San Diego....No Ka Oi !! (crime, public school, living)

[maui08]

Aloha

For any considering a move to Hawaii from SD....think again. We recently left SD for Maui and are now doing all we can to get back! We have lived in Hawaii for many years prior but our kids were much younger than. The schools here are horrible, the culture is questionable, weather is much hotter here, expensive, beautiful beaches, people are sketchy, lots of outdoor activities, list goes on and on.

-San Diego has great schools, perfect weather, is expensive, normal people for the most part, conveinance everywhere, kept up communities, very populated and busy, more opportunity to advance, etc.......

-Just wanted to vent! San Diego here we come.....again

[kcda]

Yes, you are right. I lived in Hawaii and would never live there again (with kids anyway). But, it's still one of my favorite of all places to visit! I love the culture, the beauty and that it's such a melting pot.

My dh was horrified at the largest newspaper in the islands, written at below an 8th grade education.

I went to public school there for awhile, we were taking spelling tests in the 10th grade! Our teachers were pot-smoking surfer dudes. Everyone carried pot around at school in little baggies and in the form of leis. They would go in the bathroom to smoke it and then pass it through the windows when the principal made their rounds.

[maui08]

Yeah, I know all about the pot. My oldest who has never been exposed to any of that stuff saw it on his first day here at public school. The cops were at his school at least 2 days out of the week for fights, drugs or alcohol!

People who move here with kids are horrified by the schools and they will never get any better. Todays paper had Hawaii schools at the lowest levels again on the front page!

It's beautiful here but not worth the trade offs for sure for living full time.

[jksouthbay88]

Ohhh man.I have an uncle that has lived in HLU(Saint Louis Hgts) area for the last 30 years and almost a year ago he had to get out of Hawaii.He also was a teacher and the schools in Hawaii suck so bad it's not even funny.Could not take it anymore.Now he lives in PHX and the people are "crazy" to him.He is considering San Diego but is leaning away more as a place to visit rather than live.Though I call San Diego a "postcard city"(dressed nice for visitors but an ok or not so great place for locals) Hawaii is the biggest "postcard" in the US by far.

[Unkllars]

I wouldn't mind retiring in HI, but when I lived there I got bored and I didn't see too many opportunities for work and growth as a youngin' in his early 20s at the time.

Come on back to SD!!!

[skywalker400]

Originally Posted by kcda

Yes, you are right. I lived in Hawaii and would never live there again (with kids anyway). But, it's still one of my favorite of all places to visit! I love the culture, the beauty and that it's such a melting pot.

My dh was horrified at the largest newspaper in the islands, written at below an 8th grade education.

I went to public school there for awhile, we were taking spelling tests in the 10th grade! Our teachers were pot-smoking surfer dudes. Everyone carried pot around at school in little baggies and in the form of leis. They would go in the bathroom to smoke it and then pass it through the windows when the principal made their rounds.

ROFL about pot-smoking surfer dudes, everytime there was a swell on the northside I knew I would have all subs that day. The teachers were nice, but complete space cadets when it came to teaching material. Sometimes I miss living Hawaii, sometimes I wonder how I made it out.

[josfari]

I currently live in Maui and feel the same way. We have a 10 mo old and are trying to find somewhere to relocate. I would never raise my son here but we are trying to get ahead. Is san diego the place?
After reading the forums, it seems well suited.

[maui08]

Originally Posted by josfari

I currently live in Maui and feel the same way. We have a 10 mo old and are trying to find somewhere to relocate. I would never raise my son here but we are trying to get ahead. Is san diego the place?
After reading the forums, it seems well suited.

Aloha

We feel like San Diego is the best place on earth to live. We have lived on the east coast, midwest, west and pacific regions at different points in our lives....San Diego by far has the most to offer and the only real negative we have found there is the cost of housing which seems to be declining more and more in todays market. The weather and schools are perfect. Weather is always in the 70's with an occasional hot day here and there in the 90's during the summer with cool nights....schools are all top rated as long as you stay closer to North County San Diego. Crime to pretty low compared to other cities but again, stay in North County and things are much better.

We have decided to give Maui one year. We just got back here for the third time and hated the idea of packing up and moving so quickly even though we all long to be in San Diego again. Maui is great but the weather is too hot for us and the schools are just plain horrible. -Lots of talk about improving school system here but nothing ever gets done. Changes here on the island of any kind are rarely seen or followed through with.

Good luck

[c_water_7]

I had thought I wanted to teach in Hawaii but after all the horrible things that have been posted I don't think it would be a good fit. I am hispanic and my husband is white and we have two school aged daughters. It seems like Hawaii would be a hostile environment for our young family because of its disorganized school system with subpar education made worse by racisim.

[ranzchic]

North County is part of the metro region but is not part of the city at all.