How has San Diego changed since the mid 80's? (San Francisco: real estate, homes) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

asbury · 10-16-2006, 07:59 AM

Hi all,

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

BIOLYNX · 10-17-2006, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asbury

Hi all,

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

Hi:
I have lived in San Diego, all of my life (over 50 years)(Ramona for the past 17 years)(grew up in La Jolla in the 50s and 60s. In the mid 80s San Diego was still fairly decent, as you probably remember, but by the end of the 80s and into the 90s the influx of people turned it into a nightmare of traffic and insufferable attitude problems.

My hubby and I are now retired and are planning to move as all of the freeways are parking lots day and night and the developing does not stop. Believe me, you do not want to be here, much less move here. Everyone who is a native is leaving and believe me the San Diego you remember from the 80s is not the San Diego of today. Five years ago I could make the drive from Ramona to La Jolla in 45 minutes, now because of the traffic it takes 90 minutes. It is truly a shame. It makes me so sad to see what has happened to my home town.

Hope this helps with your decision.
Biolynx

BIOLYNX · 10-17-2006, 06:57 PM

After you visited LA you couldn't wait to get back to San Diego? Consider San Diego a new version of LA.

fairweathergolfer · 10-17-2006, 07:23 PM

May I offer a new perspective. Every place has drawbacks, as we all know. I know native San Diegoites that absolutely love the place still. I think the key is to make a life in such a way (and I think this is increasingly true about ANY major or none major metropalitan area these days) that you are not dependent on freeways. Live along the water ways, which are usually pretty self-sustaining communities (I believe you said you want to retire there, so work is not an issue), live in the neighborhood or very close to it on side roads that you spend your play time. It is a no brainer when one is not working how to structure a life. This sort of good planning allows one to accept the suffering of a freeway world better and enjoy what an individual city has to offer. I chuckle, even at myself, when I say I am moving! Where? To another place that in a few years I am sure to be whining about. So buy where you least hate and most enjoy. San Diego is still a beautiful and treasured city that is hard to recreate elsewhere. Check out the old neighborhoods and the new ones as well. Just my somewhat humble opinion. Best of luck. There is nothing like the fog on that beautiful temperate coast in the winter. Nothing like it.

fairweathergolfer · 10-17-2006, 07:32 PM

By the way, it is not a little LA. I live in LA and when I go to visit which is frequent, it is like driving into paradise.

First off it doesn't smell and it is a clean city in most places. Think LA armpit. San Diego, beautiful curve of a hip.

Sure there is riff raff and the areas that go along with that, you have that even in Santa Barbara next to very nice (or just normal), overly priced expensive homes.

San Diego is just gorgeous and the pace of life relaxing compared to LA or the OC. Go for it and I hope you open your mind that there is going to be change, but still it is far above many cities and especially for retirement.

What a great choice. I hope you love it again and it works out for you. If I wasn't such an adrenaline junky, I'd move back there myself. I would just be careful of the freeways all along the I-5 corridor and I am sure any others. They are all swarmed in Southern California, some more then others though. Traffic will be an issue, but it is going to be in most places these days.

BIOLYNX · 10-21-2006, 09:09 AM

Hi Fairweather Golfer:
Very nice reply from a different point of view. I might add that besides Hwy. 5, there are traffice issues on 805, 15, 8, 78 and 94. My point is that San Diego might be a nice place to visit and obviously it's a nice place for many who are moving here. But as a native San Diegian and seeing the changes and they are not good changes, it is hard to take. Of course, this has already happened in many places where the weather is extraordinarily good and many other conveniences are at hand. Also, living along the coast might be too astronomically expensive for most as real estate has gone out of sight the past few years.

There are pluses still like the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and of course Balboa Park. One of the big draws in San Diego was its beaches, most of them are now polluted, but even so they have become so packed out that parking is at a premium, except for Oceanside.
Biolynx

Milliano · 10-24-2006, 12:50 PM

Some posts in this thread make it sound like one needs a car to live in San Diego?

BIOLYNX · 10-25-2006, 08:08 AM

A car in San Diego is absolutely essential.

jmc · 10-25-2006, 11:48 AM

Yes, you need a car here in SD. I have a suggestion for Asbury...move to Coronado!! I'm sure you visited our great island community when you lived here before. We're very close to downtown, Balboa Park/Zoo, and the airport. Yes, it's expensive, which is one reason we're moving to the east coast for a job transfer, but if you can afford it, it's a great place.

If you're retired, you'll only have to deal with the freeways when you want to...plus not all our freeways are always a parking lot. You just need to head against traffic, etc. Regarding the polluted beaches...I wouldn't say that's the case for all of the SD beaches. Coronado is a great family beach; La Jolla has some great spots for surfing/swimming, etc., too. I'm sure there are other beaches people here enjoy. Come back to San Diego and check it out for a month or two and see what you think. Good luck!

Dark_Crow · 10-28-2006, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asbury

Hi all,

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

If by "San Diego" you include downtown, and can afford to, by all means, I recommend you move there as soon as possible. As with BIOLYNX, I too grew up in the 50s and 60s, although it was in Oceanside, and I'm still in North County. I had occasion to live downtown during the summer of last year, for three months. I would most compare it with San Francisco, aside from the obvious. 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. Walk to one of the finest stocked food markets, along with a prepared foods section, the length of California. You will of course miss much of the "Seedy" District that was there during the 80s. Then, there are available many sources on the internet where you can view the changes.