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If you want to live in an area in SD where people REALLY just want to live and let live and don't care about race, social status, etc, check out the North Park/University Heights/Hillcrest area.
If you want to live in an area in SD where people REALLY just want to live and let live and don't care about race, social status, etc, check out the North Park/University Heights/Hillcrest area.
Yes, that's what I'm looking for! Just as long as beach access is fairly easy, my guy won't care!
I also see from Google maps that it's easily accessible to the airport too, which is very good for the both of us. Though, that would raise the concern if air traffic is a nuisance...is it?
If you want to live in an area in SD where people REALLY just want to live and let live and don't care about race, social status, etc, check out the North Park/University Heights/Hillcrest area.
I agree. I don't think racism is very prevalent in SD compared to other places in the United States but if there's one place that is the LEAST discriminatory it's probably those areas.
Ca. is the most liberal state in the U.S. You can live anywhere in SD. And nobody will even notice you. There are a few places in east county SD. that have a reputation for racism. But its nothing like you may experience in parts of the south. Anyway, i doubt you will end up there anyway. Unless you have horses. Do you have horses ? Probably not.
Hi, I've been a long time fan of these forums, now I actually need advice! It looks like I'll be relocating to San Diego from New Jersey for work in the next few months, but I am much more familiar with Huntington Beach CA, as my partner is currently living there. We are an interracial couple (me- African American female who is a life-long East Coaster; he- Caucasian male California beach bum/surfer boy all the way) We have a one year old child together.
My new position looks to be located directly east of Torrey Pines golf course (about 4 miles, just east of the 805). Our combined gross income will be around $165K. We definitely plan on renting for a bit while I feel things out, and would love to keep the rent under $2000, but will go as much as $2500 depending on amenities/proximity.
- Since I have a one year old, schools are not a concern, but would like good outdoor playspace.
- I also would love to be near a beach, and I think we'll have to head that way with my surfer boy, but is that realistic with that rent range? Would living on the beach impact a commute to work? I'll probably work at the office 3 days/week and telecommute the other two, so commuting may not be too much of an issue to live in a good area that meets our needs. My guy doesn't work out of an office, he just needs good access to the airport.
-Travel, both domestic and international, are a part of our positions; are non-stop flight schedules good out of San Diego International, or will I have to connect everywhere?
- A diverse area would be terrific, though I understand that there's not many AAs in general in SD. It would be nice to not be the only black person on the block!
At this point, the only sticking point is that my guy is pushing for Pacific Beach, but from reading info on these forums, I think it may be too young a crowd for me.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give as I do my searches on Craigslist and apartment rental websites!
I'm an east coast native,have lived in CA for ten years. [currently San Diego,have also lived in SFO]
Carmel valley [just south of del mar;this is torrey pines state reserve area.we are 3 miles from the reserve;the golf course is next to the reserve,overlooking it,which by the way is ON the ocean. Not sure if you know,but your work is extremely close to the ocean;the golf course overlooks it.] True,not many AA's-a few-but diverse otherwise-my neighbors are indian,korean,chinese,persion,and caucasian. And more diverse for sure than PB.(I agree it's too young for you).
It's high end cookie cutter,but really clean,alot of trees/greenery,walking distance to parks,schools,movies,Jimbo's healthfood store,etc. True,it does have that 'housewives with enhancements' aspect,as well. lol And the restaurants are mediocre,at best,even the indian and thai ones. But,SD is not that great for food,anyway. Everything is pleasant in SD;and you can find equally 'pleasant' food. I know some will disagree,but having lived in many other places,trust me,SD does not have amazing cuisine. That said,you will find some great places that you will enjoy. Just not in Carmel Valley,and not really in PB,either. lol
Anyway,back to Carmel Valley-It is close to other poitns of SD-just off the 56 and 5/805 merge. Of course,you would not even need to take the freeway to work;you would take backroads,if you wanted.
We have an 8 yr old. Have lived in other parts of SD;this is the cleanest,most family friendly we've found-most 'bang for the buck',even though it's not funky or hipster. if we want that,we drive to it. [ and,like i said,it's 3 miles from torrey pines-you could bike;people do.]
