivenhain,” which is now part of the City of Encinitas.
Participant[quote=carli] . . . Many people on this site have strong personal feelings about which areas are “best” and like to defend them but some, including bearishgirl, do not have firsthand knowledge living in the area you’re leaving so do not speak from experience on that angle. I wholeheartedly agree with SD Realtor that you should come out to the area and rent first, get a feel for each town/area of SD and decide for yourself which is best for you and your family . . . [/quote]
I already suggested to NYMom that she consider giving up lot size in SoCal due to water cost earlier in this thread, Carli. No, I haven’t been to NY but I’ve been in and around Baltimore and the nicer MD suburbs/exurbs in Frederick and Montgomery Counties several times visiting relatives. In addition, I’ve been to several small cities/towns in the well-heeled Fairfax County, VA, including McLean and the very exclusive Great Falls along the Potomac. I’ve seen the long driveways, the longer setbacks, the min 1 AC treed lots with split-rail fencing, the brick tudors and narrow streets where all the neighbors know each other and the kids ride their bikes freely day and night …. I’ve seen it all.
For upper-middle class and up families, the east coast has a different type of “bucolic” existence that the CA coastal counties do not quite offer at the same price point. But based upon her posts and my experience, I think I know what NYMom is looking for, enough to make suggestions to her within SD County.
I read that the OP stated she wanted a kind of “self-contained” neighborhood where she and the kids could walk or ride bikes to small businesses. In SD County, that is mostly in a select few urban areas or those areas with a “village” of small businesses. I didn’t include LJ because of her price point and she never indicated that she was willing to reduce her square footage requirement significantly. Del Mar seems to meet her price point and almost or possibly her square footage req but not lot size. I’m not sure about the homes close enough to walk/bike to DM Village, however. You’re the “expert” on that.
I know metro SD, south and east counties pretty well and have spotty knowledge of North County cities. I know quite a few SD metro and south county communities intimately.
Coronado meets all NYMom’s criteria if she can come down on sq footage and lot size for her price point. It has excellent public schools but they are rigorous. It is not uncommon for kids to transfer out of Cor HS to another HS off the island if they can’t hack the rigor. In addition, Cor HS is an “open campus” meaning the kids are free to leave it during the school day … there are no barriers holding them on campus. Resident kids can and do ride their bikes everywhere on Coronado (yes, even 8 yr olds) and it is designed for that. The civilian part of the island has only a couple of “chain” stores that I know of: a small Vons (grocery chain) and a Rite Aid pharmacy. The rest of the retail and service businesses there are independently owned and can be reached by resident by bike in just a few minutes (or on foot, if they live close enough). Coronado has bike racks installed convenient to shopping.
NYMom, my kids are now all out of HS. However, due to their competitions throughout six counties in SoCal, I know where some of the best public HS’s are in LA and Orange County but can’t comment on the “village feel,” walkability or their feeder schools in these areas but am assuming the feeder schools are good. Here are a few off the top of my head:
Brea Olinda
Cypress
Arcadia
John Burroughs (Burbank)
Los Alamitos (also serving Seal Beach)
Hart (serving Santa Clarita incl Newhall and Saugus)And as UCGal mentioned, San Diego High School (SDHS), which also serves east Mission Hills, offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. This program is only offered by a few dozen CA HS’s, is very rigorous and requires a lot of extra work for the student.
If I read right, NYMom wants to endeavor to keep her kids away from the rampant materialism so prevalent among public secondary school students today. IMHO, that might be difficult, if not impossible, if her kids attended public schools … even the public secondary schools where she currently lives.
Participant[quote=spdrun]Considered throwing out the lot requirement and going North Park or Uni Heights?[/quote]
North Park ONLY just north of the City velodrome and swimming pool (“state” streets). Still, the largest homes there are probably only 2600-2700 and these homes, several with a river rock frontage and HUGE front porches, rarely come on the market (for good reason). Their lot size would average 9000 however. In North Park, NYMom would probably want to sent her kids to private school immediately (elem sch) unless she can somehow get them into McKinley. There are private Catholic Elems in South Park/Golden Hill.
Uni Heights is full of substandard lots and otherwise odd-shaped lots due to the corner of the canyon it sits on. And I don’t think NYMom wants her young kids walking in the vicinity of University Ave and Park Blvd. (There isn’t much else to choose from around there.)
Uni Heights is GREAT for single Gen Y.
