Any bad things about San Diego other than living cost? (Orland: home, neighborhood)

[BigBoy]

Originally Posted by jksouthbay88

Well yeah.It's a large city.The homeless problem here is one of the worst in the US.

Ever been to downtown LA or SF? Much bigger homeless problem out there.

[kimmer]

graffiti, gangs, traffic, bad drivers, lots of people in this county illegally, urban and suburban sprawl, relatively little open space, santa ana winds sometimes along with HUGE, unstoppable fires, high cost of housing (rental and owner), no seasons, soon-to-be big lack of water for our region, major earthquake(s) which will happen at some point, some of the old-timers hate people from "back east" moving here and driving up the cost of our real estate - oh wait, that was in the 70's...the natives have given up on trashing people from the east coast, but frequently wince at the accent. Not that "valley girl" speak is any better mind you...in fact, I think that's a negative, too!

[ajnsd]

I have friends who moved out from the east coast (Boston, NYC & Rhode Island) who say the biggest thing for them to overcome was the "culture shock." They felt the pace of life out here was way too slow for them. Very laid back, lot's of bro's in board shorts & flip flops, and less of a rat race compared to back east. One of my buddies from NYC was suprised how liesurely people around here walk. Being here all my life, I don't know what that means, but I guess someone reading this from the east coast will know what I mean. Despite SD's problems, It's still the most beautiful city in the world (for me that is).

AJ

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by ajnsd

One of my buddies from NYC was suprised how liesurely people around here walk. Being here all my life, I don't know what that means, but I guess someone reading this from the east coast will know what I mean.

They walk slow, like they got nowhere to go.

[leighland]

Give up on finding real good pizza. Instead, enjoy Fish Tacos.

[LHudson]

We want to move our family to San Diego for a few reasons:

1. Diversity -we are a transracial family. Our daughter is Asian and we are white. We currently live in an area where there is almost zero Asian population. We want our daughter to go to school/live in an area where diversity is the norm. Some people don't understand this (mostly family members), but then again, they are usually white.

2. San Diego weather is nice (although I will miss the Texas thunderstorms) and the beaches are beautiful.

3. San Diego is sort of a compromise for us. I would pick Austin over SD, but my husband needs to live near the ocean - he feels positively landlocked if he doesn't.

4. La Jolla. Everytime I visit La Jolla Cove it speaks to me. That sounds corny, but it's true. Even though we can't afford to live in La Jolla, having picnics there or visiting Children's Beach is something we will do most weekends - this is what our family enjoys.

Still, moving across the country to an area with a higher cost of living and no support system is a scary. I hope we are making the right decision.

[relequin]

Well I've yet to see anything brought to my attention that i would have a problem dealing with. Though truth be told i am afraid of a possible disastrous earthquake. But looking throughout the U.S. just about everywhere has the potential for a major natural disaster so i wont let that affect my decision. And, i've pretty much come to terms with the fact that great pizza outside of New York is an impossibility. I don't mind the laid back lifestyle, in fact the chaos of ny is one of the reasons why im considering relocation. Not to mention the filth. Plus i love beaches. My only concern is the employment opportunities in the food service fields out there. So i guess ill start another thread and see what kind of responses i get with regards to food service employment. Thank you everyone for your input and if anyone wants some info on ny id be happy to share. I've run the gamut from upstate and long island to the bronx and manhattan.

[RD5050]

Originally Posted by relequin

Though truth be told i am afraid of a possible disastrous earthquake. But looking throughout the U.S. just about everywhere has the potential for a major natural disaster so i wont let that affect my decision. And, i've pretty much come to terms with the fact that great pizza outside of New York is an impossibility.

Yes earthquakes are always a possibility, but I've recently seen an earthquake map of the Southern California area, and I didn't see any fault lines in the immediate San Diego area. I'm not a geologist, so I'm just guessing they are less likely to occur here than in other parts of CA.

Regarding pizza, don't be fooled. You can find good pizza in San Diego. You many just need to look a little harder. One of my favorite places is Volteros Pizza in Clairemont:
Volteros Pizza - San Diego, CA 92111 - Reviews: Pizza Restaurants

One thing you will also find here is huge number of Mexican restaurants. Not just Taco Bells, but real Mexican food. If you aren't a fan of Mexican food now, you probably will become one when you arrive. The food in many of these places is delicious!

The one thing you won't find in San Diego is Water Ice and Soft Pretzels. There are a few places with similar Italian ices, but nothing that tastes anything like Rita's. Most San Diegan's never heard of the term "Water Ice".

Two areas you might want to look for restaurant work are The Gaslamp (a section of downtown SD), and Little Italy (near downtown). They both have lots of bars and restaurants.

San Diego Craigslist is one place to find job listings, and also ads for housing:
san diego food/beverage/hospitality jobs classifieds - craigslist

[bmd69]

The fault zones in San Andreas, Rose Canyon, Elsinore and San Jacinto are all capable of producing a major earthquake in San Diego County -- and geologists say you don't have to live near a quake's epicenter to experience significant damage.

FeedRoom

San Diego Earthquake Zones
(broken link)

According to geologists, the farther you are from the fault triggering the earthquake, the less shaking intensity you'll feel. Because of a phenomenon called "liquefaction," several areas in San Diego are at high risk, warn experts.

I am a geologist. Here you go.

[leighland]

Fires are a bigger problem than Earthquakes.