Phoenix metro is getting too big IMO (Tucson: 2015, house)

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Very true, but there was a time (25+ years ago) when San Diego had a slightly larger population than Phoenix. Since then, Phoenix has surpassed San Diego and continues to grow at a faster rate. The sad fact is that San Diego hasn't grown very much lately, and two factors are involved: high cost of living, and lack of competitive jobs. I would love to live in San Diego just for the climate alone, but as I've stated before, moving someplace just for the weather isn't very wise. Jobs & cost of living always take higher importance ... and for me & many others, it would be very cost prohibitive to move there despite how much better the climate is than Phoenix overall (especially in the summer).

San Diego is overrated imho.

The beaches are always overcrowded and funparks like Legoland aren't all that fun unless you're age twelve or younger.

The only places in San Diego worth visiting are Seaworld and the zoo.

You're right about the summers though, much more pleasant than Phoenix but much more expensive there too.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

San Diego is overrated imho.

The beaches are always overcrowded and funparks like Legoland aren't all that fun unless you're age twelve or younger.

The only places in San Diego worth visiting are Seaworld and the zoo.

You're right about the summers though, much more pleasant than Phoenix but much more expensive there too.

I suppose it depends what one is looking for but I think places around San Diego like La Jolla, Coronado, and Torrey Pines are certainly not overrated in many aspects and worth an escape if one wants an upscale experience in San Diego and escape from the valley summer heat.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by stevek64

I suppose it depends what one is looking for but I think places around San Diego like La Jolla, Coronado, and Torrey Pines are certainly not overrated in many aspects and worth an escape if one wants an upscale experience in San Diego and escape from the valley summer heat.

Many people can't afford an upscale experience and don't really want it even with a high disposable income.

That's why I think San Diego is overrated, it's overpriced and sometimes overcrowded but their zoo is certainly worth visiting.

I save money and stay here in the summertime, it's less crowded, traffic is a little lighter, and the waterparks are fun places to go for heat relief.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

Many people can't afford an upscale experience and don't really want it even with a high disposable income.

That's why I think San Diego is overrated, it's overpriced and sometimes overcrowded but their zoo is certainly worth visiting.

I save money and stay here in the summertime, it's less crowded, traffic is a little lighter, and the waterparks are fun places to go for heat relief.

Those places really aren't that expensive to stay if you plan it out/shop a bit on various sites. Many decent not so expensive hotels/places to eat. Plus there's Airbnb where you can fall into some decent deals at times. Sounds like we share the same view as we usually pick best value for the $ places but if what San Diego offers you isn't what you're looking for, that's a different story.

[Bert_from_back_East]

Despite being a smaller metro area than Phoenix in terms of population and not necessarily known as an economic hotbed, San Diego definitely has more career opportunities for educated professionals than Phoenix, especially in the defense, biotech, research and development, healthcare, higher education and international trade sectors. Even the hospitality and tourism industry in San Diego seems to be more prolific and robust than in Phoenix.

Economics aside, San Diego has significantly better weather, prettier scenery, more options for upscale urban and suburban living and way more college-educated folks than Phoenix.

Is it worth the 60-70% overall markup relative to Phoenix? IMO, yes, it is.

[Jukesgrrl]

The situation isn't going to change, so if it really bothers you that much, you should plan to move. You don't have to go far. Tucson seems to be very determined to remain a laid-back "town" and in the past decade has lost population.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

Despite being a smaller metro area than Phoenix in terms of population and not necessarily known as an economic hotbed, San Diego definitely has more career opportunities for educated professionals than Phoenix, especially in the defense, biotech, research and development, healthcare, higher education and international trade sectors. Even the hospitality and tourism industry in San Diego seems to be more prolific and robust than in Phoenix.

Economics aside, San Diego has significantly better weather, prettier scenery, more options for upscale urban and suburban living and way more college-educated folks than Phoenix.

Is it worth the 60-70% overall markup relative to Phoenix? IMO, yes, it is.

Yes, San Diego/around Las Jolla has a nice biotech thing going on.

"Better" weather is debatable. Personally, while we like visiting parts of San Diego mostly for the coast in the summer, the weather is too damp/cool/cloudy periods for my taste to ever want to live there. Summers aside in the Phoenix metro(which I still actually like), I'd take those 8 months of low desert valley weather over San Diego any day but again, it's a preference/everyone has an ideal weather view in their own mind.

Phoenix/Maricopa County has a great deal of money here and many upscale places to live. Not sure if it's more than San Diego county but I would guess they are pretty similiar. Though I would say San Diego certainly wins in the overpriced real estate category.

As for those with a college education, San Diego County vs Maricopa County:

San Diego County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Maricopa County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Those who hold a Bachelors degree or higher make up 34.6% of the population in San Diego County vs 29.8% in Maricopa County, San Diego having the edge by just < 5%. I wouldn't call that "way more". And Maricopa County actually has a higher high school graduation rate vs San Diego County, just by about 1% though.

