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I personally would prefer coastal communities anywhere between La Jolla and Carlsbad. It will provide arguably little bit more activities and events for children. Although you will find equally good, high quality communities more inland.
700k means condo living in those areas, unfortunately.
thank you, thank you Stieber for such detailed information!! It's incredibly helpful, you've touched on so many important key points for me, even the farmers markets which I love.
I lived in San Jose for ten years before coming to San Diego at the end of 2015. I had a small home in willow glen (walking distance to lincoln ave) and for most of the time worked downtown (also mountain view). I now live in East Village.
I agree with the prior posters regarding traffic, housing prices, jobs, and outdoor activities. These are all better in San Diego with the exception of jobs. I can't emphasize enough how much better traffic is in san diego compared with the bay area. I can leave my condo downtown at 5pm and drive straight to the beaches / torrey pines and face almost no slowdown in traffic.
Weather is slightly better in san diego but not a huge difference in my opinion. The San Diego airport is also a little more convenient than San Jose (less crowded and closer for me). Public transportation is crappy in both cities.
The main differences I see:
* homeless are more visible and in your face compared with San Jose. San Jose has a lot of homeless but they are hidden in the ravines/parks and not camped out right on the street (at least that was the case at the time I left)
* I'm not sure how to put this, but you can't go anywhere in the bay area without meeting highly successful and ambitious people. The neighbors on my street worked at google, intel, tesla, apple. Not that there aren't smart people in San Diego, but there isn't the concentration you get in the bay area.
* San Diego universities are a tier down from bay area.
* More Chinese and Indian immigrants in the bay area. Largely this is due to the job market.
* Way more military personnel living in San Diego.
* Earthquake risk is much lower in San Diego. If the CEA earthquake premiums are any guide to risk, San Diego is probably 1/5 that of the bay area.
* Lots of conferences are held in San Diego. This has a personal impact on me in that I have many friends/family that I get to see because they are going to the conference anyway.
* San Diego has more distinct neighborhoods compared with San Jose. San Jose, for the most part, is just a big suburb and the areas don't feel that different from each other.
I lived in San Jose for ten years before coming to San Diego at the end of 2015. I had a small home in willow glen (walking distance to lincoln ave) and for most of the time worked downtown (also mountain view). I now live in East Village.
I agree with the prior posters regarding traffic, housing prices, jobs, and outdoor activities. These are all better in San Diego with the exception of jobs. I can't emphasize enough how much better traffic is in san diego compared with the bay area. I can leave my condo downtown at 5pm and drive straight to the beaches / torrey pines and face almost no slowdown in traffic.
Weather is slightly better in san diego but not a huge difference in my opinion. The San Diego airport is also a little more convenient than San Jose (less crowded and closer for me). Public transportation is crappy in both cities.
The main differences I see:
* homeless are more visible and in your face compared with San Jose. San Jose has a lot of homeless but they are hidden in the ravines/parks and not camped out right on the street (at least that was the case at the time I left)
* I'm not sure how to put this, but you can't go anywhere in the bay area without meeting highly successful and ambitious people. The neighbors on my street worked at google, intel, tesla, apple. Not that there aren't smart people in San Diego, but there isn't the concentration you get in the bay area.
* San Diego universities are a tier down from bay area.
* More Chinese and Indian immigrants in the bay area. Largely this is due to the job market.
* Way more military personnel living in San Diego.
* Earthquake risk is much lower in San Diego. If the CEA earthquake premiums are any guide to risk, San Diego is probably 1/5 that of the bay area.
* Lots of conferences are held in San Diego. This has a personal impact on me in that I have many friends/family that I get to see because they are going to the conference anyway.
* San Diego has more distinct neighborhoods compared with San Jose. San Jose, for the most part, is just a big suburb and the areas don't feel that different from each other.
Very interesting, thanks for the response! Amazing to get your prospective since I'm located where you moved from. Yes the homes in the Willow Glen/Cambrian area are very small, very expensive for tiny little homes!! It's surprising how much bigger the homes are in SD, it will be nice to have more space.
