Moving from East Coast help! (San Diego, Carlsbad: apartments, credit, neighborhoods)

[dtret]

My boyfriend and I are moving from New Hampshire all the way down to San Diego. Neither of us have ever been to the area and yes, we know we might be crazy. We are looking for warm weather, a change of scenery, affordable but not totally dumpy apartments, and a somewhat younger crowd (20-30). We'd appreciate any advice, tips, sites to check out and any information someone might think is important to know. thanks everyone!

[mewzikguy]

You guys would enjoy some of our fun, funky neighborhoods like Normal Heights, North Park, South Park, Hillcrest, University Heights. . . city 'hoods w/ coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques, galleries, scenesters- - - also downtown areas like East Village, Little Italy.

[tigerclaws]

One thing to remember though is that "seat belts are mandatory". SD will not accomodate the "Live free or die" attitude LOL.

[amanduh_p]

my boyfriend & i are also moving to sd from nh. Cant wait!! but we're not leaving til next summer

[goldeneye]

You are moving to the right place I drove here from Minneapolis in 2003 and didn't have a job or place to live. I slept on Carlsbad state beach and found a place in a week. There are places everywhere and if you have even OK credit you'll be fine. You can get nice places just north of San Diego in Encinitas or Leucadia. I had a two bedroom by myself in Leucadia for $1300 and I was 1/2 block from the beach. If you go to the "popular" places like Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, or Ocean Beach, you'll end up paying $1300 for a studio, depending on how close to the beach you are. I would look for a place anywhere north of Downtown and on the coast, but I've found north county to be less expensive.

dan

[FashionD]

Regarding rent: It's not cheap here. If you don't want to live in a dump or a less than nice area, plan on forking out no less than $1200 a month for a 1 bedroom apt. I live in a one bedroom in a decent area and I pay $1450 a month.

If you're looking for housing in a fun area, like Pacific Beach, you can get a one bedroom, probably for about $1000, but it will be very old and kind of crummy.