Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've lived here in San Diego my whole life, and now I go to UCSD, so I'm stuck here altogether! I visit San Francisco often for my girlfriend, and I love Union Square and the housing around there. Seeing a lot of people just walking to stores is great, and everyone is fairly friendly and helpful. In San Diego, it's the opposite. There are of course friendly people, but life is more secluded. I consider it the land of the family, where life is very static, and the weather calm BUT uninspiring. I think SF is far more inspiring with its city life and upscale stores. The closest you get to this in my opinion with San Diego is La Jolla, and La Jolla downtown. Downtown San Diego is like the boring brother of SF Downtown.
Depending on the location, I would probably keep your house in San Francisco! San Diego is nice, but I'm sure your son when he is older can learn much more and feel more inspired in SF.
I currently live in San Diego and have lived here since 2006 with exception of a couple years of interruption where I lived in LA.
I think if you have lived in SF, you will certainly enjoy the better weather but I think you will get a culture shock. I think San Diego still lacks good solid culture specially in compare to SF.
Would never raise kids in SF, and I think some of the posters are missing that point. Being surrounded by "culture" enjoyed by childless couples isn't that awesome when you just want a safe family friendly enviornment. North County San Diego is the most perfect suburban enviornment in the country IMO. Perfect weather, nice towns, close to an accessible city. Yes, the homes look the same, but there are tons of parks and endless outdoor and family activities. I don't find it nearly as materialistic as the Bay Area, and it certainly isn't as stresed out. We've made tons of friends and people are welcoming.
Thank you all for your input, I value it highly. JakeDog, you have my number. SF is extremely interesting when you're an adult, especially young and single adult. We are looking for a place with good environment and resources for our son. Our time in the spotlight is over.
Would never raise kids in SF, and I think some of the posters are missing that point. Being surrounded by "culture" enjoyed by childless couples isn't that awesome when you just want a safe family friendly enviornment. North County San Diego is the most perfect suburban enviornment in the country IMO. Perfect weather, nice towns, close to an accessible city. Yes, the homes look the same, but there are tons of parks and endless outdoor and family activities. I don't find it nearly as materialistic as the Bay Area, and it certainly isn't as stresed out. We've made tons of friends and people are welcoming.
Would never raise kids in SF, and I think some of the posters are missing that point. Being surrounded by "culture" enjoyed by childless couples isn't that awesome when you just want a safe family friendly enviornment. North County San Diego is the most perfect suburban enviornment in the country IMO. Perfect weather, nice towns, close to an accessible city. Yes, the homes look the same, but there are tons of parks and endless outdoor and family activities. I don't find it nearly as materialistic as the Bay Area, and it certainly isn't as stresed out. We've made tons of friends and people are welcoming.
I lived in SFO when newly married...but have lived in SD now for 9 years. I would never want to live in SFO with my son. He's now 10. I completely agree with and understand you on that one.
SD is very, well, not as 'vital' as SFO or the Bay Area, for sure. Also, although there are lots of neighborhoods and suburbia, it's noto super easy to make friends, unless you live in the 'less staid' areas, based on my experience.
Encinitas and Univ. Heights/Normal Heights come to mind.
And I will be frank: Like anywhere, you make friends based on personal resonance. If you resonate with the people in the bay area, it is harder in so cal. People are generically friendly, but it's not an 'intimate' friendly.
Oh, i should mention: I have lived 3 years each in clairemont, normal heights and now carmel valley, where my child attends school. Carmel Valley is by far the nicest for him-he has lots of friends, and it's very safe-he can roam and bike and go the park alone, go buy candy at the deli in the plaza etc. [now that he's older, of course]. So, I do recommend CV, relative to many other areas of SD. Also, the schools are excellent and I'm sure you have researched and know that there's a very large Asian community in CV. My son mixes and mingles, b/c that is his nature, and he was also homeschooled for years, but to be honest, he had to work for it; to some extent, there is alot of self-segregation in the communities here. (Although many are newly immigrated, so I'm sure that is an influence).
To understand the SD vibe, I think it helps to keep in mind that it has been basically military and tourism, and historically has had a large presence of retired upper ranking military. It's a very conservative area, that has also had areas of surfer/low key so cal lifestyle. The latter is still here, but places like Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach have unfortunately given way to more meth and transitioned also from hippie to more tattoo parlors, etc. vibe. There are a few hipster neighborhoods, but the generic suburbia looms large. I find it sterile and soul crushing, to be honest. I grew up in new england, and lived a few years each in boulder and missoula, in addition to SFO. At the same time, it is 'great for families', in the sense that it's spread out areas, less congested, lower key and less cosmopolitan. The weather is great, the beaches free and easily accessible/less crowded than many. And it's 'nice'. People are 'nice'-but the exchanges never go more than '3 sentences deep' each way.
