east coast v west coast (San Diego, Nice: houses, high school, college)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Born and raised in New York. Moved to NJ 20 years ago. No better. This east coast lifestyle has given me ulcers, caused me to need anti-anxiety medice, anti-depressant medicine, take sleeping pills, etc. Now my poor daughter is also suffering. Not to mention the weather. It is either raining, snowing, humid, buggy and groos all year long. We have maybe 20 days a year that I would call San Diego days. They have 320. This causes the bad attitude here in this area. Everybody is so pissed off that the weather sucks that they take it out on eachother.
As soon as I made the deicision to move to SD I am completely free of pain and off all meds. My firm move date is August 1st. I am literally counting the days. (5 months 20 days) I need to leave this east coast mentality behind and become part of the west coast.
As far as your question about kids and school. If they start ou on the west coast that is all they will ever know. The east coast stress has destroyed my daughter so I would welcome her taking school a little less seriously.
Also, my Mom passed away 4 years ago but everytime I visit SD I feel her presence there. I feel it in the beauty, the breeze, the water, the flowers, the buttterflies. I feel like sitting on a bench at say La Jolla Shores looking out at the water in the perfect climate I can fell her all around me.
I'm sure she is smiling at me for my decision to make the move.
I know people say SD is expensive but I am coming from the metro NY/NJ area. It is extremely comparable. It is actually cheaper because there is very little energy cost Heating/AC and all activites are free where here when the weather sucks you have to go to the mall or the movies. In SD I can think of 20 things you can do for free inthe glorious weather and just feel wonderful.
I have lived up and down the east coast or visited every place from ME to Miami. The east coast cannot be easily generalized. I grew up in a small city in NC and i would say in the southeast that the majority of people are good country folk. They are friendly but not too intelligent. The exception to people being "country" would be in the larger cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham. People there have a southern vibe but intelligent. I have also lived in Philadelphia and visited the NE (DC up through ME). People in DC and to the north of that are very concerned with status. They aren't necessarily concerned with any material possessions rather who you are intellectually. People in the north are "real" in that they are upfront about who they are, which to some comes off rude. I have tons of friends in NYC and Philly area who are great people but, if you don't provide any sort of intellectual value to someone you are written off as stupid. People in the NE are obsessed with work too. People get caught up in the fast paced environment and in my opinion lose focus of what's important, that being "are you happy with your life". In the NE there is a brash "liberal elitism" which i can't stand and is just as bad as any southern redneck. NYC is an anomaly though. It is the center of the world imo and so many different people live there that the "liberal elite" culture can be ignored. Florida is also an anomaly, however there is nothing enjoyable about that state. I lived in Orlando and it's just an incredibly ugly place with ugly boring people. It's like one huge stripmall. The only thing FL provides is a place for retirees to live out their final days. As far as the racist comments go, the north is just as racist as the south, it's just concealed a little better. In respect to CA, I dated a girl from the OC in college who was a lot more conservative than me (I'm a lib, btw) however it isn't your typical ignorant southern conservative. Conservatives out west seem to be religious and fiscal conservative, however not ignorant and disparaging to people who are different than them. My ex was honestly one of the nicest girls even if she were conservative. OC was nice, a bit superficial for me, but people seemed very laid back. I am planning on moving to San Diego because it seems like a mix of laid back people and intelligence. It seems to be a progressive leaning city with some conservative ideals which I respect a lot. Hope this helps.
I am from the Northeast (just outside of NYC) and lived here my entire life, and I totally agree with you. My wife and I have been vacationing in So-Cal (mostly in San Diego) every year for the past 5 years and we are planning to move there within the next 8-9 months. I can recall our first time vacationing in in San Diego and how wierd it felt to us that everywhere we went people smiled and said "hello". Anywhere we went from eating out at fast food restaurants,to upscale restaurants the service and the politeness was just always better. Something as simple as paying for gas at a gas station the clerk behind the register would always smile and greet you "good morning" or "how are you?" Here in NY the clerk would act as if you were bothering him for purchasing fuel at his gas station. I hope that moving to SD is not too much of a culture shock for me and my family. Another thing that I noticed about Californians is that nothing seems to be of any urgency,Californians always seem to be relaxed and never in a hurry, I can remember this past January we were again vacationing in SD, it was a week day, around 8:30am at a Starbucks in Mission Valley, the line was to the door, but know one seemed to care that it would take 15 minutes to get their coffee, people were just standing in line conversating with each other cool and calm, even the Starbucks staff behind the counter seemed to be in no rush, polite but in no rush. If this picture had been at my local Starbucks in NY the patrons would be looking at there watches yelling and complaining or would have simply walked out angry. I really enjoy the relaxed attitude of Californians but is this the right enviroment to raise children? do the children in California apply this laid back relaxed attitude to their school work? Do you think the children would grow up to be less ambitious and less carreer minded? How do the schools compare to NY schools from a learning stand point? If the education system is as good or better in California then I would agree that all in all California is a better place to live. Better weather, nicer people, prettier scenery, slightly lower cost of living,more ethnic diversity,less racism,cleaner streets and landscapes better shopping malls,and way more activities within driving distance.
CALIFORNIA HERE I COME!!!!!!!!
San Diego isn't all fun in the sun. I want to correct some of your misconceptions. There is a severe LACK of ethnic diversity. Everybody has their own little area. I think there might be one black person in north county and that's my karate instructor....there just aren't many african americans in north county. Go to the poorer areas of San Diego, such as Oceanside, Escondido and various downtown neighborhoods and there is a lot of poverty, racial segregation and often times, gangs and crime.
