SD Neighborhoods for a young couple? (San Diego, Fullerton: rental, condos, buying a house)

[alonzo48]

My boyfriend and I are 28 and thinking of moving to San Diego this summer. We currently live in Chicago and while we love it here, we are getting tired of the frigid winters and inclement weather. We have been to San Diego and both fell in love with the culture and scenery.

I am wondering what neighborhoods of San Diego would be best-suited for our lifestyle. We are active, like to live in walking distance to groceries, nightlife, etc., and would like to have access to the transit system. We'd like to be as close to the downtown area as possible, but are not sure what areas would be recommended. It's safe to say that the maximum we would be willing to pay in rent for a 2 bedroom place would be $2000/month.

Also, if you've moved from Chicago to San Diego (or vice versa), could you offer a comparison of the 2 cities? Is there a substantial difference in the cost of living? (please note we currently live in downtown Chicago)

Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions or advice.

[T. Damon]

I'll not venture into the challenges of getting a good job here, as you don't mention it and frankly, there are similar challenges in many areas of the country.

If you want to be near downtown and walking distance to amenities including decent transit you will want to primarily look to those core neighborhoods that encircle Balboa Park: Park West/Banker's Hill, directly North of downtown, then Hillcrest a little further up, then a bit East to North Park and then South around the corner of the park to South Park (my neighborhood, and frankly, the best) and then back around to Golden Hill on the East slope above downtown. Also Mission Hills, (nice, but I think you would find it terminally sleepy) University Heights- great, small neighborhood and maybe Normal Heights, both just a little further outlying.

Park West, Hillcrest and North Park and Golden Hill are quite dense (decreasingly so) with nice urban streets (NOT Chicago urban haha), surrounded by Condos and apts (mid and low rise buildings) mixed with single family homes. South Park, although nearly directly adjacent downtown, is much more "hip village-like" mostly homes and a small, but vibrant shopping/nightlife district full of folks in your demographic.

SOUTH PARK San Diego

Other than buying a house there is not a substantial difference in the cost of living between here and Chicago.

Others will certainly chime in with good recommendations but I hope this gives you a good start.

Good Luck

[kettlepot]

T. Damon has nailed it on both neighborhoods and cost of living.

The areas around Balboa Park, roughly bounded by the 5, 8, 805 and 94 are the urban core of the city. Damon has listed the neighborhoods, I would just add Little Italy. And though outside of the boundaries I gave, as T Damon said, Normal Heights should be considered too.

Your rental budget really gives you a lot of choices. Renting in San Diego isn't all that expensive when you compare it to the cost of buying.

[BRinSM]

when you mention downtown chicago, are you referring to the loop? if this is the case, then the areas around the balboa park will probably seem pretty suburban to you. i would however consider little italy as mentioned as well as the area around the gaslamp quarter. however, you may not want to live too close to 5th ave as it is incredibly touristy although the bars and clubs can be fun if you're into that sort of thing.

[oddstray]

San Diego is a much more casual city than Chicago. This applies to the "vibe" of the people as well as the way they dress. It does not, unfortunately, apply to the driving habits in San Diego which are quite aggressive - somewhat more so than I had found in Chicago.

Public transportation here is much less effective than in Chicago. You'll almost certainly want a car, as well, to get to places not served by public transportation.

I've been out here since 1980, so maybe that's why I don't agree that the areas around Balboa Park are noticeably less "urban" than, say, the near-north side (downtown Chicago hadn't yet been gentrified when I lived there, so no one lived truly downtown. I lived for a while on Fullerton in the Triangle).

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by oddstray

San Diego is a much more casual city than Chicago. This applies to the "vibe" of the people as well as the way they dress. It does not, unfortunately, apply to the driving habits in San Diego which are quite aggressive - somewhat more so than I had found in Chicago.

The last time I was in Chicago I was freaked out by people laying on their horns constantly until my friend who lives there pointed out that they weren't being aggressive, it's just how they "talk to each other".

Here when someone honks at you it's usually accompanied by a middle finger

As to driving styles, yeah, I think people do drive aggressively here. You kind of get used to it, I guess. I grew up here so I never really noticed it until I spent some time in the midwest. I try to even out the karma by always letting people in front of me and never, ever tailgating in the (usually vain) hope that other drivers will follow my example...

[RoySanDiego]

Ive noticed a lot of posts also ask if the what areas are "walkable "

HERES a great place to check out the neighborhoods your considering living in Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address

Hope this helps

Realtor Roy
www.SanDiegoRealtyUpdate.com

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by RoySanDiego

Ive noticed a lot of posts also ask if the what areas are "walkable "

HERES a great place to check out the neighborhoods your considering living in Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address ...

This site might be OK to compare one area to another, but I don't agree at all with its ratings. For example, it ranks Carmel Mountain Ranch as 89 out of 100. Carmel Mountain Ranch is no where near as walkable as the Ashburn neighborhood of Chicago or even of downtown Chicago. If downtown Chicago or downtown San Diego is a 100, I'd rate Carmel Mountain Ranch at 30 or so.

I'd estimate that areas like Mission Valley and Hillcrest are comparably walkable to downtown Chicago. Some walkability problems in Carmel Mountain Ranch are:
- aggressive drivers (true all over San Diego), even more so than Chicago
- wide streets, which aren't really safe for even older kids to cross alone
- lack of crosswalks and sidewalks; for example at an intersection there's often only one crosswalk in each direction. Sometimes that means you need to make three wide crossings to get to where you want to be. And then, as often as not, you're walking up a driveway with no sidewalk.