Bay area people vs. San Diego people (Los Angeles, Chula Vista: middle-class, house)

[Axeslinger754]

The reason I ask is that I plan to relocate from Santa Rosa to San Diego in the summer. I am 23, and would like a general consensus of the mentality amongst young people. Are they full of themselves, laid back, plastic...?

I am a bit tired of the vegan, food connesiouer, left wing bumper sticker vibe here. I don't care to discuss global matters, politics, or Obama when I go out for a drink.

On the other hand, I dont like the coke-sniffing, trendy dress shirt, plastic vibe either. What should I expect?

Im from back east (DC, Annapolis), where there seemed to be a plethora of NORMAL people. Here in CA I tend to notice people striving to be grouped into one of the above categories. Everyone seems to view themselves from the outside in, rather than the inside out, if you know what I mean...

Also, which neighborhood would I fit best in? I do like to party quite a bit (probably more than most), but I don't really like people with blunt edges.
I plan on attending SDSU to finish school. I am a musician, trying to make a career out of film scoring.

[NYSD1995]

San Diego's got all sorts. It's got the wine-sipping, iPhone-addled yoga-obsessed yuppies in the wealthy north county beaches, and the hip urban areas. Plenty of coked-out and drunken meatheads all over the county courtesy of the largest military infrastructure on the west-coast. And of course this being Southern California you certainly have the permanently-stoned hessian/surfer/gangster/tweaker/periced goon squad in large numbers.

"Regular people" are here. But they're not necessarily in the "cool areas". You'll have to go to the more mundane and middle-class side of San Diego to see that. And many people, once they see that side of town, decide that San Diego isn't paradise anymore.

As long as you consider 'Party' a verb, you'll find friends here. But my guess, at your age, and depending on if you want beaches or city, you should start with OB, PB or North Park for a year or so, see what fits, and move on from there. My only other piece of advice: if you want to make a living as a musician, especially in the film business, you want to live in Los Angeles, as there is basically nothing for you in San Diego.

[sav858]

You're probably just seeing what you want to see, which in this case is typical CA stereotypes. People are people where ever you go, the vibe/style may be different but most people are normal here just as anywhere else. Maybe you just don't get that and that's why you think people aren't "normal" here compared to DC. People here are more laid back and dress more casually than up north, aside from that I don't notice much of a difference overall once you get past the stereotypes.

Pacific Beach is the place to live if you like to party but it also has a fair amount of those SoCal stereotypes roaming around here. I live in PB and don't really care or pay much attention to those douchebags, but other people don't like this area b/c of the rowdiness and some of the types of people. Ocean Beach has good nightlife but it just has Bay Area (hippy, leftists) stereotypes roaming around instead of SoCal (trendy shirt douchebag) ones. If you want urban try to find areas near the Gaslamp Quarter like Little Italy, Downtown, North Park, etc....

[edwardius]

Have you thought about moving to LA?

I know USC has a program specifically in Film Scoring as does the Berklee School of Music, and I think UCLA has a program as well. My hunch is that the sooner you start making contacts with this group of people the better. I wouldn't be suprised if the music programs at a CSU in the LA region does that as well.

I love San Diego, but if I was interested professionally in film scoring, I would be moving straight out to LA. There are a lot more opportunities in that field up in LA.

[JSD45]

I grew up in Encinitas, but I went to school in Rancho Santa Fe and have a lot of friends from the "north county bubble" (i.e Del Mar, La Jolla, RSF, Olivenhain, Solana Beach and parts of Encinitas). Although you can find some normal rich people, I find that most people who didn't grow up there in that environment find the people really strange. And for good reason. The moms, dads and kids are into material things and the kids love to party, do coke and prescription pills and get hammered. Of course, that's a broad generalization, but I grew up there and that's what I've observed.

In high school, I loved to party and I admit, I did (and am clean now!) my fair share of prescription pills and other assorted drugs, like coke and weed. Believe me, north county parents know how to party...it's just not the kind of partying you'll encounter in PB.

That being said, a lot of people think that because you're from North County, you must be a weird and rich person who can't relate to anybody. And you're somebody who only likes to shop and do yoga. That simply isn't true. Although people might have nice cars or a beautiful home and/or do drugs, a lot of time they are NICE people who you can get along with.

Basically, don't judge people on where they come from. North county might not be as "fun" as Pacific Beach or Ocean Beach, but there are some really cool people up here and not all of them are rich. North County gets trash talked by people that don't live here and while a lot of the generalizations are true, they do not preclude you getting a long with them, making friends or having a great time.

