Moving to San Diego from Italy with kids

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by mame83

This is way we want to get away from Italy...we don't want them to rise with this environment. We are really tired of how the things are getting here. We will be in San Diego in a few months to ask see if we can do it or not, will talk to a lawyer and people who can help us. I hope everything goes in the right way

Definitely I don't blame you for wanting to leave Italy. I have many friends from Italy and also several clients that are Italian. They often speak of the corrupt environment there.

It is great to visit for a short vacation but I wouldn't want to raise kids there or own a business there.

I think you are making a wise choice to raise them in the USA. We purposely had both of our kids born abroad so they have dual citizenship and have multiple passports. Your kids sound like they got US citizenship and passports due to your citizenship which is great.

I strongly believe that the USA is the best country overall to raise kids in. I lived in South America for many years and although I enjoyed many aspects of life there, like you I didn't want to raise my kids in the environment there.

I'm really happy to be raising them in the USA now. Good luck with your move.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by mame83

This is way we want to get away from Italy...we don't want them to rise with this environment. We are really tired of how the things are getting here. We will be in San Diego in a few months to ask see if we can do it or not, will talk to a lawyer and people who can help us. I hope everything goes in the right way

well, I would say Carmel Valley or Poway[for schools, family and neighborhood], but you cannot get a house under 400k in these areas.
Also, the italian gelato/icecream shops are generally located in little italy or la jolla.

However, I personally think Del Mar would be a great location for authentic! It's next to Carmel valley and is very upscale-an old money area that is popular with tourists. They, from what I hear, are not the easiest city to do business with/in, but it's worth looking into. You could also combine it with perhaps floral sales or other?

Encinitas and Solana Beach would also be great areas for this type of business.

A couple of other locations for the shop: University Heights, North Park, Mission Hills [near little italy]. And also Carlsbad Village [in north county]. Grant Elementary in mission hills is considered excellent [and they teach italian as a second language] but the other areas are not so hot for schools. [Exceptions being: Encinitas, carlsbad and solana beach-they have some solid schools[
.
This type of business could do well in poway or carmel valley [great family areas], but these places, like much of san diego, tend to be very 'chain store/restaurant' oriented. Lots of franchise and chain places. But, you do find locally ownded, unique businesses such as yours; you'd just have to market and be patient. Believe me, i live in Carmel Valley, and would LOVE to buy authentic italian gelato or icecream.

One thing that is big in CA and the US as a whole-and a growing area!- is 'artisanal/local foods'.
So, you could sell at the weekly farmer's markets [check the areas mentioned-SD county has dozens of them-in addition to your shop, which ends up being great cross-marketing, too], and if you are offering truly homemade and authentic Italian, then it's in demand in this niche market.

BTW, I have often heard of people going to Arizona for respitory issues. You could look there, too; it's much cheaper than SD and your type of business is very marketable there, as well. Either way, I think you should 'rent' before you buy; check out the area and get a feel for things before selecting a neighborhood. So you could rent in poway or carmel valley and look around.

Good luck to you!

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by mame83

Hi, we were thinking of moving to San Diego from Italy with our three kids. Whe wanted to stay in the San Diego County. We are searching for a town/place where there are good schools, great to rise kids, and best for our five year old kid who has bronchial problems (so less polluted air and preferably with marine breeze). Thank you

I have another suggestion for your family: Try Temecula/Murrietta. Temecula is just north of SD county, southern Riverside County. 45 minutes to an hour to SD, depending on where in SD you are going....and orange county and LA county are w/in reach of Temecula, as well.
Temecula is SD's 'wine country region'. It's a smaller sized city, [100k people] with EXCELLENT schools, and you can definitely find a house under 400k there. It's inland, so you have to drive to the coast-45 min to an hour-but the air quality is good, dry air which is good for respiratory health, usually. [coastal air can have more moisture, obviously, which may not be good. But if you live in a city, coastal air cleans out the smog and pollution, so perhaps this is why you wanted to live with a marine breeze.]

And, I think Temecula is an excellent location for your icecream shop, for sure!
For outside employment, parts of orange county, SD and LA can be commuting distance; this opens up your options, too. Do a search on the forum here for Temecula, and you can find alot more information.

Also, google/search:
1) Temecula Chamber of Commerce [murrietta is the next town over-also check it out].
2) Great Schools dot org website; it will have ratings and reviews of all schools-this is for SD as well as Temecula. Type in the school name and you'll find parent reviews as well as ratings based on test scores.

If you are already visiting SD to explore options, then it's an easy drive to Temecula.
Good luck.

[9162]

Originally Posted by mame83

We would like to raise our children away from italy and in a different climate, best for our daughter. We don't need a house near the sea we just need to live in a less polluted city and be able to go to the sea in a small time

San Diego is classified as one of the more polluted cities of the U.S. Air quality in CA is not good.