In this San Diego real estate series we are exploring the options for buyers who are looking for homes for sale within walking distance of amenities.

While walking distance is rather personal, in general we are considering Solana Beach real estate that is within about a 15 minute walk, and to bolster my own perspective on walking distance we are using Walkscore to calculate walkability. You will find the earlier articles in this series below.

Solana Beach is a charming seaside town about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego, sandwiched between affluent Del Mar and south of Cardiff-by-the Sea.

READ MORE:  Solana Beach Real Estate

Solana Beach has roots as a casual beach town, with early development around the turn of the century, but the majority of its growth starting in the 1960s. Approximately 13,000 people call Solana Beach home. The community, for the most part, is west of the 5 freeway, with much of the residential area clustered on the hills to the east of the coast road (Route 101) and a smaller more congested area west of the coast road along the ocean bluffs.

The commercial area of Solana Beach, as in other coastal towns, has been built up along the coast road, and the town offers an eclectic mix of new and old, traditional and funky, inexpensive and upscale.  There are shops galore, ranging from surf to home furnishings to art to jewelry, and just about anything else you could want. This is NOT, however, a town of gaudy strip malls nor an over-run commercial zone, but a pleasing mix of everyday services, upscale shops and small business, and a wide range of restaurants (from the most casual to high-end - Blanca and Pamplemousse Grille being prime examples) including Italian, Thai, French, Japanese, Chinese, California and many more.

Want to work out? There's Frog's Fitness on the 101. Need a hair cut or want to pamper yourself? There are a number of salons and day spas. Solana Beach also has a train station a block east of the 101 with access to the Amtrak trains (running between LA and San Diego) and The Coaster.

A popular shopping area 1 block east of the coast road is the Cedros Avenue Design District. The Cedros Design District offers a wide array of shops, many having to do with designing and furnishing your home and garden (e.g., bath, flooring and carpet, art), with a range of styles (asian, south pacific, contemporary, to name a few) represented among the various retailers. You will also find jewelry stores, a specialty shop for pets with a focus on dogs (Muttropolis), well-known galleries, a weekly farmer's market and much more. Leaping Lotus, a collection of about 100 vendors under 1 roof, is an amazing place to shop.  There are several charming cafes, one of which is the Wild Note Café attached to the very popular and well known live music venue, The Belly-Up Tavern.

And of course there are the Solana Beach beaches below the bluffs. Fletcher Cove is a beautiful beach park with steps to the sand and wonderful views up and down the coast. There is a playground for children, reasonable parking and a large grassy area at the top of the steps to enjoy if you are not inclined to plop on the beach below. Tide Beach Park and Seascape Surf are two other popular and beautiful Solana Beach beaches.

The Solana Beach real estate market has a reputation of being expensive, with the median price YTD in 2008 of $1,190,000 (average price was $1,554,000 and $620/SF, with 76 DOM) for detached homes. Currently, there are 14 Solana Beach homes for sale (detached) ranging in price from $1,190,000 to $5,385,000 (two of these homes are oceanfront) that are in the Somewhat Walkable to Very Walkable categories 

There are 18 Solana Beach homes for sale that are attached and in the Somewhat Walkable to Very Walkable category (to the shopping areas along the 101). The majority of them are located west of the coast between and near the ocean, and several are oceanfront condos. Prices range from $480K (for a condo in the Somewhat Walkable group) to $1,950,000; the ocean front homes, as expected, are in the upper end of the range.

Here are the previous articles in the Walkable Neighborhood Series:

Del Mar Real Estate Near the Village

 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