Carmel Valley, the upper-class coastal community with the delicious-sounding name – isn’t just a sweet place to live. It’s also one of the most well-educated and beautiful neighborhoods around, the high-water mark for anyone buying a house in San Diego. If you’ve got the cash to burn, it could be the site of your next dream home.
Carmel Valley isn’t dotted with green hills and vineyards like its NorCal namesake, but what it lacks in landscape it more than makes up for in luxury. Every road, walkway and hedge has been carefully sculpted to provide a rich sensory experience that emphasizes open spaces and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Though the houses are among the largest in San Diego, their subtle architectural details and their proximity to one another combine to create a sense of warmth and neighborliness that you won’t find in other master-developed neighborhoods.
Residents of Carmel Valley take comfort in knowing that their community is served by the Del Mar Union School District, which is considered among the best in San Diego. There are four elementary schools located in the neighborhood, as well as two middle schools, a public high school and three private academies. On top of that, the University of California at San Diego is just a short drive away.
From four-diamond golf courses to gourmet restaurants, you’ll never run out of things to do in Carmel Valley. The neighborhood has access to two different public beaches as well as multiple open-space parks and nature reserves. It even shares a border with Torrey Pines State Reserve, home to one of the last two remaining stands of the endangered Torrey Pine.
All this luxury comes at a price, though. A modestly sized four-bedroom home in Carmel Valley sells for around $500,000 on a good day. A not-so-modestly sized house with the same number of bedrooms can cost up to $2 million. While this puts the community out of reach for many buyers, it’s definitely worth the investment if you can afford it. After all, San Diego real estate this good doesn’t come along every day.
If you want to live the California dream in the lap of luxury, give Carmel Valley a look. With so much to offer in such a great location, it’s the neighborhood that everyone buying a house in San Diego is talking about.
