Relocating from Detroit; 22yr Old Male - Where to live? Culture Shock? (San Diego: transplants, apartment)

[cheezit34141988]

Hi All,

I've been 'trolling' this forum for some time, reading related threads to what I'm about to ask; but most are either old, or don't seem very applicable to my situation. It seems as though most of the 'relocation' posts are from people who are moving and THEN looking for work; not my case. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated!

A little background on myself: I'm 22 years old, male, (caucasian, if that matters), have a college degree, and live in Detroit. I grew up out west though and have been itching to get back. I've secured and accepted a job offer near Torrey Pines State Park (Near intersection of I-5 and 56) making roughly $65k/yr (relocation is paid). I'm looking to relocate to San Diego in August. I'll be traveling to view possible places of interest in the next week or so.

A few questions....

1) Where would I want to start looking to relocate to? I've read Pacific Beach is an area where young professional people congregate. What about downtown? I'll be looking to rent a 1bd apartment in an area with walkable nightlife. I understand a car is necessary; but how bad would the commute to the I-5/56 area be from downtown?

2) Is this a reasonable salary to live comfortably and single in the area? I'm a very small spender, have no debt, not a lavish person by any means.

3) I'm planning on playing rugby for OMBAC. They play at the "Little Q" neighboring Qualcomm Stadium. How hard is this to get to? From the areas I'd be interested in?

4) What can I expect in terms of culture shock, coming from an area like Detroit? I've read some people's experiences from New York, Chicago, etc. Can anyone relate from an area like mine, or Ohio or something of that nature?

5) Any specific do's/dont's you can offer as advice for the area or the move in general? I'll be making this move solo, no support network in the area.

Any help you all can offer is greatly appreciated...I know this is a mouthful. You can private message me as well!

Thanks!

[loveautumn]

don't worry about any of the above, you will be fine making $65K a year. Just get the heck out of Detroit! Culture shock..yes...you will think you died and went to heaven. You'll meet lots of people playing rugby.

[Clevelandgal]

We live downtown-right near the 5. My husbands commute to/from Torrey Pines takes 18-25 minutes-it is a reverse commute. Its all freeway. Since we are renting and our lease is almost at a year we were thinking about North Pacific Beach/Bird Rock, but actually figured out it would take him even longer to get to work even though mileage wise it is closer. Banker's Hill (just n. of downtown), little Italy and Cortez Hill (part of downtown) have super easy 5 access and are a bit quieter than the downtown neighborhods of the gaslamp and east village but close enough to walk. I highly recommend checking out any place you rent. We rented sight on seen (risky) but the place has been awesome, we plan on renewing the lease. There are a lot more people your age around here than ours. Qualcom stadium is centrally located for you to get to from the places you mention---just don't live around there-IMO it is suburban hell.

[Clevelandgal]

Oh, and I moved here from Cleveland (lots in common with Detroit). I am not from there but lived there 8 years. It is extremely different here in every way, I don't know where to begin. That said I cannot say I have felt "culture shock". We have adapted real well, but we have also lived in other places and traveled a lot. I still sometimes feel like it is not "home" yet-but from past experience I know that can take a few years to get settled.

[sdurbanite]

No need to worry about any culture shock, whatsoever. I was in Detroit last year and besides having to cross the demarcation line, aka 8 Mile Road, to get around, nothing shocked me. Your salary is fine.

Plenty of Michiganders in SD. I always get a kick on how you all use your open palms (right hand, of course) to point out where in the lower peninsula your hometown is located.

[cheezit34141988]

Thanks all -

loveautumn - Yeah, I've been playing rugby long enough to know there will be somewhat of a crowd that I'll be able to settle in with relatively quickly with at least a given group.

ClevelandGal - Thanks for the tips - I'm just trying to get a list of places together to check out while I'm in town. I should be in for about 4 days; a Saturday through Tuesday. So hopefully I'll be able to get a weekend and weekday feel for some areas.

sdurbanite - Yeah, we do have a lot of people who become transplants (more as of late). I actually live a mile north of 8 Mile (9 Mile, eh?) and can attest to a lot of that. I've just been trying to establish what I might come across as a Midwesterner moving out to a Pac Coast town. And yes...If you hold up your right hand i'm just about at the base of your thumb!

