San Diego: big city with small town feel?? (San Francisco, Encinitas: homes, safe area)

[Pigheart]

My boyfriend and I are both 26 and have gotten all partying out of our systems. Neither of us drinks. He makes a living as a restaurant manager, but he is a talented photographer and has other aspirations. I work @ Whole Foods and I am a tattoo artist. My plan is to start school ASAP to become a psychotherapist. We are very liberal and open minded. I am interested in meeting non-pretentious people of all ages with a sense of humor who are intelligent, from racially and economically diverse backgrounds, and spiritual (my bf is a devout atheist and I'm not flaky and weird ha but I do study energy healing and things of the like). Someone mentioned that SD is a big city with a small town feel and that scared me. We are moving to SD mostly for the weather and a change of scenery but it is also essential for me to be able to walk outside and see people going to and fro, activity, culture, art, cafes, places to explore. I am originally from a small, smaaall town and when I think of a small town feel it is quite the opposite of all the things I've described as necessary for my happiness and sanity. Does SD sound like the right place for us? If so, what area(s) seem like a good fit? We were hoping to get a 1 or 2 br for $1300 or less in a busy area close to Whole Foods and the community college (how is the CC by the way?) in a reasonably safe area. Gritty is alright. The nicer the better of course but we're realistic and we've lived in some not so great neighborhoods in Philly so... Anyway, thanks so much. All of your opinions are very much appreciated.

[leighland]

You won't like SD. Its conservative, military feel. Not small town but laid-back west coast. Its the opposite of Philly. If you want liberal, try farther north.
There are many community colleges in SD. I know a bunch of catholic homeschoolers who send their teenagers for classes at some of them.

[mewzikguy]

You would like Hillcrest (Whole Foods, Trader Joes), North Park, ( clubs, galleries, boutiques, cool restaurants,) Little Italy, South Park. . all walkable and fun and funky

[Woof]

It does not have a small town feel in any way, shape or form.

There are many different social scenes and groups across the city, although if you want to spend a lot more money on housing you might find a little more of what you're looking for in cities to the north. Generally speaking some few parts of LA, much of San Francisco, Portland and Seattle have more "character", are prettier, and tend to be a bit more liberal/artsy/cultured.

[Pigheart]

Good to hear a opposing opinion about the small town feel. I've always wanted to live by the ocean and I hear SF and LA prices are outrageous. SF is also not as warm. I've heard great things about Portland and Seattle as well, but again, the weather is not as consistently beautiful as in SD. Thanks for your input- every bit helps!

[Pigheart]

Originally Posted by mewzikguy

You would like Hillcrest (Whole Foods, Trader Joes), North Park, ( clubs, galleries, boutiques, cool restaurants,) Little Italy, South Park. . all walkable and fun and funky

Awesome. Thanks for listing specific locations. I started looking on Craigslist just to get some ideas price wise and it seems totally doable. Quite similar to what we pay for our place here in Philly. I hope the general cost of living (food, utilities, gas) is comparable as well.

[JakeDog]

Not really small town- more like sprawl. Encinitas has a small town vibe and is liberal.

[jksouthbay88]

To me it is a mix of both.3 million people in the county 5 million in the Metro incl.BC.But it feels more like 700,000 people are here.It is very laid back.

[SouthCali4LifeSD]

with a growing downtown, san diego is starting to feel bigger. i was at club stingaree last night in east village, and the area around petco park (the padres baseball stadium) is growing soooo fast it's exciting... it's like an extention to the gaslamp, only cleaner, more glitsy and glamourous, and sophisticated.

i second the person who mentioned hillcrest and northpark and little italy, etc... an artsy beach community that is affordable with a funky beach culture would be ocean beach. pacific beach has a lot of partying so you might want to stay away from there, but it definitely has a bustling beach scene.

san diego is very picturesque and you will love the coastal areas. i also agree that san diego does not have a small down feel in most areas, but there are parts that do have that vibe, like someone said, encinitas comes to mind. coronado, leucadia, del mar, solana and leucadia beach areas, carlsbad, etc. do have a beachy small town vibe.

san diego does feel smaller then its metro size of 3 million because it's more sprawled out then the average big city (that's due to san diego's world class topography which spaces things out!) but during certain months, like the summer months, this place is popping! also, after major events like conventions and ball games, this place bustles up a bit as well.

san diego is underrated in terms of its urbanity, but i do agree that this place needs to get with the program and realize that the region can be better!

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by SouthCali4LifeSD

with a growing downtown, san diego is starting to feel bigger. i was at club stingaree last night in east village, and the area around petco park (the padres baseball stadium) is growing soooo fast it's exciting... it's like an extention to the gaslamp, only cleaner, more glitsy and glamourous, and sophisticated.

i second the person who mentioned hillcrest and northpark and little italy, etc... an artsy beach community that is affordable with a funky beach culture would be ocean beach. pacific beach has a lot of partying so you might want to stay away from there, but it definitely has a bustling beach scene.

san diego is very picturesque and you will love the coastal areas. i also agree that san diego does not have a small down feel in most areas, but there are parts that do have that vibe, like someone said, encinitas comes to mind. coronado, leucadia, del mar, solana and leucadia beach areas, carlsbad, etc. do have a beachy small town vibe.

san diego does feel smaller then its metro size of 3 million because it's more sprawled out then the average big city (that's due to san diego's world class topography which spaces things out!) but during certain months, like the summer months, this place is popping! also, after major events like conventions and ball games, this place bustles up a bit as well.

san diego is underrated in terms of its urbanity, but i do agree that this place needs to get with the program and realize that the region can be better!

Very true.In a few years PETCO Park can hold an All-Star game.The reason why I don't think they would host one anytime soon is the "homeless problem" and all the new buildings that are going up around that 15 block radius.It's sort of an incomplete feeling at times.