I get what you said about the concentration of successful and ambitious people in Silicon Valley, people are working and homes are selling within the first week of listing. I'd hate to be a first time buyer in this market. I feel bad for younger families just starting off, how would they be able to afford a home in this crazy competitive market. Probably just start with a condo and work your way up, it's what I did. My husband builds for Apple, Google, Facebook. The Facebook campus is incredible! It's like an amusement park for working adults if that makes sense. The modern cafeteria with free food prepared by chefs, video game room, Philz coffee right on campus!, and Mark Zuckerbergs office is surrounded by bullet proof glass, the plans were top secret. Even though he built it, he doesn't know all the details of it.
I'd like to ask how you adjusted to the move. Leaving everyone friends/family to move to another city. I'm very concerned with feeling like a fish out of water. Is it better to send a private message?
**sorry for weird syntax and grammar due to auto spelling**
I grew up in Walnut Creek, went to college and grad school in the Bay Area, and then my husband and I move to San Diego in the late nineties for additional grad school but eventually found it too small and boring back in the day. We ended up buying a condo in the Bay Area and going back and forth during different times of the year, because we were self-employed and able to work from anywhere. That was great for a while, but in the meantime, the Bay Area. Too congested and too expensive, and San Diego grew up. A few years ago, we decided to make San Diego our permanent home and have absolutely no regrets. But the city has seen a boom in urban amenities like restaurants, Parks, cultural events, and tons of highrise Construction. When we want that Bay Area culture, we have neighborhoods that give us that, but we actually chose to live a bit more in land where we are surrounded by open space and have a large lot with a big yard for our dog. It's peaceful and safe, but we're still close to City attractions.
I think every region goes through a time when it has the perfect balance of affordability and infrastructure, and I think the Bay Area already passed that about 15 years ago. San Diego is in that sweet spot right now, as there is a lot of excitement about the way it is evolving and changing. There is a much better food and restaurants in here now than in the past, and that was important to us, but there are also great hipster neighborhoods with third-wave coffee shops, boutiques, bars, sidewalk cafes, art theaters and Stage theaters, that sort of stuff that creates a life fabric that I like to frequently visit.
As far as affordability, I think it is much better than in the Bay Area, but just like in the Bay Area, there are huge differences from location to location. You could actually spend just as much per square foot in places like Coronado, La Jolla, Del Mar, or downtown as you would in San Francisco and the peninsula, so it is not consistently inexpensive. However, you don't have to go nearly as far from the city center to find much more affordable housing, even in fantastic school districts.
As far as some of the other points, traffic isn't as bad here as in the Bay Area, but then the Bay Area has the second worst traffic in the country now behind LA, so of course it's going to be better by comparison, but I do you notice that it is getting worse and worse, especially in certain commuting directions.
I also have to bring up the Homeless Problem. When we moved here, San Diego I had so few homeless compared to, say, San Francisco, but in the last four or five years, it has been growing so fast that in the downtown area and near the ballpark, they are absolutely everywhere. That's something you unfortunately have to deal with until the city figures out where they are all coming from and how to deal with them. Outside of that area though, it is not a big issue.
Of course everyone in San Diego loves the weather, but you should note that to being in the same state, it still shares many of the same characteristics as Bay Area weather. Do not expect it to be tropical. We are still on the west coast on the Pacific. Mostly you'll notice that Winters are more sunny, but I notice very little difference during the other nine months of the year. Coastal areas, although the most expensive, still get too much Marine layer and fog for my taste, so we decided to move farther inland and are much happier away from the overcast conditions. You may actually be surprised two discover that San Diego Airport and San Francisco Airport have almost the exact same number of sunny and cloudy days per year. That's because San Diego airport is right on the bay. Parts of the Bay Area, like San Jose, actually have more sunny days per year then San Diego. But they will be more skewed towards the summer, and in San Diego they will be more skewed towards the winter. Overall, I really enjoyed the microclimate we live in because it reminds me a lot of the one I grew up in in Walnut Creek. I do hear people from Florida complaining that they have to wear sweaters all the time, so everything is relative. I wish San Diego had more balmy evenings though. We seem to get those only during the summer.
