What's not to like about San Diego? (Chula Vista, El Cajon: high school, college)

[skeke]

Thinking about places I have lived and comparing them: Small town in Ohio, definitely had that small town charm. I liked it. Three desert cities in AZ. No comparison. San Diego wins hands down. A city in Northern AZ. It was great. I could live there again. A small coastal city in southern CA. It was beautiful, but I prefer San Diego for more to do. Sacto, I miss all the really convenient farmer's markets and living in a major agricultural zone, also the little city easy to get around thing. People have been nice everywhere I have lived. No big differences. I love San Diego hills and canyons, the ocean, the moderate climate. Happy camper here. Not planning on leaving. It works for me.

[NYSD1995]

I can't understand why anyone would complain about the beaches or the weather here.

Main problem with San Diego is cost-of-living vs. wages, an imbalance which ripples through the culture and economy here.

San Diego is a big city and has big city problems, I can't imagine that any would-be paradise could have the levels of poverty, violence, homelessness, crime, litter, drug abuse that we do, regardless of how we stack up against some other city. If you can afford to live in the better parts of San Diego it may well be paradise, but if you cannot, it might be hell on earth.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by thepinksquid

Funny that you say that, too. One of my few annoyances with San Diego is how many people seem to get into that damn football team. Perhaps it's because I live in close vicinity to the stadium, but I just prefer no sport influence whatsoever, personally.

Might I mention this is a very small annoyance, however.

If you're talking about Qualcomm, I live next to it as well. Being that close gives you a whole new outlook doesn't it?

[thepinksquid]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

If you're talking about Qualcomm, I live next to it as well. Being that close gives you a whole new outlook doesn't it?

Yup, I live less than a mile away off Friars. I hate the traffic that happens during the games...or the drunkard goons in blue jerseys running across the road after the game is over.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by thepinksquid

Yup, I live less than a mile away off Friars. I hate the traffic that happens during the games...or the drunkard goons in blue jerseys running across the road after the game is over.

Yep I hear you there. I live near the Mission and crossing the street on those day is dangerous.

[windnsea00]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

I can't understand why anyone would complain about the beaches or the weather here.

Main problem with San Diego is cost-of-living vs. wages, an imbalance which ripples through the culture and economy here.

San Diego is a big city and has big city problems, I can't imagine that any would-be paradise could have the levels of poverty, violence, homelessness, crime, litter, drug abuse that we do, regardless of how we stack up against some other city. If you can afford to live in the better parts of San Diego it may well be paradise, but if you cannot, it might be hell on earth.

However, you are somewhat fed up with this place from what I can tell so I feel you put more of a negative twist on your outlook. I do agree with the cost-of-living vs. wages issue.

[ubringliten]

I really think it's the sun that is frying their brains. You know when the weather is hot, human beings tend to behave slower. Just imagine being a native here for that long, he/she would become that slow to reacting. Look at all the warm weather places in the world...there's some truth to it.

What I don't like about SD:
1. no culture, but beach culture people say
2. food is terrible, but good Mexican food people say
3. bland city, but great weather people say
4. urban planning does not exist here, but traffic aint bad people say
5. conservatism, but people say it's about 50/50

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by ubringliten

I really think it's the sun that is frying their brains. You know when the weather is hot, human beings tend to behave slower. Just imagine being a native here for that long, he/she would become that slow to reacting. Look at all the warm weather places in the world...there's some truth to it.

What I don't like about SD:
1. no culture, but beach culture people say
2. food is terrible, but good Mexican food people say
3. bland city, but great weather people say
4. urban planning does not exist here, but traffic aint bad people say
5. conservatism, but people say it's about 50/50

You win! I like this assessment!

[thepinksquid]

You know, I hate to say it, but probably 80% of the things people "hate" about wherever they live at the moment seem to be the same complaints anywhere you go, especially the ubiquitous complaints like "traffic sucks in _______" and, my personal favorite, "people in _____ aren't nice/friendly/neighborly/caring."

I'm not saying the observations aren't valid, I just find it interesting. Personally I think comparing places is more effective than just talking about the "good" and the "bad" of one specific place.

[sav858]

If you're hearing just the good things then no wonder SD seems like "paradise" to you. San Diego has it's problems like every other city and some additional ones due to the relatively high cost of living combined with mediocre wages/job market. The roads in SD and Ca in general are pretty poor overall, the schools are mediocre and a mix of good and bad. The city is pretty cheap and skimps on public services but at least the city doesn't tax as much as other CA cities, we get what we pay for, or don't for that matter. But overall it's a nice, pleasant city and fairly easy to live in overall. For a big city it's pretty laid back and has a somewhat small town atmosphere, which may a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. It has a wide mix of neighborhoods and communities so one's experience can really depend on what part of the region they live and socialize in.

If you're expecting "paradise" then you will probably be disappointed b/c nowhere is paradise imo. Some people come here from larger more cosmopolitan cities like Boston and NYC and appreciate how different it is and the slower pace while others are pretty dense and expect a place thousands of miles away with a different culture, climate, and history to be like the east coast then complain when it's not; I'll never get that way of thinking. It's a place with people from all over so you'll here many different perspectives. I had no expectations of what SD was about when I moved here, I came here for college. I basically grew to love this city and appreciate all the good things it has to offer. It's not perfect and I can see why some might not care for it but really it's not that bad of a city overall nor is it as bad as some try to portray it as, it just might not be enough for some people. It's kind of like your more average American city dropped into a place with an amazing climate and scenery that helps contribute to the local lifestyle, which is great imo.

I just get a kick out of some of the crap people complain about SD when other cities have the same things to complain about too. For example, when people on here talk about how some in SD think it's the best place in America and get defensive about negative remarks about it, I guess none of these people have ever lived in the Bay Area where that mentality is worse imo. There people won't even wait for a negative remark and will trash talk other places w/o any provocation. Trying watching a local CBS affiliate that constantly aired their tagline "The Best Place for News in the Best Place on Earth", that "America's Finest City" crap doesn't seem so bad in comparison. It's kind of amusing how much some malcontents are bothered by the fact that a lot of people enjoy living here too. I don't think SD has the best beaches and weather either but that is one of the last things I would ever complain about this city and honestly it says something about the poster when that is one of their biggest gripes.