Participant[quote=NYMom] . . . we have a 6 and an 8 yr old . . . We are an educated, successful family, but are raising our kids in a very old-fashioned way. We live well below our means and place a high value on family. I want my kids to grow up comfortably, but with an absence of silver spoon entitlement….[/quote]
I just reviewed the OP again. NYMom, if your spouse is flexible on where he lives (I assumed he might be because you researched areas in LA and Orange Counties), may I suggest some alternative Cali locations which offer the lifestyle you’re seeking?
If your kids attend public school in coastal urban CA, there will come a point when they reach MS and HS where they’re going to be small fish in a large pond and start to beg for the same things their peers have and feel like an outcast if they don’t get them (clothing, shoes, accessories, gadgets, etc). This is even MORE pronounced if the school lies in an attendance area where the bulk of its students come from fairly affluent families. There is only so much a parent can do to lower their kid’s constant “expectations” at this age. Every kid needs friends in order to belong. Unless their kid(s) school requires their students to wear uniforms, there is a lot of “competition” among students in the way they dress and look in urban and suburban public high schools in CA (and likely in most of the rest of the country, as well).
Example: the competition can get ridiculous among HS girls, many of whom try to outdo each other with designer handbags (costing $300 – $800 new) and ask to replace them every year! And the list goes on …
Your child is less likely to come in contact with this phenomenon if he/she is enrolled in a private school or a public school in semi-rural or rural area. May I suggest the following CA small cities and towns which may offer the lifestyle you’re looking to bring your kids up in and also have the listing inventory which meets (or almost meets) your requirements? Here are a few suggestions (from south to north):
Julian
Ojai
San Luis Obispo
Aptos
Carmel
Placerville
Healdsburg
Sebastapol
Ukiah
EurekaIf you MUST have an urban setting in SD (the way you are describing it here), then Mission Hills is your best bet, IMO, but send your kids to nearby Catholic HS, where they will wear uniforms and sign academic and behavior contacts and won’t be allowed to engage in all the distracting “competition of superficiality” like they would in public school. You won’t get the lot size there which you are seeking in your price range but SD, unlike suburban/exurban NY, has a lot of diverse free or low-cost recreation available nearby, making it completely unnecessary for a family to have a large, lavish (and expensive) entertainment-type backyard. (Water and electricity are both VERY expensive in SD County.)
Grant (public) School (K-8) is excellent.
SD Catholic HS near MH:
boys: http://www.sahs.org/
girls: http://www.aolp.org/
Participant[quote=SK in CV][quote=bearishgurl]
You can find what you’re looking for in Mission Hills (SD 92103), although it might be smaller than what you say you need/want (~2600 sf) for your price range. [/quote]No, she can’t. Not with her lot size requirement.[/quote]
Understand …. I just addressed that, above.
ParticipantI forgot to add that MH has its own shopping district and some of the sidewalks there are 4-5′ wide with tree easements. It also has small groceries and other small biz interspersed in a couple of different areas (walkable by its residents) and is situated just 3 miles from Lindbergh Field (SD airport). You will CERTAINLY find a 7K sf lot and even a 12K sf (corner) lot but alley access on many of MH’s lots makes a smaller lot feel more usable. MH DOES have 1/2 to 1 AC lots above the Presidio but I fear any listings in this area may be out of your price range unless you are willing to do major work on the place (not even sure if there are any “fixer” properties left around there).
Unfortunately, the large lot you desire combined with the nearby urban amenities you desire isn’t very doable in SoCal except possibly in BH, like you previously mentioned that you considered but your price range makes all of your desires in one pkg a bit challenging.
Participant[quote=NYMom]I totally hear you. Our town where we live, the kids don’t even get bussed to school! We can walk to schools, the village, parks, friends houses, and my husband has a 7 minute walk to the train which takes him to NYC in 30 minutes. It’s ideal for sure. But he’s FROM California, and is dying to return. I think my marriage basically depends on it at this point. So, pretty compelling. :)[/quote]
You can find what you’re looking for in Mission Hills (SD 92103), although it might be smaller than what you say you need/want (~2600 sf) for your price range. Grant School (public) serves grades K-8 and you will likely have a choice of one of the academies at SDHS (depending on WHERE in Mission Hills you live), Pt Loma or Mission Bay HS (Pt Loma is better) or you can try to choice your kids into the HS of your choice (within SDUSD). Also the buses for Bishops (private HS) pick up/drop off students at two stops in MH and there are separate boys and girls Catholic HS’s in North Park (92104), situated ~3 miles away. Those properties are most like the properties in the neighborhood you will be leaving (elevation, setback, neighborhood, trees, architecture, walkability, etc). Many of MH’s residents have lived there for decades and may even be the 2nd or 3rd generation of their families living in their family home.
