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.
So I'm looking to possibly move to San Diego from South Florida. I'm 22 going on 23, born and raised in Florida. So you can assume that I am anxious to experience life and different people.
I currently have been working full-time at Nordstrom for nine-ten months now so transferring my job won't be an issue as long as a position opens up in the department that I want.
This move is not only about me experiencing a new place but it also has a lot to do with my job as well. The Nordstrom in Fashion Valley makes great volume. For example one day their store did close to 300k in sales while the store I currently work at can barely make 40k. Keep in mind this is a commission based job. There are plenty of people who work for Nordstrom at high volume stores that easily make 2k off their paychecks due to commission which is nice. My store, you mostly make commission if it's holiday season which tells you how slow it is.
San Diego does look nice, my friend who lived there says I will love it there. At first I was considering LA but it doesn't look like my scene at all. San Diego seems a lot more relaxed and quiet but still plenty to do I'm sure.
But looking through the forums and reading posts has me thinking that maybe California just won't be worth such a big move considering the costs even though my job will be paying pretty well. So that's why I'm also thinking about Seattle and Denver. Both seem like really great places to live but I'll admit I really don't know much about them either.
Regardless of where I move I'm not looking to live there for the rest of my life, nor do I intend to work at Nordstrom for the rest of my life, my dream is to become an author and travel. But anyway, I hope I can get some insightful posts that can help me have a better idea. Obviously no one can make any decisions for me, I just need some comparisons between the three to help me decide for myself which would be best for me.
If you're from Fla then you've got ito figure in the cold in Denver during winter.. Its cold! It gets down to negative numbers sometimes...Great during the fall spring and summer.. but winter bites.. It gets cold there but it sporatic... snow lands but wont stay on the ground for too long.. then its just dirty smudge... Denver airport is a major hub.. so when you need to get outta town... its easy
Seattle.... Well you beter like rain.. its beautiful and green.. because its always raining.. great transit system great people (webbed toes and all).... I understand the indie music scene is realy great there and coffee is cheap. Oh.. and they do have great resturants and food there..
So.. San Diego.. weather is not a real consideration.. we've got the "wet dry season" and the "dry dry season".. most call them winter and summer... Spring and Fall are about the same here a little of both wet and dry... but mostly dry and 70deg
Depending on where you live.. you can have a 10 deg diffrence.. Coastal temps and conditions tend to be milder with more clouds than inland.. which tend to be clearer and warmer.
I'll warn you I'm a bit biased....
Whats more important to you you will be where you live.. San Diego and San Diego county is very diverse.. We've got country living.. surburbs and urban.. all within 30-40 min drive of each other.
I live "North County Inland" ... Lake Hodges .. on 2 acres with views of mountians and a lake and work in La Jolla.. it s a 25-35 min ride in the morning.. mostly freeway (expressway in Fla terms)..
What you need to do is take an extended trip and figure where you want to live..
Cost of living here is a bit hefty for the more desirabel locations.. think.. coastal..
But Im betting If I were 23 years old ..again.. I'd want to live at the beach... read $$$$$ or downtown.. read $$$.
Most of the suburbs have rental properties avaliable.. I think if you limit your search to mostly north of Hwy 8 and west of hwy 15 you could find a place for 1500-1800/month.
Nothing wrong with south of the 8.. its just most of the activities you'l want to do are north of the 8 and west of the 1.5
... Most of the suburbs have rental properties avaliable.. I think if you limit your search to mostly north of Hwy 8 and west of hwy 15 you could find a place for 1500-1800/month.
Nothing wrong with south of the 8.. its just most of the activities you'l want to do are north of the 8 and west of the 1.5
I agree with most of what this poster said, but there are nice areas south of I-8 and east of I-15 so I would suggest not to be strictly limited by that suggestion.
I cant really speak for the other areas of the country you are looking, except in typical generalities like weather. But as far as here....
What kind of living lifestyle do you want? Urban and walkable, suburban and mellow or coastal living which is its own animal and can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood.
As far as BitVipers comments, he/she is right. The freeways as dividing lines in the county are how we generally determine many living factors. So terms such as 'South of the 8', 'West of the 15' etc are totally valid in some cases but not all. When you start going South of the 8, where its generally older and where Downtown San Diego is, it can get trickier because its such a hodge podge of neighborhoods, density and people.
Also there are several Nordstrom here in San Diego. Some might have much higher sales numbers than others. For example, the shoe dept in Fashion Valley is a total zoo, whereas the location downtown at Horton Plaza has lesser of a selection and not as busy.
