Moving to San Diego (Los Angeles, San Francisco: real estate, apartments, rental)

[BNS]

Thinking about relocating to San Diego and need information on the city.
Bad location or good location, crime rate, Christian schools, what are the good areas of town and what are the rental prices?

[Roman11]

I've lived here for about 30+ years now. I would first ask what your looking for Price-wise? San Diego is very spread out and price is everything out here. It's going to be more expensive the closer you get to the beach. Remember, San Diego is Americas Finest City and you're going to pay for it. It is beautiful out here and the weather can't be beat and the People are quite diverse too.

[Beverly V]

After recently moving from the San Diego area, I can give you some information on it. San Diego is a very expensive place to live, unless you have a high paying job. Apartments and houses are hard to find west of I 5. Also, it's cooler with more dampness and ocean breezes. East County is more affordable but you're looking at warmer temperatures and drier air. North County is too pricey and takes too long to commute. South County has some areas of affordability, but you're looking at more crime the closer you get to the border. The downtown area is built up with high rises and high priced condos. My husband and I had a six digit income and could barely make ends meet. When it rained, you're looking at an hour and a half commute to downtown if you're within 20 to 25 miles from there. Too many commuters are impatient and take their impatience out on other drivers making the thought of commuting dreadful. The place is over-populated and over-rated. There is a "fire season" which can be pretty scarey (if you recall the huge fire there a year ago in October). Most of the people are unfriendly and wary of strangers. The people think you're weird if you say good morning to them. They don't bother to hold a door open for you if you're behind them, and if you hold a door for someone behind you, that person doesn't bother to say thank you. Manners have gone out the window. We moved away in June and have no regrets. We wanted a normal life again.

[Roman11]

BNS-
Well after that last post you probably don't want to come the San Diego now. I too will be moving because it's expensive and work transfer, but it is a very nice place to live and bring a family up. Not sure where Beverly lived but not everybody here in San Diego is weird or impolite. I live in North San Diego county and think this is the nicer area to move to. Inland is definitely less expensive than the coast but still expensive compared to the rest of the country. Poway area has the best school district and there are some Christian schools depending on what kind of Christian you happen to be. I wouldn't live in East county of San Diego or for that matter south on the I-8 freeway. Take in mind where you will be working. As Beverly stated, the traffic is a bear. There are only 2 north/south freeways so they can get very congested during rush hour.

Don't worry, were not all weird.

Where are you moving from?

Good Luck-

[BNS]

Beverly,
Sorry you had such a rough time in San Diego. I have visited and I fell I will enjoy it there. May you be blessed in your new location.

Roman,

Thanks for all the useful tips. It helps to know what areas to stay away from. I will look into schools more and the areas that you suggested. I am moving from a small town in IL but have lived in big cities like Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale and St. Louis so the traffice won't bother me. I'm used to leaving extra hour early to get somewhere that should take 20 minutes. I don't scare too easily but Bev did have me worried for a minute. Again I wish you best Beverly. God Bless.

[Taughannock]

Moving to San Diego in six wks...from cold east coast (NJ). Have been looking forward to it. Found area friendly (Carlsbad) and beautiful. Been trying for 2 yrs to get here. After reading Beverly's assessment, we're now rather nervous about the decision. Like to hear from others in age group 35 and Sr Citizen 66.

[Roman11]

Hey Taughannock

what exactly is your concerns that are making you nervous? I'm in the lower part of your age bracket, 40+, and could answer a few of your questions.

Beverly, according to her reply, had a rough time. That's not the norm, but the exception.

Since you have already picked an area, Carlsbad, I assume you have done some research. BTW Carlsbad is one of the nicest areas of San Diego's north county and is also pricey. It's close to the beach, great shopping and restaurants and it's about 30 miles north of downtown San Diego.

[Amore California]

Well, I've lived in all of the major metropolitan areas of California, and I will say the San Diego region is not as fantastic as most people will make you believe.

One thing I'd like to say is San Diego is NOT America's Finest City, the self-proclaimed slogan the city uses.

I recommend that you do not move to the city of San Diego. The city government is upsidedown.

If you must relocate to the county, try another city say Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad (where we currently live). These cities have very low crime rates. Go to their city websites for more information.

