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I've been lurking here for MONTHS, and I see so many responses from posters on the SD forum actively discouraging people from moving to the area. I understand that some of the people asking questions have radically unrealistic expectations of cost of living, etc, and the "stay where you are; don't move here" comments are a necessary reality check for those people. Yet, I've also seen people who make high salaries (well into the 6 figure range), have a reasonable idea of what homes cost/rental prices in the SD area, have budgets figured out that are solid, etc. Maybe they're just here asking questions like, "Which neighborhood is more family friendly: PQ or RB?" or something seemingly innocuous like that, and they are still hit with the "Don't move here!" bit. Reasons cited are often that the poster could save more money for retirement if they stayed where they are, or the possibility of their budget falling to pieces should they (or their spouse) lose their job after moving to SD, amongst a plethora of other reasons (like, "if you're not going to go to the beach on the daily, there's no point in moving to SD" and stuff like that). Obviously, those things are *possible* (even probable, when it comes to the retirement savings, etc.). But, honestly, tragedy and/or financial ruin can happen anywhere. People lose their jobs in Nebraska and Texas, too. Should no one ever move to SD just in case the worst happens? I'm honestly curious why there is so much negativity on these boards. Most of the posters saying this stuff live here themselves! How do you make it here? Why do you make it here? Over 3 million people live in SD county. I mean...there's got to be a reason.
That's easy. For every 1 person who's moved here and been successful there are 3 or more that didn't make it and moved back home. What you are getting from this core group of posters is the truth. I have multiple friends that had a go at it and no longer live here but are doing fine in other places. Not one wanted to move.
Would you prefer we blow sunshine up your skirt with lies?
If you make 3 figures yet you talk about La Jolla you are still out of your league. This is the typical list of "requirements" people post.
safe
cheap
good schools
close to beach
newer house
big lot
walk-able neighborhood
Well friend, this narrows the scope to a very limited part of SD. Usually, you get 2 out of the list or you need to compromise. If you don't want a house with a big lot, near the beach in a safe area that has good schools then it is a lot more realistic.
If you can afford a million dollar house you will do fine here. But, think about what that would get you somewhere else.
Last edited by 1AngryTaxPayer; 06-21-2015 at 10:39 AM..
Oh I highly recommend moving to SD. Best city in the US of A Just make sure you have all your ducks in a row beforehand and have a backup plan and plenty of cash reserves.
That's easy. For every 1 person who's moved here and been successful there are 3 or more that didn't make it and moved back home. What you are getting from this core group of posters is the truth. I have multiple friends that had a go at it and no longer live here but are doing fine in other places. Not one wanted to move.
Would you prefer we blow sunshine up your skirt with lies?
If you make 3 figures yet you talk about La Jolla you are still out of your league. This is the typical list of "requirements" people post.
safe
cheap
good schools
close to beach
newer house
big lot
walk-able neighborhood
Well friend, this narrows the scope to a very limited part of SD. Usually, you get 2 out of the list or you need to compromise. If you don't want a house with a big lot, near the beach in a safe area that has good schools then it is a lot more realistic.
If you can afford a million dollar house you will do fine here. But, think about what that would get you somewhere else.
Oh, I totally understand that! No, you should definitely not let people labor under the false assumption that they can have all their "wants." Those folks need called out, for sure. But not everyone can afford a million dollar house, nor are they asking for that. To be sure, if you're careful and are only looking for a reasonable lifestyle, you don't need to be a millionaire to enjoy living in San Diego. The posts that are tiresome (to me, at least) are the ones where people say stuff like, "if you can only afford to live in east county, you may as well move to Arizona" or "if you're not going to go to the beach regularly, there's no reason to live in SD" or even, "if you are just going to live in suburban cookie cutter homes instead of a funky place near or west of the 5, why move here" and on and on. Those are the ones I was talking about.
Oh I highly recommend moving to SD. Best city in the US of A Just make sure you have all your ducks in a row beforehand and have a backup plan and plenty of cash reserves.
Oh, I totally understand that! No, you should definitely not let people labor under the false assumption that they can have all their "wants." Those folks need called out, for sure. But not everyone can afford a million dollar house, nor are they asking for that. To be sure, if you're careful and are only looking for a reasonable lifestyle, you don't need to be a millionaire to enjoy living in San Diego. The posts that are tiresome (to me, at least) are the ones where people say stuff like, "if you can only afford to live in east county, you may as well move to Arizona" or "if you're not going to go to the beach regularly, there's no reason to live in SD" or even, "if you are just going to live in suburban cookie cutter homes instead of a funky place near or west of the 5, why move here" and on and on. Those are the ones I was talking about.
Well, there are a lot of truths to that though. I love E County but if I lived in say, Alpine and didn't go to the beach a lot I'd have to really wonder why I would live here. The difference in cost of living is staggering. When I first moved here from CO I thought the E County was the most boring landscape on the planet. Even worse than the actual desert. After a few years it grew on me.
But, I love the beach so that's why I live as close to it as I can afford. If you don't mind roommates and a small apt you can live quite nicely at the beach.
The dream everyone seems to be chasing is a big house with a big lot in a safe hood near the beach that is cheap. That doesn't exist here anymore.