I have a girlfriend that worked at Nordstrom when she finished college and made a killing on commissions so I totally agree that its possible depending on department.
I think it is very hard to get into Nordstroms in Fashion Valley, it is one of their top producing stores, and lots of people in other SD stores want to transfer there. But you might luck out!
Seattle is really just as expensive COL as San Diego. I know you would love SD, as long as you have a car and a job.
I would recommend you move to San Diego. Seattle is too gloomy and chilly (with the exception of summer). Denver is also cold much of the year with the exception of summer. Both are beautiful, and probably not as costly as San Diego, but why move somewhere with bad weather when you can get the same job with some of the best weather in the USA? As for Nordstrom in Fashion Valley, I hope you get in, but like loveautumn said, it's hard to do so. You should start looking for other Nordstrom stores throughout the county. There's one in Escondido, and also another one in San Marcos, both of which are North County. North County, I've found, is more peaceful, more diverse and less conservative than the areas in "South County", or San Diego proper. It's also cleaner in North County. Anyways, there's lots to love about San Diego. Obviously, you can do all the tourist attractions, but there's so much more. You can visit Los Angeles, Orange County, Santa Barbara, the Channel Islands, or the desert because they're all close by. You can go dirtbiking in the desert and snowboarding in the mountains, hiking in the inland valleys or surfing the huge waves on our beaches. There's so much variety here, and the mild year-round weather means you can do any outdoor activity you want. Our weather is a Mediterranean climate, so we really have 2 seasons: cool and wet, and warm & dry. The wet season lasts from winter through spring, when daytime temperatures are usually in the 60sF, nights usually from 45-55F. It rains and gets foggy during this time period, but really, it's not even that much rain. Summer and fall are the dry, warm season. Days are in the mid-70s-low-80sF, but nights cool off from 56-66F, and year-round there's always a nice ocean breeze. The inland areas are sunnier and drier than the coast, and much hotter in summertime, but also colder in the wintertime than the coastal areas. However, the coast is much more expensive. But San Diego is beautiful everywhere.
Another thing. You may've heard that you can never swim in CA beaches because it's too cold. This is an exaggeration. Sure the water is colder than Miami, but in summer our water temps get into the low 70FsF, just like winter water temps in the FL Keys. It's chilly enough so that you can cool off from the heat in summer, but warm enough to swim in and enjoy.
I think any of the cities would be a great change of pace from Fl. I lived in FL for almost 14 years before moving to the Midwest, and liked experiencing a different climate and culture after such a long time. All 3 cities are great and you can't go wrong. Personally I would put Denver last, only because I really value being near salt water, regardless of the weather. The people I know that live or lived there love it. It's the cheaper of the 3 options which may help you peruse your other interests. We were absolute globetrotters in Cleveland becuase of the low cost of living and other work related benifits. Here not so much (although money is not really the main issue).
I agree with the other posts and see what kind of lifestyle you want. All 3 cities have their advantages and disadvantages. No way I'd want to deal with the gloomy weather in Seattle so much of the year. It really can make you depressed to spend that much time in rainy weather. And Denver can get cold as people mentioned and dealing with the snow, etc. I just got stuck there in the big snowstorm and it wasn't fun having the airport cancel most of their flights.
Just out of curiosity, what are the sales #'s like at that Cherry Creek Mall store in Denver? We go there every time we pass through Denver and it's almost always completely dead when we are walking around in it. I was just curious how most of those stores survive as it always seems dead there.
Fashion Valley really keeps investing millions and millions of dollars in improvements. All the local malls have been investing millions improving which is great to see. And it's nice getting more and more higher end stores (Westfield UTC, Escondido, FV, etc). I was surprised to see Fashion Valley added a decent sized Prada store while we were shopping this past weekend. (of course it was dead though). A clear sign the economy is improving when you see investments like that.
We go to Nordstroms at Fashion Valley all the time. Great (but expensive) selection of kids shoes there. It always seems busy in there so I'm not surprised to hear it does fairly well.
One thing I've noticed about Fashion Valley is they get a TON of people from Mexico that come across to go shopping. We spent much of Sunday going shopping and it was completely packed! Every time we went to pay for something it was mostly people speaking Spanish. I kid you not. My wife was buying a few pairs of shoes at Tory Burch and we were the only ones out of about 8 people in there speaking English. All the others were Mexican and ALL the sales associates also spoke Spanish.
