5 Reasons People Are Moving To Oceanside Right Now

When I was in college at UCSD in the late 90s, you did not go to Oceanside, period. You drove through it on the way to San Diego from LA, but you did not stop. It had a horrible reputation.  But, over the past 20 years, the city has worked hard to make a change and overcome that reputation

Today, Oceanside is a thriving beach town and tourist destination.  The strip clubs and bars have been replaced with hotels and resorts and restaurants. Crime has dropped drastically and now, people from further south will actually come to Oceanside - if they have to.  Old habits die hard and if you are asking around about Oceanside, don’t be too surprised if you get people steering you away from the city because not everyone is aware just how much Oceanside has changed (I was one of those people!). 

In this blog, we are going to go over 5 ways Oceanside has become a great place to live, and why it might just be the perfect spot for you to call home.

Founded as a city in 1888, Oceanside is located at the very north end of San Diego county and directly on the coast.  It’s bordered by Camp Pendleton, which opened in 1942, to the north, Carlsbad to the south and Vista to the east. 

The opening of Camp Pendleton had a huge impact on Oceanside, more than doubling the population in just 5 years. While becoming a military town may have put Oceanside on the map, the focus on supporting the military also gave Oceanside a bad reputation. Downtown was full of strip clubs and rowdy bars and most business were focused on serving the troops.  Drugs became a problem and crime was high.

Today though, all that has changed and the downtown is full of restaurants, hotels and resorts, shops, tourists and murals!  But why would you actually move here?

1) The number one reason people move to Oceanside, is of course, the weather. 

Temperatures here rarely fall below 40 degrees and  don’t usually go above 85 (at least by the coast - inland may get hotter), the best months will be June to October.  (Shots of the beach, the sky, the harbor) Most clouds and rain will happen in the winter and spring with summers being sunny and dry. The average rainfall for the year is 13 inches, which is typical for California, and well below the national average of 38 inches. It’s one of the reasons we love living here - there are not that many days when you can’t get outside and enjoy the pretty.  In fact, most of the rain around here happens at night, so days are even more open for outdoor adventures.

2) Oceanside is, it’s the last “affordable” beach town.

I’m meeting more and more people who are moving from Pacific Beach to Oceanside because they still want that beach town feel, but can’t afford PB or OB. The median price of a house in Oceanside is around $850k. Compare that to Pacific Beach where the median price is $1.4m and you can see the allure.

You’ll find all kinds of housing here, from older ranch style homes in areas like Fire Mountain and South Oceanside, to stucco sided Mediterranean style homes in Mira Costa and Ivey Ranch. Around downtown there is a lot of new construction going on with modern style condos and townhouses. There are also a number of 55+ communities in Oceanside, and if you go further inland to Morro Hills you’ll even come to areas that are dotted with small farms.

3) It's become a foodie destination. 

Those farms are often supplying the farm to table restaurants that have become a staple of Oceanside.  Restaurants in Oceanside are consistently on the Eater San Diego must try restaurants lists. There are even two Oceanside restaurants in the Michelin Guide: Valley and Dija Mara. Oceanside is also known for having a lot of craft breweries to explore.

4) Lots of things to do!

When you’re not eating up a storm, there are lots of other things to do from outdoor adventures, to taking in culture.  Of course there are the beaches - 3 miles of them actually.

You can go fishing off the pier or out at sea, or you can take in some whale watching from the Oceanside harbor. There are bike paths and hiking trails and golf courses and skateparks too.  Or you can go the cultural route and check out the Oceanside Museum of Art or the California Surf Museum, there are also murals all over downtown that you can take a walking tour to see.  If you prefer the theater, there are a number of options including the Junior Seau Amphitheater which has many different events throughout the year.  There are also the weekly farmers market and Sunset markets which take place downtown on Thursdays.

5) Economic Development

While it’s already a home for biotech and the largest private employers include biotech corporations Genentech and Gilead Sciences, water systems company Hydranautics, electronics firm TE Connectivity, and sports equipment manufacturer Hobie Cat, Oceanside has big plans for the future focused on agritourism which will bring tourists to the farms of Morro hills.  The city has also done things that make doing business in Oceanside easier like build the Sprinter which takes you from Oceanside to Escondido and has the Coaster which will take you to San Diego and the Metrolink if you need to head up north to LA.

So, what do you think? Does Oceanside sound like it might be a good fit for you? If you have any other questions about Oceanside, or want to check out some homes in the area, shoot me a text at 619.992.0646.