SD neighborhoods

[justsomeguy]

Little Italy and any Downtown area is probably going to be pretty expensive. Not just for rent but for food, gas, and other stuff too. I would suggest Pacific Beach. There are some rent deals to be found there, I haven't seen a problem with crime, other than occasional drunken shenanigans by late-night partiers, but I feel safe there. And there are plenty of shops and stores and bars, and of course, the Beach. The people there are kind of "iffy" to me, in the way they dress and act, but in general most are nice enough to not be too annoying.

[goinwest13]

Thanks again everyone for all the tips, this board has been a great help

[Piya]

I moved here two years ago from Baltimore and wish I had thought to look for a forum like this. I didn't, but my new company had someone who gave me some advice. She recommended the Chula Vista area, which is really nice, but I think the traffic in South County is horrible. I ended up in East County and although it's warmer than anywhere else, I like it a lot.

I joke w/my friends back home when they ask me, how far are you from the beach...15 minutes. The mountains? 15 minutes. Downtown? 15 minutes. And it really is pretty much true. You have bad traffic days, but not so many that it takes away from the commute. Also, there's a trolley /Bus/coaster system that runs just about everywhere, so if you don't feel like driving then don't.

Oh and if you want the roads to be fairly clear, while you figure out how to navigate around the area? Wait until a home Chargers game..perfect driving...the streets are clear.

Seriously, though take a look at the pictures posted and you'll fall in love like I did.

[lawdog]

Check out North County. Yeah, you'll have to commute some but the prices are more affordable and there is more selection...

[moved]

I moved a year ago to the North Park/City Heights border, across from PepBoys, behind North Park Produce. My reflections on my year here are so far:

It's very quiet, days and nights.
The police helicopters fly overhead at night, but they do in every large city.
The street parking sucks.
I've had no problems with break-ins - house or car.
Very few homeless people.

I used to live in the East Village, and I'm so glad to be gone. Numerous times I would come out in the morning to get in my car to go to work, and someone would have taken a dump next to my drivers side door.

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by moved

I used to live in the East Village, and I'm so glad to be gone. Numerous times I would come out in the morning to get in my car to go to work, and someone would have taken a dump next to my drivers side door.

I have heard of the issue you mention as being a problem with living in parts of Downtown. Personally, I would only live Downtown if underground parking came with the deal.

As for where you live now, I am glad it is working out for you. The area is economical, and in your experience, a reasonable place to live. And this is generally considered to not be a particularly nice area that is South of 8 - not the worst, but definitely not the best. Your report once again shows that these blanket statements of "never live south of 8" are gross over generalizations, that are born of ignorance, not knowledge.

[loveautumn]

I'm pretty sure you could find a 2 bedroom for $1500 in North County, maybe Cardiff, Leucadia, Encinitas which are right by the beach. Those towns have some "walkable" areas" and they have everything you could ever want as far as stores, restaurants, bars, beach, etc. Everything is location, location, location. Better to live in a smaller place (maybe one br) in a great location!

[moved]

I was living downtown due to necessity, not by choice. When I moved here, I didn't have a vehicle, and as you know, it's better downtown with the trolley to take. Where I live now, there are some people on the block that don't keep up their yards, and that detracts from the rest of the neighborhood, but you can't force them to keep them up. When you live on the "other side" of the 805, it looks a lot nicer, and it also sometimes costs more.

And of course when you live around the "Boulevard," you get to watch the hookers for entertainment. The neighborhood looks "ghetto," but it really isn't. My rent is reasonable, it's quiet, and my cat is happy. I would like to eventually move to a larger place, but that's way off in the future.