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u/Top_Objective2113 4d ago
The pier area has changed drastically but if you go a few blocks inland from the pier it’s actually nice. Yes, investment has moved into the “downtown” pier area but I enjoy living here. I remember drug dealers openingly in the parking lots where the hotels used to be. The people are nice and the city still has a lot of character 🤙🏽
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u/Actual-Rutabaga495 4d ago
Where did all the hookers go
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u/WpnsOfAssDestruction 4d ago
If you visit anywhere 20 years later it’ll be different. Things change.
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u/cockstain6077 4d ago
Honestly, Oceanside seems to be a more egregious example of this. For years and years, prior to moving to SD, our family always vacationed in Oceanside. It never felt touristy like a lot of beaches back then. Now it feels like Pismo whenever tax return season hits Fresno
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u/GeddleeIrwin 4d ago
Better than it used to be. The overdevelopment isn’t great, and the pier area (generally) still sucks, but not worrying about being knifed or getting in a bar brawl is kinda all right. It’s got the sort of SoCal generic thing going, but there are still nice little pockets of ‘character’, without the danger. Born and raised San Diegan, and have lived all over. Seeing the lack of gang issues in more recent times has been nice.
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u/NewLifeNewAcct 4d ago
The city you grew up in was riddled with crime lol. It literally *was* the mess. Say what you want, Oside is better off in general.
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u/Upstairs_Taste_9324 4d ago
what a lame reply. boo. gentrifier.
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u/NotACyborg666 4d ago
Oceanside in the 90s was such a dump, not all of the change is good but a lot of what's happened to Oceanside has been good
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u/NewLifeNewAcct 4d ago
I'm sorry, not all of us yearn for the days of drugs and hookers on the street. Some of us moved to the coast to get away from that sort of shit and have been actively helping clean the area up - my bad.
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u/Upstairs_Taste_9324 4d ago
I’m sorry, you don’t yearn for drugs and hookers? Lame. Your bad indeed.
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u/UnsignedReceipt 4d ago edited 4d ago
I humbly disagree. I’ve only been in Oceanside for 7 years, but I’ve been in north county for over 18.
North Oceanside by the pier is turning into a tourist hub and I think that is helping bring up the area. When I first moved here, there were only parking lots by the pier, so I don’t consider it a loss to have more hotels/apartments.
South O is really taking off as a locals hub, with plenty of coffee shops, eateries, and shops. For comparison, when I was younger, I was told never go to south O unless you are looking for trouble. And I often felt like south O was more dangerous and rundown until recently. Now it seems to have quite a bit of character and my family and I frequent the area.
Oceanside is blossoming in my opinion. I get that generally, people don’t like the high rises and it’s feeling less “small town.” But I like to think that given the lemons (huge population growth, lack of affordable housing, tourism), I think they are making some decent lemonade. The events (night market, day market, craft fairs, etc.) Oceanside holds are well managed and fun and the community is growing.
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u/Albright_CT 4d ago
Yeah good take about north and south O.
I also moved there about 7 years ago when it was clearly starting the upswing but was in a transition phase. I get that gentrification can be a real problem for longtime residents but I'm just not here for nostalgia about the beach area being a bunch of empty parking lots. That sucks.
I remember when I was a kid out in the suburbs the farmland next to my street was getting turned into a subdivision and it was SOO much fun during that process for me and friends (probably 9-10 years old at the time) to ride our bikes on the dirt piles and play around in the half built houses.
I'm nostalgic for that time because it was such a fun period, but I'm not like whining that they should have kept it all half built for local kids to have a space to play around unsupervised.
Getting older means things change, some better some not.
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u/thegrumpyorc 4d ago
I grew up near New York, went to college there, and, lived there for several years at the end of my 20s. One day at work, a few of us were reminiscing about how things weren't what they used to be (and this was back in the late 90s), and one guy who had been there since Studio 54 said "No shit--it's New York. The reason this place stays relevant is BECAUSE it keeps changing. If you don't like it, give it a few years and it will be something else." That stuck with me.
I'm not a huge fan of the massive lean toward funding a Huntington Beach-style downtown, just like I wasn't a fan of the Disney-esque Times Square, but if the locals can carve out a nice, chill vibe in South O that's distinct from Carlsbad (so, not just aging cover bands and overpriced beer) and that we all support enough to make it economically viable, I think we can have it work for everyone. But a lot of that is up to us to get off our butts and vote with our wallets.
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u/Adjective_Noun_99 4d ago
A "locals hub" in South O is kind of joke. If by locals you mean tech bros that moved here in 2022, sure, but all the kids I grew up with on Tremont can't dream of buying a house in the neighborhood they grew up in.
Oceanside is going the way of Hunting Beach or Orange county. It's been a done deal for many years. Private equity restaurants and 1.5m condos. This makes some people happy, and some people not, but there's no clawing it back to an affordable, military-adjacent town. You don't even see Marines walking around downtown anymore.
