Worth moving to SD area from Bay Area? (San Diego, San Francisco: fit in, rent)

[bhatia333]

Hi,
I would be offered a tech job in SD soon and was considering the pros and cons of moving from Bay Area CA to down South in SD. I am confused if this is a wise move. The job in SD is in a very stable company but the "last in first out" (I fear though may not be true) can be applicable if they decide to layoff.
Among many things one of my reason to start looking in SD was cheaper housing (esp in some areas like Escondido) than Bay Area. But now that I look at the home pricing in Bay Area has dropped considerably. Although Escondido is not my first preference (heard some nasty stuff about crime in Escondido, could be exaggerated), but home prices in areas like Rancho Bernardo and Poway are really expensive and almost same as Bay Area.

I would really like to hear from people who have done such a move from Bay Area to the San Diego area. Does it make economic sense to do that?
Also I am planning on buying a house in Escondido area (Eureka Springs Centex homes) if I do make the move. Wanted to know how that area is and how is the commute down to the Mira Mesa Blvd (805 side).

Any other suggestions are most welcome.

[bhatia333]

No Replies? Very suprising... please do help me out if someone has any idea about the areas/decision I questioned about.

[sav858]

Is cheaper housing the only reason you want to move? It's cheaper than the Bay Area but not like the difference say between the Bay Area and Arizona or Nevada.

I don't commute in that area but the traffic is generally pretty heavy along that corridor and you would be going the commute direction. Traffic overall isn't as bad as the Bay Area but we also don't have a system like BART.

I grew up in the East Bay and moved down here 8 years ago and I like it but some don't of course. Escondido and North County in general is more conservative than the Bay Area and that can bother some people. It's a different vibe and culture here, more beach/outdoor oriented and less of that liberal/psuedo-intellectual vibe/culture. It's also less than 1/2 the size as the Bay Area so it won't have all the amenities the bay has but it's still big enough to have what you need imo. Plus LA is not a far drive if you need a bigger city experience for the weekend or something, lots of good museums and cultureal attractions up there.

[sfosyd]

One important thing to consider is that the tech job opportunities in San Diego are very limited compared to the Bay Area. Also, many tech jobs offer much lower salaries. The cost of living is really not that much different. I'm amazed by how much prices have dropped in nice, safe areas like Fremont. Personally, I would much rather live in an area like Fremont than Escondido simply due to the job opportunities, diversity and having BART. However, I love the coast and the city areas of San Diego which are much more affordable and much better weather than areas like Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Marin etc.

[bhatia333]

Thanks for your responses. It really helps me to think over things which I might be missing out on.
sav858....cheaper housing + laid back work enviorment factor + beach enviorment. Also I agree the difference in housing is not the same as going to Nevada or Arizona, but then you completely loose the beach access and the California culture over there.

My wife and me would be carpooling. Would that make the trip any better?

sfosyd...I agree the tech job opportunity in Bay Area is more...but as I mentioned above the laid back enviorment is also a factor for me. Salary is not a factor as I hope to make more or less the same as in Bay Area. You are right that prices in Bay area have dropped considerablly but the thing is that I still get more (sq ft ...age of home...area e.g. $450000 will fetch a decent home in Rancho Bern or Poway but in Bay Area I might have to go further south like Blossom Hill) for the same price in SD area.

[NYSD1995]

It is hard to say without specifics. It depends on a lot of factors like your specialty within tech and your career goals. If you are looking for a career with top-tier, name brand tech corps than you will be sacrificing a lot of opportunity by moving to San Diego. There are some big shops here but a layoff or two puts you in a very small pool of potential employers.

But perhaps you are on the downward slope of your career trajectory or are willing to take on a job with a more small-time company. If you are willing to sacrifice career opportunity for the so-called "laid-back" lifestyle than SD is for you. The trick to remember is - it's hard to be "laid back" when you are "unemployed". My experience is that these mom-n-pop tech shops are so chaotic that they are much more stressful than working for a well-funded large tech corp.

Personally if I had to do it all over again, I would have bitten the bullet of high housing costs and made it happen in the bay area. San Diego is not good for tech unless you are a wireless engineer or have TS clearance or some other specialty. You do get underpaid here which negates a lot of the housing cost savings of the region. That said, if you have a good opp with a good corp, at SF Bay area pay, and think you can go the distance with them, go for it. Those opps don't come along every day.

