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.
San Diego has been great in many aspects. But, here is why I think I want to go somewhere else.
From a day to day perspective:
As soon as i got back into San Diego from my traveling for 2 weeks, I could see how hectic it is. I live in OB and I'm surrounded by homeless people, tweakers, tourists, crazy dogs, the slew of east county people who come in to dog beach on the weekend, etc. (Nothing wrong with east county, just an observation). I hear people honking their horns on the freeway and around town, I hear the firetrucks at least once every few days when I'm home and the motorcyclists go by revving their engines and setting off 4 different car alarms.
Not to mention the vaping that has literally overtaken san Diego. Kids, adults, degenerates and soccer moms alike...all vaping huge clouds of smoke all over the place.
In a general perspective-
Rent is high and I live in a tiny little apartment with no patio or outside space. I've looked in other places in san Diego and rent is still high. The places are tiny and unkept because landlords know they can get that much for their rental.
Traffic is heavy. It may not be gridlock like in some other places, but its heavy, period. There are a ton of people in this city.
I haven't made too many solid friendships here, at all. There are several reasons for this but this is my reality. All my friends, my TRUE friends, are in Ohio.
The people seem more materialistic and everyone says they're so laid back but really, I think its laziness. The partying vibe is big here and I'm not into that. All the friends I made when I first moved here were mutual friends thru my relationship and they all did hard drugs at parties. I just dont want to be around people like that. It seems that the majority of the "fun" people have around here is getting effed up.
Cost of living is too high for the value I'm receiving. I dont need to be in the 99 percentile of weather. I honestly dont consider san Diego weather to be that amazing. I want rain. And humidity. And sometimes I even want it to be a little warmer!! San Diego is very mild. If that is what you want, then it rates 99 percentile percentile for that.
I cant get ahead in this city. There is no hope of me owning a house here, and the majority of men I meet have family on the west coast. I have one failed relationship under my belt in this regard- finding a place to live that will serve 2 families on opposite coasts is hard and I dont even want to open up that can of worms with some dude's mom. Ideally I would meet someone and his family would be on the same coast or in the midwest like mine to make visits and caring for aging parents easier down the road. 6 hrs by car is much different than 6 hrs by plane.
I desperately miss seeing green and seeing some open space.
That is basically it in a nutshell.
I feel the same exact way on all your points.
The one thing San Diego does differently than everywhere else is it merges suburban life with city life. I am from NJ. I grew up in a suburb; there was no city life around. I had to drive to NYC for that and it was a pain to get in and out of the city. In a lot of ways, life in NJ was boring and I felt like I was missing out on all the things major cities have to offer (food, new restaurants, great sushi, open minded people, diversity, fashion, acceptance for different lifestyles)
The only problem is that I am not a city person, I like open spaces, forests/trees, easy parking, breathing room. I can't stand the hot and humid subways of NYC. I love Chicago but after a weekend visit I need to leave.
San Diego meshes everything you'd go to a city for, but with a suburban layout. You get the progressiveness of major cities (the noise too) right in your little beach town. When I used to live in NJ and would visit NYC or Chicago, it would feel like I had been living under a rock my whole life. The bars, restaurants, people, and liveliness was all the opposite of my quiet little town. But now after living in San Diego, when I visit, say Brooklyn, the hip restaurants and bars there are pretty much identical as the one I frequent up here in South Oceanside.
I am assuming Ohio is similar to NJ. Suburban life, homes with a front and backyard, strip malls with pizza joints and Chinese restaurants. A few local bars where the people from your town go on Friday and Saturday nights. It's nice, I get it. But to experience the city life, you'd probably have to go to Cleveland or Columbus, right?
I say this only to help you understand San Diego. Because I go crazy here too. I think California is sold as one thing, but the reality is much different. Yes you can play volleyball year round on the beach, but, I mean, who wants to do the same thing year round, every year? You can go surfing in January and laugh at your friends back East who have to "endure the cold", but, I mean, you know damn well they are all having good times in that cold weather. It's not all doom and gloom in the winter. I used to own an ATV and I'd pull my friends on snowboards through the streets after a big snowfall. Police didn't care at all. Also, snow can be romantic, and so can rain, and thunderstorms. I don't really feel San Diego is that romantic of a city, but romance is different to all of us I guess.
I'm right there with ya. It's a love/hate thing with SD for sure. I've been here 8 years, left once and came back. I am in sales, wife works, we have no kids. Make mid six figures but we can't afford to buy, especially when rent is so high, saving money is a slower process. I am egging her on to move though. We are throwing around Wilmington, NC. Small town, cool little downtown area, warm ocean water, four seasons but mild. We'll see. She's a CA native and doesn't want to leave, even if the math doesn't work out, she wants to stay.
