![Living in Oceanside California [PROS and CONS 2022]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ALMh1-93fx0/maxresdefault.jpg)
So you’re thinking about moving to San Diego, you want to know the pros and cons of living here in Oceanside. Well, that’s what we’re getting into today. We’ve made a few of these videos in the past, pros and cons style. But this is updated, some brand new stuff, a few new perspectives about living here in Oceanside. We’re right in the center of Oceanside. It’s huge. Not all of it’s right on the ocean, so we’re about halfway back. There’s another half back behind us. So there’s a lot of good and bad about living right here, so let’s get into it right now.
Cassidy Lewis:
Hello, I’m Cassidy Lewis.
Chris Erickson:
I’m Chris Erickson.
Cassidy Lewis:
And we are both real estate agents here in North County, San Diego. And this is where you come for all things North County. We’re dropping new videos every single week on everything you need to know, neighborhoods, places to go, things to do, everything you need to know about North County. So if this is your first time on our channel, definitely hit that subscribe button down below and follow along. And if you are thinking about moving here to North County, San Diego, definitely hit us up, call, text, email. We love helping people move out to our little piece of heaven here in San Diego. All right, let’s get into the pros and cons of Oceanside. One of the first pro is affordability. It is a huge city, like Chris said, so there are a ton of different options in housing. Obviously, since it is a coastal town, there are going to be some areas where prices are going to be on the high end.
The closer you are to the coast, that Western portion and also the Southwestern portion, there are some really big, large ocean front, condos and houses, and there’s a lot of that type of style of home out there. But then as you come east, there are a lot of communities that have affordable town homes, affordable condos, affordable detached houses, and there’s just a ton of options in housing. A lot of the housing style you will see here in Oceanside, though, is going to be on the older side. Like I mentioned on the coastal homes, they going to be 50s, 60s, 70s, a lot of them. And of course, some of those have been completely remodeled, some have been torn down and built on the lots. But for the most part, home zone here in Oceanside are going to be on the older side throughout. When I talk about affordability, obviously, that’s different in all different markets in a country. So here in Oceanside, that starter home here is about in that $500,000, $600,000 range.
Chris Erickson:
And so working as real estate agents, we see a lot of homes in Oceanside. But to be honest, I don’t spend a ton of time outside of that. In Oceanside, we were shown houses over the summer and cruise and home. I hadn’t been in the Downtown Oceanside area in a long time. We’ve recently been there a few more times because we found a really good spot called Craft Coast, right in the heart of that downtown area. But cruising through there, that downtown area of Oceanside Coast Highway and on the northern side, Oceanside, buildings-wise, has probably some of the most character in all of North County, San Diego, just really cool, old-school buildings. And a lot of them recently… Well, this isn’t super recent, but Bagby took this old building, that really big plot land there, a brewery/restaurant here, and made this killer indoor-outdoor restaurant, a bunch of little areas to hang out.
And we’re seeing more and more of that as Oceanside continues to grow. And so over the last few years, we’ve seen Bagby. It was probably, I don’t know, five, six years ago, but there’s been a few that have popped up since then that [inaudible 00:03:29] these really cool concepts. And I think going forward, if you read any news or anything, there’s San Diego Eater, there’s a few other ones that share, local places that are about to start opening up. There’s been a lot of really cool spots here in Oceanside. I just actually read about a brewery in South O. There’s a brewery igniter system, so they’re helping brand new breweries. South O Brewing is going to be opening up here probably in early 2022, but there’s also a bunch of cool restaurants and new concepts and that kind of stuff. So as far as character, restaurants and buildings and all that kind of stuff, I think Oceanside as a whole has probably the most character in all North County.
And part of the character of Oceanside is the people and the community, and it’s one of the most tight-knit communities here in North County, San Diego. Specifically, my sister lives in South O. I mean, there’s a bunch of these little neighborhoods throughout that people in Oceanside are really proud of their neighborhoods, Oceanside as a whole. It is one of the cooler and tighter knit communities in North County, San Diego. They just have a really good neighborhood, they feel… You go meet your neighbors. They have like these block parties, I know. And that South O neighborhood, they have this huge Halloween blowout, so we just missed that. But the roads aren’t technically shut down, but there are a mass of people. All neighbors cruise around, hanging out, grabbing a glass of wine with your neighbors, and grabbing a beer with your friends.
Cassidy Lewis:
So you hear us talking about hiking and trail systems and a lot of communities. Oceanside, one of the negatives definitely is that it doesn’t have those trail systems and the walkability that Carlsbad, Encinitas, San Marcos have. There’s not a lot of dedicated open space where they’ve put in trail systems. So if hiking’s something you’re interested in, San Marcos is going to be a good option, Carlsbad’s a great option. Oceanside just doesn’t have a ton, which also just ties into the fact that it’s not the most walkable community. Oceanside is a huge city, so it’s really spread out. There’s not a ton of spots that you can walk to from the neighborhoods, so it really just doesn’t have that outdoorsy feel that some of the other communities have around here.
Chris Erickson:
And so that character we were talking about, downtown businesses, buildings, all that kind of stuff, it’s mostly in that downtown area with the local businesses, the local restaurants, shops, all that kind of stuff. The rest of Oceanside, for the most part, you could find your own little spots here and there, sprinkled into strip malls as with anywhere. But [inaudible 00:05:48], strip malls, big-box, it’s not a ton of local stuff. So basically, down the 76 freeway, which is the northern freeway here in Oceanside, technically it’s… I mean, it’s a freeway, but there’s a lot of lights going down there too, so be prepared for that as well. But it’s all those big-box stores and Walmarts and all that kind of stuff, there’s not a ton of local little places within there. And then even cruising through other little neighborhoods, like I said, they all have their own shopping centers and this and that, but they’re these big old commercial big-box areas that feed a lot of Oceanside.