[zango]

Good luck on your move. Most people i know from the Bay area are really happy here. Better weather, more affordable housing, more to do. You fit into the small group of people who actually get an economic bump by moving to SD.

[bhatia333]

Sassberto,
As usual (my perception from reading other posts from you) your advice is an eye opener. Well for the record, I will be working in Qualcomm, so the small Co. factor is not there. I work more with critical operations of databases (Oracle) and it gives me a sense that job would be more or less stable, although nothing can be guaranteed in this economy anywhere. Were you also a techie living in Bay Area in your past life?
One thing which seems like a good idea to me and encourages me to take this move, is to buy a 2-bed condo as soon as I land there for about $150k (few on the MLS listing) as it is a low risk and I feel that I can payoff soon or rent it out if I dont like being in SD or am laid off. Since the price is low, the risk is also low and I build some equity instead of renting. Now one of the realtors told me that its not a good idea as the property management and resale of a condo can be tough. Would like to know your/forum's view on this.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by bhatia333

Sassberto,
Well for the record, I will be working in Qualcomm, so the small Co. factor is not there. I work more with critical operations of databases (Oracle) and it gives me a sense that job would be more or less stable, although nothing can be guaranteed in this economy anywhere. Were you also a techie living in Bay Area in your past life?

Well you can't get a better corp in San Diego. My sister-in-law works there and absolutely loves it. If that is the corp then you can't go wrong.

I have been in tech for 10+ years in San Diego. I do internet stuff mostly. Don't have the background for wireless R&D so I've had to scramble around the periphery working for mom-n-pops and the occasional small public corp. I work for a relatively large (1B+ revenue) corp and there is no stability here. There are jobs here but not enough breadth to build a career. It's better to come here as you are, from the big leagues ;-)

Good luck.

[lobster5757]

I lived in Marin and Fairfiled and you will NOT like San Diego. The city is dirty, overcrowded and a mess. I just moved out of San Diego about a month and a half ago..after 10 years. It was inexpensive weird little city when I moved there, and when I left it was a big, overpopulated area with nightmere traffic.

The beach is beautiful, but that is all. The forrest by Julian burned down, but there is the desert too.

If you are wealthy you will love La Jolla or the other more affluient areas. Just to warn you too, Mira Mesa has a lot of crime, Poway is ok, but the traffic on the 805,15 and 52 are awful. The traffic in the bay area is about the same. (My family still lives in the bay area so I visit often.)

I will warn you moving from the bay area to S.D. the food is trriable in San Diego. LA has great food, but San Diego has a few good restaurants, but in La Jolla and a few in the dirty downtown San Diego area.

There has been and continues to be many cuts in the budgets, mental illness in rampent in S.D. as is the homeless population, especially in Ocean Beach. Trust me, it is REALLY bad.

I just moved out of CA and I am a native, the only place I would move back to is the Bay Area. I love my new state, open space, trees, the people are much more laid back. Hey, no DMV! San Diego is great if you are a college student or are wealthy, otherwise it is not a good place to live, AT ALL. Please email me with questions, I really want to save anyone the trouble I went through.

Originally Posted by bhatia333

Hi,
I would be offered a tech job in SD soon and was considering the pros and cons of moving from Bay Area CA to down South in SD. I am confused if this is a wise move. The job in SD is in a very stable company but the "last in first out" (I fear though may not be true) can be applicable if they decide to layoff.
Among many things one of my reason to start looking in SD was cheaper housing (esp in some areas like Escondido) than Bay Area. But now that I look at the home pricing in Bay Area has dropped considerably. Although Escondido is not my first preference (heard some nasty stuff about crime in Escondido, could be exaggerated), but home prices in areas like Rancho Bernardo and Poway are really expensive and almost same as Bay Area.

I would really like to hear from people who have done such a move from Bay Area to the San Diego area. Does it make economic sense to do that?
Also I am planning on buying a house in Escondido area (Eureka Springs Centex homes) if I do make the move. Wanted to know how that area is and how is the commute down to the Mira Mesa Blvd (805 side).

Any other suggestions are most welcome.