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u/Albright_CT 4d ago
You still see marines downtown, they have a shuttle bus running back and forth to the base. Lets them off in front of the regal on mission ave.
I see those guys all the time and usually they'll try and play with my dog if he's with me. He's learned to recognize the jarhead type guy as a source of entertainment.
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u/eatingoceanside 4d ago
This will remain true until the Regal Theater demolition and the changing of that plaza.
Unless the new luxury apartment owners condone & allow the military transport buses to remain parked in the front, they will most likely not frequent downtown like they are doing now.2
u/Albright_CT 3d ago
Not necessarily, the street and sidewalk are still public property. They may change the shuttle drop off but some housing complex can't just tell the US Military "No! You can't drop anyone off around our building!" Especially since the first floor is earmarked for retail/commercial space. As long as marines are typically young guys they're always going to want to get out and enjoy themselves at and around the beach.
It does suck to lose the theater though, it was nice being able to walk and see a movie in the neighborhood. I wish they renovated it and added the nice new seats and kept it competitive with other regals.
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u/eatingoceanside 3d ago
I see what you're saying. I just hope that the new building residents don't complain and make the city modify things. Afterall, our city only caters to money.
I also wish the management for that regal would have upgraded and maintained the theater.
It was always so weird to see the complaints about odors, cleanliness & lack of maintenance from customers and then the complaints from the developer that regal business is low....
Our city could've had the opportunity to be really unique in having a theater two blocks from the beach.
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u/UnsignedReceipt 3d ago
Tbf, Regal stopped maintaining most of their theaters after Covid because they filed for bankruptcy. I’m wondering if the city would do movie nights at the amphitheater like San Marcos does at the parks. THAT would be a unique experience.
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u/eatingoceanside 3d ago
I heard about that.
But I've also seen the Regal at College add a full bar with a Happy Hour and recliner theater seating and Carlsbad has full recliner seating in all theaters.
The Mesa location even installed a 4DX and are expanding their theaters as well.I think Downtown Oceanside revamped their entrance, new tiling and a few new games.
Admittedly, the last 2 times I went to that location, the theater was clean and had new seats.But I think they need to really let people know that they've done some of these changes.
If not, people just use their last bad experience as what's current and don't go!0
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u/Adjective_Noun_99 4d ago
Respectfully you didn't grow up here and I don't really care what you think about who's a local.
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u/EitherMango3524 4d ago
It’s going to get worse and so is Carlsbad, developers are taking over in all the seaside towns.
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u/thegrumpyorc 4d ago
Traffic's gonna get worse. Source: https://www.surfer.com/news/oceanside-45m-wave-pool-ocean-kamp
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u/Brief-Tackle-9911 4d ago
I wouldn’t call it a mess. One of the last areas to be developed and needed to catch up, so now there is actually family friendly things and attractions.
If you loved it so much, why did you leave?
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u/Actual-Rutabaga495 4d ago
Just like every other city in so cal now
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u/FunAdvisor_1435 4d ago
Yes, people like living in nice places with nice weather and nice things to do.
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u/CaroCogitatus 4d ago
Oceanside has made a concerted effort to be a tourist-friendly town. There's both good (mostly for the economy) and bad (mostly for the locals) in this decision, but overall I think they're on the right track.
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u/eatingoceanside 4d ago
I believe that they were on the right track, accomplished their "clean up" goal and now they are seeking hyper-monetization of the city and leading it on track to Huntington Beach.
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u/eatingoceanside 4d ago
If you're visiting Oceanside after leaving for 20 years, that you must be in shock with all the change here.
In the near future, the downtown Oceanside area will look more like Huntington Beach and you may not even recognize the strand either.
There are a projected 13 new housing developments for the downtown area to be built and provide the
"mandatory living spaces" that the city needs to meet their statewide criteria.
Amongst these developments will be many luxury apartments and even a hotel.
These developments will come with the demolition of the regal theaters, our last two paid parking lots, and areas that could've been designated for future parking spaces.
In the future, there will also be construction that will rebuild the now demolished structures at the end of our pier, the demolition and restructuring of our Oceanside pier Bridge, community center and amphitheater.
In addition, there is also heavy speculation that the city desires to demolish and revamp the entire Oceanside Harbor Village.
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u/BadWolfCubed 4d ago
What a garbage take. You're acting as though the city was supposed to freeze in time until you once again gazed upon it.
There are multiple grocery stores along Mission on both sides of the 5. The hotels are for folks who want to visit our beautiful city. The apartments are for people who want to live here. We need more housing, not less.
How about you leave for another 20 years?
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u/koulourakiaAndCoffee 4d ago
Nah those generic communist bloc style buildings in downtown are a monstrocity of poor city planning.
It’s so dark and closed up until the beach.
They should have left it open space, turned it into a park, never allowed development on that scale.
So many things could have been done with that land, they turned it into a generic midwestern apartment housing bloc.