The one thing San Diego does differently than everywhere else is it merges suburban life with city life. I am from NJ. I grew up in a suburb; there was no city life around. I had to drive to NYC for that and it was a pain to get in and out of the city. In a lot of ways, life in NJ was boring and I felt like I was missing out on all the things major cities have to offer (food, new restaurants, great sushi, open minded people, diversity, fashion, acceptance for different lifestyles)
The only problem is that I am not a city person, I like open spaces, forests/trees, easy parking, breathing room. I can't stand the hot and humid subways of NYC. I love Chicago but after a weekend visit I need to leave.
San Diego meshes everything you'd go to a city for, but with a suburban layout. You get the progressiveness of major cities (the noise too) right in your little beach town. When I used to live in NJ and would visit NYC or Chicago, it would feel like I had been living under a rock my whole life. The bars, restaurants, people, and liveliness was all the opposite of my quiet little town. But now after living in San Diego, when I visit, say Brooklyn, the hip restaurants and bars there are pretty much identical as the one I frequent up here in South Oceanside.
I am assuming Ohio is similar to NJ. Suburban life, homes with a front and backyard, strip malls with pizza joints and Chinese restaurants. A few local bars where the people from your town go on Friday and Saturday nights. It's nice, I get it. But to experience the city life, you'd probably have to go to Cleveland or Columbus, right?
I say this only to help you understand San Diego. Because I go crazy here too. I think California is sold as one thing, but the reality is much different. Yes you can play volleyball year round on the beach, but, I mean, who wants to do the same thing year round, every year? You can go surfing in January and laugh at your friends back East who have to "endure the cold", but, I mean, you know damn well they are all having good times in that cold weather. It's not all doom and gloom in the winter. I used to own an ATV and I'd pull my friends on snowboards through the streets after a big snowfall. Police didn't care at all. Also, snow can be romantic, and so can rain, and thunderstorms. I don't really feel San Diego is that romantic of a city, but romance is different to all of us I guess.
I'm right there with ya. It's a love/hate thing with SD for sure. I've been here 8 years, left once and came back. I am in sales, wife works, we have no kids. Make mid six figures but we can't afford to buy, especially when rent is so high, saving money is a slower process. I am egging her on to move though. We are throwing around Wilmington, NC. Small town, cool little downtown area, warm ocean water, four seasons but mild. We'll see. She's a CA native and doesn't want to leave, even if the math doesn't work out, she wants to stay.
I don’t get the whole four seasons argument. I endured it going to school and that was enough. The leaves are beautiful, but then everything look dead for five months, especially with the lack of sunshine. The first few snowfalls are nice, but then you have to deal with everything that comes along with it. Not to mention most places with four seasons in the Midwest or east coast have horrible humidity and mosquitoes that arrive mid spring. I will give you the few weeks +/- of mid spring and mid fall, that’s beautiful weather, but you’re often dealing with thunderstorms. And while they might be “romantic” indoors, driving and walking in it blows.
I’m typing this as I’m sitting at 6K feet looking at 10k+ foot mountains, surrounded by enormous pine trees, with tons of tulips and daffodils that have recently sprung up, all just two hours from San Diego. People seem to forget you can drive to the four seasons, but don’t have to live it.
And for the record surfing in January is the greatest, especially when you go skiing later that afternoon. I’ve done it many times, it’s truly a remarkable experience.
San Diego has been great in many aspects. But, here is why I think I want to go somewhere else.
From a day to day perspective:
As soon as i got back into San Diego from my traveling for 2 weeks, I could see how hectic it is. I live in OB and I'm surrounded by homeless people, tweakers, tourists, crazy dogs, the slew of east county people who come in to dog beach on the weekend, etc. (Nothing wrong with east county, just an observation). I hear people honking their horns on the freeway and around town, I hear the firetrucks at least once every few days when I'm home and the motorcyclists go by revving their engines and setting off 4 different car alarms.
Not to mention the vaping that has literally overtaken san Diego. Kids, adults, degenerates and soccer moms alike...all vaping huge clouds of smoke all over the place.
In a general perspective-
Rent is high and I live in a tiny little apartment with no patio or outside space. I've looked in other places in san Diego and rent is still high. The places are tiny and unkept because landlords know they can get that much for their rental.
Traffic is heavy. It may not be gridlock like in some other places, but its heavy, period. There are a ton of people in this city.
I haven't made too many solid friendships here, at all. There are several reasons for this but this is my reality. All my friends, my TRUE friends, are in Ohio.
The people seem more materialistic and everyone says they're so laid back but really, I think its laziness. The partying vibe is big here and I'm not into that. All the friends I made when I first moved here were mutual friends thru my relationship and they all did hard drugs at parties. I just dont want to be around people like that. It seems that the majority of the "fun" people have around here is getting effed up.
