For those thinking about moving to San Diego - CLICK HERE (San Francisco: rental car, fit in)

[sdurbanite]

Quite a few people in this forum are considering a move to San Diego in the near future, and I'm just curious to see where you will be moving here from.

It's simple, just give a quick bio and what you're looking for in this city.

[GratefulDeb]

Well I will be the first to respond. I am moving from New Jersey. There are many reasons I chose San Diego for the big cross country move. The biggest reason is kind of corny and unexplainable. When I am in San Diego I feel incredibly close to my Mom who passed away in June of 2003. I feel her in the breeze, in the ocean, in the smell of the flowers. My symbol for my Mom is a butterfly because when she passed away I started seeing them following me everywhere. When I came out to SD for the third time really serious about moving I asked her for sign if it was the right thing to do. As soon as I picked up my rental car and made the turn to get on the 5, a butterfly flew right across the hood of the car.

So that is in addition to the obvious reasons - it doesn't snow, people are friendlier, you can be outdoors all year round, etc.

[dieselthedog]

My husband and I would like to move to California and people have told me try SD instead of LA. We are looking for a new start, nice weather (No Snow!) Oh and 2 jobs. lol Anyone know what a degree in communications can get you salary wise in the area?

[bbjr]

I will be moving from NY (suburbs) We are looking for better schools for our children, better climate, friendlier people, more diversity, slower pace of life, more quality family time together, newer houses for our price range, lower energy bills, closer cleaner beaches, year around outdoor activities, more cyclist friendly,( I have recently taken up cycling and feel that living in SD will allow me to cycle more often and year around) change of scenery (in NY my entire life) less stress. San Diego just seems a better fit for a young family, don't get me wrong I love NY and I will always be proud to be from NY but San Diego seems to cater more to families. It seems to be that there are many more "family"activities within driving distance. We are looking forward to be near Sea World, The San Diego Zoo, Legoland, beaches, Disneyland, LA and even Las Vegas which are all within driving distance. Hopefully my expectations of San Diego are true.

[Unkllars]

My wife and I plan to move to San Diego after we both graduate. She'll be an attorney and I am looking to pursue my masters in exercise physiology/psychology at SDSU. I've lived there before and loved it, so moving back will be great. I'm born and raised a NorCal boy, but living down here has converted me, besides the fact that my wife is from Arizona and needs the heat (I'd say cold blooded, but the other connotations would put me on the couch)

[LookingtoLeave]

I'm from San Antonio, TX and if all goes well with the job hunt, I should be in SD by the end of the summer/early fall. I went many years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. I have always wanted to live by the water, and then add the mountains on top of that and that's just a bonus. I have lived in TX all my life so I just need a change altogether. My mother is very close with my son and me and since I rely on her so much to help with him we kinda need to be near each other. SD is one of the few cities in the country she'd consider moving to so that right there puts it at the top of the list. I'm looking for a laid back mentality, yet plenty of things to do. I want beautiful surroundings and I think I have found that in SD, however, safety will also be of top importance. From what I've read, SD is fairly safe in quite a few areas so we seem like a fit.

[VeronikaW]

We lived in CMR for 4 years and moved to Seattle. Now we want to come back!!

[libbykt]

Moving (back) to North County from San Francisco and a brief stint in Boston. YAY!! I am looking for the following, not necessarily in this order:

Great weather
Cool people
Less expensive housing
A grilled chicken salad from Sammy's
Teaching my son to surf (well, in a couple more years)
Good Mexican food
Spending time with friends

[jonny_quest]

Hoping to move to SD from Pennsyltucky.
Why?
-Better weather
-High availability of outdoor activities - being able to ski one day and surf the next is amazing.
-Great nightlife
-Younger
-Looking to meet new people/make new friends (can't be done here - everyone has their "clique," and if you weren't in that group since high school you can expect the cold shoulder).
-more liberal/can't stand this area's ultra-conservative mentality (upon graduation/moving to the area about 70% of people here asked me when I'm getting married and/or buying a house... the response that I'm 22 years old, single, and prefer to rent immediately tells them -and me- that I'm an outcast)
-CA is the only state a person is eligible for a license as a Professional Engineer (PE) 2 years after obtaining license as an Engineer In Training
-CA is the only state a PE license is transferable to every other state
-Living/eating healthy is accepted, common, and encouraged. Here, it's like people look at you funny for preferring sushi to a big-mac.
-Tired of culture where people do nothing but complain about money and costs, regardless of what they can afford or the item's cost. The idea of people "Trying to keep up with the Jones's'" is very appealing after listening to people nearly compete over who can complain about expenses the most.
-there's probably more.

What's holding me back? The economy and housing crisis. I work as a civil engineer/land development consultant, and apparently jobs are few and far between right now in SD.

[sdurbanite]

Some great responses here!

As I see it, as long as you won't miss things like riding the subway to work, shoveling snow from your driveway, a Dick's burger and owning a raincoat, you'll all fit in here just fine

So far the tally looks like this:

Pennsylvania
Michigan
New Jersey
NYC Suburb
OC
San Francisco
Seattle
San Antonio