Why doesn't everyone move to San Diego? (San Francisco, Oakland: theater, living in)

[GUTTERMOUTHED]

Originally Posted by Jenkay

I'm curious to know what kind of "genuinely fun things" you weren't able to do, besides the obvious not being able to drink on the beach.

Just so we are clear, I never once said there were things I couldn't do any longer.


1) Drinking on the beach (as you stated)

2) Diminished public lands for hunting and shooting

3) Increased park fees for hiking and camping

4) Increased license fees for hunting and fishing

5) Furlough days for museums

6) Reduction in lifeguards at beaches (security issue i guess)

These are just a few off the top of my head. I can list more if I have some time to think about it. Like I stated above, you have to pay to play in California...... More cost I would rather not incur.

[pll]

We chose to leave SD because I wanted the opportunity to stay home with my 3 kids. It's hard to afford a home on one income. I love SD, the weather and the people but I didn't want my kids to grow up in daycare and graduate to being a latchkey kid as I was. It'd be a great place to retire but watching my retired relatives stuggle to make ends meet in SD is sad.

[CapObvious]

Originally Posted by GUTTERMOUTHED

This is easy for me. I apologize for the drunken jibber jabber, and if a sober explanation is required, please message me.

First I would like to add that my wife and i both resided in san diego for the first 29 years of our lives. We live all around the county, from Ramona to Oceanside, Escondido to El Cajon. I feel I can speak on this with experience.


1) My wife and I held steady jobs. Combined we made a respectable $80k a year. As the economy began to take a dump, so did good business ethics. It turns out your company can treat you like dirt, reduce your wages, and kick you in the nuts over and over again while you stand there and ask for more. The poor state economy empowered businesses small and large to adopt that mentality. After searching the workforce for a stable job with a new company, it was apparent I was stuck in my job. Depression, loss of interested in anything but sleep, drinking myself silly, and singlehandedly dismantling my marriage was the outcome. The biggest problem, no work = no money = no family = no fun

2)I Moved because there isn't much in San Diego for me. With every piece of public land being monitored and regulated, I had the hardest time finding genuinely fun things to do outdoors. Sure, you can go to movies, amusement parks, concerts, and such; but all of that involves spending money, a commodity difficult to come by at times. Southern California has turned in to a pay to play state.

3)The cost of living in California is retarded. We rented a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment in a crappy side of town. Combined with utilities and cable, our bills generally totaled $1600 a month there alone. Take that amount and cut it in half. That is nearly how much we pay for the same living situation with 2 exceptions; 1, we live in a decent crime free area, 2, we have expanded in to a 3 bedroom 2 bath with finished basement. It isn't rocket scientry (i know the mis-spelling) guys...... We pay half for more, and it goes that way with just about everything.


I refuse living to work...... I'm all about working to live now.... and happy. Colorado is fantastic.!

NJ sucks too. 1600 (heat n hot water incl) for a crappy bed bug infested 2 bedroom apt 2 blocks from the beach. Tons of wannabe orange "jersey shore" a-holes too. (mostly from No.Jersey and nyc) Ill take pay to play SD. Oh yea, we have fricken snow here too. Sucks.

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

If you take housing costs out out of the equation, wouldn't SD have similar cost of living as the Bay Area? It costs $11 to see a movie here, are they paying $20 up there? I just bought 4 new tires for my car that cost me $600, I'm sure it would be the same in the Bay Area, right? It's always about housing cost.

One can always brave a trip to the Swap Meet in downtown Tijuana for some pirated DVD's (even new releases). Picked up a perfect copy of Avatar there on my last trip for $1.50.

And I'm sure you could get new tires and mechanical repairs cheaper across the border, too, to reduce your expenses. Even live there, and enjoy the same climate and ocean views for far less at the expense of some commuting.

[cl723]

Gutter, so true about SD and not only SD, but Scal in general. I just don`t know how the middle class continues to servive there.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by tijlover

One can always brave a trip to the Swap Meet in downtown Tijuana for some pirated DVD's (even new releases). Picked up a perfect copy of Avatar there on my last trip for $1.50.