As other folks have stated, this area is VERY expensive - just under San Francisco costs.

If you are being employed in North San Diego County, do check out South Orange County for a home as well. OC is just a short drive (I-5) from San Diego County cities and this location offers a closer distance to the Los Angeles area.

For schools, the San Diegito School District (http://www.sduhsd.k12.ca.us (broken link)) has been getting great praise for the schools in its district (serving Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, and San Diego's Carmel Valley and Rancho Santa Fe neighborhoods).

Traffic is another concern here - in California terms, pathetic ... worse at times than the L.A. area and the Bay Area. There is very little infrastructure of roads in S.D. County that accomodates the population. Very poor planning.

The weather is okay - frankly, from Malibu south to San Diego the weather doesn't change much along the coast. Inland is a different story. You can choose your weather preference by how far you want to be inland. The weather in Newport Beach is just a nice as San Diego, and vis-a-versa. San Diego markets itself very well - that's why people say it has great weather.

Best of luck to you and your family ... welcome to California! I'd never live anywhere else!

[purplelady]

We live in southern california and just visited in the San Diego area when we had a family member attending a conference there. We had a lot of fun eating at a great seafood restaurant and walking in the Gas Lamp district and to an outdoor mall in the sunshine. When we checked into real estate, we figured it might not be a good move for retirees (we retire as teachers in a few years) even though there is a ton to do in S.D. The reason? If you are a senior citizen, the traffic (and figuring out how to get somewhere) can be daunting. I think it makes a better vacation place than living place.

[dtsd]

Originally Posted by Roman11

BNS-
I wouldn't live in East county of San Diego or for that matter south on the I-8 freeway.

I understand the "south of I-8" generalization due to large parts of National City and Chula Vista, however for the benefit of others considering moving here, I'll provide some additional insight:

For an urban lifestyle where you can walk to neighborhood cafes, restaurants, bars, art galleries, coffee shops, shopping etc. you really can't beat the city core. I'd roughly characterize this as the area south of the 8, west of the 15 and northeast of the 5, including of course downtown which is carved out by the 5's s-curve. The neighborhoods wrapping Balboa Park are especially nice including Banker's Hill, Hillcrest, North Park, South Park and Golden Hill - being able to stroll down to Balboa park, with its museums, hiking trails, golf course and the zoo, is priceless. Honorable mentions go to Kensington, Mission Hills and Old Town, among others. These are older, eclectic neighborhoods, so there's a mix of extremely high-end areas, more run-down areas and average middle class parts, all mixed together.

Then there's downtown, which is one of the safest, most livable downtowns on the west coast. The Gaslamp Quarter is full of nightlife, Little Italy with its restaurants, Cortez Hill and Marina districts are great residential neighborhoods, and East Village with the ballpark. Downtown is also home to the symphony, orchestra, civic centre and numerous museums and theatres.

San Diego is a great city if you're into the urban lifestyle, and that's all south of the 8.

If you're more into the suburban lifestyle and still want to be close to the city, being south of the 8 is preferable, and there's plenty to choose from:

For example Coronado Island is right across the bay from downtown. By car take the Coronado Bridge, or take a ferry that departs hourly from downtown. It's known for the landmark Hotel Del and offers beaches, golfing, plenty of restaurants and art galleries and not to mention incredible views of San Diego Bay, the ocean, Downtown and Pt. Loma.

Similarly positioned, Pt. Loma is another great neighborhood. Again, clean, safe and full of natural beauty, it's formed by a peninsula rising several hundred feet above the water. Many houses have incredible sweeping views to the east of the bay, the city and downtown and of the ocean to the west. It's also home to the historic lighthouse, a popular tourist destination and San Diego icon.

I'd also suggest Mt. Helix, about 15 minutes east of downtown. It's extremely safe; the gorgeous terrain is lush with tropical plants and trees, and most houses are built up on the side of Mt. Helix, offering breath-taking views of San Diego for miles around. It's further east so it's bright and sunny virtually every day, but not so far east to get blistering hot.

If it weren't for my job I'd rarely go north of the 8. Personally I find far-flung suburbs like those in North County to be nauseatingly boring, not to mention the traffic!