Any of Folks move from SD to LA? (San Diego, San Francisco: mover, safe neighborhood) - Los Angeles - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

WanderingMover · 09-03-2009, 06:10 PM

In SD and yes it's nice but seems a little boring. Or maybe it's just me..

Is LA good place for early 30's with fairly good career/money? SD is hurting bad from what I can tell and things seem old an dilapidated compared with OC. Broke as a joke describes many of the people my age here.

I think if we were to move to LA, I would target Pasadena or Venice/Torrance type areas.. Just wondering if others have moved to SD but then moved to LA and liked it more.

lbcguy · 09-03-2009, 08:35 PM

I wouldn't say San Diego is boring but LA is simply more exciting and diverse. LA has virtually everything you could possibly want in a city.

LA is a fabulous place for someone in their 30s if they have a good job and income.

I've lived in both cities and it is a tough call. All things being equal I think it's a no brainer and everyone chooses LA. For me, it would come down to a quality of life issue. If I was able to find a flexible job in San Diego that paid me about $10K more I would jump on it. I would be more than willing to trade the vast offerings of LA for a San Diego lifestyle and the ability to travel more (internationally).

If you haven't done so, do yourself a big favor and take a 2-3 week vacation to Europe, Asia, or South America. Once you had the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life you might find that your view on life changes. You might discover that happiness has very little to do with where you live but rather how you live.

ehcsrop · 09-04-2009, 06:07 PM

Man, if you're bored in SD, you be bored in time anywhere. I'd come up here and get a room in Santa Monica for a few days. Then, go up to San Francisco.

I'd move to SD for the weather. I love La Jolla and Balboa Park. The SD downtown district seems to be trying pretty hard. Wanna see some bad news, come to Long Beach. Some good areas, but it wears off quickly.

Friend of mine just moved to Manhattan. Everything you need in a square mile. Even a half sq. mi. and a lot of energy.

Is that what you're missing? Won't be like that in CA.

sdlife619 · 09-06-2009, 05:20 AM

SD sucks, go to LA, there's much more to do in LA. I am already wanting to get out of SD, this place is full of old retired people, it's too uptight and conservative, not much to do, unless you got money and always like going to the beach.

Plain Jane 3953 · 09-06-2009, 07:22 AM

Well, if I were in my 30s and had good job prospects and a bit of money, I would look at areas outside of California since it happens to be a dying state. I just fail to see how you would gain much going from SD to LA.

WanderingMover · 09-06-2009, 11:21 AM

It not lost on us Jane... Unfortunately..

Stuff Shredman · 09-09-2009, 01:03 PM

I've lived in SD for ten years and Pasadena for three years. Also, while in SD, I dated a gal who lived near the Beverly Center for five years, and was in LA most weekends during that time.

In SD, I lived in PB, UTC, Hillcrest, and Mission Valley.. worked in RB.

Here are my observations (and gross generalizations):

People in LA seem much more uptight, stressed out, angry, and mean than San Diegans. I don't like this about LA.

People in Pasadena seem to know their neighbors much more than any place in SD I lived. I do like this about Pasadena.

People on the West Side seem way more shallow, judgemental (who you know, what you wear, what you drive) than people in the San Gabriel Valley. I know I'll catch flack for that statement, and it is a generalization, but I do see quite a difference in attitudes between the West Side and SGV. I would not live on the West side for this reason. I like that people in Pasadena, in general, are not this way. I like SD people's attitudes the best.

LA is very "patchy", where you can go from a safe neighborhood to a sketchy dangerous neighborhood within a matter of blocks. The consequence is that in most areas I've found, you are forced to co-mingle with unsavory characters.. like it or not. In San Diego, good areas of town are much more contiguous... like La Jolla or Del Mar.. there are no bad parts. Even living in PB, you have the professional beach bums, which some may call sketchy, but somehow I'm alot more comfortable cohabitating with them than with shaved head gangbanger looking people. So, thumbs up to San Diego in this area.

Beaches: way nicer in SD. No comparison (Redondo and Torrance beaches are quite nice, tho)

Traffic: traffic in SD has gotten waaaay worse... to the point of being just as bad as LA in most areas. Actually, we just returned from a week down in SD... and Pasadena seemed so quiet with so little traffic in comparison (on surface streets.. cause the 210 is a nightmare, just as the 5 is in SD).

Stuff to do... well, of course, LA has alot more diversity in things to do. I'm married with kids, so I don't get out as much as I used to, but here in Pasadena there is a thriving arts scene, great restaurants, theatre, etc... SD is much more beach centric.

That's my three cents, hope it helps.

Miss Pip · 09-09-2009, 08:47 PM

I moved from North Park to LA. I now live in Encino and work in Woodland Hills. I only miss North Park, Hillcrest, Adams Ave and some parts of Downtown. I'm happy in LA because there's more to do and everyone knows i'm British and not Australian or French. In San Diego most people have no idea i'm British and it really pissed me off that the majority of them couldn't tell the difference between England & France. One person thought I was German. I was so shocked. So far I have not gotten that in LA. I like Encino but want to move to Sherman Oaks now. San Diego is too slow and behind. All my friends that are there do the same thing day in day out.

Yvetta · 09-09-2009, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanderingMover

In SD and yes it's nice but seems a little boring. Or maybe it's just me..

Is LA good place for early 30's with fairly good career/money? SD is hurting bad from what I can tell and things seem old an dilapidated compared with OC. Broke as a joke describes many of the people my age here.

I think if we were to move to LA, I would target Pasadena or Venice/Torrance type areas.. Just wondering if others have moved to SD but then moved to LA and liked it more.

San Diego? It's boring. It's large geographically, but small in culture, diversity and the arts.
The cost of living does not equate with salaries.
San Diego has always been a bit behind the times, it's just he nature of the city.

I'm speaking from a history of San Diego that dates back to the late 60's, and it is still the same today.

jkoz · 09-10-2009, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbcguy

I wouldn't say San Diego is boring but LA is simply more exciting and diverse. LA has virtually everything you could possibly want in a city.

LA is a fabulous place for someone in their 30s if they have a good job and income.

I've lived in both cities and it is a tough call. All things being equal I think it's a no brainer and everyone chooses LA.

Okay, but then how do you explain the very looong line of cars that passes south on I-5 from LA to S.D. every Friday night and snakes north back to LA every Sunday evening? If it's a no-brainer that LA's more exciting, why do Angelinos ritualistically flock like bats out of Hades to S.D. every weekend?

I don't blame them one bit, but then I'm biased