San Diego vs South Florida (property taxes, job, housing)

[sav858]

Originally Posted by planetsurf

Most of the negative points of each are toss-ups or close to it. Summers in SoFla vs winters in SD. Really high housing costs vs. high housing costs, crime vs crime, etc..

While I'll agree SD's winters can get a bit chilly, especially at night and I do wish SD was a little bit warmer on the coast, I think FL's summers are worse and more uncomfortable than SD's winters. You need AC 24/7 in summer there. In winter here you only need your heater at night and for some near the coast, not at all. While it may not always be warm it's almost always a comfortable temperature during the day.

When you look at prices of homes then SD is defiantly higher overall but property taxes and homeowners insurance are much higher in South Florida. That combined with Miami's notoriously low salaries, worse than SD's.

Okay I'm sorry but you cannot compare crime here to Miami. Miami is one of the most dangerous cities in America and South Florida is one of the most dangerous metropolitan areas in the nation. I read yesterday on the MiamiHerald.com about two seperate incidents where two toddlers were shot. One was playing with his dad who was shot dead and got hit with a bullet; you do not see stuff like that here. And that's not even the worse thing I've read there in the past month or so. There is so much gun and domestic violence down there.

And while San Diego may have some illegal immigrants, they are mostly mexicans. Miami has a hodgepodge of various third world immigrants who don't get along with each other. You have refugees from Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. We don't find the sacrificed remains of animals dumped in our parks from some weird Caribbean religion.

Like any city the Miami area has it's good part and bad parts but overall it's seems like a more stressful place to live with a lower quality of life than SD. But you get more big city action, entertainment, vibe, ect... I'm not saying I wouldn't live in Miami and I might in the near future, but I love SD for what it is and it's a great place to live for many.

[LookingtoLeave]

Originally Posted by planetsurf

Or Miami.



San Diego has ... a decent little museum in La Jolla. The W is ok for drinks, no ethnic neighborhoods to speak of, but Filibertos is ok. Hiking is Torrey Pines is really fun the first time.
Julian? The sculpture park in Escondido? Nice places but not really worth 2 visits.
We do go to the zoo a lot.


I'm a city guy, if I could afford to buy a 3 bedroom apart in NYC we would move our family there in a second.
SD is just ok to me and just right for some people.

If Tallie thinks the slower vibe in SD is to their liking, they should move here.

(And NOBODY goes to Calle Ocho to 'visit,' it's a hole. You go there to eat at your favorite restaurant.)

I couldn't fathom comparing Miami to LA, Chicago, or NYC-the great metro cities. I vacation about 2-3 times per year and always have a place to stay in Miami, but never go as I see nothing cosmopolitan about it-although I do agree SD is not either. It's not super built up in terms of architecture like NY or Chicago (which I personally like) and while it's not ugly, it's not beautiful-imo only.

I am completely with you on the NYC thing. I'd move there the day immediately after I graduate if I didn't have a little one to worry about.

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by sav858

Okay I'm sorry but you cannot compare crime here to Miami. Miami is one of the most dangerous cities in America and South Florida is one of the most dangerous metropolitan areas in the nation. I read yesterday on the MiamiHerald.com about two seperate incidents where two toddlers were shot. One was playing with his dad who was shot dead and got hit with a bullet; you do not see stuff like that here. And that's not even the worse thing I've read there in the past month or so. There is so much gun and domestic violence down there.
...
Like any city the Miami area has it's good part and bad parts but overall it's seems like a more stressful place to live with a lower quality of life than SD.

As you said before sav858, each place is different with different vibes. A lot of the nuisance stuff is a toss-up. You may think the winters in SD outweigh summers in SoFla, but my wife would think you're nuts, she's ALWAYS cold here.
Unlike most people, I'm just trying to lay out what I think, what my opinion is without a pollyanna attitude, and try and give tallie another perspective.

As to crime, the city of Miami has more ghettos than the city of SD, so it isn't really an apples to apples comparison. Let's try Encinitas to Coral Gables:
Latest 2006 Crimes per 100,000 People:

Coral Gables, FL Encinitas, CA National
Murder: 0 5 7
Forcible Rape: 9.18 13.32 32.2
Robbery: 80.3 79.9 205.8
Aggravated Assault: 181.2 173.2 336.5
Burglary: 839.6 539.5 813.2
Larceny Theft: 3791.8 1172.1 2601.7
Vehicle Theft: 261.5 283 501.5

About the same. Overall SoFla def has more robbery/thefts and murders, SD more rapes and car thefts.
Whatever. Miami has more crime, yes. It's not Detroit though. Don't go to the crazy neighborhoods/ghettos and it's a pretty normal bigger city. Nobody I know has EVER been a victim of any serious crime. Yes, headless chickens and goats are occasionally found in canals. Wow. Not my problem though, just part of the 'sabor.' ;-)

I think your last summation was the best sav858, if you want a quieter, more laid-back city, SD is for you tallie. You want more city feel, SoFla is it.
Good luck.