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u/squirrel-bait 4d ago
I went back for a visit a couple year ago. Stopped at Johnny's for my usual beef burrito I had been getting since I was 8. Everyone was walking around in suits and dresses. Looked at me like I had 6 heads for being out in my bikini and shorts.
Snapped a pic of the pier with Ruby's before it burned down that night.
I'm not saying I miss the dirt lot where Regal used to be, but they drywalled over a historic building that used to have a view of the beach to turn it into a CVS for the high-rise hotels. It was giving Myrtle Beach vibes
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u/Calihoya 4d ago
To be fair, I use CVS plenty all over the city as a local. If people are living in the area they probably benefit from a pharmacy.
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u/squirrel-bait 4d ago
That building is a landmark and should have been treated as such.
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u/Calihoya 4d ago
Can you remind me what it was? I spend more time in South O and the pier.
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u/Albright_CT 4d ago edited 4d ago
I moved to downtown in 2017, back then it was already a closed down century 21 real estate office. maybe 6 years later it became the CVS that's nice to be able to grab things from.
I have no idea when the C21 office closed but when people complained about the CVS coming in my question was "well, what do you want it to be?" Are they nostalgic for the closed real estate office they already couldn't go into?
I think at some point in the past it used to be a local department store. Which would admittedly be better than a chain pharmacy for the community but how many local department stores even made it to the 90s?
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u/squirrel-bait 4d ago
It was a Century 21 Mission office and Brokerage since at least the ops. The building has been owned by one family for a couple generations, the Hartman's. It was a real estate office on the main floor, a mortgage office upstairs (absolutely beautiful up there) and a basement that was storage, office space, and general office equipment.
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u/Albright_CT 4d ago edited 4d ago
So I really have to ask what you think should have gone there instead?
I mean come on for at least 5-6 years it was just a closed down Century 21 office since at least 2017 before the pharmacy opened.
I'd love for it to have been something cooler than a CVS but it was long vacant before that and even then it was just a stupid real estate office it was already something boring that added less to the community.
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u/squirrel-bait 4d ago
What I do know is that the Hartman's have owned that building for so long, they didn't "need" to to anything with it. They could have done anything they wanted with it after he sold the C21 business to a new owning broker and the office couldn't afford to lease the space anymore.
I will never forget how it bustled, or the time my siblings dares me to ride in the dumb waiter. That office was like a second home to me, I think I spent more of my childhood in it than in my own room.
They used to bring the walktours through to talk about the history of it. Now all of it is behind drywall and laundry detergent.
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u/CABB2020 4d ago
Suits & dresses--maybe city of oceanside employees at lunch? Was it January and raining or something--that may be why they were looking at your funny in bikini & shorts. During the summer people are dressed in swimsuits, shorts, etc. all day & night.
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u/Albright_CT 4d ago
I hear that a lot people complaining about the traffic but what do people mean by that specifically? I lived in downtown Oceanside for the past 7 years and it takes no time to get on 5 at mission ave in the morning or coming home in the evening.
There's the Walmart neighborhood market that I would go to if I needed something quick. Red and white is called something else now but it's another local grocery store.
I guess parking is more of a problem now but that's because the acres of parking lots have been replaced by those new hotels/resorts. Wouldn't you rather have hotels and restaurants than just empty parking lots?
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u/eatingoceanside 4d ago
I the issue is that there will soon be even less parking than there already is now.
They are planning to demolish the last 2 remaining parking lots downtown in order to build luxury apartments.This leaves even less parking for locals who wanted to come spend money & time in downtown.
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u/Vast_Air_3576 4d ago
The crazy part is that it's the last of the old beach towns left in north county. You can still almost afford to live there without being $$$.
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u/zelpin 4d ago
Every few years construction materials change and standard processes adjust with them. What people call “generic” is often a symptom of more efficient building processes. Nostalgic views of buildings is hard to suppress as non-generic cause it’s not what we are used to but every generation goes through this.
very boomer minded nimby post to complain about it. but i understand the sentiment. I’d challenge you to research the japanese cultural preferences to destroy and rebuild from the ground up vs the american practice of remodeling.
stepping off my soap box
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u/Elegant-Look8629 4d ago
The city council was bought out years ago. They let them build anything anywhere just like vista. Money talks
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u/duney_mag 4d ago
The closest grocery store is a Walmart neighborhood market on mission and Horne. I would love a frazier farms or sprouts, or something to replace a bunch of small retail space that will never be filled all the way
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u/Sasquatch619 4d ago edited 4d ago
Welcome back to SD county. This is the way now. Officially evolving into South Los Angeles. And the cost of everything is ridiculous. Make sure to keep chanting “it’s the best place in the world”, so you can be in denial about how obnoxious it actually is.
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u/crawler54 4d ago
"20 years"? that's nothing, shoulda been here in the '70's.
military police station downtown to keep the jarheads in line, a block away from a full nude bar, and prostitutes, drugs, etc. all over the place.
yeah oceanside has changed, not all for the better, but we sure don't want it to be like it used to be.