Need a little help with the decision to move (San Diego: apartment, rentals)

[hatetherain]

My girlfriend and I are planning to move from Oregon. It rains 9 months out of the year, and we're sick of it. I do love the cool stores in my city, the museums, huge used bookstores, retro arcades, record stores, the diversity of culture (we have 3 Ethiopian restaurants), cult movie theater... but the damned rain is getting us down.

We've been looking at moving to san diego because we've heard so many good things about it. Also looking at Las Vegas but there seems to be a huge problem with crime at the moment and the IT job market isn't great.

I have an IT degree and a couple of IT related certifications, my girlfriend wants to go to community college to get her degree. We don't have kids and don't plan on having any. We want to be in a decent area but not have to pay 1200$ for a one bedroom apartment. We're laid back and love the beach. I'd like to be in a hipster type of area with retro stores. We aren't into the club scene or drinking, in our 30's, don't care about churches or schools.

Does anyone have any suggestions at all about what area to look at (even if its not exactly in San Diego), and how's the IT job market? Thank you very much in advance.

[revelated]

Originally Posted by hatetherain

I have an IT degree and a couple of IT related certifications, my girlfriend wants to go to community college to get her degree. We don't have kids and don't plan on having any. We want to be in a decent area but not have to pay 1200$ for a one bedroom apartment. We're laid back and love the beach. I'd like to be in a hipster type of area with retro stores. We aren't into the club scene or drinking, in our 30's, don't care about churches or schools.

If it weren't for the price limitation I'd say San Diego can give you half of what you want.

Others might have a different opinion, but have you considered Silicon Valley, San Mateo, Mountain View, or Cisco area?

[mewzikguy]

You guys would do great in Hillcrest, North Park, Ocean Beach- - all fun funky areas with shops, galleries, eateries. . . If you move, Welcome

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by mewzikguy

You guys would do great in Hillcrest, North Park, Ocean Beach- - all fun funky areas with shops, galleries, eateries. . . If you move, Welcome

Ditto to what mewzikguy said, plus you should consider University Heights, South Park/Burlingame, and Normal Heights.

In order of what you want I would say its

Hillcrest - Is probably priciest on this list - rents are pushed up by its proximity to the 2 hospitals

Ocean Beach - Also higher rental costs because of its beach location. Also, it's a bit difficult to commute into and out of.

University Heights - It's southern edge is walkable to Hillcrest, but isn't as pricey. It has it's own small retail area with a couple of decent restaurants, but you can still walk to Hillcrest in the early evening, and then catch a short cab ride home.

North Park - It's starting to have a bit of a scene around 30th and University, but it's not quite there yet. Rents are cheaper than Hillcrest and UH. However, if you liked the area you could start out as renters, and then later on buy a nice craftsman bungalow closer to the park without actually having to hit the lottery.

South Park - Lots of neat bungalows and semi-mansions, some funky businesses, not a full panoply like a Hillcrest. Still it would be a quick drive to Downtown/Gaslamp or Hillcrest

Normal Heights - It's a bit dumpy south of Adams, but it might be a good choice if it makes your budget work. Later on as your income increases you might move elsewhere. Besides, lets face it, if an area is organically hip then it is by definition a bit dumpy. If an area is hipster and nice, then its more an ersatz hipster area - more of a Disneyesque version of what hip is supposed to be. Kind of like Disneyland's Main Street USA is like real Main Street without the drunks in the alleys, and the Hoochie Club Bar and Grill.

Finally, if you can afford it, Middletown/South Mission Hills, Park West, and Little Italy might give you what you want, but probably not on your budget. Little Italy is the quintessential Disney version of a Hip area created by the Centre City Development corporation. It's nice, but it's creation was from the top down, not the ground up.

[Unkllars]

Your major IT hub is Sorrento Valley, so it depends on how long you want the commute. Some of the cities mentioned are fairly close for a commute to Sorrento.

[RD5050]

Pacific Beach is another good area for you to check. It's mostly a college aged crowd, with surfing, volleyball, etc. Plenty of apartment rentals all over PB. It's also right next to Mission Bay, which is a great area for outdoors fun.

It's easy to get on the I-5, which is right next to PB, and that will give you easy access to driving either north or south to get to work.

Check San Diego Craigslist to get an idea of rental costs in each area:

san diego apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

[hatetherain]

Thank you all for the positive feedback, it will definitely help in our move. This forum is an invaluable source of information and genuine people offering much appreciated help.