Hi guys
I'm moving down to San Diego from Los Angeles for Law school at Cal Western in mid august 2006

The law school told me that the nearest cities around the school are Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Little Italy, Banker's Hill and Downtown for people who have no cars.

the law school is located on 225 Cedar Street in downtown San Diego

I actually plan to have my car down there but would still like to live fairly close to school

I'm not very familiar with the San Diego area

Can anybody who lives in San Diego or know of the area give me feedback on Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Little Italy, Banker's Hill and Downtown.. which are ghetto? which are fairly nice, clean and safe?

Can any of you guys reccomend any cities within 5-10 miles from the law school that are fairly SAFE, CLEAN and semi-UPSCALE?

thanks for the help guys!

 

la jolla, solana beach..
too bad you wouldn't be living more north, I'm actually looking for a roommate at my current place in oceanside.

 

Try Coronado, if you look in their local newspaper http://www.coronadonewsca.com/ you can find some good deals, I lived there twice. Right across the bridge from downtown. Or try El Cajon, lived there too. Kind of ghetto if you dont live on the right side of the street, but less crowded and you ge more for money there. Stay away from Chula Vista. I was stationed there for 5.5 years and just got exiled to Virginia in the name of marriage Try Mission or Fashion Valley areas, they are pretty nice and upscale. Downtown will be crowded and not favorable to live, imo. But San Diego is one of the nicest downtowns Ive ever seen. I miss it

 

I would suggest Fashion Hills area, located on north side of Fashion Valley Mall, which is about 10mins from downtown. Also some nice condos on or near Friars rd, near Jack Murphy Stadium, 15 mins from downtown. Another location is Tierrasanta, located near J.M. Stadium, about 15-20mins from downtown.

 

If you want to be close to school, try Banker's Hill, but avoid moving on 1st, 4th, 5th, or 6th due to traffic. It is a quiet area if you stay off the main roads, and relatively safe. Move to Hillcrest and some will question your sexuality, Little Italy is okay, but parking is an issue with most places. Downtown isn't bad, but it is more expensive than most places, but the area of downtown closest to that school is a bit ghetto.

 

thanks for the advice guys! bump for more input

 

I would say to try looking in the Mission Valley or Mission Hills area as well. I lived there during college and it's a pretty nice area. The best thing is that all the freeways to go anywhere cross in Mission Valley so it's easy to get anywhere in San Diego. Good Luck

 

Congrats on law school. My girlfriend goes to Thomas Jefferson and I've been living in the area for about 3 years. I have just recently found a new place to live in Northpark which is east of HillCrest so I wanted to give you a little advice. First off the very best place to search is on San Diego Craigs list. Just go to the apartments section and type in Bankers Hill or HillCrest or whatever. They are mostly sublets and therefore a ton cheaper. The best place on your list is def Bankers Hill. It is close to your school and downtown. Traffic is not a problem. You could even ride a bike to your school if you wanted.
Little India and downtown are both the same. Very close to your school and definatley in the "city" . Parking won't be a problem since almost every place has underground parking. However, rent has really gone up in those areas in the past year. HillCrest is predominatly gay but there are a lot of nice condos/apartments for a good price if you can handle it. I would definatley stay away from coronado as it is too far. Traffic is really bad during peak times in the Mission Valley/ Fashion Valley area plus there is some risk of vandalism since most apartments there are in huge complexes with large underground parking areas that get broken into on a regular bases.
Other places near your school would be Golden Hill, Cortez or Balboa.
I recommend staying west of I-15 and south of I-8 for quick access to your school. Also, don't even consider anything south of downtown because it is pretty ghetto.
Welcome to San Diego
If you need any further advice feel free to PM me.

 

stay away from chula vista??? u mean the west side? i live in east chula vista in rancho del rey estates, and average price for a house around here is 1.2 mill...... average price for a house in east chula overall is around 700K. anyways bankers hill is awesome and so is downtown. little italy is very nice. i was condo shopping down there and its around 550K for 2 BD 2 BA. if i were u i stay downtown. its pricey but worth it

 

sorry, not trying to be a dick but east chula vista is about 30 minutes to his school with light traffic. Plus, comparing housing prices anywhere in San Diego is a waste of time since they are all outrageous. You are right though. East Lake area is nice.

 

10-15 minutes with light traffic.i pretty much live in downtown on the weekendsand go to bunch of padres games. anyways i i were in his shoes.. depending on budget it would be downtown or bankers hill. bankers hil is such a nice community with great views.

 

I'd still elect Banker's Hill. Downtown is alright, but you get to see too many drunks walking back to their cars on the weekends, and you have to dodge the occasional pile of puke. It can also be too distracting, which might not be good for someone going to school.

 

Congrats ON law school. I love SD...So lucky u're moving there.

 

thanks for the advice so far guys!

bump for more info, input and advice

I'm going down to SD to apt hunt tomorrow..but would still like some more advice.

 

welcome to sd! I'm pretty sure you'll like it here. Cedar st. huh? ANywho, here's my advice... I live in downtown and if you're down for a good time, it's the best place.. bars and clubs get packed on weeknights (sd has lots of hot girls). Mission Hills is laidback and has some nice cafes and restaurants. right nex to Mission Hills is Hillcrest, which is known as a homosexual community, I'm not bashing or anything but guys over there are pretty frank if they want to get down with you they have nice places though. Little Italy is awesome! but its upscale. Right next to hillcrest is North Park and somewhat El Cajon, my observation is that it starts to turn ghetto anything after 30th st. of El Cajon or North Park. Bottom line, if you can afford it, go for Little Italy or central downtown... hillcrest if you dont mind the community you'll be in. Mission Hills for peace of mind and lots of old people. Hope that helps