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Hello Jedi5
We used to live in Midwest (Wisconsin) as well but moved to California long time ago and absolutely loved it! However, I must point out few interesting and different things about SoCal (its subjective though), FYI:
1. There is only one season in Southern California – summer (no fall colors. Snow can be found, with some effort). It makes you feel you are going thru continuous year without seasonal reset. I must point out some Midwesterners I knew ended up moving back or up north (NorCal, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) to have some seasonal dynamics.
2. You would never have to wear winter cloth here. Ever.
3. Most of the time you won’t need to turn air conditioner or heater on. No high winter bills.
5. Backyards that come with a house typically small (not enough space to play for kids IMO). Aim for at least 0.3acres.
While a lot of this is true in coastal San Diego County, I just want to mention that it doesn't apply to all of San Diego County. One of the things that amazes me about San Diego County is how many diverse climates and lifestyles it has. Newcomers may not be aware of this, thinking that all of San Diego County is going to be the same; it isn't the same!
I live half an hour east from downtown San Diego. We DO get freezing temperatures and sometimes snow where I live, and we also have fall colors (granted, nothing like back east). We use our heat in the winter and run air conditioning during the hotter months. Not as much as I did when I lived in NY, but we do need both from time to time. We also have winter coats AND gloves for those nippy nights and early mornings. Oh, and most of the homes in our area are on lots of one acre and up.
It is true that coastal areas will see less temperature variation, but I find I need a jacket when I go to the beach in the winter months because it is very chilly -- you are not going to be laying out on the beach in a bikini regularly here in January like you might in a place like Florida. And, after a while, you will notice that even the coastal areas have different "seasons" where there is less sun, hotter temperatures, or rainier weather.
The best thing about living in San Diego County is that if you don't like the weather where you are, you can almost always drive a short distance and find completely different weather. For example, yesterday it was raining where I live, but we drove 40 minutes east and it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a hike.
Again, just mentioning this so that newcomers won't arrive thinking that San Diego County always has the exact same weather everywhere - it really surprised me when I first moved here from New York many years ago thinking the same thing. I remember asking my husband if the tree in the front yard of our new house was dead. He said, "well, it's the middle of winter and deciduous trees lose their leaves." Silly me for thinking that all the trees here keep their leaves all year.
For someone coming from Chicago, of course, the weather in the San Diego area will definitely feel much milder, especially along the coast. But, the weather throughout San Diego County has many variations.
While a lot of this is true in coastal San Diego County, I just want to mention that it doesn't apply to all of San Diego County. One of the things that amazes me about San Diego County is how many diverse climates and lifestyles it has. Newcomers may not be aware of this, thinking that all of San Diego County is going to be the same; it isn't the same!
I live half an hour east from downtown San Diego. We DO get freezing temperatures and sometimes snow where I live, and we also have fall colors (granted, nothing like back east). We use our heat in the winter and run air conditioning during the hotter months. Not as much as I did when I lived in NY, but we do need both from time to time. We also have winter coats AND gloves for those nippy nights and early mornings. Oh, and most of the homes in our area are on lots of one acre and up.
It is true that coastal areas will see less temperature variation, but I find I need a jacket when I go to the beach in the winter months because it is very chilly -- you are not going to be laying out on the beach in a bikini regularly here in January like you might in a place like Florida. And, after a while, you will notice that even the coastal areas have different "seasons" where there is less sun, hotter temperatures, or rainier weather.
The best thing about living in San Diego County is that if you don't like the weather where you are, you can almost always drive a short distance and find completely different weather. For example, yesterday it was raining where I live, but we drove 40 minutes east and it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a hike.
Again, just mentioning this so that newcomers won't arrive thinking that San Diego County always has the exact same weather everywhere - it really surprised me when I first moved here from New York many years ago thinking the same thing. I remember asking my husband if the tree in the front yard of our new house was dead. He said, "well, it's the middle of winter and deciduous trees lose their leaves." Silly me for thinking that all the trees here keep their leaves all year.
For someone coming from Chicago, of course, the weather in the San Diego area will definitely feel much milder, especially along the coast. But, the weather throughout San Diego County has many variations.
My neighbor planted 3 elms and gave us one. I noticed one winter day his trees were gone and asked him why. He says, "Why would I keep dead trees?" Five years later ours still looks great (except when its leaves fall off in the winter)
Hello Jedi5
We used to live in Midwest (Wisconsin) as well but moved to California long time ago and absolutely loved it! However, I must point out few interesting and different things about SoCal (its subjective though), FYI:
1. There is only one season in Southern California – summer (no fall colors. Snow can be found, with some effort). It makes you feel you are going thru continuous year without seasonal reset. I must point out some Midwesterners I knew ended up moving back or up north (NorCal, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) to have some seasonal dynamics.
2. You would never have to wear winter cloth here. Ever.
3. Most of the time you won’t need to turn air conditioner or heater on. No high winter bills.
4. House quality is not that high (unless it’s over ~$900). $750K houses are just OK IMO (built to meet minimum requirements).
5. Backyards that come with a house typically small (not enough space to play for kids IMO). Aim for at least 0.3acres.
6. Houses here don’t have basements. Most of the time people use their garage as storage. I would recommend getting bigger yard and building a shack.
