Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Hello

I was wondering if anyone had any tips on nice places to live in North SD county with kids? We've had Encinitas recommended to us as well as Carlsbad but wanted a couple more opinions if possible.
My husband will be working in Rancho Bernardo and I'm a stay at home mum with a 6yr old and 3yr old.
I was living just outside San Francisco up until September of last year and am currently back in the Uk, we will probably be moving out again in July.
Would love to meet up with some more British people in the SD area :-)

Thanks

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Spent a nice vacation in Encinitas recently. That said, looking at a map, a commute from Encinitas to Rancho Bernardo does not look like fun. In fact anything along the I-5 corrider to Rancho Bernardo would probably not be fun to do on a daily basis. Plus the coastal areas are way more expensive.

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Hello.

Are you looking to rent or buy? How long will you be living here?

Carmel Mountain is very close to RB. I used to live there. It's a nice place to live, very convenient for the I-15. It has lots of shops but not a lot of character. 30 mins from downtown.

Escondido is about 15 mins up the road (inland). I live there now and like it a lot. 40 mins from downtown. My husband also works in RB, so it's very convenient for him.

San Marcos (inland) is also a nice place to live, but you'd probably have to use the 78 (to get onto the I-15) which has very heavy traffic during the peak times and was one of the reasons why we decided not to live on the 78. Just too much hassle.

The seaside towns are nice - but as Eccles said, they can be pricey and the commute would be a pain.

If you go south, there's Poway - well known for its school districts and can be pricey because of that. 15 mins from RB

Sabre Springs is also a nice community but I don't know too much about that, don't think it's actually a town but more like a huge housing estate -also pricey.

Hope that helps.
Feel free to ask me any other questions or PM to arrange meeting up once you arrive. I know some other Brits that I can introduce you to :regular_smile:

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Thanks for the replies.
We'll be renting and at the moment we're only coming for a year but I would love to meet up!
Escondido looked big too me but I am just looking on a map so have no clue really!
There seems to be so much to think about :-)

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Poway, Carmel Valley, Escondido - all within spitting distance of Rancho Bernardo. Rancho Bernardo itself.

In the Carmel Valley area they have been building new properties for the past 10 years so there are numerous options for homes there. Loads of children and new schools.

Poway has a renowned school district, has homes varying from 50 years old to new build - some neighborhoods have acre lots. Loads of children.

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Poway appeals to me because the school there are suppose to be great and it's very close to RB but I have heard it has an older population so may be a bit boring!
Of course I'm getting all this whilst across the pond so could be completely wrong :-p

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

I currently live in Poway :)

It's Rancho Bernardo which has the reputation for an older community since it was the first planned community for retirees in the county of San Diego some 50 years ago. However having said that it's got plenty of young people and newer homes.

Poway is right next door to Rancho Bernardo. Its called the "City in the Country" because a lot of homes have large tree lined back yards, and it is approx 15 miles from the coast so has plenty of open countryside around it.

The city prides itself on community activities, open spaces and good schools.

I would be the first to admit that if you are a 20 to 30 something wanting the ability to go clubbing, and have a great night life then Poway is not the place for you; but for families, outdoor activities, family dining, sports teams, volunteer activities it's ideal.

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Except for Escondido, it appears all the schools in that area are highly ranked.

California School Performance Map

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

If money were no object then I would live in Del Mar or Solana beach. Commute is easy(ish) as you are going against the traffic. You live near the beach, shops etc. you would even be able to walk places.

If you lived in SF then think Shallow Alto sort of prices though.

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Schools are not too much of an issue at elementary level. You can 'choice' your kids into a good school in the san diego district if your local school is not up to snuff.

Re: Good places to live in North San Diego County with kids
 

Put in a search for "Rentals" in say Del Mar, Encinitas, Carlsbad. You will see that they are very expensive because of the demand for vacation rentals. For a decent size home for 4 of you, you are probably looking at 5K+ a month.

This might not be a problem if your husband's company is moving him over for a year - for that short a time presume you are going to get a hefty living allowance.