NYC to SD? (Los Angeles, San Diego: transplants, apartment, house)

[hooverphonics]

Hello all,

I am a (worn out, mildly jaded) New Yorker in early 30s considering a move to SD (depending on job of course.) I have been looking for some time all over the map but after a bad illness this winter I think I need a warm place...

I am attracted by the laid back demeanor & beauty of SD and the men seem a lot calmer and friendlier (and god knows hotter and taller!) than those here (also a bit bored by all the "artists/bankers" here), although there are some bitter men in these SD posts, yowzas... I am not in the least a beach babe (fair, dark haired, a New Englander, all real parts, a reader, not into scenes, indifferent to big boats & shiny cars) but I love the ocean (swimming, kayaking, surfing, etc). I love it! Also just looking forward to living a more outdoorsy life, even if it is just swimming and gardening year round. I'd miss the fall here and the other thing that bugs me is SD seems so homogeneous -- all white, all American, really?? But I guess there are tradeoffs in any case. Interested in hearing from the ladies my age and/or nyc transplants or really anyone. (I considered SF but it is too big and as for LA -- I think Id take Darfur first.)

Also I am, like everyone no doubt, looking to live within 10-15 mins of the water -- is this possible, for 1100? And would a bungalow type house be possible, with a small backyard for my dogs? I dont care about size (I live in 375 sf) or condition much just that it is a house, with a backyard, near ocean.

Thanks.

[windnsea00]

Originally Posted by hooverphonics

Hello all,
although there are some bitter men in these SD posts, yowzas... I'd miss the fall here and the other thing that bugs me is SD seems so homogeneous -- all white, all American, really??

I was just thinking about some of the not so happy sounding people when writing in the Boston/SD thread haha I feel that a lot of places are what you make of it to a certain extent as long as there is a decent size population and some center point to the city.

SD has a decent variation in cultures. When I am sitting in a college classroom I typically have white, hispanic/latin, asian/pacific islander, and middle eastern/eastern. I would say the black population is pretty small though overall.

[hooverphonics]

Good to hear, windnsea00, thanks!

I am white and American, true, but I always like other cultures and would feel weird without them as I have always been surrounded by them...

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by hooverphonics

Also I am, like everyone no doubt, looking to live within 10-15 mins of the water -- is this possible, for 1100? And would a bungalow type house be possible, with a small backyard for my dogs? I dont care about size (I live in 375 sf) or condition much just that it is a house, with a backyard, near ocean.

Almost all of San Diego is within 15 minutes of the ocean. But near the ocean (walking distance), 1100 will get you a dumpy apartment, not a cottage.

As for diversity, it depends where you live. The very popular beach areas are not very diverse. But there is a lot of diversity in California and San Diego, especially in the more inner-city sections around downtown SD. You will find some areas are more mixed than NYC which is very segregated into distinct districts. However SD has a little of every culture but is not as wildly diverse as Los Angeles or NYC. Once you get outside of the city itself, diversity does drop off as income levels become less mixed and people self-segregate into wealthy / poor enclaves.

[hooverphonics]

Sassberto, would 1100 get me a cottage anywhere in SD?

[windnsea00]

Originally Posted by hooverphonics

Good to hear, windnsea00, thanks!

I am white and American, true, but I always like other cultures and would feel weird without them as I have always been surrounded by them...

I would say though that certain scenes and activities are dominated by one culture to another, though that may not be unique to just SD.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by hooverphonics

Sassberto, would 1100 get me a cottage anywhere in SD?

yes, a very small bungalo court setup, no private yard but a shared courtyard, in Normal Heights / South Park / North Park. They go fast, and you have to grab them, but they exist. I rented a cottage with a patio (3 separate 2br cottages on one lot) in 2003 and it was 1100 then, I think it is up to 1500+ now.

[hooverphonics]

Thanks, Sassberto. I meant patio, not backyard, which I am sure I cant afford -- just a few feet of grass or stone with room for a little table and flowers (1 br). Been in the city too long & apparently even forgotten the language for non-apartment living!

[moved]

I have yet to see a cottage with a small yard or patio. Those items were on my list when I started looking, along with off street parking. So what I ended up with is a 500sqft (I guess, manager doesn't know) 1br/1ba cottage in North Park. I pay $765 per month, and have a two strips of concrete on either side of my front door for my plants, and a concrete "patio" (if you want to call it that) on the side of the cottage outside my kitchen. Out there is my barbeque, a small table and two chairs. There's actually room for more stuff, too. No offstreet parking, and the manager/owner don't take care of the grass that we do have. I'm thinking about buying a box of grass seed.

[Jay619]

San Diego is not an "all-white" city... its pretty diverse, i mean its california. come on haha. Probably not as diverse as nyc, but you'll see that there really isn't a dominant ethnicity here.. although u may think or it may seem that their are a lot of latinos/latinas... there are more whites.