And it's kind of funny because sometimes people will look like they don't have 2 sticks to rub together and they pull out this big wad of cash and paying with cash. I was in Louis Vuitton a few months ago buying my wife a new purse for her birthday and there was this middle aged Mexican farmer type. His jeans were all dirty, his shoes had mud all over them, he looked like he just got out of plowing the fields. He was with his younger girlfriend.
I kind of laughed and thought to myself this guy looked out of place there and he pulls out a wad of $100 bills. He ended up buying his novia a $2,000 purse. I have a feeling Fashion Valley gets a lot of those types of shoppers as well.
So one thing I'd suggest is to brush up on your Spanish if you work on commissions and will work in San Diego at Fashion Valley.
I do concur with the other posters POVs. At 23, the world is yours for the taking. This is the age to explore and even take some calculated risks - i.e. relocation, career change, setting up your own business - you have time on your side!
As Clevelandgal pointed out, I would also personally put Denver last and do your homework on the remaining two. I am biased, but I would personally choose San Diego over Seattle. Here's why;
Cost of Living: San Diego may top Seattle, but may not be a whole lot of variance. Both cities are expensive, but you get a whole lot of "I love San Diego" change that you may not be able to get from Seattle.
Weather: San Diego beats Seattle bar-none (IMO)...depending on where you chose to live; inland or coastal temps are NOT extreme compared to some of the other states. I used to live in Arizona and I hate the constant scorching heat for 7+months...it wasn't for me especially after living in England for over a decade.
Average temps in San Diego ranges from 70-80 degrees during the warmer months, though places like Poway and granddaddy Escondido can get REALLY hot at times and can easily pass the high water mark level! One thing to bear in mind is between late August to late October, we get the Santa Ana winds and that can drop some serious heat across the county.
Our "paradise weather" expectations were bruised somewhat after experiencing a full year weather cycle since relocating, but the beauty of this is that when it's hot, you can go to the beach and cool off!
Amenities: I don't know a whole lot about Seattle, but again IMO, I think San Diego tops Seattle (I maybe wrong).
So what is it that we have in San Diego that's so exciting? Well...endless beaches, Balboa Park, Lakes, San Diego Zoo, Legoland, SeaWorld to mention but a few. These are super important if you plan on one day raising children here. I just can't be convinced as a parent that there are other cities that offer something similar if not better. Did I mention the abundance of beaches? Living near water is soothing, the idea of a less than 20min drive to the beach is just so appealing to me. I MUST say that's not the reason why my family & I relocated here.
Social Scene/Dining:As a parent, am no longer interested in clubbing, partying and all that. I did that in my age when I lived in London, but I do like spending quality time with my family and going out to restaurants. So far my favorite is Morton's - great restaurant, with outrageous over-rated prices for those in the affluent scale and those competing with or pretending to be the Jones' . This is the type of restaurant we visit no more than twice a year (when I get that yearly bonus, or my wife's b'day).
I must admit, the restaurant scene here is not as good. I think this one I'll tip my hat off to Seattle. Not sure what you're looking for in a city when it comes to entertainment/night life/dining etc.
Commute: San Diego county is mainly car-centric...a lot of freeways, but you can easily get to where you need to be between 30-45 mins or less depending on your start and destination points. It would be difficult to live in San Diego without a car, though it's doable, you may be limited to where you'd like to go. But this is not the main reason why you asked your question so I'll leave it as that.
Proximity to Other Cities: LA is just about an hour away (depending on where you live), Orange County, Riverside and beautiful Santa Barbara. Heck you can even take the 6+ hour drive to San Francisco for site seeing if that's your thing. I can't comment on Seattle as much - though you'll be close to oh Canada!
At the end of the day, we can provide our own perspectives (sometimes biased and there's nothing wrong with that), but the ultimate decision will be made by you. Everyone's circumstances are different and there's no one-size fits all recommendations that will provide the "aha" moment. Just bear in mind, San Diego is a high cost of living city and the pay scale here across all industries while good is NOT competitive in my opinion compared to other cities.
If you can swing it, I'll recommend you come down and take a tour of the city, have a feel for the landscape, a rough idea of where you'd potentially like to live and then decide if you'd like to be a participant in the state where we pay "sunshine tax."
Hate to be a naysayer, but if I were you at 23 I'd look into changing jobs and living in NY, D.C., L.A. the Bay Area, or even Seattle. You don't want to be doing retail the rest of your life (even if you can make $$$ it's not an ideal "career"), and you are better off building an impressive resume and then relocating to San Diego in your 30s or 40s to raise your family. Also, I assume you have a college degree. If not, I'd move anywhere that allowed you to get one at the best university possible.
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.