San Diego is of course famous for it's beautiful beaches, and that is one of the best parts of living here. I actually prefer the beaches outside of the tourist season when they are nice and quiet, and there are so many to choose from that you'll certainly find your favorites. if you like more of a resort-style beach, then you'll enjoy Del Mar, La Jolla, and Coronado.
Personally, I think San Diego's most underrated feature, probably because it's in the shadow of the beach culture, is its Backcountry. Within an hour's Drive, we have mountains over 6000 feet tall, covered in beautiful Pine forests, complete with campgrounds and hiking trails. on the way up, there are tons of small Wineries and farm stands. We played in the snow four or five times this past winter, driving less than an hour from our house. That's not something you can do in the Bay Area.
Another thing you can't do anywhere else is go to Mexico for the day. Although we haven't been in some time, Tijuana it is emerging as a surprising cultural and dining destination. The tourists have left, and the locals have Takin Over There City 2 create art galleries, craft breweries, food trucks, coffee roasters, high end restaurants, and museums. Of course it is still Rough Around the Edges, but along with a booming Wine Country nearby, it is turning into a surprisingly exciting Border City. And truly, there is no city in the United States that borders such a large city in a foreign country.
My point is that San Diego has a lot of unique attributes that make it unlike anywhere else, and at the same time it has enough similarities to the Bay Area that it doesn't feel like you've moved all too far away. In fact, you are close enough that you can get your Peet's Coffee, Ike's sandwiches, Philz Coffee, and your morning overcast. We even get the same Central Valley Farmers at the farmers markets, so you can get the exact same produce. And Vons, which is Safeway, carries a lot of Bay Area products. I can't live without my It's-It! I find San Diego to be a very comfortable and easy transition from the Bay Area, much more so than I think you Los Angeles would be by comparison. In fact, San Diego prides itself on its dislike of Los Angeles and being more down-to-earth. That's another thing it shares with the Bay Area.
If you have more specific questions, feel free to message me privately!
It's great to know that SD has grown up!...and we are foodies as well so that is a requirement My husband enjoys a good beer so all the breweries are very exciting to him also. I like what you said that SD is in a sweet spot right now and the excitement of it. Sounds like with the job market being it's crutch, it won't turn into a busy, traffic congested area like Silicon Valley. The unique attributes you listed are all very interesting to us and it's exciting to imagine us embarking on discovering this new and exciting city. We're looking for a more laid-back lifestyle for sure. My husband worked in LA for a year, flew back and forth..he said even the people he dealt with in LA were more laid back than the people in Silicon Valley. It's an intense working environment here, people are stressed, they work hard at a record pace. They get paid well and jobs are booming..but then you hear of the poor old guy who drops dead at work before he even had a chance to enjoy his retirement years and it's a true wake up call.
**by the way It's-It can also be found at Costco! we love those a definite guilty pleasure!
Last edited by vesperbelle; 05-18-2017 at 12:14 PM..
I lived in San Jose for ten years before coming to San Diego at the end of 2015. I had a small home in willow glen (walking distance to lincoln ave) and for most of the time worked downtown (also mountain view). I now live in East Village.
I agree with the prior posters regarding traffic, housing prices, jobs, and outdoor activities. These are all better in San Diego with the exception of jobs. I can't emphasize enough how much better traffic is in san diego compared with the bay area. I can leave my condo downtown at 5pm and drive straight to the beaches / torrey pines and face almost no slowdown in traffic.
Weather is slightly better in san diego but not a huge difference in my opinion. The San Diego airport is also a little more convenient than San Jose (less crowded and closer for me). Public transportation is crappy in both cities.
The main differences I see:
* homeless are more visible and in your face compared with San Jose. San Jose has a lot of homeless but they are hidden in the ravines/parks and not camped out right on the street (at least that was the case at the time I left)
* I'm not sure how to put this, but you can't go anywhere in the bay area without meeting highly successful and ambitious people. The neighbors on my street worked at google, intel, tesla, apple. Not that there aren't smart people in San Diego, but there isn't the concentration you get in the bay area.
* San Diego universities are a tier down from bay area.
* More Chinese and Indian immigrants in the bay area. Largely this is due to the job market.
* Way more military personnel living in San Diego.
* Earthquake risk is much lower in San Diego. If the CEA earthquake premiums are any guide to risk, San Diego is probably 1/5 that of the bay area.
