Recs for a nature-loving family? (San Diego, La Mesa: appointed, apartment, renting)

[english.garden]

Hello. Family of four moving to SD area from Oregon and hoping for suggestions.

Wife and I both grew up in Oregon and we're not going to miss the dreary weather. But one thing that's giving us pause about SD is the lack of nature--or at least, what we perceived it to be when we've visited. Both of us grew up around trees, rivers, lakes, spent our childhoods outdoors as much as possible, and we want our kids to have access to that kind of upbringing too.

We do like the beach and are excited to be close to it but we're more of forest/woods type people. Even a good, large, nature-filled park near us might scratch the itch.

We've only visited SD for vacations before, not for apartment/house hunting, so we're coming down in April to do a deeper dive. I've got a job offer that's hybrid and requires 3 days in person in Mission Valley, but from what we remember, Mission Valley doesn't have the nature vibe we're looking for. (Maybe we missed something though?)

Any recs for neighborhoods/towns/suburbs/cities to check out that meet the following?

1.) Obviously, nature!!! TREES, PLEASE. Preferably forest/woods/rivers/lake type vibe.

2.) Not overly worried about commute, but would prefer no more than 45 minutes from Mission Valley.

3.) Family friendly, safe. Not overly concerned with public school quality because we're probably going to go the private school route, but obviously want a neighborhood that is safe and ideally has other young families around.

4.) We'll be renting for at least a year while we get settled. No extreme concerns about budget.

We've been researching online and have a few spots in mind but always helpful to hear from actual residents. Also, please keep in mind that we are well-aware that nowhere in SD is going to be quite like Oregon in terms of nature, just looking for the closest we can get. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[JoeSanDiegoHomes]

I'd do somewhere very close to Mission Trails. Green. Not as much. But as good as we get and 20 minutes from Mission Valley. Second best I can think of is Bonita. It's greenish for being close to the coast

[Axxlrod]

Not sure what to tell you. San Diego is technically a desert. Any trees that are here have to be connected to sprinklers. NorCal has what you are after. SD doesn't.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Pick any local lake and it will have trees. Miramar lake for starters.

[AnythingOutdoors]

San Diego is a coastal desert, you aren't going to find a PNW vibe there. You can find forest in the higher elevations of the SoCal mountains, but these will be quite a bit more arid than what you find in much of Oregon. "Rivers" are small streams and/or seasonal flows of storm runoff. There are reservoirs, but few natural lakes.

This doesn't mean there's no nature in/around San Diego. It's just different. A lot of brush, grasses, and riparian trees that have adapted to the arid climate.

[RosieSD]

Take a close look at La Mesa. It's an old enough town to have lots of trees (the Mount Helix area especially). Mission Trails Park is at its doorstep. Lake Murray (a big reservoir with trees) borders it. Cute historic village area. Good schools. Less than 20 minutes drive to Mission Valley (a little more during rush hour) but you can also take the trolley right to Mission Valley from several stops in La Mesa. Safe. Easy drive up to the mountains or out to the desert for endless nature.

Other towns that might be worth a look: Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Santee, Alpine, Ramona. The older areas in these towns are more treed (although not Oregon-type trees), and these areas have easy access to wooded natural areas, with some water. All of these areas will take longer (some a lot longer) to get to Mission Valley than La Mesa, but they are nice, family friendly places to live. Be forewarned: it's hard to find homes in San Diego County that have more than postage sized lots, but they do exist if you are willing to accept an older home, drive a little farther or pay more.

Pro tip: San Diego's best natural areas are all to the East of 15. I know the beaches are to the west, but if you want to be out in nature alone and away from urban/suburban sprawl, look East.

Extra Pro Tip: Learn to think of nature as more than rivers and trees. Otherwise, you'll overlook all the wonderful natural places to discover here like the amazing Anza Borrego State Park, which is where I head in the winter when I want to get away alone in nature. If you learn where to look, you'll even find trees and water out in the desert -- just different trees and water than in Oregon.

In short, Oregon is beautiful for what it offers, and Southern California is beautiful for what it offers. But they are very different climates and topographies so don't go to either looking to recreate one in the other place, or you'll be sorely disappointed. Seek to learn and appreciate what makes each beautiful!

Good luck with your move!

[NORTY FLATZ]

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