People are less career oriented than the east coast. I'm 18 and currently at Santa Clara University up in the bay area, and I now see the difference. Many of my friends are still at home, half-way going to community college because they don't know anything else.
San Diego also has a laidback attitude towards drugs also. I've seen it many times, with parents, so don't say it isn't true. In Encinitas, where I grew up (a beautiful beach town with fabulous schools....you should move there), I noticed that although the schools are great, when it comes to drugs....parents tend to turn the other way, wink n' nod, or just join in on the fun. And these are parents that are conservative and would never vote for a Democrat!
If you're raising kids in SD, beware of the drug culture. I'm sure it's bad elsewhere, but it's really bad in SD, mainly because nobody cares. I was always a straight A student, but I smoked weed (starting in 9th grade), because nobody told me it was bad and teachers and parents said just to use it in moderation. There's also a lot of coke, ectasy and A TON of prescription pill abuse. The parents do it too, make no mistake about it. I can tell you endless stories about rich, straight A students like myself getting high in some 3 million dollar house WITH the parents, liberal or conservative. People have their politics, but generally live by the motto: "Have fun, go to the beach, do your work later, and don't think about the consequences of your actions, because if it feels good, then do it."
Yet, I wouldn't live anywhere else. Just be careful and tell your kids that there is more to life than going to the beach. I've seen to many of my close friends either die or just become drug addicts. And we're not living in the ghetto or going to horrible inner-city schools....the San Dieguito High School district is the envy of the county and the state, if not the country and still, drug use is just accepted by the schools, parents and society.
As for schools, anywhere in La Jolla, Del Mar, Poway, Rancho Bernado, Encintas, Carmel Valley, Carlsbad have great, renowned schools...you can't go wrong.
Just please don't be the parent that gives out their Xanax bars (how I developed my own addiction actually) or the parent that allows unmitigated drug use among their children and friends.
Maybe I'm being too dramatic, but when you grow up and see virtually all of your friends (successful in school or not), become drug users, I have to say something.;
Last edited by BENZBOY15; 02-11-2008 at 02:35 AM..
San Diego isn't all fun in the sun. I want to correct some of your misconceptions. There is a severe LACK of ethnic diversity. Everybody has their own little area. I think there might be one black person in north county and that's my karate instructor....there just aren't many african americans in north county. Go to the poorer areas of San Diego, such as Oceanside, Escondido and various downtown neighborhoods and there is a lot of poverty, racial segregation and often times, gangs and crime.
People are less career oriented than the east coast. I'm 18 and currently at Santa Clara University up in the bay area, and I now see the difference. Many of my friends are still at home, half-way going to community college because they don't know anything else.
San Diego also has a laidback attitude towards drugs also. I've seen it many times, with parents, so don't say it isn't true. In Encinitas, where I grew up (a beautiful beach town with fabulous schools....you should move there), I noticed that although the schools are great, when it comes to drugs....parents tend to turn the other way, wink n' nod, or just join in on the fun. And these are parents that are conservative and would never vote for a Democrat!
If you're raising kids in SD, beware of the drug culture. I'm sure it's bad elsewhere, but it's really bad in SD, mainly because nobody cares. I was always a straight A student, but I smoked weed (starting in 9th grade), because nobody told me it was bad and teachers and parents said just to use it in moderation. There's also a lot of coke, ectasy and A TON of prescription pill abuse. The parents do it too, make no mistake about it. I can tell you endless stories about rich, straight A students like myself getting high in some 3 million dollar house WITH the parents, liberal or conservative. People have their politics, but generally live by the motto: "Have fun, go to the beach, do your work later, and don't think about the consequences of your actions, because if it feels good, then do it."
Yet, I wouldn't live anywhere else. Just be careful and tell your kids that there is more to life than going to the beach. I've seen to many of my close friends either die or just become drug addicts. And we're not living in the ghetto or going to horrible inner-city schools....the San Dieguito High School district is the envy of the county and the state, if not the country and still, drug use is just accepted by the schools, parents and society.
As for schools, anywhere in La Jolla, Del Mar, Poway, Rancho Bernado, Encintas, Carmel Valley, Carlsbad have great, renowned schools...you can't go wrong.
Just please don't be the parent that gives out their Xanax bars (how I developed my own addiction actually) or the parent that allows unmitigated drug use among their children and friends.
Maybe I'm being too dramatic, but when you grow up and see virtually all of your friends (successful in school or not), become drug users, I have to say something.;
Finally someone with some integrity to be honest. I had considered moving to SD but when I discovered the lack of ethnicity (being a mature aged black woman) I quickly realized that I would be better off just visiting. The extent of the drug problem and how laid back everyone is about it, is very disturbing!
Finally someone with some integrity to be honest. I had considered moving to SD but when I discovered the lack of ethnicity (being a mature aged black woman) I quickly realized that I would be better off just visiting. The extent of the drug problem and how laid back everyone is about it, is very disturbing!
I don't think u know East coast very well my friend, u talking about North East maybe but surely south east:liberal???? fast?????
I live in Florida all *******s!
I don't think u know East coast very well my friend, u talking about North East maybe but surely south east:liberal???? fast?????
I live in Florida all *******s!
I'm from Miami as well...the "East Coast mentality" sure doesn't apply here. People are extremely lazy and don't want to work, rude (typical east coast though), and are extremely materialistic. The pace is slow and laid-back overall though. Forget about diversity...almost 80% of the population is Hispanic No one speaks English and the majority of the radio stations and advertisements around the city are in Spanish. Sometimes I forget I live in America. More people in the touristy parts of Mexico (Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, etc.) speak English than in Miami! Seriously.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Honesty
