stevenhart

  • Local Expert 113 points
  • Reviews 2
  • Questions 0
  • Answers 0
  • Discussions 0

Reviews

3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 2/5
  • Clean & Green 3/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 1/5
  • Eating Out 4/5
  • Nightlife 4/5
  • Parks & Recreation 4/5
  • Shopping Options 2/5
  • Gym & Fitness 2/5
  • Lack of Traffic 1/5
  • Parking 1/5
  • Cost of Living 1/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 4/5
  • Public Transport 2/5
  • Medical Facilities 2/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 2/5
Just now

"Carlsbad Wannabes Wannabe There"

Carlsbad is quaint, it has an achronistic feel to it and the dominant architecture is Disneyesque with you expect to see Heidi skipping down the nearest hillside with a bucket of milk. The nightlife there is pretty great will lots of different styles of venues. There is a good mix of locals and tourists and prices are fair for the location. No bargain, but not a ripoff either.

Parking is a bit of a pain and traffic can test your patience. The area of Carlsbad is located on a beachside bluff so you access the beach via periodic staircases that lead from street level down to the sand. I was suprised Carlsbad ranked so high in rankings and must be more of a testiment to internet saviness of locals than intrinsic goodness of Carlsbad. La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, and Cardiff all have what Carlsbad has without the traffic and lack of parking.
Pros
  • Nightlife
  • Cute touristy architecture
Cons
  • Traffic
  • Parking
  • Poor beach access
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Retirees
  • Tourists
  • LGBT+
  • Hipsters
  • Students
5/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 5/5
  • Safe & Sound 5/5
  • Clean & Green 5/5
  • Pest Free 5/5
  • Peace & Quiet 5/5
  • Eating Out 5/5
  • Nightlife 5/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 5/5
  • Gym & Fitness 5/5
  • Internet Access 4/5
  • Lack of Traffic 5/5
  • Parking 5/5
  • Cost of Living 5/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 4/5
  • Public Transport 5/5
  • Medical Facilities 3/5
  • Schools 5/5
  • Childcare 4/5
Just now

"Santee's Sunny Valley"

Santee is an up-and-coming town with a new town center, huge central park with state of the art sports facilities for soccer, football, and baseball for all ages. It has two dedicated dog parks and amenitites galore. The San Diego River runs through the center of town through the two main parks: Mast Park and Town Center Park East and Town Center Park West. The city has a transportation standard that provides traffic free bike and walking paths that are separated from roads by wide green belts and separate walking and bike lanes.

The river parks total over 1,100 acres! I have fished and caught gigantic bass and sun fish from the river. The summertime in Santee brings weekly free concerts with a variety of music styles: blue grass, rock n roll, jurassic rock n roll (classics), blues, jazz, you name it: bring your own picnic, beer, beverages and chairs and blankets. Folks of all ages are up dancing, kids and pets welcome, it's has a nice hometime feel.

The are plenty of dining options in Santee, some great bars for nightlife, and plenty of goods and services available within town. Area beaches are a twenty minute (front door to sand) drive away, the mountains a half hour drive away, the deserts and Mexico are an hour away. Santee is freeway close to all other areas of San Diego County.
Pros
  • Many days of sunshine.
  • Peerless river fishing.
  • Close shopping, parks, restaurants and nighlife.
Cons
  • Many days of sunshine, pretty much you say some time in June the weather tomorrow is "sunny and hot" and you wont have to change it until October.
  • No movie theater in town, council (I agree) is holding out for a larger high-end facility but economy has stymied that effort.
Recommended for
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Country Lovers

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