Vista is suburban/rural but don't let that fool you, the Downtown area has some pretty hip spots on the rise (cool record shop next to a cool bakery, next to vintage stores), and they even have a vegan popup at a hard kombucha brewpub! Not sure even Brooklyn has that. If you're looking for a suburban spot for raising the kiddos but craving some arts culture, a brewpub scene, and a cool, diverse population then check out out Vista. 

Hipness On The Rise

The Best Thing About Vista?

Maybe this is silly, given the weather in the San Diego area is often considered the best on the planet, but many people move to the area and find Vista is different. It's north of San Diego and 7 miles or so inland from the beach. Those 7 miles make a difference in climate. It's ~10 degrees hotter in summers than the beach towns and definitely colder in the winters, with no cloud coverage to be had. Depending on your pov those temps can be a plus or a minus but just know it going in. 

The Weather?

The Worst Thing About Vista?

As we noted, Vista is a suburb of San Diego but it has its own rising downtown social and arts scene. An overwhelming sentiment expressed by locals is that the social scene of Vista is getting better all the time. This is largely driven by the fact Downton Vista is an [**Opportunity Zone**](https://downtownvista.org/feature/blog-opportunity-zone)  receiving plenty of investment from individuals and corporations. Growth in Downtown is coming through establishing an Arts & Culture District, the buildout of mixed used environments for housing, retail and recreation, growth in downtown parks and developing plenty of pedestrian and bike trails networks throughout town. Downtown is where the action is in Vista and it is the center of community activity. This includes plenty of new restaurants, bars and cafes in the Vista Village mixed use center, and throughout the Downtown area. It also means the [**Belching Beaver Brewery**](https://belchingbeaver.com/), one of the most beloved microbreweries we’ve seen in all our travels. 

Outside of the social and community scene Downtown, Vista is a solid suburban city, with plenty of parks for the kiddos and doggos to play as well as some excellent outdoor experiences for the nature-inclined including: the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, The Rancho Guajome Adobe and the [**Brengle Terrace Park**](https://www.cityofvista.com/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/1005/38) which has an Amphitheater, Auditorium, Gym, Senior Center, and pretty much every possible recreation space(yes, even pickleball) available. You’re also just 7 miles to the beach if you make Vista your home. 


Lifestyle of Vista

Vista School District comes in strong with ratings of an A- on [**niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/vista-unified-school-district-ca/). The quality of the schools varies quite a bit, assuming you look closely at ratings like niche.com. Many schools in the north, west and southern sides of Vista grade out as A’s with [**Mission Vista High School**](https://mvhs.vistausd.org/), on the north side, the highest rated school in the area. One of the notable accolades Vista schools receive is for their diversity of class and extracurricular offerings. Many school districts in California do fine on academics but suffer in giving students a variety of learning and recreation experiences. Vista excels in this area. 

Schools in Vista

If you want to catch a city on the upswing - with an emerging Arts & Culture center, an expanding housing, retail and entertainment district, in one of the most beautiful places on earth, check out Vista. 


Before It's Too Late!

Why You Should Move Here Now? 

Vista is organized in three major areas that can be identified by zip code. 92081 is on the South Side (south of 78 - the main interstate). Shadow Ridge is one of its most prominent developments. Built in the 90's with plenty of beautiful homes and manicured lawns, its only 5 minutes from shopping, restaurants and 10-20 breweries, including the famous Belching Beaver Brewery. 

You also have plenty of rural areas in the zip code for those who prefer bigger yards and homes at a greater distance from each other. Prices range from $700k - $1.5m and townhomes typically around $500k. Many who live here do so because of the proximity to Carlsbad and the business parks and golf companies that border the southern edge of the city. There are excellent schools in the area including: [**Breeze Hill Elementary School**](https://bh.vistausd.org/) and [**Rancho Buena Vista High School**](https://rbv.vistausd.org/). 


Families

92081 (South Side)

The 92083 area sits just north of the 78 so if you’re commuting virtually anywhere in the San Diego metro, this neighborhood is ideal as you’re right on the freeway. Much of 92083 is custom tract homes built in the 70's and early 80's. There aren't any HOAs, and so the quality of the homes can be mixed including some that are older and more run down and a hodgepodge of brand new mega-homes. This inconsistency results in some of the lowest entry prices in Vista -- starting in the $600k's. 

Vista Village shopping center, one of the fastest growing retail and entertainment centers is in the neighborhood so shopping, restaurants and cafes are at your doorstep. Schools in the area are also mixed with a couple notable stars including [**Vista Magnet Middle School of Technology, Science & Math**](https://www.niche.com/k12/vista-magnet-middle-school-of-technology-science-and-math-vista-ca/?map) and [**Casita Center for Technolgy, Science & Math**](https://www.niche.com/k12/casita-center-for-technology-science-and-math-vista-ca/?map) two of the shining stars in the school district.


