Moving out of SD; where would you consider?

[BacktoBlue]

Originally Posted by TennesseeFAN

I can't believe people actually want to move out of San Diego! Please share why... My husband has been trying for most of our married life to move there. We moved from the NY metro area, which I loved, to East Tennessee for business reasons. Talk about a culture shock.. it's ok, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life here. His next stop wants to be San Diego.. we're actually going out soon to check out the area. We haven't been in 4 years... want to see if much has changed. For those wanting to leave, let us know your reasons. Maybe we should stay put in Knoxville!

I so agree with this! I mean SD may not be like NYC or Chicago but the positives outweigh any negatives (if any at all) to SD. It baffles me when I see people say SD is boring. WTF? I think people are what make a place boring not the city! I can find plenty to do in SD.

[tstieber]

One thing nobody has mentioned is the idea of moving out of the country (or was Canada mentioned?). Would anyone move to Vancouver or even Europe? Our cities are honestly pretty sad compared to the architecture and culture over there...

[sdlife619]

Originally Posted by caliguy19

I so agree with this! I mean SD may not be like NYC or Chicago but the positives outweigh any negatives (if any at all) to SD. It baffles me when I see people say SD is boring. WTF? I think people are what make a place boring not the city! I can find plenty to do in SD.

Well sometimes the beaches don't attract everybody like myself (I never go to the beach), and I think only certain age groups benefit living in SD if you are talking about "Fun things to do", being 30 and under is perfect if you are looking for good time in SD, but the more sophisticated older crowd, the only real option is downtown, and that can even be a Ho-Hum experience, La Jolla if your uppity and got money.

Another obvious reason people are looking to bounce out of SD, is the cost of housing is sucking a lot of individuals and families dry, people just can't make it anymore. I also feel that many of us are tired of making sacrifices in order to live in sunny SD, personally it's not worth the pain and suffering just to survive. Nothing can beat European architecture, no American city can top it, but if I had a choice to live in Europe, the first country would be either Italy or Germany, mainly Italy because of it's deep history, amazing architecture, rich culture, food, and the influence it had throughout the world in ancient times.

[SDinsider]

I spent about 5 years in Davidson NC. Very nice! I still own a home there actually. It's right in the "middle" climate wise. Not too hot or cold. But the mountains are beautiful. And the mountain bike riding is fantastic!

[5Lakes]

Interesting thread. I left San Diego and ended up in Chicago. I did so at the time because I wanted to be closer to my family who live in Ohio. San Diego is a great place to live though, and I would gladly live there again under the right circumstances. Really, there are not many places in the country where I would be compelled to live and San Diego in one of them.

Originally Posted by sdlife619

I think anywhere on the East Coast is more exciting and diverse than California, wayyyy more so than SD.

Honestly SD does feel like one giant sleepy town, and everything does close super early, blame that on Suburbia people.

Originally Posted by sdlife619

I will one day leave SD to live somewhere more affordable after I am done with school, I have lived here my whole, and I am so sick and tired of it and need a change. This doesn't mean that I will leave CA permanently, but I do want to experience East Coast life to see if I like it or not.

I could care less about the South, but I would like to visit New Orleans, and Atlanta just for the hell of it.

If I was going to stay in CA forever and had the money for it, LA would definitely be my only choice, a much cooler city, more to do, better food, more energy, is a true giant metropolis, variety of food, 100 times diverse than SD, plus I have some fam living up there which helps.

I think it would be good for a San Diego native to live on the East Coast for a while to gain some perspective. Very different type of city out that way. Like you said, more urban and more architecturally attractive for sure. Not to mention a different attitude among the people. I'm not sure I would dismiss San Diego as all that sleepy though. I think it's fairly happening for its size. Places like Boston, NYC, and Philly are obviously more vibrant feeling than SD though.

As far as LA goes, I think the negatives outweigh the positives for me. However, I would certainly enjoy living there if I could keep my life confined to west of the 405. Very expensive though. On the west coast San Francisco is very appealing to me - west coat natural beauty combined with an east coast style city.

The south does not really appeal to me. As far as small cities go Charleston is really great though. New Orleans and Miami Beach are nice to visit, but I would not want to live in either. Atlanta was not impressive to me.

Originally Posted by Bluefoxwarrior

I have to vouch for Chicago. I moved to SD from the Chicago metro area and miss Chi-town SOOOOO much. I think I'm going to move back after I finish school. I mean I love SD, the weather is unbeatable, the beaches are great, people are nice, but I miss the urban vibe I got in Chicago. Specifically the art districts, the pizza, Grant Park, Navy Pier, the music scene, all the different cultural neighborhoods. Amazing public transportation....The fact that the bars don't close til 3AM...I guess the same could be said for NY but I've always been overwhelmed by NY's massiveness. Chicago's a little more manageable for me.
Just my two cents!

Yeah, if you want action and city life then Chicago certainly trumps San Diego by a long shot. San Diego is about nice weather and access to nature, which are Chicago's weaknesses.

[RoadTripGurl]

I love SD it is a beautiful city. I was born and raised in the Washington, DC area and lived there most of my life. My family is from South Carolina and I spent all summers there in the beautiful (but boring) country. I lived in New Jersey and worked in NY and I can honestly say that I won't be living in the northeast again, at least with kids. I miss the vibe of NYC but it's too expensive with kids. I had lucked up with a job transfer that came available to San Diego and I was pleasantly surprised at the city itself when I came to visit. After being up and down the east coast SD fits me and my outdoorsy lifestyle. There isn't alot of diversity but that doesn't bother me. I tried different things, and where else do people go surfing or to the beach after work? I like that I can have a safe suburbabn lifestyle with great weather and raise my kids in a safe interesting place. Other than that, my other choices were Houston or Jackonville.

[brad4143]

I agree with breeze. The family and I moved out of SD 2005 and now live north of Springfield, Mo near the lakes on 10 acres. We love the rural setting. Very little traffic, lots of space, half the cost of living, half the taxes, and the winters usually not to bad. Its still 60's mid November. I dont miss the traffic and crowds I have found a job that pays better then average household SD wages. I think SD is over rated and really was much nicer in the 60' and 70's.

[Sealtite]

Originally Posted by velcim21

Tampa, Bmore, Chicago...just a few of my thoughts.

I'll tell you about Tampa. Florida in general pretty much sucks, and I wouldn't advise anyone to move there. The whole state is like a giant storm drain that collects all the human garbage from the northeast. Transient bums flock there for the warm weather so that they don't freeze to death in their cardboard boxes. The state also has a disproportionate amount of child rapists and murderers.

The state is flat as a pancake and absolutely devoid of scenery compared to SD. You'd miss the hell out of the mountains and views that you've got here. The natural world aside, Florida is block and stucco heaven. They've got the most boring architectural styles that I've ever seen. Aside from the art-deco stuff you'll see in pockets of the southernmost cities, it's dull to the max.

Do you like bugs? You'd better, because in Florida they're everywhere. Prepare to have your vehicle absolutely coated with the guts of prehistoric-sized insects. I've seen bees the size of baby birds down there. The mosquitoes are fun too, and the spiders are so huge that you can see their faces and look into their eyes from five feet away. Let's not forget the alligators that will eat your dog, your cat, or possibly even you if you tread to close to a canal or wooded swampland. As you can probably tell, I really hate that state.....But everything I said is true.