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This is a good question
A great question.
The "ghetto" called E.San Diego is not as ghetto as it was before but it is still the roughest part of the county.
Places that where not that ghetto are now simi-rough.
Areas like Linda Vista,Mission Valley,Beach Cities,East Chula Vista,Downtown.
Also Ntnl City and Chula Vista cleaned up it's image around 1993 but it is starting to get really bad again.
Overall????
It's getting back to the rough days of the 1980's again but it is still an ok place.
I think you have some places mixed up. Mission Valley isn't rough and far from a ghetto. I think West Chula Vista is much worse than the East CV. There are a couple places in Downtown where it isn't bad at all. I remember walking through Downtown at night and alot of homeless people picking a spot on the sidewalk to sleep. The East end of Downtown might be a little rough though.
You are brave. Not many people see SD. as a retirement place. Many people living here now are planning to retire outside of CA. If you have not heard. It's expensive here. Everything from gas to milk is more here. At least the weather is still as good as it was in the 80's. If you can readjust to paying more for everything. You will be fine. Good luck.
I lived in San Diego in the 80's and now my wife and I are thinking of moving there to retire. I lived there in the 80's and loved it. I moved in and out for work and have not had the oppertunity, untill now, to move back. In what way do you think the the city has grown? I remember visiting Los Angles and couldn't wait to return to San Diego.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Asbury
I came to San Diego in 1977, and my wife was born there. We are retired, and live in a condo complex on 30 Acres with 130 units, full of trees and lush lanscaping near the intersection of 8 and 15 - half the year. The other half in Hawaii.
Yes, the traffic is awful. But we're retired, and almost never get on the road during rush hour, so it's fine. Our location puts us less than 30 minutes from almost anywhere we want to go. We love the weather, Dog Beach, Hillcrest restaurants, Balboa Park, The Zoo, Sea World, Seaport Village, Point Loma Seafoods, the mountains, the desert in winter, etc., etc.
My wife complains about the changes, but still loves the place. So do I. I like Hawaii a little better, but, having lived fourteen places from coast to coast to island over a 75 year lifetime, SD and Kailua are the two best.
Here are some of the major bad changes that I have seen since the mid-90's when I first came here:
Increased cost of living:
This is no secret. What most people won't admit though is that this is causing LOTS of bad side effects. It has caused a huge increase in criminal/ghetto mindset across the city.
Lot's of people are desperate for money and see no hope of making it legitamitly around here. Thus gangs, drug cartels, drug dealers, hustlers and robberies are growing and growing. Not to mention a general feeling of desperate, agro-violence around most parts of SD.
Many people never see the dark underbelly of poverty in SD. But these impoverished people are good-hearted, they are Americans, they are just getting screwed by the harsh economic conditions they are born into in SD and are trying to SURVIVE. We label them as criminals, but the environment in SD is what makes them that way in the firt place. It's a twisted situation.
SD is reminding more and more of Las Vegas. A seedy, hustler city of cheap thrills and vices, where common decency is thrown out the window and an "every man for himself" attitude is where it's at.
Bad attitudes:
The days of SD being a cool, friendly surfer place like Santa Cruz or Huntington Beach are LONG gone, but SD once was much more like that. It's been replaced by thuggishness, a money-frenzy and a shallow wannabe-LA scene of disrespectful jerks.
There are a HUGE amount of luxery car driving yuppies around here who will almost kill you on the freeway, crowd up on you in line at the store, etc. because they think they are the coolest in the city and everyone needs to get out of THEIR way. Lot's of people here just act they they own the roads and own the city in a really concieted way.
I've seen people wearing shirts around here that say "It's all about me!". This is DEFINANTLY where it's at in SD nowadays. And when there are about a half-million people all acting like this in SD (which there are right now) things get really, really ugly.
Inequality:
The gap between the haves and have-nots is drastic here. And lots of rich people move here for that very reason. This is a good city for a rich person to come and live a shallow high-life on the beach, with all the working stiffs safely tucked away out east, where they get to struggle and be out of sight, out of mind.
Nowadays, SD is a gaudy, snooty, RICH PERSON'S CITY and there's very little argueing this point.
The city is polarized between the very rich, and very poor with little in between. And there is a lot of resentment and animosity there.....
A strange society: The entire way of life here has become very unnatural and bizarre, like Hollwood on meth in a trailer park with rich folks down the street. There is a hedonistic quality to this place that is disgusting to me.
