How is San Diego for a recent college grad? (San Francisco: rent, crime)

[ComfortablyNumb]

Sorry, I've posted in the San Francisco and LA forums as well... and the cost of living in California is repeatedly giving a merciless beating to my hopes of sunshine and bright blue waters.

I am majoring in History in December, and would ultimately prefer to move to wherever I move within the next few months. Is the job market good in San Diego? Would I be able to find a job with my History degree that I could pay the rent with? Do you have any idea? Also, is San Diego a good place for singles? Is it a liberal unfriendly place; I assume since it's in California it has to be pretty welcoming, even if it is the most conservative of the big 3. I'm liberal, but I'm realistic and not crazy in the "The Bush Regime engineered 9/11!" sense. I hate cities that are extremely religious.

I'm ambitious, yet nowhere near as ambitious as a lot of the cutthroat ambition in the Bay Area. More high-end Wisconsin ambition, which usually consists mostly of "GET. OUT." So I'd like to be around interesting, intelligent young people. I don't need crazy nightlife, but I'd like a "homey" feeling city. What areas of San Diego would you recommend? I have a lot of friends moving to california- many who don't know where yet- so rooming could also be a possibility.

I prefer a laid back life. I don't care that much about how much money i make, as long as it's enough to be happy. I do hate cookie cutter housing though- like the heinous crime that is Silicon Valley. I hear San Diego is similar to that. Are their affordable areas around downtown-ish? Is traffic quite good?

Sorry for how rambling this is.

Thanks for any help!

[old_RROCR]

My son graduated last June and moved to Pacific Beach (north of San Diego). It appears that that is a great place for young people (especially in summer), but don't know about the professional job market for History majors. Don't fret though - virtually no-one works in the industry they thought they would! My wife graduated with a degree in Journalism but ended up taking computer programming courses from ITT, made a major career change, and doubled her pay. This of course was before all programming had moved off-shore.

[kettlepot]

I believe San Diego is great for singles. First, as a military town, being young and single is the norm rather than the exception. Laid back is also the norm. Hardly any jobs involve wearing a suit and tie, just a tie, or even a dress shirt. Shorts and sandals are seen frequently, even on people who should have given up the shorts with the advent of their varicose veins and cellulite.

As for the political/cultural atmoshpere of the City of San Diego, I would describe it as leaning towards a relatively secular moderately conservative/libertarian mindset. South of I-8 is left of center; North of I-8 is right of center. The city is not especially religious, that better describes the rural East County area, but San Diego is definitely not anti-religious the way most west coast liberals seem to be these days. In general the city LOVES the military, and are glad they are here from both an economic and a patriotic standpoint. Because of that military presence, San Diego almost always has a lower than average unemployment rate.

South of I-8 you will be able to find lots of decent urban neighborhoods that are not cookie-cutter and soulless. There are many areas that would be appropriate for you. I'll list them as best I can. North of I-8: Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and Del Mar. PB does have a crazy nightlife, and LJ and DM are expensive. More realistic for you going west to east are the neighborhoods along the south side of I-8: Mission Hills, Hillcrest, University Heights, North Park, Normal Heights, and Kensington. As always some parts of these neighborhoods are better than other parts. Further east are the neighborhoods of Talmadge, El Cerrito, and Rolando, and the city of La Mesa. These were built in the 30's, 40's and 50's. They range from decent to quite nice, are not cookie-cutter, but probably are not what you are looking for. Also to be considered are the areas to the west of Balboa Park: Bankers Hill and Little Italy, and to the east of the park: Burlingame, and South Park. Many people are enjoying Downtown these days, and you might too, but I wouldn't call it 'homey'.

Do NOT live or work where you will have to commute on the I-15. The other freeways have rush hour issues too, they have work arounds. I hope this gives you some answers. If you have more specific questions please ask or read up on other threads to get information on specific neighborhoods.

[dynomite1]

PB. is great for fun and drinking. Not many jobs outside bar tending and waiter jobs. SD. is not really a place to build your career. Try LA. for that.