San Diego Country Estates is a planned resort community surrounded in all directions by the rolling hills of the San Vicente Valley. Residents here live in a region with an average daily temperature of 61 degrees, which sounds pretty sweet.
San Diego Country Estates, or simply "The Estates" as it's called by locals, is known throughout the San Diego metropolitan area, of which it is considered a part of the region, as a high-desert getaway
San Diego Country Estates is a planned resort community surrounded in all directions by the rolling hills of the San Vicente Valley. Residents here live in a region with an average daily temperature of 61 degrees, which sounds pretty sweet.
San Diego Country Estates, or simply "The Estates" as it's called by locals, is known throughout the San Diego metropolitan area, of which it is considered a part of the region, as a high-desert getaway. It is often mentioned in the same breath with Ramona, California simply because of its proximity, only eight miles away to the west, a short 15-minute drive up San Vicente Road. Poway is another town relatively close-by, about 20 miles to the west, most San Diegans think of when they hear San Diego Country Estates because many of them drive through it on their way into this part of the county. Ramona and Poway are where many people from The Estates go for shopping and entertainment, so in a sense they comprise a larger section of the community. The Estates, which has a population of a little more than 10,000 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is about 17 square miles in size, yet there are only three roads in and out of town--San Vicente Highway, Wildcat Canyon Highway and Old Julian Highway. But right in the middle of that desert brush you'll find the lush, green grass of the San Vicente Golf Resort, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking, mountain biking and a well-networked equestrian community.
If you're planning on moving to San Diego Country Estates and are looking for a rental property you're going to have a bit of a difficult time locating apartments for rent, unless you are willing to consider living in nearby Ramona. But we're here to talk about how to live in The Estates!
To be honest, tracking down a home for rent, whether it's an apartment, a single-family home, a condo or a townhouse, is not going to be an easy task. Just 11 percent of housing units in San Diego Country Estates are occupied by renters, according to the 2010 Census. The vacancy rate for rental units of 4 percent has remained pretty much consistent since that time, according to Ramona-based Town and Country Property Management, who also manage several rental buildings and communities in The Estates. Condos and townhouses provide a more practical opportunity for finding a place to rent in San Diego Country Estates, as many of the resort communities in town, including San Vicente Resort, San Diego Country Estates Resort, and the Riviera Oaks Resort and Racquet Club, are full of these options.
Moving to San Diego Country Estates requires advanced research. Many of the homes here are privately-owned and lived-in. Some houses around town have guest suites and studio apartments, which used to be known as mother-in-law suites, off the side of the main house that owners rent to individuals. There also are a fair amount of horse lovers in this part of California, and there are some homes to rent that have horse stalls on the property.
Your best bet when considering a move to San Diego Country Estates is to contact a real estate broker or a property management company. They have their fingers on the rental pulse of this community and will help you find the apartment or house that fits your needs. Don't forget to have all of your official documents ready when it comes time to sign a rental agreement. You'll need a copy of your driver's license, state ID card, passport or military ID, your social security number so property owners/managers can conduct a background and credit check, pay stubs, bank statements, a letter from your employer, and both personal references and references from prior landlords.
Also, it's good to know that if you have school-aged children, that there are two elementary schools in San Diego Country Estates--James Dukes Elementary School and Barnett Elementary School. Both schools are served by the Ramona Unified School District. However, if you have children in grades 7-12 they will be commuting to school in Ramona, which is about a 15-minute drive one way.
There are no neighborhoods, per se, in town, but The Estates still has its own personality and feel in each quadrant of town.
The geographic center of San Diego Country Estates is Stone Mountain, a steep, rocky mesa with hiking and mountain biking trails leading to the top, and awesome 360-degree views once you get there. This is a steep climb, however, so be prepared for your hike or bike ride with a good pair of shoes, thick socks, and a good-sized bottle of water that's not too awkward to carry.
At the foot of Stone Mountain, which essentially is the south side of town, lies the San Vicente Golf Resort. This is a championship length golf course measuring 5,501 yards from the red tees and 6,633 yards from the blue tees. Designed by Ted Robinson, a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (who designed more than 160 courses throughout the U.S.), this 18-hole course is considered one of the more scenic rounds in the San Diego metro area. Make sure you call ahead to reserve a tee time because the temperature here always stays pretty mild, and many people from out of town come to The Estates to squeeze in a round while in San Diego.
At the very southern tip of The Estates, just beyond the actual city limits, there is a dirt bike track used by off-road motorcycle riders. It's visible from the end of Barona Mesa Rd. but accessible only from Wildcat Canyon Rd., which splits off from The Estates' main east-west artery San Vicente Rd. on the west side of town.
The north side of town is more suburbs, but here the houses are surrounding the San Diego Country Estates International Equestrian Center, located off of Gunn Stage Rd. San Diego Country Estates is a big equestrian community because the area is surrounded by desert landscape and hundreds of trails and paths, including open space trails and groomed wilderness trails for riding. The Equestrian Center brings the regional horseback-riding community together by hosting cross country shows, as well as smaller horse shows. The facility includes three round horse pens, a half-mile exercise track, two riding arenas, and one jumping arena, as well as many more exercise options for your horse, all of which are well-lit until closing time at 10 p.m. One big plus for San Diego Country Estates homeowners is that they get a lower rate on stable rentals than non-residents.
On the far southeast side of town you'll find the Ramona Oaks recreation center, off of Ramona Oaks Blvd. The rec center has two pools, several tennis courts, shuffleboard courts, a golf course, a lush park, and it provides many after school programs for children.
A little further to the northeast, but visible from all points in San Diego Country Estates, is Swartz Canyon County Park, the location of 3,100-foot tall Mt. Gower, an open preserve and popular hiking spot with fantastic views of San Diego County at the summit. Mt. Gower has multi-use trails--hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding--that stretch for eight miles, and primitive campground sites that accommodate groups of 10 or more people.
All in all, San Diego Country Estates is a pretty laid-back community. Although it is somewhat isolated, living just eight miles from Ramona and about 38 miles from San Diego itself, you'll enjoy the living in this high desert country area, and still be within striking distance of all the amenities of the big city.
