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Hi thanks for the post again, I sent you an in mail message. I'd like to offer up a question to the forum, how's the move if you have kids to SD from Orlando, Fl. I am really thinking about making the move but interested in learning areas where its not super expensive to raise kids and still has a good school system. So far Orange County Florida's school system has been average to bad and with the economy the last thing I need is private school. The only other thing that I had some questions on as the diversity of races in SD (its always a little dicey to talk about this in a forum of strangers) but the overall impression I got in SD for the most part (outside of La Jolla) is that everyone seems to be taken on their own merit. For African Americans in some areas I got the feeling as if we were invisible? Ouch.. this did kind of sting (but the blatant racism in certain parts of the south is almost just as bad.) I'm of the impression if you are willing to work hard you can make it anywhere.
Just trying to warn people about San Diego. Oh boy, you have no idea what you are missing in Michigan! It is beautiful and jobs are easier to come by than San Diego. Glad you love San Diego, because someone has to pay all those taxes. Good luck with that and the water shortage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdurbanite
How many times can you post the same thing over and over again? Hope you're enjoying Detroit.
Just trying to warn people about San Diego. Oh boy, you have no idea what you are missing in Michigan! It is beautiful and jobs are easier to come by than San Diego. Glad you love San Diego, because someone has to pay all those taxes. Good luck with that and the water shortage.
So I've looked at the posts you've made on this thread, and also the posts I've seen you make elsewhere and the common theme seems to be telling the world how much you loathe San Diego. Now the funny thing is that you and I aren't all that much different - I also just recently moved from somewhere that I didn't care for: Orlando, Florida. However, not once have I thought to go back to that section of the forums and incessantly bash Orlando and Central Florida like it looks like you've done for San Diego. Why? Although I didn't like it, plenty of people enjoy living in FL. The reason I didn't care for it weren't absolutes but revolved around my preferences and what I enjoy doing. Now, if someone was to ask directly on a forum what I felt about living somewhere with high humidity, or if there's many parks and nature areas in Orlando... I would answer honestly. But I have no desire to mindlessly hijack threads with "Orlando sucks and you're insane if you want to live there AHHHH" etc.
Anyhow, my point isn't just regarding you alone - I've seen plenty of other people do the same thing you're doing (ie there's a doozy of a thread going on in the Orange County forums at the moment). But you state your opinions as fact, and although you're more than welcome to express your feelings realize that you're just making yourself look silly. Seeing all these "I hate ___ how could anyone live there" posts throughout City-Data is just rather redundant. Trust me, San Diego has its flaws and by no means do I think I live in some utopia that I will never wish to leave... but it's sure not an awful place to be.
Also, just to look at what I've quoted above... a good example. You say "jobs are easier to come by in Michigan." Is that so? So my husband who is an electrical engineer that deals with RF design would have an easier time getting a job in Michigan rather than here? Or how about someone that works in biotech? Blanket statements for anywhere never work!
Not to rain on your parade (because I honestly appreciate your positive attitude) but you might want to make it through a summer here before you proclaim your A/C unnecessary.
Come August and September, it'll be pretty toasty. Maybe not Florida humid, but mid 80s for sure. You may need to fire up the A/C!
This post makes me chuckle. Coming recently to San Diego from Dallas mid-eighties was the LOW during July, August, and September. We love to keep our windows open for fresh air and so far after being in San Diego for 3/4 a year we have kept windows open 24/7. Beats the heck out of Dallas.
One thing you probably don't realize is that San Diego's warmest month is August. And September is only a tiny bit cooler. Interestingly enough, the worst heat waves in California often happen in September or October. Also, the month of June so far has been cooler than average throughout California. Traffic in SD is generally not as bad as other urban parts of CA.
Depending on what part of SD you live in (closer to the coast is cooler), you may not need air conditioning. It's not likely you'll need it every day, in any case.
As far as liking it, I say give it 2 years. It often takes that long for the "honeymoon" period to wear off. A lot of people find that moving to CA is great at first. They love the weather, the things to do, the ocean, the scenery, etc. The negatives are not always apparent, especially to people who are in their 20s with no kids.
The usual complaints are centered around high housing costs, paying high taxes for mediocre/poor government services, illegal immigration issues, poor schools, high cost of housing, NIMBYs who block any kind of new development in the name of saving the environment, and a more materialistic/status/money driven mindest (although SD may be less this way than Los Angeles or the Bay Area). CA has the lowest credit rating of any state. And the ratings agencies are threatening to lower our credit rating some more. It speaks volumes how poorly governed California is.
If you have an above average income (sounds like the case for you and your DH) and don't have kids, some of these problems are a mere annoyance. But if your income is more moderate or you have kids (or both), then life here can be a real rat race.
Last but not least, there are the earthquakes, fires & other natural disasters. Of course, Florida has its share of those as well.
As far as liking it, I say give it 2 years. It often takes that long for the "honeymoon" period to wear off. A lot of people find that moving to CA is great at first. They love the weather, the things to do, the ocean, the scenery, etc. The negatives are not always apparent, especially to people who are in their 20s with no kids.
I totally agree with you that we're at the point in our lives where we don't have a lot of the stresses we may have later on (kids, debt, etc) that would cause CA to seem less desirable. One thing I don't get is people sacrificing the well-being of their family by living in a tiny home, crappy area, etc just to be in CA. There's plenty of other places we'd consider (Denver, Seattle, even Austin, TX) if things got more difficult for us out here. But... for now, I'm enjoying it.
I totally agree with you that we're at the point in our lives where we don't have a lot of the stresses we may have later on (kids, debt, etc) that would cause CA to seem less desirable. One thing I don't get is people sacrificing the well-being of their family by living in a tiny home, crappy area, etc just to be in CA. There's plenty of other places we'd consider (Denver, Seattle, even Austin, TX) if things got more difficult for us out here. But... for now, I'm enjoying it.
