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[quote=T. Damon;37160052]While there are more cultural amenities, vibrant walkable neighborhoods with great architecture (although it tends to be Craftsman, Spanish and modern as opposed to Colonial) as well as decent transit than most folks give San Diego credit for it is generally not going to stand up in the attributes you seek as well as D.C..
If you can stick to living close in to the city as opposed to far out in the burbs (this applies to just about every city) I think living in D.C. would be a blast at least for a while. Very educated populous, amazing museums, beautiful architecture, excellent transit and vibrant urban neighborhoods- you can't go wrong. I'd love to live in four seasons weather again (although this comes from me never having to deal with its downsides haha) - constant sun and 70° gets old after a while. About the only downside to D.C. is the ease with which you run into pompous, over striving yuppies which dominate the city. And the traffic there is even worse than Southern California, so if you are stuck in the burbs and far way from transit access it's gonna eventually kill ya.
I wouldn't say they dominate the city. You do realize that DC has a very large local AA community which really has a heavy cultural presence in the city as well. DC is not nearly as yuppified as you seem to think.
While there are more cultural amenities, vibrant walkable neighborhoods with great architecture (although it tends to be Craftsman, Spanish and modern as opposed to Colonial) as well as decent transit than most folks give San Diego credit for it is generally not going to stand up in the attributes you seek as well as D.C..
If you can stick to living close in to the city as opposed to far out in the burbs (this applies to just about every city) I think living in D.C. would be a blast at least for a while. Very educated populous, amazing museums, beautiful architecture, excellent transit and vibrant urban neighborhoods- you can't go wrong. I'd love to live in four seasons weather again (although this comes from me never having to deal with its downsides haha) - constant sun and 70° gets old after a while. About the only downside to D.C. is the ease with which you run into pompous, over striving yuppies which dominate the city. And the traffic there is even worse than Southern California, so if you are stuck in the burbs and far way from transit access it's gonna eventually kill ya.
I wouldn't say they dominate the city. You do realize that DC has a very large local AA community which really has a heavy cultural presence in the city as well. DC is not nearly as yuppified as you seem to think.
People have been saying that for almost 2 decades. If anything DC's AA population is beginning to stabilize. It's at or around 48% - 50% right now and it's been that way for it at least the last 5 years. I think that when people think of Gentrification in DC, they are always thinking about White people replacing Black people. There is certainly some of that going on; but I'd like to remind you and others that there are also large numbers of affluent AA's moving into many sections of the city as well. Whenever we have this discussion, young AA professionals seem to fly under the radar and I'm not sure why, but that population is definitely growing as well. I really think that the racial component with respect to Gentrification is sometimes overplayed in DC. Outside of a few zip codes in 3 out of the 8 Wards there really hasn't been as much racial change at all. It really depends on where you live in DC as to whether or not you're seeing this rapid change.
San Diego couldn't be more different from New York, but the weather is really the only aspect that fits what you're looking for. San Diego was settled by the Spanish/Mexicans, and therefore you will most definitely not find any colonial/brick buildings. Based on what you're looking for, I'm confused as to why you're considering San Diego at all.
People have been saying that for almost 2 decades. If anything DC's AA population is beginning to stabilize. It's at or around 48% - 50% right now and it's been that way for it at least the last 5 years. I think that when people think of Gentrification in DC, they are always thinking about White people replacing Black people. There is certainly some of that going on; but I'd like to remind you and others that there are also large numbers of affluent AA's moving into many sections of the city as well. Whenever we have this discussion, young AA professionals seem to fly under the radar and I'm not sure why, but that population is definitely growing as well. I really think that the racial component with respect to Gentrification is sometimes overplayed in DC. Outside of a few zip codes in 3 out of the 8 Wards there really hasn't been as much racial change at all. It really depends on where you live in DC as to whether or not you're seeing this rapid change.
