Confused about living in San Diego and Thinking of Moving (San Francisco: apartment, home)

[hanna_house]

Yeah, I have to say I was humored by the fact that you want SD to be open minded and diverse while basically putting down any type of person that doesn't fit your ideology. Just say you want to live around people that are just like you, that's just the way the east coast operates.

[happ]

LA isn't more than a few hours away by freeway or train. You should visit on weekends to check out areas you may like. Santa Monica\Westwood is probably everything on your list but also lots of homeless\ druggies. Beverly Hills\West Hollywood are more urban\ fast lane but even Sunset Strip has problems with people being thrown out of clubs & fighting on the street. It is also big time marijuana w/ smoking right on the street\ outdoor cafés. Los Angeles is many cities mixed together so visits could take a while.

San Francisco is probably the most urban in California & easy to get around but not a beach city like San Diego\LA. You might be happy in Santa Cruz w/ beach culture plus university but it is very small city.

As others have stated, moving north of San Diego it gets progressively liberal\ socialist\ cannabis.

[blue04]

well you might want to try up north like Santa Clara or around that area. I grew up in San Francisco but have been in San Diego for a little over a yr now. love the weather but that seems to be a given around here. Overall I have been bored like hell being here. Yes you got the beaches but what else is there? The food here is -10 compare to the bay hate it or not. I ride my motorcycle and the roads here are nothing and not to much places to ride. I think SD is overall a nice place to settle if you have a family but even than I still think there are other places that are better.
If you can take a wk off and fly or drive down and take a look around Santa Clara/San Jose area if you like warmer weather. San Francisco is a fun place and a lot to you day or night but it does get cold which is why I will not be moving back to SF. Santa Clara is about 40 miles south of SF so you would not be too far from anywhere in the Bay.

[SEAandATL]

I can relate to the OP. When I first came to San Diego in '97 hoping to chase the California dream, I was dissapointed and surprised to see that San Diego had more of what I was trying to get away from in Georgia (racism, closed-mindedness, judging, conformity, right-wing politics). I immediately looked north and felt that Los Angeles was more like "the real California".

[sdurbanite]

To the OP, I'm thinking that you haven't adjusted to the fact that you moved here from a much larger metro area. DC/Baltimore have like 8 million people as opposed to just under 3 million here.

Don't get me wrong, DC is the only East Coast city I'd ever want to live in, but it just might be the most overworked city in the country. It is definitely a place where people live to work. A few years ago I visited a friend who lived/worked on Capital Hill and I got to see his lifestyle - all work, no fun. I was bored hanging out with all of his political friends.

SD blue collar? I was in Baltimore 2 months ago and that is what I consider blue collar. Educated? According to a Census done in 2006, 40.4% of San Diegans have a degree or higher which ranks us 9th among big cities. LA is nowhere to be found.

Both liberal and conservative views are represented well in SD since the city/county is nearly split down the middle on both sides according to a recent article about the GOP losing ground in the county - http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...9-1n9vote.html. I live in a very liberal area, but have friends who live in conservative areas of the county. Which makes going to parties interesting when the subject of politics comes up.

All that said, as others have said SF might be more to your liking. Urban, dense, great culture, educated, more liberal, it's all there and more. But expect to wear a sweater for much of the year.

[edwardius]

The density of freaks (tattooed folks who smoke dope with lots of body adornment) is probably a little less in Santa Clara versus SF, yet its has fairly high educational attainment levels and the climate is still fairly mild. Not quite as mild as San Diego, but much more mild than Seattle, Portland or anywhere on East Coast.

[LoneStarJerry]

Originally Posted by blue04

Overall I have been bored like hell being here. Yes you got the beaches but what else is there?

What else are you looking for that San Diego isn't giving you and where else would you find it?

I've always felt that if someone is bored in San Diego they are going to be bored anywhere, because even if the city itself can't give you what you need your not far from other things. The mountains and deserts are within driving distance, and the great thing about living in San Diego and Southern California in general is you are really not far at all from a wide variety of things that suit many hobbies that people have.

[Boose]

It's funny -- I have experienced, so far, a completely different SD than you have. I moved from a very rat-race, conservative, family-oriented town in MA where everything was "for the CHILdren" and there was nothing for adults to do. In contrast, SD (especially Hillcrest/NP, my area) seems full of good learning opportunities, politically liberal residents and responsible people. I'm a married fuddy-duddy in my late 30s, so take this as you will, but in the past month I have enjoyed: a Sierra Club meeting where I learned about native chaparral and fire control; a walking tour of Balboa Park led by a landscape architect; a volunteer session where I sorted clothes for low-income women and talked to an idealistic Psychology student from Mesa College; and an afternoon with historical resources in the California Room at the Central Library. Granted, you're not going to meet a lot of people in their 20s when you're doing things like this, but it is a far different scene than the beaches and bars. I suggest identifying your favorite activities and looking for groups that do them; there's meetup.com, VolunteerSanDiego.org, and even a Sierra Club singles group. There are people who grow, learn, and embrace new ideas everywhere; you just need to find where they hang out. Good luck -- I wouldn't give up on SD yet.

[happ]

We have family\ friends in San Diego [Rancho Peñasquitos\ Tierrasanta] & visit regularly. It is always very relaxed & with family it generally means swimming\ BBQ. But we also go to beautiful Balboa Pk [btw the "palm canyon garden" is a must] or up to La Jolla\ Del Mar ["surf & turf"]. San Diego is the wk end destination for many Angelenos.

Santa Clara\ San Jose is more family-oriented than San Francisco but Palo Alto\ Sanford U. is nearby & the weather is quite pleasant [warm sunny summers\ cool wet winters].

Berkeley would also fit your needs for academic\ leftist\ environmental\ veggie\ wine\ sports.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

What's a meat head?