Yes, well there is a lot to enjoy about CA, despite the problems. I do love the weather here. Like another poster said, I like that I can leave my windows open 24/7 for much of the year (I live in San Jose, which has warmer summer days than coastal SD and chillier winters...but with the exception of 5 or 6 hot days, my windows have been open almost 24/7 since April).
The ocean, mountains and other scenery is great.
But the allure of California is not what it used to be for me.
Just some background...I'm 39, single, gay, and have a 50K annual income. I've lived here since 1995 in NorCal (Berkeley, Sacramento, and San Jose...most of that time in San Jose)...but I have visited San Diego, Los Angeles, & other parts of the state numerous times, in some cases, even before I moved here.
I live in a studio apartment (which is fine..I don't want/need to own my own place or have a big space). However, I sometimes I worry that I'll be permanently priced out of even my studio apartment (not likely in the current economy, but if/when the economy picks up, rents could skyrocket).
I also worry that our economy is slowly becoming less and less viable due to the overall high cost of doing business in the state. I also don't like that the middle class here has really been "hollowed out" even more than most places. It seems you're either rich, upper middle class, or working poor/welfare poor, without much in between. I fear that because the state is so badly managed, we're one major earthquake away from complete financial/social disaster. San Diego, in particular, has had problems with corruption in city government in recent years, related to over generous pension benefits that it is now on the hook for but will have a lot of trouble paying for.
There is also a water shortage, partly caused by drought, partly because of lack of conservation, and partly caused by environmentalists who won some court decisions that blocked pumping of water from the Sacramento River Delta in order to save some obscure species of fish.
Sorry if I sound too negative. There are definitely positives about living in SD and CA in general. I like the fact that I can be openly gay here without it being a big deal. But that is becoming increasingly true in many other parts of the country as well. The negatives of CA have kind of gnawed at me over time....It's kind of like waves eroding a cliff...the waves come in and take out a big piece of the cliff, and then things are ok for a while...and just when you think things are going to get better, BOOM, another big wave comes in and takes away another chunk of the cliff, etc.
I am also glad that you seem aware that there might be other places better suited to you if you decide to have children. Many, but not all, find that CA is not very family friendly. It sounds like you and your DH have fairly portable careers, so you could get out of here easily enough if things looked bad. Although as you get older, picking up and moving can get more difficult/complicated/expensive for a lot of people.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 06-22-2009 at 12:36 AM..
Well,
Glad you read my posts. Thanks for reading! By the way 2 years of trying to find a different job in San Diego, I move here to MI and find a job... in a month. With better pay than San Diego I might ad! My rent (is HALF), taxes and cost of living are dramatically less here in MI. Maybe read some of the other MI posts, hey you never know, you might like it here too! Open your mind. So what if I want to vent about San Diego and warn others, you seem to be venting on this site too. If I have a bad experience in a restaurant or city, I warn others, oh wait, from your posts, you just come here to bash people no places. Relax, it is ok for people to vent about cities and give information. I thought that is what this site is for. You seem pretty angry that any else can give an opinion. I hope you find some peace. Good luck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thepinksquid
So I've looked at the posts you've made on this thread, and also the posts I've seen you make elsewhere and the common theme seems to be telling the world how much you loathe San Diego. Now the funny thing is that you and I aren't all that much different - I also just recently moved from somewhere that I didn't care for: Orlando, Florida. However, not once have I thought to go back to that section of the forums and incessantly bash Orlando and Central Florida like it looks like you've done for San Diego. Why? Although I didn't like it, plenty of people enjoy living in FL. The reason I didn't care for it weren't absolutes but revolved around my preferences and what I enjoy doing. Now, if someone was to ask directly on a forum what I felt about living somewhere with high humidity, or if there's many parks and nature areas in Orlando... I would answer honestly. But I have no desire to mindlessly hijack threads with "Orlando sucks and you're insane if you want to live there AHHHH" etc.
Anyhow, my point isn't just regarding you alone - I've seen plenty of other people do the same thing you're doing (ie there's a doozy of a thread going on in the Orange County forums at the moment). But you state your opinions as fact, and although you're more than welcome to express your feelings realize that you're just making yourself look silly. Seeing all these "I hate ___ how could anyone live there" posts throughout City-Data is just rather redundant. Trust me, San Diego has its flaws and by no means do I think I live in some utopia that I will never wish to leave... but it's sure not an awful place to be.
Also, just to look at what I've quoted above... a good example. You say "jobs are easier to come by in Michigan." Is that so? So my husband who is an electrical engineer that deals with RF design would have an easier time getting a job in Michigan rather than here? Or how about someone that works in biotech? Blanket statements for anywhere never work!
...and I'm done.
Last edited by lobster5757; 06-22-2009 at 08:11 AM..
Well,
Glad you read my posts. Thanks for reading! By the way 2 years of trying to find a different job in San Diego, I move here to MI and find a job... in a month. With better pay than San Diego I might ad! My rent (is HALF), taxes and cost of living are dramatically less here in MI. Maybe read some of the other MI posts, hey you never know, you might like it here too! Open your mind. So what if I want to vent about San Diego and warn others, you seem to be venting on this site too. If I have a bad experience in a restaurant or city, I warn others, oh wait, from your posts, you just come here to bash people no places. Relax, it is ok for people to vent about cities and give information. I thought that is what this site is for. You seem pretty angry that any else can give an opinion. I hope you find some peace. Good luck.
If you like living there so much, you should concentrate on doing the things that you like there, and not post about hating San Diego so much. There's enough negativity in the world now.
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Awww.