This is just my opinion. But in SD I see a very dysfunctional, psychologically unhealthy way of life for the average person.
I can't wait to get out of here. This place is absolutely ridiculous and I feel like i'm in a twisted freakshow every day here.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,161,028 times
Reputation: 8105
[quote=66.stng;166526]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark_Crow
If by "San Diego" you include downtown, and can afford to, by all means, I recommend you move there as soon as possible.
You do not need a car- get rid of the nuisance, it will free up money and time. There is a bus every fifteen minutes during most of the day and evening; and then there is the trolley as well as trams- one almost behind another.[ /QUOTE]
Unless they're not ever going to leave downtown san diego telling them to get rid of their car is ludicrous. Granted, a lot of things are downtown, but a 15 minute drive can be upped to a 2-3 hour bus ride. A car in San Diego is a must...The county is huge and no matter where you live, eventually you'll have to venture out of your safe little suburb and go somewhere else...Public transportation here just plainly sucks unless you live or want to go directly on the trolley's limited route you HAVE to drive.
A retired person can live very well in San Diego using the public transportation. Buy a monthly bus pass, and ride a combination of trolley, light rail, and bus. You won't need to take a long bus ride much of anywhere if you know the system, or call for assistance in planning a route. Or use their online site to plan it out.
It used to be that you could by a Coaster light rail pass, and it would be honored by all buses and trolleys as well. There's a discount for disabled and probably senior citizen.
For a retired person I would not recomend the trolley system. The trolleys here are really unsafe and in general just full of tension, aggressive thugs and bad vibes.
My mother who is almost 60 refuses to take the trolley because she feels very unsafe. Something to consider.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,161,028 times
Reputation: 8105
Quote:
Originally Posted by FunkyMonk
Here are some of the major bad changes that I have seen since the mid-90's when I first came here:
Increased cost of living:
This is no secret. What most people won't admit though is that this is causing LOTS of bad side effects. It has caused a huge increase in criminal/ghetto mindset across the city.
Lot's of people are desperate for money and see no hope of making it legitamitly around here. Thus gangs, drug cartels, drug dealers, hustlers and robberies are growing and growing. Not to mention a general feeling of desperate, agro-violence around most parts of SD.
Many people never see the dark underbelly of poverty in SD. But these impoverished people are good-hearted, they are Americans, they are just getting screwed by the harsh economic conditions they are born into in SD and are trying to SURVIVE. We label them as criminals, but the environment in SD is what makes them that way in the firt place. It's a twisted situation.
SD is reminding more and more of Las Vegas. A seedy, hustler city of cheap thrills and vices, where common decency is thrown out the window and an "every man for himself" attitude is where it's at.
Bad attitudes:
The days of SD being a cool, friendly surfer place like Santa Cruz or Huntington Beach are LONG gone, but SD once was much more like that. It's been replaced by thuggishness, a money-frenzy and a shallow wannabe-LA scene of disrespectful jerks.
There are a HUGE amount of luxery car driving yuppies around here who will almost kill you on the freeway, crowd up on you in line at the store, etc. because they think they are the coolest in the city and everyone needs to get out of THEIR way. Lot's of people here just act they they own the roads and own the city in a really concieted way.
I've seen people wearing shirts around here that say "It's all about me!". This is DEFINANTLY where it's at in SD nowadays. And when there are about a half-million people all acting like this in SD (which there are right now) things get really, really ugly.
Inequality:
The gap between the haves and have-nots is drastic here. And lots of rich people move here for that very reason. This is a good city for a rich person to come and live a shallow high-life on the beach, with all the working stiffs safely tucked away out east, where they get to struggle and be out of sight, out of mind.
Nowadays, SD is a gaudy, snooty, RICH PERSON'S CITY and there's very little argueing this point.
The city is polarized between the very rich, and very poor with little in between. And there is a lot of resentment and animosity there.....
A strange society: The entire way of life here has become very unnatural and bizarre, like Hollwood on meth in a trailer park with rich folks down the street. There is a hedonistic quality to this place that is disgusting to me.
This is just my opinion. But in SD I see a very dysfunctional, psychologically unhealthy way of life for the average person.
I can't wait to get out of here. This place is absolutely ridiculous and I feel like i'm in a twisted freakshow every day here.
