Anyone live in San Diego?

[TXTigger]

My husband is in the Navy and we are considering a move to San Diego. Can anybody tell me about it? Is it possible to rent a house at a fairly reasonable price? We are living in the DC area right now, so we are used to paying high prices, but my brother who lives in the LA area is afraid we might not be able to afford a decent house. We think we would really love to live there as we have really enjoyed our past visits. Thank you for any information you can give me! :)

[BrerGnat]

I don't live in San Diego, but I could tell you about it. My DH is in the Marine Corps, and he was stationed in Pendleton, so we lived in Oceanside for 3 years. We live in Irvine now (he's back at Pendleton again)...he commutes to work, but he's in Iraq now for a year. Anyway...

To answer your question bluntly:

No. You will not find a DECENT HOUSE in an NICE area for a FAIRLY REASONABLE price. You can find a nice APARTMENT a FAIR DISTANCE away from the Naval Base (if your husband would be willing to commute) for about the amount of your housing allowance, probably. If he was willing to commute, you could live in Oceanside and could EASILY find a rental house there (since the USMC base is there, there are a LOT of houses for rent, and it's pretty nice there). It's about 30 miles from downtown San Diego and about 25 miles from Point Loma. Now, I don't know your DH's rank and all, but keep in mind, my DH is a Marine Corps Captain (0-3) and right now, we are RENTING an apartment, and our housing allowance falls $150 short of our monthly rent of $2360...we can't even afford to rent a house if we wanted to. Sure, we could *probably* find one if we were willing to sacrifice the safety of the neighborhood (which we aren't, since we have toddlers and DH deploys, like he is gone now, and I am alone with them), and the school district, which again, we will not sacrifice, since our oldest DS is Autistic, and needs to attend special education school, etc. That is a big reason why we live in Irvine rather than back in Oceanside. (DH was stationed at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station for 3 years, which is why we moved up to Irvine in the first place, so we just stayed here when he got moved back to Pendleton)

I think the BAH rates are similar in DC and San Diego, but the housing situation in San Diego is a lot different than in DC. Particularly, the housing available by the naval base in San Diego (by the water) is either INSANELY expensive (like, in the millions) or it's like mobile home parks on the beach, or it's just really shady/run down ghetto areas, with a lot of street gang/drug activity, where you do NOT want to live. The nicer areas of San Diego are a bit inland, but they are very pricey. Rental HOUSES are scarce, not ample like they are in the DC area. Most rentals in S.D. are beach house rentals, and they are pricey.

[TXTigger]

Thank you Natalie for being so honest. This is exactly the type info we need to make a good decision. My husband has just been selected for O-4 and will pin it on before we move, so we are looking at 2500 to 2600 BAH. I completely understand about paying more than BAH. We are now paying 400 over, but that's a long story.

My DH is very used to a commute. His commute now is about 1 hour each way because we wanted to live in a neighborhood we were comfortable in, especially since he was in Iraq for a year. As you can tell, I completely understand where you are coming from.

My brother actually said the same thing you did, and suggested the "North county" area. (I have no idea where he is talking about! :secret:) My DH was looking last night and found some reasonable rentals in the La Mesa area. Are either of these areas good places to live? Do you have any suggestions of where we should look? One more question, what are the chances of getting base housing? Thanks for your help again!

[BrerGnat]

North County has two areas, there is North County Coastal, which includes Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Encinitas, and then North County Inland, which includes La Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, and the city of San Diego itself. Both are nice areas, but I prefer North County Coastal myself, mainly due to better weather. The inland area gets H-O-T in the summer. We're talking desert hot. Plus, I think the traffic is worse over there, even though they have made some vast improvements on the freeway system in the past couple of years. Also, it's just really nice to live near the beach. If you're going to live in San Diego, you might as well be able to see the ocean daily. :) Plus, when you live in North County coastal, Disneyland is only like 45 min away! :mickey:

In terms of prices, there is MORE housing in the inland areas, but more of it is new, so I would say the prices might be higher than you are looking for. You will find MORE HOUSES for rent in the North County Coastal areas, specifically in Oceanside. There are good and bad areas of Oceanside, though, but the nice areas are really nice. You could probably BUY a house in Oceanside with your BAH...a decent one. The commute would be about 45-1hr each way, depending on traffic. Oceanside is 35 miles from downtown San Diego. Encinitas and Carlsbad are also very nice areas, south of Oceanside, a bit closer to San Diego, but a bit more expensive as well. SUPER nice, though.

As far as base housing, from what I know, the naval base in San Diego is really small. I don't even know if there is much base housing at all. DH is a Marine, and we have always opted to live off base, just personal preference. Where would your DH go exactly? There are a few Naval Bases in San Diego...there's a base on Coronado, one near Downtown, and then one on Point Loma (I think?).

Oh, and La Mesa...if you have kids, the school district there is not the best. In general, the schools in the southern part of San Diego are not the best. The North County schools are better...

If you are going to concentrate on the Inland county of San Diego, focus on RANCHO BERNARDO. It's a good area...good schools, nice homes, safe neighborhoods, good shopping/dining opportunities. Just a good overall quality of life there.

If you will focus on the North County Coastal area, a good place to start would be Carlsbad/Encinitas. If Carlsbad is too pricey, look into the newer areas of Oceanside (a bit inland, along the 76 east HWY).

[TXTigger]

Ok, so it sounds like it may not be easy, but it is doable. We both really like the sound of San Diego (the zoo and wild animal park, seaworld, legoland, and DISNEYLAND!!), and from what he can tell by talking to his mentors, it sounds like it would be the better job for his career.

I have two boys, 3 and 5. My 5yo starts kinder on Tues. (ACK!), so a good school system in a nice neighborhood is essential for us.

DH would be stationed at the Naval Training Center on Point Loma. Our other choice is to stay here, but the next tour after this one would be a sea tour, and we would probably be moving to SD at that time. So from what we can tell, we can move now and stay in that area for 5 - 6 years or stay here for another 3 - 4 years and then move.

Thank you so much for all of your help! You have really given us a lot to consider and it will help us make a more informed decision.

:rocks:

[Pan]

Spent a week with my brother-in-law and his wife in San Diego in July. He is in the Coast Guard and works at the Navy training base. They choose to live off base because they clear about $400 in the difference between rent and housing allowance (enlisted, not officer). They have a decent 2 storey apartment, but I have a hard time accepting that it is ultimately a better situation than base housing would be. We saw the base housing (from the outside on a driveby) and it looked quite nice. Also, they are expecting thier first child soon, and as an Air Force veteran I feel that base housing was such a god send because you have a built-in support system. All your neighbors will be able to identify with most situations you find yourself in, and you are far more likely to find a helping hand if you should need it. Don't know if we saw enlisted or officer housing, or if it is mixed, but it was across the street from the base gate, and a very pretty Spanish architectural style. The apartment they live in is close enough that he can ride his bike to work, but it is in a huge complex and it just seemed like alot of people crammed on top of each other. Also, parking was horrible. They had one assigned parking space, and parking the second car 4 or more blocks away is not uncommon. Don't know if any of this helps, but since I've seen what they're doing, and since I have experienced both on and off base housing, I'd definately try for on base. Opinions vary, I know, but this is mine. Good luck with whatever you decide.