[SanAntoQT]

Originally Posted by planetsurf

Thank you SanAntoQT for making my point about SD being provincial.
When we first moved here , we were a little surpirsed that it was so different from LA, we just didn't know. Well, we were informed "We are NOT LA" & "Not like THOSE people". After 5 years here, we are still not sure who THOSE people are?

The second thing people would say, if you weren't THRILLED with the privilege of living in SD, then "well maybe you should leave." Amazing, what business is it of theirs?

Being that I've only lived in San Diego for a little over a year, I guess the "provincial" attitude comes from having lived in my hometown for most of my life.

I worked at a firm whose main office was in Miami, so trips out there were sometimes necessary. All I needed was one trip and I was so done with Miami. It was not my cup of tea AT ALL!

I don't think it's so much that you're not thrilled with the privilege of living in San Diego, but most likely the attitude that you'd rather be somewhere you think is soooo much better. Truth is, if you don't like where you are, you should move. Why be in a place you really don't like? Life's too short to live in misery.

[compelled to reply]

MIAMI-DADE County is much much more dangerous than SD. San Diego didn't really have any "ghettos" but had "barrios", while Miami is like a cross between the two. In terms of a real comparison, I think LA is more comparable to Miami-Dade (not saying one is better or worse), Ft. Lauderdale is more like SD (not saying one is better or worse), and Palm Beach County is like the OC (Not saying one is better or worse).

-Miami-Dade County has more crime than LA County
-Palm Beach County has more crime than Orange County
-Broward County and San Diego County rank about the same, however robbery and larceny is higher in Broward County and auto theft is much higher in SD County. Both have below national average burglary and homicide rates.

-Miami-Dade county is conservative leaning, LA County is very liberal
-Palm Beach County is pretty liberal. Orange County is pretty conservative.
-The People's Republic of Broward County is very liberal. San Diego County is moderate conservative.

-LA County is a very diverse place, more so than almost anywhere in the whole country. Miami-Dade County is over 60% Hispanic of various backgrounds.
-Orange County has an almost immeasurable black population but a lot of Asians and Hispanics mostly from Mexico or Central America and tips on a white majority. Palm Beach County has an almost immeasurable Asian population but a lot of blacks (largely in poverty) and a lot of Hispanics mostly from Mexico or Central America (really!) and tips on a white majority.
-Broward County is a fairly diverse place lacking an ethnic majority (tips on white), however it's Asian population is relatively insignificant. SD County is a very diverse place lacking an ethnic majority (tips on white), however it's black population is relatively insignificant. People of different races tend to get along better in Broward compared to Dade or Palm Beach and about the same as CA. Most Hispanics in San Diego are Mexican and working class, and most Hispanics in Broward County are from South America and are middle to upper middle class (go figure).

California has a superior job market to Florida, however the unemployment rate is almost half in FL.
Florida has much cheaper real estate than California, and lower taxes in every category (including prop taxes).
California has much cheaper homeowners insurance rates.
So Cal has a generally superior climate.
So Fla has superior air quality.
Both have crappy schools but a few standouts exist.
The traffic in So Cal is slightly worse than Miami-Dade and much worse than the other two counties in FL.
Both have people with a plastic tendency. However Californians have better mannerisms.
The water quality and sand are superior on FL beaches, however CA has bigger waves for the surfers.
The scenery in California is (subjectively) superior (IMO)
If you have a serious fear of flying cockroaches, be weary of FL!!



So be fair, don't compare SD to Miami, compared SD to the areas ABOVE Miami.

[grindin]

Miami is more similar to Los Angeles than SD. Palm Beach County and Broward County are a lot more smiliar to SD in terms of lifestyle, and even that's a stretch...Though Boca Raton is sort of like La Jolla/Rancho Santa Fe. Pembroke Pines is similar to Chula Vista (Older part closer to the sea, newer parts in the hinterland).

I lived in SD and the Tampa Bay Area, and have family in South Florida, so I've seen the good and bad and both.

San Diego is way more slow-paced than Miami, but it seemed more fast paced to me than Tampa/St. Pete. Both beat Mississippi (where I suffered-I mean lived for 9 years) so I can see how someone from MIA would find San Diego 'boring'. However, that's relative. Because you have the beaches, mountains, Vega$, LA, SF, Mexico all nearby, so when you run out of things to do in SD, there are nearby places. South Florida is waaaaaaaaaaaay down there, and the closest cities are Tampa and Orlando. To me, if I lived in SoFlo, i'd have no reason to go to Tampa Bay, and I'd only go to O-town if I had kids. Otherwise, you have to fly to get away from Florida to get a change of scenery.

