[JavaBrewer]

Ditto what Richard said. Stay away from Oceanside & Vista as they have active gangs with corresponding criminal activity. Also their schools continue to score at the bottom of the CA rankings. Carlsbad is a freshly expanded community with lots and lots of money spent in the last 5 or so years. Top schools and great local shopping. Encinitas still has the surf bum look and feel but around every corner are new shops and very expensive homes. Schools are equal to Carlsbad. Both areas are pretty tough to get around in during rush hour.

North County I-5 to UCSD will be rough in both directions. Some folks take the coast highway but other than affording views of the ocean the PITA commute is the same. If you have flexible hours then that might not be a problem. Sadly no car-pool lanes on I-5 North of Del-Mar - yet.

Carlsbad real estate is slightly less expensive than Encinitas. Of course that all depends on home style and proximity to the beach (West of I-5 = $1M entry).