Vista, California

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.

Thinking About Living in VISTA CA