92083 (North of 78)

92084 is the most rural area of Vista. The blocks and areas are winding, with beautiful tree-lined streets and yards. The area borders Gopher Canyon, which offers locals a great outdoor space to walk, hike and get some zen. It also includes [**Vista Valley Country Club**](https://vistavalley.com/), a stunning golf track in the Vista Valley, surrounded by mountains. [**Brengle Terrace Park**](https://www.cityofvista.com/residents/recreation-comm-services) is here, over 70 acres of recreation and community event space (and a great doggo park!!!). The lots are much bigger in this neighborhood and the custom homes are 4-5 bedrooms and reach north of 3,000-4,000 square feet. Single family homes range from $700k to $2m+. 

92084 (East Side)

Vista

**Moving to Vista. I’m thinking of getting a place in vista, seem so much cheaper than Carlsbad and San Marcos. Any problem there? Does it still have the crime problem? Thanks**

Vista is cool, if you're buying you'll be glad on your return on investment because it is getting gentrified real quick.

Remember this was a small country town up until 10 years ago, and there are great rural areas. Lots of retired folks. Also, the demographic is very diverse and there is a vibrant Latino community. Certain pockets might be more "ghetto" than most white people would be comfortable with. Rich neighborhoods have just as much crime as the lower income. I grew up off of Santa Fe by the boys and girls club, during the height of the VHB and its really not bad. But if you want Disneyland go to shadowridge and keep Vista weird.

**Thinking to move to Vista. How is Vista now days, growing up, it has a bit of a sketchy reputation. I’m looking at the residential areas in Vista not downtown area, I do have young kids.**

I live in Vista, in a so-so neighborhood, but there is hope for the future.

We have great neighborhood and terrible neighborhoods, often close together.

It seems that the local government is doing, and the train makes it hard to go north/south.

The views are plentiful, and it feels good here overall.

The microclimate is great. Not as moderate as coastal, but not so hot, like Escondido, etc.

I am happy here.

**Potential move to Carlsbad/Vista area... need a "man on the ground"
My partner and I may be moving to Carlsbad/Vista area, and I'm looking for preliminary advice on neighborhoods and lifestyle."

**We are late 30s, no kids. We do not need a ton of space - 2 bedrooms is fine as long as we have two bathrooms, ~1500-2000 sq ft would be plenty. We would be able to buy, but our budget would be ~600. Not sure if that's enough to get where we need to go. We have three pets and that makes renting a bit challenging.**

**I would prefer things being walkable to get groceries, a few decent restaurants/bars, shops, a good yoga class... and not along a large street to a strip mall. I know that may not be easy to find and probably a pipe dream, but just where I'm starting from (and what I'm currently used to).**

**He will be commuting to Vista for work, but looking at housing around there I am not sure its the right fit for us. If we can keep his commute under 30 minutes by car that would be ideal, so I'm essentially looking at that radius of a circle around Vista. I'm willing to be a bit further from the centre of things so we can have a bit of outdoor space and a garage (but OMG if we are moving to the west coast can't I live near the beach?!)**

**Also... just... what's it like? We're laid back, liberal people, like to get outside (walks, hikes etc) and enjoy good beer/food, but we aren't into anything fancy, or the latest, greatest this or that. I'd just love to be able to walk to an unpretentious bar and get good vegetarian meal? This is a huge change. Would also love to hear from anyone who moved from the eastern part of the country and can discuss transition!**

You probably know this already, but your budget is pretty tight for buying in San Diego. You've been getting some good wisdom here. I'll just add to it. First, where specifically in Vista is your partner working? Vista, Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Marcos and North Encinitas cover quite a large, sprawling subruban area and their borders are not always very clear.

What's it like here? Because of Camp Pendleton, Oceanside has a very heavy military presence, and this seeps into Vista and Carlsbad as well. Because of this, Vista and Oside tend to be a little more blue collar and conservative than the rest of North County. Carlsbad tends to be pretty wealthy 1%. But it's all San Diego, so everyone's pretty chill, there's a lot of diversity. We went blue in the last election, it's not Trump country.

There are pockets of older, more affordable houses and there are pockets of outrageously priced McMansions. This is the suburbs though, so walkability is rare east of the 5. West of the 5 is where you want to be, but probably out of your budget, though you may get lucky with one of those tiny places in South Oceanside or Leucadia. Places near the train tracks tend to be more affordable, if you can handle the noise! Someone suggested San Elijo Hills, it's a new development that is trying to be a more walkable suburb. But to be honest, I think it's a little weird. It has this artificial, Pleasantville vibe. San Marcos is worth looking into, there is a Cal State University there and it's an up and coming neighborhood.

Vista actually does have a cool downtown area. You could get a place near there.

If you want to try and get closer to the beach, I'd look into the neighborhoods directly east of the 5 near Carlsbad Village Dr or Tamarack Ave, that's a great area. If I could buy anywhere in this area, I would want one of those condos near Lake Calavara. Not a walkable neighborhood, but a beautiful one. Another hidden gem is the neighborhood along the north of Aqua Hedionda Lagoon. I knew someone who owned an apartment there that came with a dock.

No matter where you go, you'll find great food and the best beer in the world. Plenty of wonderful hikes to take your dogs.

Vista, California

Belching Beavers

Looklyloo Score: 82

We're on it!