Best Places to Live – Normal Heights
Welcome back!
For someone that lives in Mission Hills, it’s great to see some of my favorite neighborhoods making the cut of the ‘2015 Best Places to Live in San Diego’ according to San Diego Magazine.
Each week I’ll be posting 1 ‘Best Place to Live in San Diego’ and give a run down of why it deserves to be. This week we will look at Normal Heights. Since Normal Heights is a 92116 zip code, I’ve included in the review a few places in Kensington as well.
According to the UT San Diego, Normal Heights is amongst 1 of the most diversified neighborhoods in San Diego; with half the population being white, one-third Hispanic, and smaller groups of Asians, African Americans, and others.
It’s nice to see Normal Heights making a comeback with so many cool places to eat, get coffee, buy craft beers, and bars. Here’s a list of my favorite spots - Blind Lady Ale House (craft beer), Polite Provision (speakeasy bar), Cantina Mayahuel (1 of the best Mexican restaurants), The Rabbit Hole (sports bar/pub), Dark Horse (very good coffee roaster that makes great pour overs and cold brew), Clem’s Tap House (good deli and craft beers), Bleu Boheme (Gold Medallion awarded to this top French restaurant), and Alaskan Seafood Connection (really good seafood located in a liquor store of all places). You cannot go wrong with any of these places.
There are a number of events that happen here throughout the year. Adams Avenue Unplugged music event happens in April. It is a free 2 day event that houses 3 outdoor stages, 21 indoor stages, and over 100+ musical performances from local musicians. In June the neighborhood has a Taste of Adams Avenue, where people can come out and try out the many eateries that are along Adams Avenue, and Art Around Adams, where new exciting artists and talents are showcased that reflect this year’s local trends in art and business. And finally there is the 2-day Adams Avenue Street Fair during the last weekend in September. It is Southern California’s largest free 2-day music festival. The event features beer gardens and beer tastings, carnival rides, exotic foods, and 100s of arts and crafts booths.
The Walk score, which is a number from 0-100 that helps you find a walkable place to live, is 84. This means that most errands can be accomplished on foot. It is the 11th most walkable neighborhood in San Diego. The Bike Score, which measures whether an area is good for biking based on bike lanes and trails, hills, road connectivity, and destination, is 59. This means that it is mostly flat with minimal bike lanes.
The median home in Normal Heights is about $470,000 and the average rent is around $2,150. It is a little more than South Park but the money you can save by walking and biking will make up the difference in the long run.
Click on the following link for a FREE listing of homes in Normal Heights.
Sources: San Diego Magazine, Zillow, Walk Score - https://www.redfin.com/neighborhood/1844/CA/San-Diego/Normal-Heightshttps://www.redfin.com/neighborhood/1844/CA/San-Diego/Normal-Heights