But,it's close enough to the ocean to not get really hot,and to not have that dry inland vibe to it. It's lovely,actually,and there are so many children here,as well as babies/toddlers.Everywhere,seriously. Very walkable/safe neighborhood,too. I walk regularly at night in my neighborhood and always see others walking. Wide sidewalks,clean,clean,clean-plenty of people jogging,kids scooting,etc. It's better for this than PB [i used to have my office in PB and lived in that area for 3 yrs].
Bi racial family-you will be perfectly comfortable here.
One last thing on that note: My friend from jamaica lived in temecula area of SD [very white area] for years-she didnt care that she was the sole black person for miles,or her kids. She lived where she wanted to live. After that,she spent a decade or so in laguna beach,again,minority. Again,where she wanted to live. Anyway,carmel valley is great for families-your husband may be surprised,b/c it's not on the radar,but check it out. You will find a fantastic place to live in your budget,though perhaps not a house [possible to find one for under 2500,but you will have to look around for a bit,usually. But a nice apt/condo is easily do-able in that price range. And you will definitely find resort amenities and family friendly in Carmel Valley.
PB does have alot of families,and lovely residential areas/homes. It's just that the overriding scene is young,and the party scene in very heavy,esp on weekends. And unsavory behavior is part of the deal there. It's also a huge pain in the butt to get into our out of PB;there's only one road,really,and everyone's using it It often doubles travel time to places-and you will want to go to other parts of SD;getting to the freeway from PB seriously hampers this plan.
Carmel Valley,by contrast,you can enter from the 56 or the 5 [del mar heights rd],as well as some back streets from other exits and sorrento valley area. Much more convenient. Lastly,surfing is found at La Jolla Shores,Cardiff,and Del Mar,all very convenient to CV,and they are FAR cleaner/more family friendly than PB. Law St. beach,in north PB,and Tourmaline,are,however gorgeous and clean. And Birdrock [north PB]is great;you could try there,but it's even further to get in and out of,and then you would maybe go all the way around through La Jolla to do it. Your commute would be much easier,to the airport or to Torrey Pines golf course area,from carmel valley,or del mar. Cardiff is a great beach town that your husband may like. It's small,old school beach town,and you'd be able to rent a small house [read: small,and for 2000 it would be tough,2500 you could get a 2 bedroom house]
For travel,SD has more nonstop flights these days than before,but,alas,there are still many locales that require a stop in LA or SFO. That said,I have lived in africa,and many parts of the US,as well as asia,etc. And the SD airport is my absolute favorite to fly into or out of. It's downtown,20 minutes from nearly everywhere (except in traffic hours),and it feels like a smaller airport than it is. It also has that 'vacation vibe' to it,and the security,etc. are cool. It's such a vacation destination,that the airport takes on that energy. Flights usually run on time,and only flights landing early in the morning or sometimes in the even are ever delayed,due to fog. [in fact,i believe no flights are ever scheduled to leave or take off after midnight,owing to the fog which is standard along the harbor,where the airport is.].
good luck, whatever you decide!
Last edited by lrmsd; 02-10-2010 at 10:35 PM..
Reason: error
it's not racist in PB,jsut overwhelmingly white.
SD doesn't have as large of an AA community as many other cities it's size.
And,there are AA's in north county,just very few.
North Park,city heights,normal heights,etc. are more AA than other areas of SD
Just b/c alot of white people live somewhere,does NOT mean it's racist. There are places that white people have lived or moved to,and geesh,just b/c no blacks live there,does not automatically mean the folks living there are racist. c'mon people!!!
This is silly. This person wanted info on moving to work near torrey pines golf course and where to live.
I personally think bi-racial couples/families is pretty standard in CA-ie,noone really bats an eye or thinks twice about it.
Last edited by lrmsd; 02-10-2010 at 10:42 PM..
Reason: error
I agree. I don't think racism is very prevalent in SD compared to other places in the United States but if there's one place that is the LEAST discriminatory it's probably those areas.
True,but really,live in the type of environment YOU want,not just b/c you will be a minority. Some folks are pioneers-[see my other post re: my jamaican friend]and this helps change the landscape for everyone. Noone cares in SD which neighborhood you live in.seriously. People care about what kind of person/neighbor you are.
And in CA in general,I think that is true.
What's your vibe? is more what it's like here.
There are many parts of ocean beach and point loma,while being mainly white,that make me particularly uncomfortable,and heck,even Hillcrest,though I know it's touted as being so liberal and accepting,can be shockingly uncomfortable with it's growing homeless and meth problems. [yea,billboards showing treatment options for meth,just a block up from whole foods,anyone?]
And north park has some gorgeous areas-but it's very urban overall.
San Diego has ALOT of air traffic,helicopters [normal heights and north park have the ghetto birds-you will hear them making announcements of who they are looking for and whether or not they are dangerous-we experienced this probably monthly for the 3 yrs we lived there-and it doesn't frankly matter which part of the area you lived in. you were impacted. There has also been an increase in house break in on canyon homes in Mission Hills,Univ. Heights and Normal Heights. There is a growing meth problem and people living in the canyons has grown in the last decade. The alcohol ban on the beaches has resulted in an increased homeless population in hillcrest/normal heights. Actually,this has been reported in the news,as well,although I saw it first hand.]
SO,if OP wants clean,nature,close to a beach and perhaps close to work,then surely north park or hillcrest are not her only options,nor are they her best options. If OP does not want super urban,but wants a more beachy vibe,then surely she does not need to avoid it b/c she is AA.
The one thing hillcrest,north park,etc all have going for them,is old houses and buildings with character,an dthat urban,walkable vibe. But that air traffic,as I said,comes from military,medical,traffic,police and of course the airport. And Mission Hills does get the airport jets.
I am not saying it's entirely undo-able. Just that there are factors to weigh.
South Park is a viable option,IMO,away from the beaches,however.
A couple of other anecdotes about friends for examples on this topic:
another friend,a retired police officer,who is AA from the south originally,lives in coastal north county and LOVES it. ,and another friend,AA female originally from the east coast,has chosen to be in north park for several years;she loves it,and formerly lived in the southwest desert. She does,however,say that sometimes she 'misses being around more black people',and she is in north park,which is more diverse in that regard. Both of these individuals date outside their race,and within it,and both love san diego,although being from different age groups,gender groups and backgrounds entirely. Neither have had race issues. Same with my Eritrean and ethiopian immigrant friends [normal heights has a large ethiopian population relatively speaking,and in city heights you will find somali presence]: they have lived in SD for decades now and raised their children here-they love it,despite being 'minorities' so to speak. But these people all have one thing in common: their own interests make them open minded and interested in who people are as people,so their friends run the spectrum.
I have friends from all over the world,here in SD.
Based on what OP has said,I think any community in SD is fine,and yes,this is even if she is a minority. BTW,whoever mentioned IB: Noone in their right mind would move to Imperial Beach,anyway. Seriously. Let's focus on what would work for the poster.(:
Last edited by lrmsd; 02-10-2010 at 11:01 PM..
Reason: typo
Hi, I've been a long time fan of these forums, now I actually need advice! It looks like I'll be relocating to San Diego from New Jersey for work in the next few months, but I am much more familiar with Huntington Beach CA, as my partner is currently living there. We are an interracial couple (me- African American female who is a life-long East Coaster; he- Caucasian male California beach bum/surfer boy all the way) We have a one year old child together.
My new position looks to be located directly east of Torrey Pines golf course (about 4 miles, just east of the 805). Our combined gross income will be around $165K. We definitely plan on renting for a bit while I feel things out, and would love to keep the rent under $2000, but will go as much as $2500 depending on amenities/proximity.
- Since I have a one year old, schools are not a concern, but would like good outdoor playspace.
- I also would love to be near a beach, and I think we'll have to head that way with my surfer boy, but is that realistic with that rent range? Would living on the beach impact a commute to work? I'll probably work at the office 3 days/week and telecommute the other two, so commuting may not be too much of an issue to live in a good area that meets our needs. My guy doesn't work out of an office, he just needs good access to the airport.
-Travel, both domestic and international, are a part of our positions; are non-stop flight schedules good out of San Diego International, or will I have to connect everywhere?
- A diverse area would be terrific, though I understand that there's not many AAs in general in SD. It would be nice to not be the only black person on the block!