Thanks again all! Keep the responses rolling if you see fit!

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Sounds like a pretty solid move to me based on your circumstances.

I have been living in San Diego for a number of years so I cant really give any advice on the change. Although one of my closest friends is a Michinganderer (Clawson) and she said its pretty different for her here when she has visited. Her best comparison, as many other Michigan folk, would be Florida based on family vacations etc. However for her, it is just a different animal here in SD.

You got some GREAT advice here so far, so not much I can really offer here except, keep your eyes open. The general layout is: coastal, urban or suburbia to be within reasonable driving distance to the Torrey Pines area.

It doesnt sound like you want to go too crazy on the partying per se, so I have a hard time recommending Pacific Beach. However, on the other hand you could live like a king there based on your income.
UTC might be a much nicer fit for a first time mover here and where you will be working. It will make your commute far less painful taking side roads vs freeways. UTC is easy to navigate and is a fantastic place to start from to explore other parts of SD.

One other thing is, dont sweat the transplant thing. San Diego has a large number of transplants.

Good luck with your move, tell us how it goes!

[cheezit34141988]

Thanks for the information shmoov! I actually live a mile or so away from the Clawson area.

Typically I'm out for dinner/drinks once or twice a night...depending on the time of year, etc. Definitely am not a party crazy guy but I do go out and have fun frequently. I'll be sure to look into UTC while I'm out there as well.

2 more questions that I've come up with since yesterday after thinking about the few things I dont know if I'll be able to find there that I've grown accustomed to here!

1) Microbreweries/Beer choices! I've been fortunate/unfortunate enough to grow up around here where microbrews and craft brews are rampant. Does anyone have any insight as to that scene in SD? Are there many places for that?

2) Snowboarding - I've read about Bear Mountain, etc...how do these rate in terms of ease of access? What are the seasons out there?

Thanks again!

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by dtrtrggr13

Thanks for the information shmoov! I actually live a mile or so away from the Clawson area.

Typically I'm out for dinner/drinks once or twice a night...depending on the time of year, etc. Definitely am not a party crazy guy but I do go out and have fun frequently. I'll be sure to look into UTC while I'm out there as well.

2 more questions that I've come up with since yesterday after thinking about the few things I dont know if I'll be able to find there that I've grown accustomed to here!

1) Microbreweries/Beer choices! I've been fortunate/unfortunate enough to grow up around here where microbrews and craft brews are rampant. Does anyone have any insight as to that scene in SD? Are there many places for that?

2) Snowboarding - I've read about Bear Mountain, etc...how do these rate in terms of ease of access? What are the seasons out there?

Thanks again!

1. You are moving to one of the most respected and awarded craft beer scenes in the US. San Diego Brewers Guild - News (http://www.sandiegobrewersguild.org/news.php?x=19 - broken link)
That has all the info you would need pre-trip.

2. Snowboarding. Bear is nearby and very accessible. Not even a 2-2.5 hour drive to get there. There are some smaller, fun hills like Mountain High or Snow Summit. They are more of a hang out with added benefits than a place for tough challenges lol
Snow valley is closer to Bear.

[JakeDog]

Originally Posted by dtrtrggr13

Thanks for the information shmoov! I actually live a mile or so away from the Clawson area.

Typically I'm out for dinner/drinks once or twice a night...depending on the time of year, etc. Definitely am not a party crazy guy but I do go out and have fun frequently. I'll be sure to look into UTC while I'm out there as well.

2 more questions that I've come up with since yesterday after thinking about the few things I dont know if I'll be able to find there that I've grown accustomed to here!

1) Microbreweries/Beer choices! I've been fortunate/unfortunate enough to grow up around here where microbrews and craft brews are rampant. Does anyone have any insight as to that scene in SD? Are there many places for that?

2) Snowboarding - I've read about Bear Mountain, etc...how do these rate in terms of ease of access? What are the seasons out there?

Thanks again!

Seasons? We don't need no freaking seasons. It's basically two. Summer, which is 8-9 months of the year (but a pleasant 72-85 summer), and 3-4 months of winter/spring (65-72 with more rainy days). It could be 75 and warm on christmas, or 62 and rainy, but there are not real seasons.