7. 3-car garages are awesome (if you can find one
8. The further east (from the coast) you go the hotter it gets (and cheaper too).
9. Living on the hill is not very practical (for kids – impossible to play soccer or ride a bike)
10. Most of the year outdoors look brown-ish but it turns green after the rain and looks beautiful.
11. It rarely rains here (maybe couple weeks per year).
12. It is more practical to swim in the pool than ocean. Ocean is nice to look at, for sure.
13. Population density is too high.
14. Overall atmosphere is not very scholarly. It is hard to study when it is 70 degrees outside
15. It will be 85-90 degrees on Christmas
Oh, one more thing. On $320K/year salary you can buy a nice $1.3M spacious house surrounded by good schools with a lot and a pool and still live lavishly. Good luck!
Will not with anything miss snow or snowfall. Having to break out the shovel and snowblower will not be missed. Driving 5-10mpg on the freeway because it's snowing, won't miss you either.
The bulky jackets and going out to trying on jackets to see how warm they are, thing of the past.
Putting on a coat on top of a coat to be warm, hahaha... I'll pass.
I do like a good rain with a thunderstorm.
Where the skies turn dark and rains all day.
This house alone is going to be a huge adjustment for us.
Coming from a 3 car garage with a full finished basement and this huge huge back yard were my kids go out and play soccer on their goal. That might change if we can't find anything like that over there.
I don't know if we will be able to swing a $1.3M house... one can dream though, right.
Anyway, we still have accept the offer.
Then if anything happens, it won't be till around May/June time frame so they can finish the school year here.
This house alone is going to be a huge adjustment for us.
Coming from a 3 car garage with a full finished basement and this huge huge back yard were my kids go out and play soccer on their goal. That might change if we can't find anything like that over there.
Many newer neighborhoods have small parks and green spaces for just that purpose. In the same way, where backyards are small, most people don't have their own swimming pool, but there is often a community pool. Since you have kids, I would look for such a neighborhood. To my way of thinking, it's ideal because you have all the amenities without the responsibility of taking care of them (though there may be an association fee).
We live in south Orange County and have a community pool--open all year round and free to residents, tennis courts, and park with soccer and softball fields right across the street. The association fee is $55/mo.
You can find a nice house in Oceanside for 750k. Schools may not be as good as Carlsbad, but you can find a nice house. You don't need as big of a house or yard in so cal, since because obviously you are not stuck inside all winter. 325k is A lot more than most people bring in yearly in San Diego- and you should be easily able to afford something nice.
Oh, one more thing. On $320K/year salary you can buy a nice $1.3M spacious house surrounded by good schools with a lot and a pool and still live lavishly. Good luck!
That is an unacceptable amount of debt for me. (I don't know about the OP's willingness to take on substantial debt.)
If the OP lives in the North Shore area of Chicago, as I do, and his house is worth $750K, the same house will cost over $1 million in San Diego's North County. SD really is more expensive. Maybe parts of Carlsbad are cheaper than the Del Mar-Carmel Valley area where I winter, but they're not as nice as the North Shore either.
However, the food in suburban San Diego is *much* better than the food in suburban Chicago. No comparison. Chicagoans have to drive into the city to get good food.
Also, offsetting the higher income tax in California is the much lower property tax.
And, in SD, you won't spend every spare minute at the airport, trying to get out of town for recreation.
We already know where the job is lined up, which is why I mentioned we'd be looking at Oside/Cbad.
Trying to stay to a 15... maybe... maybe even 20 minute commute to work.
Yes schools is very important to us.
But even before that, before we potentially make this move, the question we have is can we do this on the proposed salary.
Thanks.
You can live very well on that salary. With your income you can live anywhere in the area ( maybe not Rancho Santa Fe ) so commuting shouldn't be an issue. The San Dieguito school district has excellent schools.
Will not with anything miss snow or snowfall. Having to break out the shovel and snowblower will not be missed. Driving 5-10mpg on the freeway because it's snowing, won't miss you either.
The bulky jackets and going out to trying on jackets to see how warm they are, thing of the past.
Putting on a coat on top of a coat to be warm, hahaha... I'll pass.
I do like a good rain with a thunderstorm.
Where the skies turn dark and rains all day.
This house alone is going to be a huge adjustment for us.
Coming from a 3 car garage with a full finished basement and this huge huge back yard were my kids go out and play soccer on their goal. That might change if we can't find anything like that over there.
I don't know if we will be able to swing a $1.3M house... one can dream though, right.
Anyway, we still have accept the offer.
Then if anything happens, it won't be till around May/June time frame so they can finish the school year here.
Three car garages are very common here. The last 3 homes we owned all had 3 car garages from 1985.
Thanks again everyone for the help and information on the cost of living in that area.
We have till the end of the year to decide if this is something we want to pursue.
The offer was upped to $360K and $200K towards housing allowance.
Working on my counter and then I think we will decide.
Now that sounds like a lot coming from the midwest, but then you have to consider how much houses cost out there.
Houses that are comparable to what we currently have I mean.
I do thank everyone for all the great insight provided.
It's helped out a lot.
come out to California and live the good life.... you can buy a house for more than $750K easy, depending on down payment money
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