Cost of living is too high for the value I'm receiving. I dont need to be in the 99 percentile of weather. I honestly dont consider san Diego weather to be that amazing. I want rain. And humidity. And sometimes I even want it to be a little warmer!! San Diego is very mild. If that is what you want, then it rates 99 percentile percentile for that.
I cant get ahead in this city. There is no hope of me owning a house here, and the majority of men I meet have family on the west coast. I have one failed relationship under my belt in this regard- finding a place to live that will serve 2 families on opposite coasts is hard and I dont even want to open up that can of worms with some dude's mom. Ideally I would meet someone and his family would be on the same coast or in the midwest like mine to make visits and caring for aging parents easier down the road. 6 hrs by car is much different than 6 hrs by plane.
I desperately miss seeing green and seeing some open space.
That is basically it in a nutshell.
Not sure what lifestyle you were expecting as a renter in OB? Everything you mentioned goes with the territory....crowded, loud, visible homeless, busy, congested, etc. It's life in any big city. Fortunately, San Diego is large and diverse enough that you could avoid all of the things that bother you by moving to another area of the County. Sounds like you are looking to slow down and ready for a change, so just go for it.
I lived near Delray and worked in Delray prior, it has a nice downtown and beach, but that's about it, it's all part of the Miami MSA, so the traffic, COL and housing are quite expensive and to boot, jobs don't pay enough to afford it, unless you are in one of a small handful of professions.
Everyone on here keeps comparing San Diego or parts of San Diego County with South Florida, having lived there for a long time I can say there is no similarity, there is a beach, palm trees and that's about it, totally different vibe, climate and way of life. Orange County probably is closer to South Florida in terms of high end dining, shopping and etc. Lot's of money in both places, but most there brought it from elsewhere.
Greenville has a nice downtown indeed, been there a few times. The investment with BMW nearby is big, much change there in the past 15 to 20 years. I lived in Atlanta, so I tried the Southeast, not sure I'd do it again, had a tough time with Allergies due to all the Pine Pollen and jobs are hit or miss.
I just got back from South Florida last week and agree with what is bolded above. Nothing about Metro Miami reminds me of San Diego and I actually find it dreadful. Like Vegas, after a few days I'm bored and ready to go. I usually stay with my friend in South Beach, but decided to stay in Brickell this time. Meh. Nothing exciting about being surrounded by half empty high rise condos. It seems like the only people who appreciate Florida are from the Northeast and South America. Driving around, it's evident that the area has the second highest poverty rate and second lowest median incomes among the 25 largest Metros in the country. It's not just Miami, though, Orlando and Tampa are just as bad, if not worse.
I tend to agree that OB is an area you’ve probably outgrown as far as what you’re looking for. I’d say check out Cardiff, Encinitas areas, worth spending some time looking.
It seems like the only people who appreciate Florida are from the Northeast and South America. Driving around, it's evident that the area has the second highest poverty rate and second lowest median incomes among the 25 largest Metros in the country. It's not just Miami, though, Orlando and Tampa are just as bad, if not worse.
I know right. Never understood why low wages, high poverty, and crime were so sexy. The weather really isn't worth it...
I tend to agree that OB is an area you’ve probably outgrown as far as what you’re looking for. I’d say check out Cardiff, Encinitas areas, worth spending some time looking.
I love those two areas but I find them too far from where my business is and too unaffordable for my salary.
Encinitas would be my first choice though- I love it there.
Not sure what lifestyle you were expecting as a renter in OB? Everything you mentioned goes with the territory....crowded, loud, visible homeless, busy, congested, etc. It's life in any big city. Fortunately, San Diego is large and diverse enough that you could avoid all of the things that bother you by moving to another area of the County. Sounds like you are looking to slow down and ready for a change, so just go for it.
Yes I agree but there are some issues that you cant get away from regardless where you live in San diego because they are prevalent all over the area.
I moved to OB because i knew the area, had lived there before, it was close to all of my "things" (Hair stylist, doctors, favorite restaurants) and had just gone thru a terrible breakup/called off a wedding. So I made my choices based off the situation and information i had at the time.
I've known for a while I wanted to leave, so now its just figuring out where. My whole life plan changed when i called off the wedding- all plans went out the window.
Yes I agree but there are some issues that you cant get away from regardless where you live in San diego because they are prevalent all over the area.
I moved to OB because i knew the area, had lived there before, it was close to all of my "things" (Hair stylist, doctors, favorite restaurants) and had just gone thru a terrible breakup/called off a wedding. So I made my choices based off the situation and information i had at the time.
I've known for a while I wanted to leave, so now its just figuring out where. My whole life plan changed when i called off the wedding- all plans went out the window.
What are you looking for, what can you afford, what is the likelihood of getting work in other areas? There are lots of places to move to outside of CA and not in the desert or constant rain.
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.