* Lots of conferences are held in San Diego. This has a personal impact on me in that I have many friends/family that I get to see because they are going to the conference anyway.
* San Diego has more distinct neighborhoods compared with San Jose. San Jose, for the most part, is just a big suburb and the areas don't feel that different from each other.
This is totally accurate and a nice addition to the other things mentioned.
I would say the area that's the most similar to Silicon Valley is UTC/Sorrento Valley, and around the UCSD campus, where there is more of a concentration of biotech, scientists, Qualcomm engineers, and the likes. You'll get more of the educated, affluent, hard-working demographic, but it's still a notch more relaxed than Silicon Valley. And it sounds like you're distinctly NOT looking for this vibe.
I'll also private message you (the OP) with a few more thoughts!
It's great to know that SD has grown up!...and we are foodies as well so that is a requirement My husband enjoys a good beer so all the breweries are very exciting to him also. I like what you said that SD is in a sweet spot right now and the excitement of it. Sounds like with the job market being it's crutch, it won't turn into a busy, traffic congested area like Silicon Valley. The unique attributes you listed are all very interesting to us and it's exciting to imagine us embarking on discovering this new and exciting city. We're looking for a more laid-back lifestyle for sure. My husband worked in LA for a year, flew back and forth..he said even the people he dealt with in LA were more laid back than the people in Silicon Valley. It's an intense working environment here, people are stressed, they work hard at a record pace. They get paid well and jobs are booming..but then you hear of the poor old guy who drops dead at work before he even had a chance to enjoy his retirement years and it's a true wake up call.
**by the way It's-It can also be found at Costco! we love those a definite guilty pleasure!
YES to It's-It at Costco! I forgot about that but have bought them there. Vons, Albertson's and Wal-Mart also carry them in California!
I'd like to ask how you adjusted to the move. Leaving everyone friends/family to move to another city. I'm very concerned with feeling like a fish out of water. Is it better to send a private message?
In terms of adjusting and making a new network of friends here in san diego, it's been slow in my opinion. But I don't think my set of circumstances will be representative or indicative of what most others would experience moving here. My wife is more outgoing and she has had an easier time.
First, when we moved here we had a very sick dog that required a lot of attention. So we didn't get out as much as we had hoped. We spent a lot of time searching for an apartment that would meet her special needs. After that we got sucked into house hunting which can take a long time as a buyer. That first year we were here, we also did a lot of traveling to visit relatives (our close family is elsewhere in US and Can) which took more time away from SD.
Second, my wife and I are more or less early retirees. So we didn't have a work network to get instantly plugged into a social circle. San Diego has a lot of retirees but they are not in our age group. Not that we don't make friends with older folks, but it's just a little more difficult.
On the positive side, San Diego is a big city and you can always find people to match your hobbies and interests. We used meetup a quite a bit and made some friends there. San Diego has a lot of transplants so there are many people in the same situation, relatively new to the city and actively seeking new friends.
Not sure if this helps. Feel free to PM me too if you have other Qs.
I moved from Sacramento about 4 years ago. Cost of living is slightly higher here, (Sac used to be affordable back in the 90s). Don't love it, but it's okay. I really have trouble with the humidity here. Always feel slightly uncomfortable and in late summer when it gets really bad I'm pretty miserable. I guess I'm used to the more arid air of Sacramento where you're not breaking a sweat by simply brushing your teeth.
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My husband enjoys a good beer so all the breweries are very exciting to him also. I like what you said that SD is in a sweet spot right now and the excitement of it. Sounds like with the job market being it's crutch, it won't turn into a busy, traffic congested area like Silicon Valley. The unique attributes you listed are all very interesting to us and it's exciting to imagine us embarking on discovering this new and exciting city. We're looking for a more laid-back lifestyle for sure. My husband worked in LA for a year, flew back and forth..he said even the people he dealt with in LA were more laid back than the people in Silicon Valley. It's an intense working environment here, people are stressed, they work hard at a record pace. They get paid well and jobs are booming..but then you hear of the poor old guy who drops dead at work before he even had a chance to enjoy his retirement years and it's a true wake up call.