Here's an interesting comparison on which is "better", Phoenix vs San Diego, on a few metrics though it's hardly scientific/just a few random items. Love how San Diego has mountains listed but Phoenix doesn't:

https://versus.com/en/phoenix-vs-san-diego

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

San Diego is overrated imho.

The beaches are always overcrowded and funparks like Legoland aren't all that fun unless you're age twelve or younger.

The only places in San Diego worth visiting are Seaworld and the zoo.

You're right about the summers though, much more pleasant than Phoenix but much more expensive there too.

That's funny, but I've hardly ever encountered a problem with crowded conditions in San Diego. Traffic is actually a little better than Phoenix, even in the summer months. The only crowded beach I've witnessed is Mission, but I have found other beaches in the area to be much less crowded (such as Imperial Beach). I'm not a big fan of amusement parks like LEGOLAND because they are definitely more for the kiddish crowd and young families ... however, the San Diego area has Coronado, Old Town, SeaWorld, La Jolla, Gaslamp district, and Seaport Village that are fun places to visit which are more adult oriented.

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

Despite being a smaller metro area than Phoenix in terms of population and not necessarily known as an economic hotbed, San Diego definitely has more career opportunities for educated professionals than Phoenix, especially in the defense, biotech, research and development, healthcare, higher education and international trade sectors. Even the hospitality and tourism industry in San Diego seems to be more prolific and robust than in Phoenix.

Economics aside, San Diego has significantly better weather, prettier scenery, more options for upscale urban and suburban living and way more college-educated folks than Phoenix.

Is it worth the 60-70% overall markup relative to Phoenix? IMO, yes, it is.

San Diego is big player in the military/defense industry, and has become more of a leader in the biotech industry ... I'll give you that. Other than those things (and tourism), San Diego definitely lacks in many higher paying career opportunities. The pay scale would be higher there than in Phoenix, but that's mainly because the cost of living is much higher in San Diego. You'll notice that San Diego is not a very fast growing metro area (despite the gorgeous weather), and that's largely because it has become very cost prohibitive for many people to live there.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by stevek64

Yes, San Diego/around Las Jolla has a nice biotech thing going on.

"Better" weather is debatable. Personally, while we like visiting parts of San Diego mostly for the coast in the summer, the weather is too damp/cool/cloudy periods for my taste to ever want to live there. Summers aside in the Phoenix metro(which I still actually like), I'd take those 8 months of low desert valley weather over San Diego any day but again, it's a preference/everyone has an ideal weather view in their own mind.

Phoenix/Maricopa County has a great deal of money here and many upscale places to live. Not sure if it's more than San Diego county but I would guess they are pretty similiar. Though I would say San Diego certainly wins in the overpriced real estate category.

As for those with a college education, San Diego County vs Maricopa County:

San Diego County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Maricopa County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Those who hold a Bachelors degree or higher make up 34.6% of the population in San Diego County vs 29.8% in Maricopa County, San Diego having the edge by just < 5%. I wouldn't call that "way more". And Maricopa County actually has a higher high school graduation rate vs San Diego County, just by about 1% though.

Here's an interesting comparison on which is "better", Phoenix vs San Diego, on a few metrics though it's hardly scientific/just a few random items. Love how San Diego has mountains listed but Phoenix doesn't:

https://versus.com/en/phoenix-vs-san-diego

Five percentage points isn't anything to take too lightly because it's still enough to give San Diego a much higher rank than Phoenix, 19th versus 66th.

Education is one category where Phoenix drastically lacks compared to other large cities.

Of the ten most populated cities Phoenix ranks near the bottom in college-educated people, just slightly above San Antonio. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...reas.html?_r=0

To me this is a little disturbing because it reflects in our lower wages and overall reputation.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

Five percentage points isn't anything to take too lightly because it's still enough to give San Diego a much higher rank than Phoenix, 19th versus 66th.

Education is one category where Phoenix drastically lacks compared to other large cities.

Of the ten most populated cities Phoenix ranks near the bottom in college-educated people, just slightly above San Antonio. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...reas.html?_r=0

To me this is a little disturbing because it reflects in our lower wages and overall reputation.

While I believe an educated populace is generally a good thing, there are many cities on that list that indeed have more college educated people but with not so good/worse economies than Phoenix, so an educated populace doesn't necessarily equate to a robust economy of well paying jobs. I'll pick on Portland, OR towards the top of that list:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/ma...the-young.html

Lots of cities with overqualified/highly educated people working low paying jobs, or not working at all. And many with expensive pieces of paper (degrees) with not a lot of marketplace demand for their major. I know many in this spot. Makes the stats look good though for said city.