Clairemont is one of San Diego's original postwar suburbs — a big, central, mostly single-family neighborhood that, by San Diego standards, still offers relative value. For a Navy family that wants a house and a yard without an East County commute or a beach-town price tag, it's a sweet spot a lot of people overlook.
What it's actually like, day one
Built out in the 1950s, Clairemont is established and unflashy: ranch and split-level homes, mature trees, and easy freeway access (I-5, I-805, SR-52). It sits just inland of Mission Bay, so the beaches and the bay are a short hop down I-5. The Bay Park corner on the southwest slope overlooks the bay and runs pricier for the views. It's central enough that NBSD, Coronado, and Point Loma are all a manageable drive.
The tradeoff
The housing stock is older — you're buying or renting mid-century, not new construction — and schools vary by pocket, so the specific feeder matters. What you get for that is space and a central location at a price that's easier to reach than the coast or Coronado.
Verify before you sign
Pull the exact San Diego Unified feeder school, get a real inspection on an older home (roof, plumbing, electrical), and drive your base commute at your report time — central doesn't mean immune to San Diego traffic.