+2 DC still has a sizeable native AA population (not just working class it's still one of the most if not THE most socio-economically diverse and culturally influential inner city AA populations in the country) and AAs from out here in the suburbs and elsewhere moving elsewhere, be them professionals or buppies, my fellow college students, recent grads, etc. As well as other members of the African Diaspora moving into The City as well, be them professionals, students, embassy workers, expats, FOB immigrants, or transplants from different metros/states. And then, there's the growing Hispanic and Asian populations as well. Those who think DC is just a purely white-washed yuppie city really haven't looked hard enough.
looks like you've made up your mind, but I'll post my thoughts since I was born in Western NY and have lived in SD for over 30 years and it has certainly changed a lot during that time. If you're looking for a place completely different than Rochester, then SD should be considered. SD is basically a cross between Hispanic culture, beach/surf culture and pretty laid back business environment. It's very multi cultural but not terribly integrated. Military presence but politically and socially liberal. Lots of outdoor activities. Career wise I'd say you are better off in DC. Earthquakes, fires are definitely a threat but one doesn't really think about them on a daily basis. Traffic is heavy here and you'll have an adjustment moving from Rochester to either SD or DC. There is not a good transit system in place, except for the Coaster or Amtrak which only travel along the coast. CA is car centric, SD County is huge and very spread out. COLise I'd say DC and SD are close, with SD probably being less expensive. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to post them. Oh, and there are a lot of incredibly great looking people here
It looks like you've settled on DC. Bethesda is a nice area, and it seems like it has a lot of what you're looking for. You get a pretty good mix of 4 seasons in DC. While the winters aren't as harsh as places farther north, there definitely is a noticeable winter in DC, and you usually get at least one major snow storm per year. I grew up in the area, and my family still lives there. Last winter was pretty bad for them. Not as bad as where you're coming from, but my point is you will still get winter there. I hope you enjoy the DC area.
San Diego is located below the San Andreas Fault Line--in other words, earthquakes (which aren't common anyways) don't nearly occur to the same degree or as often as in LA or the Bay Area. Nobody has even been injured in an earthquake in San Diego, nor has there been any substantial damage as a result. The weather is certainly better than the DC Area for the most part, though I actually like DC summers because of the warm nights and humidity/thunderstorms. San Diego's cool nights all year, while refreshing, sometimes gets old, and you begin to miss the warm nights of out east. Also, San Diego suffers from severe drought. The natural disaster you ought to be worried about is wildfires, not earthquakes. That said, it's beautiful--it looks almost like you're living in the South of France, or Spain, with the mountains, palm trees and other subtropical flora, cacti, and the beautiful beaches (though the water isn't all that warm). But don't think it's tropical--winters, while mild, are still on the cool side. The bad thing about San Diego is how expensive it is, and the job market isn't good. If you do find a job there, odds are that it won't pay very well, especially relative to the high COL.
Washington DC won't be as cold as where you lived before but it's still quite cold and snowy in winter. I lived there for 3 years (Bethesda) and moved back to San Diego because my family just couldn't handle the winter anymore, among other reasons. The spring and fall are absolutely beautiful though, and the summer, well it's hot and muggy and gets monsoons. But I think the worst thing about the DC summers are all the gnats and mosquitoes everywhere. Otherwise, it has a lot to do. San Diego has things to do as well, but after about a year, it gets old. Plus, San Diego is sprawling, so you'd have to drive everywhere and sit in traffic. DC is getting more sprawlym expensive, and has traffic too, if you factor in the suburbs, but the public transportation and walkability is far better and there's more culture, more jobs, and higher pay. DC and its surrounding suburbs also tend to have better schools than San Diego.
Really, the choice comes down to how much of an outdoors person you are. If you love hiking, going to the beach, and are just absolutely tired of cold and snow, then San Diego. If you can deal with cold--but milder temps than where you lived before--in order to get some other tradeoffs, then the DC Area is the best fit.
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