I'm about to be stationed in SD and was wondering if anyone had lived in or knew anything about the base housing in Linda Vista. I haven't been able to find any pictures or anything online or from housing and would like to know before I get out there and look at them whether I am probably going to rent or not. It was my understanding that having pets and two kids this was the only realistic option without a long waiting list right now for housing.

Thanks for any input.

Your profile says you are an E-3, therefore if you have dependants your BAH in SDiego will be $1820.00 per month and that is exactly what it will cost you to live in military housing or a PPV. Go onto www.forrent.com or www.apartments.com and check out areas such as El Cajon, Santee, La Mesa. You will find many 1 to 2 BR apartments at $700 to $1000 less than your BAH, which means you will get to pocket the extra amount. Also, El Cajon, Santee, and La Mesa are near the trolley line which could really save on gas especially if you get stationed at Navsta 32nd Street.
This is just folklore about Linda Vista (which I am not going to go too far into) but there have been stories about people "losing" their dogs and the neighbors having a bar b que the same night.

20 years ago Linda Vista had the reputation of being Little Saigon.

Shockey

Correction: I don't know how I came up with Linda Vista, but my wife said it's Murphy Canyon. Thanks for that link EELindy, it doesn't look too bad.

I have a dog and two kids, so I think this is one of the few options for our situation without being on a long waiting list. I'd rather live out in town, but don't think $1800 is sufficient for my situation to live at the same comfort we're used to now given the cost of living of the area and adding in utilities.

If anybody has any inside information on Murphy Canyon 4 I'd appreciate it, I hope it's not that bad of a commute to NAB Coronado.

Thanks all.

I take it your talking about along 15 between
8 and 52. On the west side of the canyon is Clairmont mesa and Mission village. Both older well established neighborhoods. aboth on the canyon rim I have lived in both of them in the past and they are OK. There was nothing actualy in the canyon but that could have changed by now. The area east of 15 north end of the canyon is called Terrasanta. It has both a good reputation and a dark side. I dont mean to make this out to be a major problem. Back in the old days 1900 or so it was a artilery range impact area. Every couple of years or so, they have a lot of rain and errosion and some old dud rounds are surfaced in the gullies and such.
These are found reported and delt with usualy.
There have been cases of them being found by kids who fool with them and BANG. I dont know how old your kids are. If they will be running the gullies and fields, you need to educate them. The area is on the edge of wilderness so wild animals are around sometimes. Rattlesnakes and such
These things are not major problens and the area is kinda nice. Just be aware.
Shockey

Commute. I lived above the stadium (8 at 15) and worked at NI, I made that commute for years.
It is OK but as with any Cal freeway, they have their moments
Almost always jammed up on the bay bridge and across coronado to the base

Shockey

Thanks shockey, that's exactly the area the gentleman on the phone told the wife - right off I-15 between Clairemont Mesa Blvd and Tierrasanta Blvd. I assumed the area is quite developed by now, I know that San Diego has grown by leaps and bounds even since I was a kid not all that long ago (lived in La Mesa until I was ten).

I definately won't be letting the kids run around the canyon though if it was an old impact range, they're too young anyway.

Keep the gouge coming.

Murphy Canyon was the best housing when I was there in the late 80's, with a nice little BX for the neccessities and better conditions than the Paradise Valley housing. I believe they have been upgraded by the PPV program, if so then the houses are very, very nice by miliary housing standards.

The best thing about Murphy Canyon is the the shopping nearby, Admiral Baker Rec Center is right next door, and there are at least 4 good schools for getting your degree within about 10 minutes drive. University of Phoenix is just across the freeway, University of Redlands is right down Friars Road, Chapman University is just a bit farther down by 163, and National University is just across I-8.

If you have not thought much about getting your degree, I strongly recommend you consider that as I earned a job with Civil Service after I left the Navy because of my degree in Business from UoP, and then they sent me to get my MBA at the University of Redlands.

I am now a GS-13 working for DHS, and life is way better than it was as a E-6 looking at another decade of little to no opportunity for advancement. Even if your military career is great, having a degree opens doors you don't even know exist, as I learned multiple times after I earned the diploma.

I do envy you a bit, I love SD to this day and wish I could return to live there for the rest of my life. My wife does not share that feeling, so we are here in Dallas, which is as close as I will probably ever get to the left coast except for vacations!

Make sure you try the fish tacos at Rubios, the smoothies at Jamba Juice, and the carne asada burritos at just about any 'Berto's taco shop. For old SD, try the Chicken Pie House and for some adventure, Canada Steak Burgers on University. The latter is right across from a liquor store, a stripper bar and watching the city go by is better than the best DeNiro movie ever made. Try their Gyros with fries, it is one of the best you'll ever have.

I think you should go to the San Diego Union Tribune web site and check the classifieds for (For Rent) For $1800.00 I would think you could live in some great places. That Gov houseing thing just doesn't sound attractive to me.
I have no experience with Gov housing and I could be wrong.
By the way If you like Mexican food, you are going to heaven

Shockey

Shockey, thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. I'm not sure yet which will be preferable, but I'm living on base housing now and it's not that bad, it all varies greatly though from place to place, which is why I'm sending the wife ahead of me three weeks to look at housing and apartments/houses for rent to pick the best.

dwgerard, thanks for the plethera of information. I can't wait to get down there and have been wanting to go back ever since I moved as a kid, it's just my kind of place. I went to high school in Dallas and love it there too. Anytime I go back and visit Dallas or SD I can't believe how much they've grown.