I've lived in SD for 38 years and have seen it change dramatically. There is not much land to build on any more, even though SD County is huge, because we are defined by the Mexican border, the ocean, Camp Pendleton and mountains to the east. SD has not yet built skyscrapers to house people. X number of people can move in and X number of people will be moving out, and so it goes. Gentrification is rampant here so the middle class is being pushed out, that is a fact. When people ask for "honest" answers to their questions about moving here, if they have 3-5 kids, no jobs yet, expect to rent a house in a great school district for $2k a month, I feel it is the honorable thing to do to tell them the truth. There are people who ask if they (a couple) can live here on XXX amount of income (dual incomes) and they are OK with paying $3500 a month for rent, I'd say yes, sure. Every situation is different and we are only basing our replies on the information they are providing. Or if a kid wants to move here and will be making minimum wage, will need a bunch of roommates to live in PB and party for a few years, I don't encourage it because we already have enough of those. I usually ask myself does this person/family seem that they will be contributing something to SD and our society or will they just be "taking", will they be living here or just existing? I'm not going to tell somebody it's a nice, safe area when it isn't, what's the point of sugar coating certain areas. I mean, we're not the Chamber of Commerce. I agree with a previous poster that with the inquiries we get I'd say one out of five is probably a viable candidate. I also agree that if you are just going to end up living in a crappy part of town, barely making it, and not be able to really enjoy what SoCal has to offer, then why come here? But they still do and that's their decision. Most of them post here to have someone agree with them that they are doing the right thing, and then we never hear from them again on whether they moved here or not, they just drop out.
Well, there are a lot of truths to that though. I love E County but if I lived in say, Alpine and didn't go to the beach a lot I'd have to really wonder why I would live here. The difference in cost of living is staggering. When I first moved here from CO I thought the E County was the most boring landscape on the planet. Even worse than the actual desert. After a few years it grew on me.
But, I love the beach so that's why I live as close to it as I can afford. If you don't mind roommates and a small apt you can live quite nicely at the beach.
The dream everyone seems to be chasing is a big house with a big lot in a safe hood near the beach that is cheap. That doesn't exist here anymore.
Your last couple of sentences are spot-on, unfortunately.
I guess my point was that the road goes both ways in and out of SD. Even if 1 person out of 4-5 "makes" it out here and loves it, then that one person is glad they tried. The other 3-4 people may even be glad they tried, too, since they otherwise might have always wondered "what if." Sure, moving is expensive, but we only live once (yeah, I know...an overused phrase, but it's true). These folks can always move back to Minnesota, Texas, North Carolina, wherever.
There's a reason I spend a decent amount of time on the forum. I generally find that most of the threads are full of great and helpful information for residents and potential residents alike. I appreciate the different perspectives. I completely agree that some folks are clueless when it comes to *realistic* expectations of making a living in SD, and your points are definitely valid.
I've lived in SD for 38 years and have seen it change dramatically. There is not much land to build on any more, even though SD County is huge, because we are defined by the Mexican border, the ocean, Camp Pendleton and mountains to the east. SD has not yet built skyscrapers to house people. X number of people can move in and X number of people will be moving out, and so it goes. Gentrification is rampant here so the middle class is being pushed out, that is a fact. When people ask for "honest" answers to their questions about moving here, if they have 3-5 kids, no jobs yet, expect to rent a house in a great school district for $2k a month, I feel it is the honorable thing to do to tell them the truth. There are people who ask if they (a couple) can live here on XXX amount of income (dual incomes) and they are OK with paying $3500 a month for rent, I'd say yes, sure. Every situation is different and we are only basing our replies on the information they are providing. Or if a kid wants to move here and will be making minimum wage, will need a bunch of roommates to live in PB and party for a few years, I don't encourage it because we already have enough of those. I usually ask myself does this person/family seem that they will be contributing something to SD and our society or will they just be "taking", will they be living here or just existing? I'm not going to tell somebody it's a nice, safe area when it isn't, what's the point of sugar coating certain areas. I mean, we're not the Chamber of Commerce. I agree with a previous poster that with the inquiries we get I'd say one out of five is probably a viable candidate. I also agree that if you are just going to end up living in a crappy part of town, barely making it, and not be able to really enjoy what SoCal has to offer, then why come here? But they still do and that's their decision. Most of them post here to have someone agree with them that they are doing the right thing, and then we never hear from them again on whether they moved here or not, they just drop out.
I agree with everything you said. The posts about moving first and finding a job second always make me scratch my head, especially when there is a family/kids involved. Taking a risk like that as a single, childless person is one thing, but with a family in tow is something else.
What prompted my post yesterday, though, was a thread about a family of 3 making almost a quarter of a million dollars per year combined income, and people were discouraging them from moving to SD. Could you save more for retirement somewhere else? Sure. Could you afford a McMansion on that salary in another state? Yep. Could a family of 3 "survive" in SD, buy a reasonably-sized home in a decent area (not beachfront, obviously ), and continue to save for retirement (albeit, a smaller amount per paycheck most likely) on nearly $250,000 per year? Of course, and to suggest otherwise is being too overcautious in my opinion.
I agree with everything you said. The posts about moving first and finding a job second always make me scratch my head, especially when there is a family/kids involved. Taking a risk like that as a single, childless person is one thing, but with a family in tow is something else.
What prompted my post yesterday, though, was a thread about a family of 3 making almost a quarter of a million dollars per year combined income, and people were discouraging them from moving to SD. Could you save more for retirement somewhere else? Sure. Could you afford a McMansion on that salary in another state? Yep. Could a family of 3 "survive" in SD, buy a reasonably-sized home in a decent area (not beachfront, obviously ), and continue to save for retirement (albeit, a smaller amount per paycheck most likely) on nearly $250,000 per year? Of course, and to suggest otherwise is being too overcautious in my opinion.
You'd have to spend like a drunken sailor not to make it here on 1/4 mill a year
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Just make sure you have all your ducks in a row beforehand and have a backup plan and plenty of cash reserves.
Well, that is certainly good advice!
), and continue to save for retirement (albeit, a smaller amount per paycheck most likely) on nearly $250,000 per year? Of course, and to suggest otherwise is being too overcautious in my opinion.