Keep in mind that salaries in Florida tend to be lower than salaries in California! One thing I really hated about Florida when I lived there were the low salaries and the high cost-of-living. So the housing is high, and you have to pay out the wazoo to keep from living in the hood. And there was this overall trashiness of the state that left a lot to be desired.

Crime is much higher in South Florida, and slummy areas tend to be next to wealthy areas in some parts.

And please keep in mind that yeah, while it's diverse, people pretty much distrust and hate each other down there. African-Americans don't get along with Hatians and Jamaicans, Cubans don't get along with Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, etc...San Diegans tended to get along a lot better when I lived there. It is a diverse city, but it's more Mexican influenced, with a strong Asian presence. However, it's nowhere near as diverse as LA or the Yay area.

Summers in Florida are not for the faint-of-heart. I truly believe hell is standing in line at Walt Disney World at 3 in the afternoon in July.

San Diego seems to be a much more calmer place. I always felt like a riot could break out any minute when I would visit Miami. I guess it's all that heat and humidity.

I will say that I think the beaches are waaaay better in Florida for swimming than Cali's. The Pacific is better for surfing though.

I know I'm pretty much repeating what's already been said, just my .02

I hated Tampa, and got out of there ASAP. I'm in Atlanta, and even though there is no ocean nearby and I spend half of my day in traffic, LOL, I'm much happier here than I was there.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by grindin

Crime is much higher in South Florida, and slummy areas tend to be next to wealthy areas in some parts.

While I agree as a whole the crime is worse, "much higher" is a stretch statistically and realistically. Have you been reading the Miami forum too much? Miami-Dade has serious crime issues but Palm Beach has a lot of parts that are pretty safe (ranks 64th most dangerous in the country) although they have been struggling with a major gang issue, and Broward (ranks 129th most dangerous in the country) has a similar crime rate to SD County, but there are more robberies.

[grindin]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

-Broward County is a fairly diverse place lacking an ethnic majority (tips on white), however it's Asian population is relatively insignificant. SD County is a very diverse place lacking an ethnic majority (tips on white), however it's black population is relatively insignificant. People of different races tend to get along better in Broward compared to Dade or Palm Beach and about the same as CA. Most Hispanics in San Diego are Mexican and working class, and most Hispanics in Broward County are from South America and are middle to upper middle class (go figure).

Broward County has a large black middle class population, mainly West Indian immigrants who have settled in Miramar/Pembroke Pines area. While a nice area, they're in reclaimed swampland, so you can imagine the hordes of bugs.

Also, my cousins nickname Weston, "Westonzuela" because of all the Venezuelans that live there. Weston is a very upscale community (similar to Penasquitos or Scripps Ranch) and a lot of well-to-do Venezuelans fleeing the Chavez regime have migrated there over the years.

I find San Diego's black community very lacking. Growing up, whenever we went down south to visit relatives, I didn't know that many black folks existed in the world. LOL. Whenever we would drive down there, we always remarked how we couldn't find any R&B stations until we reached Dallas. When I moved to Mississippi, I went from a school that was 20% black (I went to O'Farrell on Skyline Drive) to a high school that was 100% black.


My dad was a minister at the time, so most of the black community we knew was a part of our church or other churches (Bayview Baptist seems to be the main 'black' church over in SE San Diego) or large community organizations.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by grindin

Broward County has a large black middle class population, mainly West Indian immigrants who have settled in Miramar/Pembroke Pines area. While a nice area, they're in reclaimed swampland, so you can imagine the hordes of bugs.

I live in Weston (even more swampy) and I have never even seen a roach before . Guess it's more luck? There are blacks starting to move out here too.

Broward County does have a large black middle class population if that is important. There tends to be little difference between the racial makeup of affluent or poorer communities around here actually (of course with exceptions). Sunrise also has the lowest disparity between black and white residents in the whole country. 9 dollar difference between what a black and white person earns on average (at least according to the City-Data top 101 lists). However, this area has some serious class division issues, but racial relations are pretty good, I give it an 8-9 for that and give Miami-Dade a 3 and Palm Beach a 5 for that.

[grindin]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

While I agree as a whole the crime is worse, "much higher" is a stretch statistically and realistically. Have you been reading the Miami forum too much? Miami-Dade has serious crime issues but Palm Beach has a lot of parts that are pretty safe (ranks 64th most dangerous in the country) although they have been struggling with a major gang issue, and Broward (ranks 129th most dangerous in the country) has a similar crime rate to SD County, but there are more robberies.

Yeah, Miami-Dade really skews it and screws statistics up for the rest of SoFlo. However, parts of West Palm and Riviera Beach are no walk-in-the-park though.