I actually already have my BA, but it's nice to know there's schools around for the wife to take classes. I think I'm going to do the online distance learning thing and start working on my MA myself since tuition assistance will pay for it, can't beat it.

Thanks again for all the information everyone.

I lived in the big apartment complex one exit down from Murphy Canyon and adjacent to Baker Rec Park. walking distance to the stadium..steep steep STEEP hill, mind you, but walking distance nonetheless.
Housing laughed in our faces when we asked about a waiting list for his BR entitlement/paygrade..it was 6 months LONGER than what our orders stated, and we already knew we'd be leaving six months earlier than that( Decomming)

it is quite easy to find suitable housing off base under BAH in San Diego..IF you are willing to commute. and frankly.. it's better. even with gas being what it is, close to the bases ain't all that....

HUGE 2 BR apartment( they accepted dogs of a certain size limit) for WELL Under $1800. heck the townhouses and 4 BR units were actually decently priced

I should elaborate: I need a three bedroom place for sure with a boy and a girl and would much prefer a garage because I have a lot of gear and weights that need to go somewhere and a yard would be ideal for the dogs and kids to play in -- they're three and two years old respectively, so the wife and them spend a lot of time at home -- so if I can't find a decent house or townhouse for I figure $1500-$1600 or less, after utilities are taken into account I would be better off living on base, that was my original reasoning behind looking towards base housing at least. Plus it's nice to know your neighbors are more than likely decent people, the neighborhoods are patrolled, the yards are kept up and you don't have to worry about your budget changing from month to month based on gas, electric or water prices. It's nice to be able to crank your A/C as low as you want and do dishes and laundry and leave lights on without having to worry about running up some huge bill one month.

There are definately down sides to it though. I will be hitting the classifieds and various websites hard making sure I have backups.

WRT utilities: not so much. with PPV there is a baseline..if you consume more than you are entitled to, you are paying OOP for the difference.

some places the alloted amount is generous, in others..not so much.

I didn't know that.

quote:

with PPV there is a baseline

Actually this is still area dependent. In DC there was not baseline, they took full BAH for whatever we used. Same here in 29 Palms. Not sure about SD though.

quote:

Originally posted by shockey:
There have been cases of them being found by kids who fool with them and BANG.

The last case I heard about was in late 1983. Two kids found a mortar round and it took them out.

The ranges were used until about the mid to late forties. (It was Camp Elliot.)

quote:

Originally posted by shockey:
By the way If you like Mexican food, you are going to heaven

Stop it man, you're killing me! I grew up in S.D. and now live near D.C. There are very few places in D.C. where they serve "authentic" Mexican food!

quote:

Originally posted by ihate8counts:
I know that San Diego has grown by leaps and bounds even since I was a kid not all that long ago (lived in La Mesa until I was ten).

Too much if you ask me! It more looks like RUNAWAY DEVELOPMENT.

quote:

Originally posted by dwgerard:
. . .and there are at least 4 good schools for getting your degree within about 10 minutes drive.

Nope there are only THREE (PLNC, USD and UCSD)!

quote:

Originally posted by SgtLtUSMC:

quote:

Originally posted by dwgerard:
. . .and there are at least 4 good schools for getting your degree within about 10 minutes drive.

Nope there are only THREE (PLNC, USD and UCSD)!

I guess you haven't checked on the US News reports and other college reviews as the University of Redlands is ranked #6 and Chapman University is ranked #12. Point Loma Nazarene is #23, and USD and UCSD did not make the Master's list at all.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/ed...1univmas_w_brief.php

Don't get me wrong, those are good schools, but they are pricey, and very traditional, which doesn't always play well when you factor in TA and military schedules.

I interviewed with USD and they were out of the running when they told me that they would not allow for me missing any class sessions or skip any class cycles if I was TDY or deployed. The University of Redlands, with a better ranking, offered to work with whatever military schedule I had, with documentation of course, and was less than half the cost as well.

And I stand by the University of Redlands ranking, I am 1/3 of the way through my PhD and I have a 4.0 GPA so far. I would not be able to say that without the experience I gained at UoR.

quote:

Originally posted by dwgerard:

quote:

Originally posted by SgtLtUSMC:

quote:

Originally posted by dwgerard:
. . .and there are at least 4 good schools for getting your degree within about 10 minutes drive.

Nope there are only THREE (PLNC, USD and UCSD)!

I guess you haven't checked on the US News reports and other college reviews as the University of Redlands is ranked #6 and Chapman University is ranked #12. Point Loma Nazarene is #23, and USD and UCSD did not make the Master's list at all.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/ed...1univmas_w_brief.php

Don't get me wrong, those are good schools, but they are pricey, and very traditional, which doesn't always play well when you factor in TA and military schedules.

I interviewed with USD and they were out of the running when they told me that they would not allow for me missing any class sessions or skip any class cycles if I was TDY or deployed. The University of Redlands, with a better ranking, offered to work with whatever military schedule I had, with documentation of course, and was less than half the cost as well.

And I stand by the University of Redlands ranking, I am 1/3 of the way through my PhD and I have a 4.0 GPA so far. I would not be able to say that without the experience I gained at UoR.

I hear you.

But when you were referring to "good" schools in S.D., I only say those three. I can't speak very highly of the fourth university in S.D. It's more like a big H.S. than a university if you ask me!