And I'm sure you could get new tires and mechanical repairs cheaper across the border, too, to reduce your expenses. Even live there, and enjoy the same climate and ocean views for far less at the expense of some commuting.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I'll pass.

[BacktoBlue]

Originally Posted by esmith143

Some people stay away because it's boring out here. There's no culture or nightlife to speak of. The city is basically dead after 10 pm. Even rock bands often skip the city, and you have to drive to LA (6+ hour round trip) to most concerts.

I'd like to hear more from those who complain that San Diego has "no culture." Because it's usually just the "telling." Show me. What are we missing? I'm sure we are missing something — plenty, even — but tell us what it is. You know, constructive criticism. What did you seek out but did not find? What did you sample but find bland?

Pretty much every ethnic neighborhood/group has a parade/street festival every year. Or "taste of," such as the one recently in Little Italy. San Diego actually has a very respectable theater scene. Yeah, it ain't NY or LA - of course - but pretty good. A solvent, busy symphony (thank you, Jacobs). Lots of galleries and museums. Look, if you're going to continually rank them against NY or LA (or SF, Chicago), then, yeah, we lose.

Waiting for the "your drinking the kool-aid" defensive....

[uncertain25]

Pros:
Beaches (if you are into the beach)
Beach breeze if you live close enough to the water
Sunny most of the time (if you like warm weather)
Lots of things to do, places to eat, shopping (in my opinion)
Lots of colleges, many are affordable
Public Transportation (runs later than places like Orange County)
Things stay open later (than places like Orange County CA)
More safe and suburban (than where I grew up in LA)
A lot of the population is young and active

Cons:
Very expensive when compared against most other states in the US (Not including NY- which can be expensive also)
You can get an apartment twice the size in Oregon suburbs for the same price for example. This is the biggest con I would say.
If you dont like sunny places and want a change of seasons then San Diego isnt for you.
The border is Mexico, so you are going to get a lot of illegals. I have seen this first hand. I would much rather border Canada. I have been to Mexico and Im not talking about the Cabo vacation spots. I wouldnt want to go there again to say the least. Its the most run down place I have ever visited. Washington bordering B.C. is much more alluring.

[scottykick]

Originally Posted by Just1Lion

im sick to my stomach with the cost of living comments!!!! i had to start a thread about it. i really think that anyone with a little common sense, a little money in the bank, and a will to work any job to pay the bills (even if its not a dream job) can make it there. i will prove that in due time.

While I have not been to SD, but it is on my super short list of places I would like to visit and possibly move to, I live in NYC Metro area and if I can manage to keep a roof over my head, food in my belly and keep the lights on here, I would imagine it can be done there too...common sense, planning and knowing your priorities goes a long way....just because you are living in paradise, does not mean you are on a full time vacation...until you clock out, then by all means enjoy it.

[04kL4nD]

I'd like to hear more from those who complain that San Diego has "no culture." Because it's usually just the "telling." Show me. What are we missing? I'm sure we are missing something — plenty, even — but tell us what it is. You know, constructive criticism. What did you seek out but did not find? What did you sample but find bland?

I lived in SD for two years before moving to the Bay Area back in 07. It's a great place to live if you want a simple life and enjoy the beach, but it's nowhere near as dynamic, diverse, or exciting as LA or the Bay Area. I just spent last week down there surfing and hanging out at the beach and I had a great time. It reminded me why I loved living there so much, but it also reminded me why I headed up North. The problem is that everyone in San Diego think it's the greatest place in the world, when really it's just a nice city with great weather. It's one of the most relaxing places I can think of, but there is nothing exciting about it. Downtown is overrated and trying too hard to be like LA. I actually liked it better a few years ago than now- lots of yuppie d-bags that think they're better than everyone else. The little brother mentality SD has is kinda silly, it's never gonna be LA and it should stop trying so hard to act like a global city.