MH is situated 2.5 – 3.5 miles from dtn SD, due north and is on the 83 busline and just a short drive downhill to the Old Town trolley transfer station.
The only other area comparable to MH that I can think of is Glorietta Bay in Coronado but the homes there are out of your price range.
Participant[quote=Happs][quote=bearishgurl][quote=The-Shoveler]Others want schools for kids etc…
I believe AN
1) had a home
2) had a job.If you have none of the above you move to where you can find one, usually things work out.[/quote]
Absolutely, the newcomer adapts to wherever they are living. If that is a 1150 sf bungalow circa 1947 in SV (as I mentioned before), then so be it.
Newcomers must adapt to any new locale which they have chosen to move to. That “new locale” is not obligated in any way, shape or form to adapt to newcomers’ housing wishes and wants.[/quote]
I would surmise that the state, county and cities are losing out on income and property tax revenue from the lack of housing in Silicon Valley for eager and willing workers who want to move there for high paying jobs. If I was mayor or a county supervisor and there were high tech companies wanting to relocate to my city or county with a bevy of qualified workers in tow, I’d do everything I could to make it easy for them to set up shop. There is no obligation or mandate for government officials to raise or protect property values. If a retired high school teacher’s house suddenly loses value due to the construction of a large tract across the street, so be it.[/quote]
Well Happs, according to a link on this thread which you provided:
[quote=Happs]Lots of office, retail, hotel and residential projects underway in the city of Santa Clara. Every little bit of new inventory helps if you’re looking to rent/buy.
http://santaclaraca.gov/index.aspx?page=2495
[/quote]. . . the City of Santa Clara has permitted a dozen or more infill projects currently in progress (both commercial and multifamily). The problem with putting new tracts in SV is that they likely will be infill because there isn’t any more land available for new subdivisions. As such, there is nothing to prevent the existing housing there commanding a premium in both rents and resale prices. I really believe there IS enough housing in SV for ALL of its workers. Many of them are just making the choice to live elsewhere (SF proper, SJ and beyond and East Bay). An employer can’t dictate where their new hires choose to move to or how far away from work they choose to live.
Participant[quote=CA renter]BG, I hope that you have good luck with your biopsy result as well!
Since your dad died from melanoma, do they have you on a high-risk examination schedule, or do you just go in when something comes up?[/quote]
I’ve actually only had 2 small moles in my entire life. Both of them changed and now both have been removed. I had a squamous cell carcinoma taken off my bicep (arm) back in the ’80’s.
I don’t work outside like my dad did and am very careful in the sun. I even apply sunscreen constantly on road trips to avoid getting too much sun through the windshield.
I hadn’t been to this dermatologist since 2009 (they told me yesterday, lol) and have seen him about 4-5 times. None of those visits were related to skin cancer. For example, I was one of the first people to use PUVA lights to treat hand eczema back in the late ’80’s.
So, no, I’m not on a high-risk examination schedule for melanoma. But I do pay attn to my skin because I spent all the summers of my youth boating and waterskiing and there was no “SPF” put in sunscreen back then. Most of what was on the market was equivalent to SPF 2 or 4, the tanning oils had zero SPF and “Coppertone Shade” was roughly equivalent to SPF 15. There were just a handful of brands and types available then compared to what we have today. We even put a few drops of iodine in a bottle of baby oil to add color and applied it all over to “lay out” and bake ourselves in the sun :=0
I’m suffering for those sins today in various ways.
My favorite suntan lotion back then was “Sea and Ski” due to its scent 🙂
Participant[quote=The-Shoveler]Others want schools for kids etc…
I believe AN
1) had a home
2) had a job.If you have none of the above you move to where you can find one, usually things work out.[/quote]
Absolutely, the newcomer adapts to wherever they are living. If that is a 1150 sf bungalow circa 1947 in SV (as I mentioned before), then so be it.
Newcomers must adapt to any new locale which they have chosen to move to. That “new locale” is not obligated in any way, shape or form to adapt to newcomers’ housing wishes and wants.
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