Curious: For prior SF Bay Area residents, what do you think of SD? (San Diego: best cities, sales)

[EclecticEars]

I am asking this question out of strict curiosity. I've applied for several jobs down there over the last year and even had an interview (by phone only), but no success. I am a new California transplant from the Southeastern U.S.

The closest I've ever been to SD is San Clemente and Dana Point. The more I see and read about SD, the more I want to check the place out. In fact, I may get to in the Spring if my father flies out here, he really wants to see it.

I can see myself staying in the Bay Area (Peninsula) for a couple of years for career development and then moving on. I really do like it here overall--things such as Golden Gate Park, the cable cars, bike trails along the Bay, taquerias on every corner, Marin Headlands, Stinson Beach, Half Moon Bay, the quirkiness of Berkeley, and the fog over the mountains all make for a real treat! The job market is also more robust in Silicon Valley than arguably anywhere else in California and there are great universities up here for graduate studies, i.e.: Stanford, Berkeley, Santa Clara, UC-Davis (nearby), etc. However, while there are friendly people here, many of them are quite surly, cold and stressed, which goes against much of the "laid back" mantra of the area; thankfully, you get away to areas like HMB and Stinson and they're much more laid back, so I guess this may be more of a dense urban area thing.

So, if you've lived there, are you satisfied, or not, living in San Diego? What do you like and dislike so much? Would you live in the Bay Area again? Input is appreciated!

[AADAD]

Stay in SF. You'll like it better. San Diego weather has everywhere else beat by a mile. SD is cool as a rule...but there is little "vibe" the kind you mentioned in every place on your list.

Just my 2 cents.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by AADAD

Stay in SF. You'll like it better. San Diego weather has everywhere else beat by a mile. SD is cool as a rule...but there is little "vibe" the kind you mentioned in every place on your list.

Just my 2 cents.

Why do you say that?

[AADAD]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

Why do you say that?

Because I have lived in both and share your affinity with the sites in SF you like. There is nothing like that here.

[mortgagebroker3]

SD is too crowded and expensive, see previous post below, check out Austin if it is an option!

I was born in Marin, moved to SD at age 18 for 35 years, then to Austin 5 years ago. I loved Marin and SD, but they got too crowded and too expensive. Austin is liberal and friendly, and housing is about a third to half as much as SD. There is a reason why everybody is naming Austin one of the the best cities in the country to live, work, play, invest in, and raise a family!

http://www.alamotitle-austin.com/lib...nAccolades.pdf (http://www.alamotitle-austin.com/library/19/AustinAccolades.pdf - broken link)

[Joy74]

I agree about the surly, cold, and stressed out people. That is the silicon valley vibe to the tee.

[sfosyd]

San Diego is a great place. Laid back, great weather, lots of outdoor stuff to do and easy access to a larger city for even more culture. The theater scene in SD is great too.

I moved from the Bay Area with a great job as a sales engineer. I worked for a bay area firm, made great money and lived well. I travelled a lot and travel was so much easier from SD, as an elite flyer I was always upgraded and this never happened at sfo. Unfortunately, I was the victim of a layoff and gave job hunting a go in SD. It was a joke. Companies, if I could even find them, offered me a 1/3 of my Bay Area salary and micromanagement seemed prevalent.

So I moved to New York City for a great job and love it, and will be able to spend Jan, Feb and March working from SD! The key is to work for a company not in SD.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Joy74

I agree about the surly, cold, and stressed out people. That is the silicon valley vibe to the tee.

It's a damn rat race up here in comparison and that could be why. It's a very educated place which of course has its positives but some of the people are incredibly egotistical and full of themselves.

Some San Diegan's can be flakey, shallow, and indifferent/aloof but I'd rather deal with that than over opinionated and aggressive people that are full of themselves. Either way most people in both places are perfectly fine but I'd rather deal with negative SD stereotypes than Bay Area ones, better to look at too.

I grew up here in the Bay Area and lived in SD from 2001-2010 then moved back here. If I wasn't from here I'm not really sure I would choose to live here, part of me would rather live in SD but all my family and most of my childhood friends are here. I have a bigger and more grounded social network here. It's home, so my viewpoint would be different than someone that didn't grow up in either place.

I really miss the weather, beach/ocean, relatively laid back lifestyle, and it's location in Southern Ca. The Bay Area clearly has many advantages over SD like better food, better economy, better urban amenities, better public transportation, etc..but overall I felt more satisfied with the SD lifestyle than here. I'm sure if I lived in the city SF I'd be more happy with the Bay Area but I'm not too sure it's worth it anymore to live in the actual city.

It's hard to say whether or not you would like it down here just as much or more. You mention areas like the Marin Headlands, Half Moon Bay, Stinson Beach, etc.. Those are very beautiful areas that aren't really developed, Southern Ca's coast is very developed in comparison but I'm more satisfied with places like Torrey Pines, La Jolla, Del Mar, etc..because it's beautiful there as well, the weather is better, and the beaches are more user friendly and useful imo. I'd rather bike around Mission Bay and Mission Beach than along SF Bay.

I would definitely visit then think about whether or not to move here and maybe start a thread asking for a comparison based on your viewpoint/observations. I would never move anywhere without visiting first.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by AADAD

Because I have lived in both and share your affinity with the sites in SF you like. There is nothing like that here.

I completely agree with this. I will forgo my usual long replies to any thread I am on, and just ditto this person. But, definitely come visit SD! that way you can find out for yourself if it's suitable for you, at a future date. Now that I have children, I do agree that SD is 'great for a family', and i'd never live in SFO [proper] again-but would consider sonoma or marin, in a heartbeat. I'm not a fan of the silicon valley area, either.

anyway, i just typed a long reply to a thread with the same topic a few days ago....if you search threads, you'll find it/others with alot more info/opinions.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by sav858

It's a damn rat race up here in comparison and that could be why. It's a very educated place which of course has its positives but some of the people are incredibly egotistical and full of themselves.

Some San Diegan's can be flakey, shallow, and indifferent/aloof but I'd rather deal with that than over opinionated and aggressive people that are full of themselves. Either way most people in both places are perfectly fine but I'd rather deal with negative SD stereotypes than Bay Area ones, better to look at too.

I grew up here in the Bay Area and lived in SD from 2001-2010 then moved back here. If I wasn't from here I'm not really sure I would choose to live here, part of me would rather live in SD but all my family and most of my childhood friends are here. I have a bigger and more grounded social network here. It's home, so my viewpoint would be different than someone that didn't grow up in either place.

I really miss the weather, beach/ocean, relatively laid back lifestyle, and it's location in Southern Ca. The Bay Area clearly has many advantages over SD like better food, better economy, better urban amenities, better public transportation, etc..but overall I felt more satisfied with the SD lifestyle than here. I'm sure if I lived in the city SF I'd be more happy with the Bay Area but I'm not too sure it's worth it anymore to live in the actual city.

It's hard to say whether or not you would like it down here just as much or more. You mention areas like the Marin Headlands, Half Moon Bay, Stinson Beach, etc.. Those are very beautiful areas that aren't really developed, Southern Ca's coast is very developed in comparison but I'm more satisfied with places like Torrey Pines, La Jolla, Del Mar, etc..because it's beautiful there as well, the weather is better, and the beaches are more user friendly and useful imo. I'd rather bike around Mission Bay and Mission Beach than along SF Bay.

I would definitely visit then think about whether or not to move here and maybe start a thread asking for a comparison based on your viewpoint/observations. I would never move anywhere without visiting first.

I will say ditto to this post, as well. Extremely well said.