That is what I have found the cut-off to be, when people here shut down. This gets a bit boring.
Oh, and my spouse is a SD native with a large family here in town, so I come from a different angle, and still don't find it friendly or cohesive at all.
I know there are exceptions, and I could qualify all day. I just wanted to give an honest assessment, personally based, b/c the OP asked. Also, the food sucks in SD, ESPECIALLY compared to the bay area. The farmer's markets are okay, but the restaurant scene-there isn't one. And someone will chime in with how it's improved, etc. but seriously: the Bay area is true epicurian. So Cal is largely 'health conscious', at best. It's the lack of depth, I think. So you find chain places and an ocassional great place [ex: sake house in encinitas, n ew location in hillcrest-a japanese tapas place that is authentic and that we adore, but it's the exception here.]. There is a great food co-op that's been around for ages; there's one decent bakery, and it's in mission hills area, so you drive far. Any restaurant worth going to is in the hillcrest/mission hills area. We had friends from NYC, living in Carlsbad, and they regularly drove to hillcrest to try out restaurants. Encinitas has a few decent places, but I had far better peruvian and a much better price, and more authentic, when I was in Santa Rosa/Sonoma County last spring.
You can always drive to LA for more options, however!
I have wanted to leave SD since basically before I moved here! ie, never wanted to move here. Anyway, I had a good run here, and have earnestly tried to move since about 2005. I would live in Sonoma, or even Marin, over SD, in a heartbeat. Unless your income or some personal reason or lifestyle choice dictated, I see no reason to move to so cal from no cal. My two cents.
I do agree that SD is less congested than SFO proper, and this also means it is spread out, sterile suburbia. Everything is a 'package' or 'program' here. Also, the area is growing and traffic is worsening, but unless you commute, I would not consider this a problem.
Carmel Valley is a beautiful neighborhood, in a fantastic location. It's easy to go south or north, and no need to use freeways to go to the beach or hike. There are amenities-health food store, theater, etc, etc within walking distance for many people in CV. It's safe and clean, and ethnically diverse (in a non-urban way-so many people assume it is not. In actuality, my son who is white is a minority in his friends, who are korean, indian, persian, mainly).
3k will get you a decent rental in CV-one of the earlier 'mini' houses, compared to the newer mcmansions. It will be a 4/3, and you will have to look to find it under 3, as I normally see them in 3200 to 4k range. Plenty of upscale townhomes and condos for 3, though. Carlsbad has a much wider range of options, with the accompanying range of quality/neighborhoods.
Best of luck to you and your family!
ps-I just noticed your comment about politics: you may not care or enjoy t hem, as you say, but they do impact the 'vibe' of an area. So this is why I mentioned it. It can help you to visualize what is might be like to live somewhere. Because, frankly, they DO matter to many other people, as does religion. So people's lifestyle and community will reflect this. There is mainly a live and let live attitude in SD, as you might expect. But the vibe of the city does find it's roots in it's politics. Developers rule the city council, and have forever in SD. There is not long term planning in a progressive way, which certainly affects quality of life. I understand most cities have corruption; I am saying this is specific to SD-it's actually NOT a politically active place. It's very complacent. The Bay Area as a whole is definitely not complacent, whether one agrees with or pays attention to it's specific 'politics' or not. You still live in an environment that is non complacent. It's very different.
It's far more than I would want to get into in this already long post. But just to qualify why I mentioned it: You could consider what you do like about SFO, to see if it will matter to not have it. ie, some of the pros vs. the cons.
Last edited by lrmsd; 12-16-2011 at 10:11 AM..
Reason: typo
Would never raise kids in SF, and I think some of the posters are missing that point. Being surrounded by "culture" enjoyed by childless couples isn't that awesome when you just want a safe family friendly enviornment. North County San Diego is the most perfect suburban enviornment in the country IMO. Perfect weather, nice towns, close to an accessible city. Yes, the homes look the same, but there are tons of parks and endless outdoor and family activities. I don't find it nearly as materialistic as the Bay Area, and it certainly isn't as stresed out. We've made tons of friends and people are welcoming.
I personally do not agree with this at all. I find sonoma county to be my personal paradise with children. It's relative. I do agree that many posters reply without regard to the 'child' factor'. Especially in reference to the fervor surrounding SFO. [see my other reply to the OP]. However, personal resonance/chemistry with place and it's people is largely individual. This is why two different people or families can have polar opposite experiences in a place, even living in the same neighborhood. Sure, good schools, great weather, Encinitas is fabulous in so many ways. But I still don't feel the ease and sense of belonging that I have in some other places that I've lived or visited.
