i would like to know what you think (Mesa: apartments, employment)

[pballnc]

my wife and i are both 24, we came to san diego for your honeymoon and LOVED IT! my wife grew up in SD and and i'm from Milwaukee. now we really want to move to SD, my wife would be getting a job with the SD sheriff dept. and i'm a honda mechanic, and i was wondering where would be our best places to look for a apartment?, where in the county doesn't really matter too much, just reasonable and nice.

and also if anyone has any suggestions or comments about us moving and such i'm very open, i just want to know how it is.

thanks
nick

[kettlepot]

Without knowing much about where you physically might end up working, I would suggest Mission Valley. It's new and autocentric, but it does happen to have reasonable mass transit access to downtown. I personally find the area sterile, but without knowing what you like and what you could afford, I would start with that.

If the rents in Mission Valley are too high, I would look to Clairemont Mesa. The apartments there are older, usually built in the 1970s or 80s, so the rents are lower. These apartments won't have all of the amenities a Mission Valley apartment would have. MV apartments probably have an in-unit Washer Drawer, Clairemont Mesa units probably only have an onsite laundry room. Mission Valley units probably have a dishwasher, a Clairemont Mesa apartment, probably doesn't. Also, Clairemont Mesa apartments probably don't have A/C.

Still if you are young, and your incomes are starting out low, saving $200-$500/month may make Clairemont Mesa the better first choice. But both are very centrally located which will leave you well situated for where ever your employment choices may take you, except for North County.