Help me think this through about moving to San Diego

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by sid369

I think we made it look unaffordable because we compared what our family paid for their home in Lajolla and ho small it was, we assumed all of SD is expensive, but if we compromise a bit,I think we can make it work.

The word compromise is key. You and your wife need to sit down and discuss what you're willing to compromise on. Because almost everyone in the San Diego area who isn't a millionaire will have to make at least a few compromises in one way or another to happily live here.

Originally Posted by sid369

Can I get some information on employers, which areas have big companies, or are they all spread out? Any area in particular which has good number of employers and relatively short commute to a good neighborhood with good schools.

Here's a good starting point, although by no means are these the *only* employers in the SD area:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...d_in_San_Diego

And this may also be helpful to get a general sense of the largest industries here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_San_Diego


Some job hubs in the county include: Sorrento Valley, Mission Valley, Downtwon SD, Carlsbad, Rancho Bernardo. But, these are by no means the *only* areas where employers are located. Much will depend on the type of work you do, and where employers who need people with your skils are located.

Originally Posted by sid369

Any area in particular which has good number of employers and relatively short commute to a good neighborhood with good schools.

Again, this really depends on where you will be working. Find the job, then find the school district that gives you the best commute + best schools + your realistic housing budget.

There are good schools throughout the county, and in every school district, although some school districts are more "popular" than others.

This guide will help you identify which public schools and school districts may be more desirable to you:

https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/schools-guide/

As you look through the guide, you can use this map to see where various school districts are located:
https://www.sdcoe.net/about-sdcoe/Pa...Districts.aspx

Originally Posted by sid369

How diversified SD is in general?

Diversity varies quite a bit in different parts of the county. Some areas are very diverse (both racially and economically), some less so. Some also have higher populations of certain demographics (i.e., asians or hispanics) than others. This resource will give you a general idea of overall diversity thoughout the county:

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/conte...es_1.30.18.pdf


And I'd also direct you again to this helpful guide for anyone thinking about moving to the San Diego area:

https://www.sandiegomagazine.com/New...-to-San-Diego/

And, last but not least, here is a discussion from the archives that you might find helpful as you get closer to moving here. In it, people who live in different parts of the county described what they like - and don't like - about the areas where they live:

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-d...out-where.html

[sid369]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

The word compromise is key. You and your wife need to sit down and discuss what you're willing to compromise on. Because almost everyone in the San Diego area who isn't a millionaire will have to make at least a few compromises in one way or another to happily live here.



Here's a good starting point, although by no means are these the *only* employers in the SD area:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...d_in_San_Diego

And this may also be helpful to get a general sense of the largest industries here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_San_Diego


Some job hubs in the county include: Sorrento Valley, Mission Valley, Downtwon SD, Carlsbad, Rancho Bernardo. But, these are by no means the *only* areas where employers are located. Much will depend on the type of work you do, and where employers who need people with your skils are located.



Again, this really depends on where you will be working. Find the job, then find the school district that gives you the best commute + best schools + your realistic housing budget.

There are good schools throughout the county, and in every school district, although some school districts are more "popular" than others.

This guide will help you identify which public schools and school districts may be more desirable to you:

https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/schools-guide/

As you look through the guide, you can use this map to see where various school districts are located:
https://www.sdcoe.net/about-sdcoe/Pa...Districts.aspx




Diversity varies quite a bit in different parts of the county. Some areas are very diverse (both racially and economically), some less so. Some also have higher populations of certain demographics (i.e., asians or hispanics) than others. This resource will give you a general idea of overall diversity thoughout the county:

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/conte...es_1.30.18.pdf


And I'd also direct you again to this helpful guide for anyone thinking about moving to the San Diego area:

https://www.sandiegomagazine.com/New...-to-San-Diego/

And, last but not least, here is a discussion from the archives that you might find helpful as you get closer to moving here. In it, people who live in different parts of the county described what they like - and don't like - about the areas where they live:

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-d...out-where.html

Thank you, I will take the time to read through these links and come back with any specific questions.

