I have had a good number of buyers who are relocating here and want to be within walking distance of amenities such as shopping, restaurants, services, and the public library, among other things.

While this is not an easy thing to find, there are real estate opportunities in a number of North County San Diego communities where I work that will allow for this - Carlsbad, Cardiff, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar for example.

Walkability, of course, is in the eyes of the beholder, or should we say the feet of the walker?

Some people consider 15 - 20 minutes a very reasonable walk and others want to be closer, say 10 minutes or so. So as I am sharing information about these communities, bear in mind that if walking distance is important you will need to check it out for yourself to be sure.

There is a neat web tool that allows you to gain an idea of walkability. I talk about it in the first of my walkable neighborhood series articles - it's called a WALKSCORE. You simply enter an address and it will calculate a score based on proximity to a variety of amenities (plus you get the distances to those amenities so you can sort of judge for yourself). Being close to one store will not get you a high walkability score - what is more important is general walkability to a range of amenities and services.

READ MORE: Finding a Place to Live With Great Walkability (Walkable Neighborhood Series)

I am continuing to add communities to my walkable neighborhood series, but here are the first few. And if I can provide more information, please let me know. Or stop by the search page on my website and search for homes in the MLS (the link is BELOW). Grab a few and enter the addresses into Walkscore to see how it works. Or use your own address. have fun, and happy searching.

Carlsbad Village Real Estate in Carlsbad, California

Downtown Encinitas

Cardiff Real Estate in The Walking District in Cardiff-by-the-Sea

Carlsbad Homes for Sale in La Costa, Carlsbad

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If I can provide more information about Del Mar, Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

All content copyright © 2008 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits