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Damn. Just came back from SD, it is going to be a tough call. San Diego is as nice as I remember when I lived there 15 years ago. I am headed out to look at Boise again in a few weeks, then will make the final call. Both legit places. Here is the ups and downs of the two places I have collected so far;
San Diego
+Good
Unbeatable weather
Ocean/beaches, mountains, desert
Lots happening
Near many other towns and cities
Great diversity
Family/friends
Good universities
People generally happy and healthy
-Bad
More expensive
more crowded
traffic
spread out
Higher crime than Boise (just have to watch your back a little more)
Economy not great
Boise
+Good
Smaller city
Community oriented
Very inexpensive
Decent weather/sunny
Bike town
Mountains
Happy healthy people
Friends/family
Outdoor oriented (and easily accessible)
Lower crime
Personally, not far from immediate family in Oregon
-Bad
Less going on
Conservative factor surrounding city and rest of state
Economy not great/lower paying jobs
Still has winter (though mild)
University not as well reviewed
Isolated from other major cities
Less diversity
I can't tell about the singles scene between the two cities, but SD has a lot more people and variety, so it seems odds might be higher. On Boise's side it seems easy to plug in as it is community based. San Diego far, far, far more spread out.
Tough one. Might have it come down to where a job presents itself meaning applying from my current location. Have until June to figure it out.
I'd choose San Diego simply for the weather. I hate cold. That said, San Diego is very costly, and does have more crime than Boise. However, San Diego is one of the safest cities in the country. Plus, of course Boise will be safer, it's a smaller city.
I live in San Diego. If I were you I'd focus on jobs and family. I love SD, but could imagine Boise would be a good place for a family if you had a secure job. My concern with Boise is if you lost a job there would be fewer job possibilities. In San Diego, worst case scenario you could search in Orange County as well and commute. Financial security ultimately trumps other issues.
SD has more options, no doubt. I have no kids to worry about and not married, so that frees me up a bit. The family thing does play a factor in different ways, but on down the road. For schools, both places have their ups and downs, but not many people know Boise still teaches abstinence only at present, meaning there is a strong conservative vibe keeping the system from being up to date with other school systems. For safety for kids, Boise, though SD's crime isn't isn't too bad apparently, compared to other large cities.
Of course singles scene too, which I also see as a mixed bag for each city for different reasons.
For jobs, I know Boise is still working on its infrastructure. My friend got a position out there, lost it, and ended up moving back to the Portland area. Pay is lower there, but that just correlates with cost of living (extremely cheap). SD pays ok if you are at least a college grad it seems, I think it would be tough below that line though.
You are right, I think it might come down to where one can get a job, and if they lose that job, what is available after that. The nice thing about Boise is that it is so cheap that the pressure is not as bad if you lose your job, as opposed to really having to stress about it in San Diego.
Personally, even though I'd love to live in San Diego -- so does everyone else. I moved to Tampa about 10 years ago and found that everyone had the same idea, so it was too crowded and way too much traffic.
Boise is great. I went there to visit friends. Coming from LA I thought I was venturing into hickville. I was very pleasantly surprised. Both Boise and SD are great outdoor cities, both have cool hills and trails. It does snow in Boise but not that much. Cold will be an issue, but if that's no biggy then so what. The thing is though, San Diego is more connected. You can party in LA, Orange Country, or Mexico if you want. If that isn't your speed then what does it matter. I'm sure you'll enjoy both cities.
There's no doubt SD is loaded with people, though it is spread out which is better to me. Condensed with a lot of people is tough. San Fran is like that (awesome city though), NYC, Seattle, and even Portland now. Boise doesn't have to worry about that, and SD stretches so far there is plenty of space. But yup, big city vs little city definitely factors in the decision, as well as what's surrounding it. San Diego wins for location, but Boise has a lot of open undisturbed nature where you don't have to worry about too many people (if any) mucking it up.
This is true about SD, though not quite a bad as many people think. More dependent on your situation. If you are at least college educated, a few more better paying jobs for you at the baseline. If not a college grad, really tough to make it if you don't have access to positions that pay at least $15-$17 an hour.
Boise has really low cost of living (to me it seems) but the pay is also not known for being good. But a person can definitely can make it easier there regardless. I really don't want to jump to SD without a job, even though I do have friends and family to somewhat rely on there. Boise I could go and kick it for a while and be fine before I found a position somewhere.
Right now Boise is winning for me. I think someone said it best, just vacation in San Diego, live somewhere nice and cheaper. Going to test Boise out for living, if I don't like it it's down to SD. I do like the easy biking, low traffic, and super close to outdoors of Boise. Along with the cost (can still buy a house), that seems pretty nice. Have a lot of love for SD, but if I can buy a few properties and turn them into rentals in Boise, that could be not only an investment, but also generate some monthly income. Can't do that in San Diego.
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