I think you may not have been travelling lately to the other major West Coast cities. They've all become like that. Look to the Midwest or a small, off the beaten path town in California if you want a more socially nice place to live. But of course you're going to leave behind the good weather.
I think you may not have been travelling lately to the other major West Coast cities. They've all become like that. Look to the Midwest or a small, off the beaten path town in California if you want a more socially nice place to live. But of course you're going to leave behind the good weather.
I'm way ahead of you. I'm trying to escape to the Pacific Northwest or Rocky Mountain areas. I like seasons and weather. The fact that the weather is the same all the time in So-Cal makes the people even more disconnected from the cycles of nature. make's them act like they control nature.
But unfortunately I work and work and still can't save money around here. Even though I live a VERY frugal lifestyle.
Maybe I should just go homeless to save money, live in a van on the beach? Maybe I should work 65 hours per week instead of my current 40+? Seems to be the only options around here. Or maybe i'll just sell my vehicle, hit the road almost broke and hitchhike? Maybe join the countless drug dealers and hustlers of this city, they appear to be making more money than me.
This is the situation SD is leaving me in. I'm fighting the good fight, trying to do the right thing and working my a$$ off, but it's just spinning wheels in the mud. Nice guys finish last here. I can see why so many San Diegans turn to a life of crime.
I've been all over the West Coast and grew up in the SF Bay Area, and I can tell you that Southern California is in a league of it's own. The Bay Area has some of the same problems as SD on a smaller level, and not across the whole Bay Area. In the Bay Area, theres always the East Bay and South Bay which offer a realistic, semi-affordable escape from the city problems. Here in SD there is no realistic escape from the concrete jungle. Even when you move way out to East County, the buraucracies of this city are unescapable. You need to have money to rise above the control here.
Oregon and Washington are MUCH more decent and are a different world than So-Cal. There's more nature, totally different weather, open space, earthy attitudes and a much more progressive, laid back hippy feel. A person can still make it in Oregon working a minimum wage job, and washington is fairly livable still too. It's a totally different culture and way of life up there. Many So-Cal problems are almost non-existent up there. Comparing SD to Portland or Seattle is a big stretch.
Many people don't want to admit it. But I will. SD is REALLY going bad, becoming unlivable, becoming something very ugly. Lots of futuristic problems which will plaque other American cities in 20 or 30 years are already starting in SD. It's a house of cards just waiting for a gust of wind.....
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,161,028 times
Reputation: 8105
Quote:
Originally Posted by FunkyMonk
....
I've been all over the West Coast and grew up in the SF Bay Area, and I can tell you that Southern California is in a league of it's own. The Bay Area has some of the same problems as SD on a smaller level, and not across the whole Bay Area. In the Bay Area, theres always the East Bay and South Bay which offer a realistic, semi-affordable escape from the city problems. Here in SD there is no realistic escape from the concrete jungle. Even when you move way out to East County, the buraucracies of this city are unescapable. You need to have money to rise above the control here.
Oregon and Washington are MUCH more decent and are a different world than So-Cal. There's more nature, totally different weather, open space, earthy attitudes and a much more progressive, laid back hippy feel. A person can still make it in Oregon working a minimum wage job, and washington is fairly livable still too. It's a totally different culture and way of life up there. Many So-Cal problems are almost non-existent up there. Comparing SD to Portland or Seattle is a big stretch.
Many people don't want to admit it. But I will. SD is REALLY going bad, becoming unlivable, becoming something very ugly. Lots of futuristic problems which will plaque other American cities in 20 or 30 years are already starting in SD. It's a house of cards just waiting for a gust of wind.....
OK, but what I was suggesting is that San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle have changed in the last decade or two to become much like what you say San Diego has become like (I last lived in SD in 1999). I haven't lived in Portland, but don't think it's as cheap as it once was - they have some sort of no-sprawl laws that have caused prices in the city to increase, from what I've heard. Seattle has skyrocketed in price, both housing and food - I last lived there in 2004, and the traffic was also close to as bad as southern Cal.
I haven't noticed any big difference in people's attitudes between SD and Seattle. According to the stats on this site, Seattle actually has a significantly higher crime index.
I don't think there's any question that Seattle's and Portland's weather is much worse and overcast most days other than summers, if you feel depressed now in SD you're going to wilt sobbing into the mud in Seattle.
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Retiring in SD is better than working in SD