For example: 'more materialistic' in the Bay Area?' WHAT? Since I live in Carmel Valley, perhaps I am biased. But I have lived all over SD county, and that could not be further from the truth. So CAL as a whole is car centric, image centric, plastic surgery centric, far more superficial than the Bay Area. But, I could agree that it's 'about the same', in order to not divert this thread. Sure, there are materialistc folks in SFO and the peninsula. But I LOVED when living in SFO and even visiting Marin, that you could be next to a guy on the bus who could be homeless or a dot com millionaire. You had no idea! And the guy in marin who equally could be homeless and living in his old diesel coversion volvo wagon, may be equally an multi millionaire investor. I have never found that kind of incongruity in SD or southern CA as a whole. What you drive, whether you rent or own, how big your house is, is exactly who you are here. My child encounters this in school, as well. Sure, in Tiburon or some marin communities, and pretentious parts of SFO, you will find similar. It's the pervasiveness of it, here in SD and so cal, that trumps, IMO.
Well, OP is getting a range of responses. I'll leave it at that-my opinion/my experience.
I do agree with you that SFO is not a place to raise a child. The OP/family will need to decide based on personal feeling, if Encinitas, carlsbad or carmel valley are a good fit for him/family.
Last edited by lrmsd; 12-16-2011 at 10:23 AM..
Reason: typo
I was born in Marin, moved to SD at age 18 for 35 years, then to Austin 5 years ago. I loved Marin and SD, but they got too crowded and too expensive. Austin is liberal and friendly, and housing is about a third to half as much as SD. There is a reason why everybody is naming Austin one of the the best cities in the country to live, work, play, invest in, and raise a family!
I think this totally depends on the area. I don't find most of SD very pretentious, but I'd say it's safe to say that in affluent suburban areas, whether SD or the Bay Area, you'll get more materialistic people. They exist in both places, wherever the demographic is similar. There are plenty of women in both SF and wealthy suburbs (think Blackhawk, Danville) with plenty of plastic surgery too. No region is insulated from that sort of superficiality.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lrmsd
LOL
Would never raise kids in SF, and I think some of the posters are missing that point. Being surrounded by "culture" enjoyed by childless couples isn't that awesome when you just want a safe family friendly enviornment. North County San Diego is the most perfect suburban enviornment in the country IMO. Perfect weather, nice towns, close to an accessible city. Yes, the homes look the same, but there are tons of parks and endless outdoor and family activities. I don't find it nearly as materialistic as the Bay Area, and it certainly isn't as stresed out. We've made tons of friends and people are welcoming.
I personally do not agree with this at all. I find sonoma county to be my personal paradise with children. It's relative. I do agree that many posters reply without regard to the 'child' factor'. Especially in reference to the fervor surrounding SFO. [see my other reply to the OP]. However, personal resonance/chemistry with place and it's people is largely individual. This is why two different people or families can have polar opposite experiences in a place, even living in the same neighborhood. Sure, good schools, great weather, Encinitas is fabulous in so many ways. But I still don't feel the ease and sense of belonging that I have in some other places that I've lived or visited.
For example: 'more materialistic' in the Bay Area?' WHAT? Since I live in Carmel Valley, perhaps I am biased. But I have lived all over SD county, and that could not be further from the truth. So CAL as a whole is car centric, image centric, plastic surgery centric, far more superficial than the Bay Area. But, I could agree that it's 'about the same', in order to not divert this thread. Sure, there are materialistc folks in SFO and the peninsula. But I LOVED when living in SFO and even visiting Marin, that you could be next to a guy on the bus who could be homeless or a dot com millionaire. You had no idea! And the guy in marin who equally could be homeless and living in his old diesel coversion volvo wagon, may be equally an multi millionaire investor. I have never found that kind of incongruity in SD or southern CA as a whole. What you drive, whether you rent or own, how big your house is, is exactly who you are here. My child encounters this in school, as well. Sure, in Tiburon or some marin communities, and pretentious parts of SFO, you will find similar. It's the pervasiveness of it, here in SD and so cal, that trumps, IMO.
Well, OP is getting a range of responses. I'll leave it at that-my opinion/my experience.
I do agree with you that SFO is not a place to raise a child. The OP/family will need to decide based on personal feeling, if Encinitas, carlsbad or carmel valley are a good fit for him/family.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