At this point, the only sticking point is that my guy is pushing for Pacific Beach, but from reading info on these forums, I think it may be too young a crowd for me.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give as I do my searches on Craigslist and apartment rental websites!
ps-I think you may miss the culture of the east coast,more than the fact that you may or may not be a minority in SD.
I mean,I still miss new england culture at times,although I have not lived there in nearly twenty years. I often don't feel like I belong here,but it's not reflective of not being welcomed.
CA takes everyone,has been my feeling/experience.
I absolutely love the spirit of CA,and the lifestyle/attitude. As different as SFO and SD are(i've lived in both cities),for example,they both have a welcoming energy,regardless of where you are from. So many people are from somewhere else,that it's like 'meh,you're from somewhere else. cool.'
People are here to live their version of the CA dream-not to dampen your experience of it. It's just laid back. Someone in another thread said they are AA and san diego has been no problem for them,b/c it's pretty laid back,and people are too busy surfing to care. lol
Anyway,that's the end of my on this post!
Good luck,and feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions you think I could help with.
Ciao!
San Diego is more about choosing the lifestyle you want,over the 'ethnic enclave' you would fit in with. As others have said in this forum,SD is more divided by class than race,although it is not that different classes do not mix at all or that it's a formal segregation.
Ex: Chula Vista is primarily hispanic and filipino...[though i know mixed race couples aa/white and white/filipino,with families,living there]but the neighborhoods run the gamut,from the hood to million dollar homes,to an old town area. Again,caucasian is the minority in CV,but all of these homes are occupied...so...you will have upper income hispanics,middle income and lower income. Same with fillipino.
This is true in SD in general-wealthy neighborhoods may include indian,persian,russian and all asian groups [korean,japanese,chinese,etc],and caucasians,
as will lower income neighborhoods,too. And you will find certain school districts that families,especially recent immigrants,will seek out b/c they are considered the top districts,and these families are choosing a lifestyle path for their children,as well as an economic bracket that they want their children to grow up in. [examples of school districts that are sought out by families: La Jolla,Del Mar,Carmel Valley,Poway] La Jolla schools can be very diverse,as can carmel valley,b/c you find folks working and studying at UCSD,scripps institute,etc. living in these neighborhoods.
I am not saying it is a giant melting pot,b/c SD County [which is very large geographically,vs. SD city which has only 1.5 million;the county has 4 million]has alot of primarily white neigbhorhoods,but I am saying that people choose the lifestyle they want,and that people of any ethnic group are free to live wherever they want,and many do.
San Diego's diversity is more of an international flavor than US based,as it's such a tourist/transient place.
You will also find wealthy Tijuanans coming to SD to shop regularly,as well as illegal migrants looking for day labor work. It is varied and difficult to pinpoint specifics on how any particular group 'is or isn't' in SD.
Same with areas such as Santee(difficult to pinpoint)-which unfortunately,has a number of issues,including a meth problem [someone said it's called 'clantee',i have not heard this before. and it also has a large hispanic population,so who are the clans,then? point being,there are a number of factors going on there,and you will also have single family,nice homes and neighborhoods there. It isn't any 'one' thing.]
Race is not a hot button topic in SD. The biggest issue which touches on race is illegal immigration. I don't think racism is swept under the rug when I say it's not a hot topic;it just is not a huge issue here,as it is in other locales. [not saying it's perfect,but it's not a day to day issue;there are other issues here,that people focus on-like which beach to have a bbq at,how well the chargers are going to play,and how corrupt the mayor is. lol]
Will you see alot of AA in SD? Not really,relatively speaking,and compared to NJ/NY. Will you meet people who are of like mind as yourself,regardless of skin color? Probably,in fact most likely.
I recommend pickining a spot that suits your lifestyle-urban,suburban,near certain freeways,near the ocean,trails,artsy,hip,walkable,etc.
SD is a great city,very liveable,laid back and enjoyable. It's a great opporunity,IMO,to be transferred to SD,and have the income to enjoy life here fully. Even if one just comes for a few years,it's nice to try out CA living for awhile. That's my two cents!
Last edited by lrmsd; 02-11-2010 at 04:08 PM..
Reason: typo
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