Where would you recommend to live in San Diego?

[Zooport]

To all who know about San Diego:  We are thinking about relocating from Newport down to San Diego in the next year or so to be closer to family.  As a SUPer, where would you recommend to look at houses?  Is there an area that is close to good SUP surfing and not hideously expensive?   Nothing will be cheap, I'm sure.  I'm considering anywhere as far north as Solana Beach and as far south as Chula Vista.  Recommendations?  We might rent down there for a year or so, just to get our bearings. 

[surf4food]

If you don't HAVE to live right by the beach, I would highly recommend the uptown area (Hillcrest North Park/South Park, Golden Hill, University Heights, Normal heights, Kennsington). Lots of cool bars, restaurants, gallerys, breweries, grocery stores, comunity events, music festivals, etc.  The area is very walkable/bikable.  As much as I love the ocean and the beach, the beach neighborhoods are just too brotastic for my tastes.  You are still a short drive to any surf/SUP spot.  That's my two cents.  I live in Hillcrest.

[jumpfrom13k]

Encinitas?

[nalu-sup]

I was quite a few years ago, but I lived for various periods in Cardiff, Solana Beach, and Mission Beach. I vastly preferred North County if you do not have to drive into the city that often. I think that Cardiff and Solana Beach are both great places to live. There are certainly crowded breaks that you would want to approach with great caution, such as Swamis and Seaside Reef, but there are also countless uncrowded waves if you use your head, and don't mind walking or paddling a bit to get  away from the crowds. A few of my old favorites were Pipes between Cardiff and Swamis, Table Top south of Seaside Reef, the beach breaks accessed from the overpass at the south end of Cardiff, and any number of beach breaks in front of the bluffs along Cardiff and Solana. Hint; there is a very little known public access stairway in the middle of Solana Beach that goes down to some beach break waves where I never saw another surfer within a quarter mile of me.
If you wanted to be closer to downtown, check out the breaks off Sunset Cliffs past the end of the road near Point Loma. It used to be pretty empty because it was such a long walk or paddle. It would be an easy paddle on an SUP.

[Weasels wake]

Then rent in Solana Beach, and then take your time checking out for deals from Del Mar all the way up to Carlsbad.
Many good SUPing spots all thru there, and housing deals can be found if you're willing to do some remodeling for a safe investment.
I grew up there, but no longer there, anything south of Del Mar is too busy and congested for me.

P.S. Del Mar during racing season can be the shits, just saying.

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

ZOO  generally North county is where it is best .

I live here in encinitas and have since 1980 and a lot depends on your budget and  kids age if you still have ones in grade school  then  village park  typical residential  community   La Costa Canyon hs is not far away  very good school  football team does well  surf team   typical high  school experience   if you looking at amore laid back school  for high schoolers try  dan duiegto academy   more progressive and a hello a good surf team but no  football  all else though. I have raised 6 kids here   had some at laciest canyon and the rest at san dieguito  aka the academy   all of teachers   surf there   cool classes ( wood shop you can make a electric guitar) and pretty good academia

If you don't mind the kids taking bus or  driving to school then  you could live anywhere here but here is how it breaks down.  Leucadia  funky cool low key older home  some on pretty  big lots   lots of trees views   good  soil  for the foundations.  old encinitas  wet of  the 5  is similar but typical beach town  and feels like vacation  all year round.    lots people walk every where    more yoga shops per capita than any where else.        encinitas  east of the 5  varies alot  but like everyone else gravitate to  the downtown area.  olivenhien  very pricey 2 million and up big houses   4000- 6000 sq feet.
 
  as you move north  to carlsbad  also very nice  more tract home but old carlsbad is less expensive than encinitas.  oceanside still pretty  nice   been under going a rebirth as such on the coast.     inland  san marcos  and  vista  hit an miss  but good deals   and lower prices   lots more ethnicity.
 going south  the price goes up nd up   cardiff , solana  beach, del mar  la jolla.
lajolla is crowded and $$$$$$  snooty  del mar $$$$$   better then  east of del mar  its tract home city    torry pines high school    is very good and  has a very good football team 
  closer to down town the prices drop    then in san diego proper you have individual neighbor hoods that are good and bad,  Cops allay  victims live north or i 8   criminal south  of i-8   but that is an exaggeration
 then you could go  tot he south part of the county bonnet chula vista  etc  or east   east is hot poway scripps ranch
 If it were me  I would try for encinitas or carlsbad.   Pm for me specifics      as for surf   well cardiff is  sup central but most places are tolerant if not friendly.  Like personally like  Terra Mar  and dolphin house. 

[SlatchJim]

I can hook you up with a crack house in Ramona for a song 

(Ah, the joys of a career in environmental remediation...)

[mastman]

Point Loma.  You have surfing on the ocean side and flat water for fitness paddles on the bay side.  Neither side is more than a mile away.