Not sure if any of you are on Reddit or the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) mentality, but more often than not when those folks talk about retirement state etc. they always say to avoid California because of taxes, I think most of the taxes are the state taxes right?


One thing I have read on Reddit which is making us nervous is that the employers don't pay very well. Some engineers were saying when they moved to Texas they got a 30% bump. or someone coming down from SF bay area had to take a 40% cut to get the job. Is this true just to IT? or in general SD pays are low?

[sid369]

Originally Posted by JohnS_15

As others have said - there is access to skiing - but it's crowded and expensive! In fact - while you can have access to a multitude of awesome outdoor resources and beautiful areas to visit for weekend trips and holidays etc. - it's good to keep in mind that it's ultra competitive in California and can be very expensive. You want to go on a family camp trip to Yosemite -- campgrounds are immediately booked out 6-months in advance. That goes for a lot of camping in the summer. And things like Disneyland are just insanely expensive as are motels and Air bnbs etc in any popular spot during summer. When you couple that with an expensive general cost of living it makes it more of a struggle to travel anywhere with a family.

This is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. this is very helpful. However. Disneyworld is also expensive, atleast living in SD, one can make day trips to disney world and not have to stay overnight?


We are not campers, but most would do glamping if it comes to that.

It's the lack of feeling surrounded by family/friends. We really are beginning to feel very lonely here and not having a sense of part of community is starting to bother us. As we have said, we want the kids to grow up close to their cousins and have that sense of family.

[eastcoastbias]

[quote=sid369;55444412]Thank you, I will take the time to read through these links and come back with any specific questions.

Not sure if any of you are on Reddit or the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) mentality, but more often than not when those folks talk about retirement state etc. they always say to avoid California because of taxes, I think most of the taxes are the state taxes right?


One thing I have read on Reddit which is making us nervous is that the employers don't pay very well. Some engineers were saying when they moved to Texas they got a 30% bump. or someone coming down from SF bay area had to take a 40% cut to get the job. Is this true just to IT? or in general SD pays are low?[/quote]


Its the phenomena known as the sunshine tax. Its IT, its Legal, its medical, its education, etc...but I do think Gov. pays well in relation to other places.


You post a job and it attracts a lot of out of state talent. The out of state folks naïve to the COL levels here or maybe just flat out don't care and they've been aching to just leave bad weather state XYZ to move to SD to fulfill a decade long dream when they visited here and loved it.


So they don't play hardball with the employer and the employer has a lot of people to choose from thus suppressing salary requirements.

[tstieber]

[quote=eastcoastbias;55445743]

Originally Posted by sid369

Thank you, I will take the time to read through these links and come back with any specific questions.

Not sure if any of you are on Reddit or the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) mentality, but more often than not when those folks talk about retirement state etc. they always say to avoid California because of taxes, I think most of the taxes are the state taxes right?


One thing I have read on Reddit which is making us nervous is that the employers don't pay very well. Some engineers were saying when they moved to Texas they got a 30% bump. or someone coming down from SF bay area had to take a 40% cut to get the job. Is this true just to IT? or in general SD pays are low?[/quote]


Its the phenomena known as the sunshine tax. Its IT, its Legal, its medical, its education, etc...but I do think Gov. pays well in relation to other places.


You post a job and it attracts a lot of out of state talent. The out of state folks naïve to the COL levels here or maybe just flat out don't care and they've been aching to just leave bad weather state XYZ to move to SD to fulfill a decade long dream when they visited here and loved it.


So they don't play hardball with the employer and the employer has a lot of people to choose from thus suppressing salary requirements.

Agreed, although the idea of a "sunshine tax" is a strange definition given that San Diego is a coastal City with plenty of cloudy weather. Sunnier cities like Vegas, Phoenix, even Sacramento are much cheaper. It's the whole coastal lifestyle people want, and they will pick SD first and look for the job so that they can live here, rather than looking for jobs and moving wherever it is.