Cassidy Lewis:
To add to the spread-out big city that Oceanside is, there are communities like Arrowwood, which is at the very north end of Oceanside, that are really just out there. It’s going to be a longer drive to get to the beach. It’s a longer drive to get to the main hub of the Downtown Oceanside or where there’s a whole ton of shops in South Oceanside. So it’s just spread out, you got to pick your spot because you’re probably going to live in your little bubble in your community in Oceanside, because there are just a lot of… It’s a big city
Chris Erickson:
And beaches here, a lot of people love them. Obviously, if you’re local, you could just shoot right off to the beach right on the Oceanside or south of the harbor, basically. It’s just like these little pockets of beach because there’s Buccaneer Beach. Basically, the rest is housing, and they have these rocks that go down to the beach. So high tide, you have no beach, which just disappears except for these small little areas. The harbor to the north, some really fun surfing out there. I just don’t dig it because the parking situation is no good up there for me. You got to park far, you got to walk far. Plus, it’s also like a super popular beach because it’s huge, and so a ton of people do cruise there from all over, just because it’s easy. They know about it, so they’re going to go there. It’s right by the harbor.
Cassidy Lewis:
And if you are a beginner, you want to get into surfing, Oceanside Pier is definitely a spot where there’s a great opportunity. There’s surf lessons, there’s little board rental shops right there. And the surf doesn’t tend to be that huge right at the pier. So if you are thinking about learning, that is a good spot. We have a buddy that goes and surfs at Oceanside Pier and walks to Craft Coast, our favorite spot,
Chris Erickson:
A few other things about Oceanside, a small thing but a big thing, I guess, people who moved here who have never been here, you might hear this booming sound because Camp Pendleton, it borders right here on the northern section of Oceanside. So during certain times of the year, they are pretty good about letting it out there. But they do testing and stuff for artillery and whatever, so you will hear it, not just… I mean, Oceanside is the closest to it, so you will hear this percussion sound coming through your house if you’re just sitting there and you’re like, “What’s going on?” When you do move here, that’s what it is. It’s Camp Pendleton doing testing and stuff out there, doing drills and stuff out there. So not going to only hear it in Oceanside, you’ll hear it in Carlsbad and Encinitas.
I used to live down in, actually, San Diego and the city like Pacific Beach, and you could hear it down there too, so you could hear it everywhere. Obviously, up here, it’s going to be the closest and the loudest, but it’s just something that we have had people notice in the past be like, “What’s that sound,” and that’s what it is. And also, a lot of people, when they’re looking at Oceanside or have been here for a long time, thinking about Oceanside , they’ve heard it’s been rebuilding forever, with that downtown area and all that kind of stuff. And that’s true, it has for the last 20 years. It’s been up and coming and rebuilding a lot of stuff. But honestly, within the last 3, 4, 5 years, specifically, that downtown area has really seen a ton of growth with a lot of the new businesses and stuff and restaurants coming in.
Actually, right by the pier, they just finished, maybe a year or so ago, these two huge hotels, big resort-style hotels with rooftop bars and rooftop decks and stuff. So that is how we’ve seen growth in Downtown Oceanside. And then a lot of these older lots and stuff, they’re putting on these town home-style condos in that downtown or east or west of the five section of Oceanside, so that’s where we’ve seen a lot of the rebuilding, a lot of other Oceanside mastermind communities. Rancho Del Oro, Loma Alta, Fire Mountain are built out already, so there are a few areas… There’s a really new aquatic center in that central Oceanside area that just got finished. There’s talks of, actually, a wave pool, resort style, with housing and stuff being built, don’t know exactly where they are on that. So there has been a lot of development here in Oceanside over the past five, 10 years, definitely the last five years, and we’ll see that continue, especially in that downtown area.
Cassidy Lewis:
Piggy backing on that character and feel of Oceanside is a really recently growing brewery scene in Oceanside. And we’re starting to see more spots pop up. Chris mentioned Craft Coast, which is one of our favorites, which is a cool brewery and restaurant right there in the heart of Oceanside. If you do you check it out, you got to try the birria mulita, which I think is like an adult quesadilla. It is how I describe it. But they have really good beer and food there. And there’s some other spots too, like tasting rooms. Belching Beaver has one, Stone has one. Chris mentioned Bagby and some coming up like the South O Brewery that’s going to be opening up next year. And you’ve also got Black Plague, which has got some local ties to Tony Hawk who’s a local here in North County.
So that’s Oceanside, some of the good things, some of the bad things, some of the things in between that can be good or bad for some other people. Everybody’s different, some of the goods for us could be bad for you, vice versa. So if you have specific questions on Oceanside, definitely hit us up. But the main takeaway is it’s a huge city, there are a ton of different options for housing. I’d say probably more condos in Oceanside than any other community in North County, so that entry level is really attainable here in Oceanside. And even the detached homes, there’s a lot of opportunity for an affordable home in a great little neighborhood. But if you’re thinking about Oceanside, a lot of people that are looking at Oceanside are also looking at Vista, San Marcos. So we have a lot of videos on those communities as well, and they are definitely worth taking a look at. So if you’re thinking about moving to North County, San Diego, definitely hit us up, call, text, email. We love helping people get out to San Diego, and we’ve got your back when moving to North County, San Diego.