Tired of the East Coast winters, really considering moving out to SD (San Diego: living in, low cost)

[RainbowHope]

Originally Posted by GMUAlum08

great story, thanks for following up. glad everything has worked out for you and I do believe if you want it bad enough you can make it happen. cheers!

I totally agree. And to live in San Diego, you definitely have to want it bad from the cost of living standpoint, but with creativity and a plan of action, it is worth it!

[Tedsterman]

I lived in Guam and Hawaii, and living close to the equator made outdoor sports damaging and painful to my skin. And I have dark, melanin enriched skin! San Diego to me, is a golfers paradise. In the summer, the morning marine cloud layer offers sun protection till about 10 or 11 AM and burns off by noon. You tee off early in the morning, the sun comes out by noon and you enjoy the a post golf lunch in the shade! The same goes for biking, hiking, sailing and other sports. Start in the morning and siesta in the afternoon. What a life.

[Hawaii4evr]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

It's always the people who don't live here who like to tell us our weather is boring, why is that?

Because they're trying to convince themselves that living in a dense, walkable, public-transit East Coast ****hole with a big skyline and "grit", all the while dealing with rude people, snow and mosquitoes is somehow better for QOL than hiking everyday in sunny 70F and going to the beach many days each year, relaxing under a palm tree.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr

Because they're trying to convince themselves that living in a dense, walkable, public-transit East Coast ****hole with a big skyline and "grit", all the while dealing with rude people, snow and mosquitoes is somehow better for QOL than hiking everyday in sunny 70F and going to the beach many days each year, relaxing under a palm tree.

Can be good: dense, walkable, public-transit, snow as kid, cloud cover

Can never be good: mosquitoes, snow as adult, rudeness which one can find anywhere

Always good: 70 deg., beach, palm trees, relaxing, hiking

Can not be good: SoCal oppressive sun

[Hawaii4evr]

Unless you're in the Inland Empire or the desert, the sun in SoCal is almost never oppressive--the cool sea breeze always keeps it in check. Sure, there are a few days when it may be into the 90sF or above (especially in the inland communities), but it's not very common.

A better negative of SoCal to mention would be the drought.

[skeke]

I moved here from the heat of AZ in 1976 and greatly prefer San Diego to extreme heat. Some might feel that way about escaping cold.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr

Because they're trying to convince themselves that living in a dense, walkable, public-transit East Coast ****hole with a big skyline and "grit", all the while dealing with rude people, snow and mosquitoes is somehow better for QOL than hiking everyday in sunny 70F and going to the beach many days each year, relaxing under a palm tree.

This is getting scary because, this is exactly what I believe too. Kudos Hawaii. Hurry up, finish school and get back to California.

[RainbowHope]

Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr

Because they're trying to convince themselves that living in a dense, walkable, public-transit East Coast ****hole with a big skyline and "grit", all the while dealing with rude people, snow and mosquitoes is somehow better for QOL than hiking everyday in sunny 70F and going to the beach many days each year, relaxing under a palm tree.

After moving here from New England I can say that you are spot on! But in conversation, people just say to me that they refuse to pay what we do for cost of living. A few of my friends have called me and whined about the 5 feet of snow they have gotten in the last 2 weeks. I just tell them that this is the time of year my sunshine tax is worth every penny!

[Tedsterman]

The anticipated mega drought is a reality, however inland cities are more vulnerable than San Diego.

1. Warm water ports have survived and thrived since the ancient times. San Diego is not going anywhere, it hosts a majority of the US Pacific Fleet. It would be too costly to relocate.
2. Although expensive, desalination is an option, many Middle Eastern countries in the Arabian Gulf have vast desalination plants. If the Colorado River dries up, inland cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix will have to pipe or truck their water uphill, extremely expensive. In the West, most boom and bust cities were inland, not on the coast.
3. Earthquakes are problematic, however if you look at Japan which is in the middle of three tectonic plates and a destructive subduction zone (in the 9.0 range) and it's recent tsunami; millions still chose to remain there and pay high real estate prices. The slip fault quakes in California are not as destructive as quakes in subduction zones. On the USGA website, the shake tables show San Diego will have the lowest ground acceleration compared to LA and SF.
4. Another problem is the anticipated sea level rise. San Diego has a single port opening to the ocean which will be easier to build a gate and barrier along the Strand toward the mesa near the border. The Dutch have mastered the engineering required to build a gate system. Relocating the entire Naval port and facilities would be a lot more costly than, building a gate and barrier. Keeping the water out in a city like New Orleans is much more challenging with its numerous tributaries and canals, which act like sieves.

To all the haters, San Diego despite it drawbacks, is not going anywhere. If it's within their budget, people will continue to relocate and live there no matter what.

[DougStark]

OP, since you are still young, you're probably not thinking long term about housing costs.

Once you get married and have a kid or two, San Diego will be a lot less desirable I predict. Home prices are ridiculous there. Junky houses in the ghetto will be your "starter home".\

But as a single young person who rents and has roommates, SD wouldn't be a bad choice. Best of luck.