[singlemom44]

I appreciate SanDiegoTeen being so honest about the drug situation in north county. I am still thinking about moving to Encinitas but I am concerned about the drug scene. I have boys who will be transfering to one of the middle schools and I need to start thinking about the high schools as well. Is there any high school that has less involvement with drugs? I know that is a tough question but my kids are coming from a catholic school so maybe I will send them to a catholic high school. I realize there is no guarantees with that either, but hopefully they'll have less opportunities during the school day. Why did you go to school in Rancho Santa Fe if you lived in Encinitas?

[BRinSM]

a friend of mine who went to a catholic high school had way more drug stories than me who just went to a regular public high school. i would think that drugs would be more prevelent in the catholic high schools solely based on the fact that they are expensive, which means that most of the students' parents are relatively wealthy. since drugs aren't cheap, the wealthier kids will have more money to buy drugs.

[Axeslinger754]

Originally Posted by callmesteph

Have you thought about moving to LA?

I know USC has a program specifically in Film Scoring as does the Berklee School of Music, and I think UCLA has a program as well. My hunch is that the sooner you start making contacts with this group of people the better. I wouldn't be suprised if the music programs at a CSU in the LA region does that as well.

I love San Diego, but if I was interested professionally in film scoring, I would be moving straight out to LA. There are a lot more opportunities in that field up in LA.

I have decided that LA is where I will live when I am ALREADY getting paid gigs. Im only 23, and that probably wont happen until I finish school, and San Diego is much more inviting to me than LA. In the coming years, where I will have to work a REAL job and finish school, I would rather be in SD. Plus its only like an hour from LA. SDSU's composition program is pretty cool, too. I checked out UCLA and USC but frankly it would take a lot of work to get in to those, not to mention the price, and the area they are in. Esspecially with film scoring, school is NOT a direct path to success. It is not even half the battle. It is about doing things different and being unique. I am already getting unpaid gigs here in the Bay Area through telecommuting. If anyone is interested to hear my work its at: Alexander Brown on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
or
http://www.myspace.com/alexanderebrown

[JSD45]

Originally Posted by singlemom44

I appreciate SanDiegoTeen being so honest about the drug situation in north county. I am still thinking about moving to Encinitas but I am concerned about the drug scene. I have boys who will be transfering to one of the middle schools and I need to start thinking about the high schools as well. Is there any high school that has less involvement with drugs? I know that is a tough question but my kids are coming from a catholic school so maybe I will send them to a catholic high school. I realize there is no guarantees with that either, but hopefully they'll have less opportunities during the school day. Why did you go to school in Rancho Santa Fe if you lived in Encinitas?

I went to high school in Encinitas, but middle and elementary in RSF because it was private, but Fairbanks Country Day is now closed. Drugs are everywhere, in Rancho Santa Fe and Logan Heights.

It's like weather. Weather is everywhere, but do you prepare your kids for the elements or do you just throw them out side in shorts and a t-shirt when it's raining? Of course you don't. All you have to do is be involved with your kid's lives...the MAJOR factor! My parents are great people, but being doctors, they didn't have the time to be with me after school. I also hid it well, because I got perfect grades, a ton of activities and I didn't look like a drug abusing kid. I was always well dressed, clean, neat and respectful towards adults and I didn't argue.

North County public schools are second-to-none in SD. Don't worry about the drug scene, everybody doesn't do it. A lot of people do, but it's up to you as a parents to know the signs (although I'll warn you, there were very little signs with me) and I can't stress this enough...BE INVOLVED WITH YOUR KID! You don't have to be with them all the time, but know where they are, what they are doing and have a open and trusting relationship. This doesn't mean accepting drug use, but be honest about your own (if applicable) drug use and explain why you did it and why you don't do it because it's bad. Even if you haven't used drugs, I find that saying you've smoked weed (what most kids do), but you don't now makes you more "real" and it gives you an opportunity to tell your kids, "I've been there, I made a mistake and here's why I don't do it anymore."

Nothing is less effective than a parent who rants but doesn't listen to the child.

Also do what my parents didn't do. Have you and your kid's friends over to your house for dinner and meet their parents. Knowing who your kid hangs out with is very important.

But she schools are great, San Dieguito Academy is fabulous...as is Encinitas! Very little crime, beautiful, a lot of beaches and great schools! I would move here in a heart beat. Drugs are everywhere from La Jolla to Chula Vista...you're not going to move to a "drug free" area. It's up to YOU to shape your kids attitude towards drugs and be involved!

PM me if you have any questions about housing in Encinitas, as its one of my passions or if you have any other general questions about north county.

Good luck!

[Axeslinger754]

So, hypothetically, if I were to move to LA instead of SD, where would be a good area for me? LA is a bit big and intimidating, and I am unsure of a good area for me. Any ideas, keeping in mind what I have said in previous posts?