Southern California - San Diego

hey all. My wife and I are thinking of moving to San Diego from Houston. She has a nice job offer and I could really use a change in scenery.

But I don't really know much about San Diego. The only things I've read are that the traffic is lousy and the weather is awesome. Both of those things spell bicycle commuting. I must be the only guy here doing it. Are there lots of bikes on the roads there? Can you get around town easy enough on a bike?

Seriously, I looked at the weather report for San Diego for this week. You guys are really pissing me off. We've hit 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity almost every day for the last 3 months. I sweat here riding at 5 in the morning. Do you guys ever sweat there???

Also, hows the cost of living....other than real estate (which is obviously very high)?

Cost of living is high. There are a lot of bikes on the road, but San Diego is pretty spread out. Depending on where you live vs. where you work, commuting by bike might not be practical.

My parents live about 10 miles from the ocean, and it will occasionally hit 100F. So, yes, people sweat.

it's much easier to get around north county(la jolla to oceanside and san clemente) by bike. don't know how much i'd enjoy riding around san diego itself...

San Diego is probably the nicest area, weather wise of all Southern CA but all of So Cal is nice. Moving from Houston to So Cal you will experience "sticker shock" as housing prices are through the roof (although now is probably a good time to move here with all the mortage foreclosures and potential depression looming). Apartment rents are probably $1500 - 2000 for a 2 bedroom, housing prices are starting about $400,000 for a one bedroom condo (assuming you want to live in a nice area). I'm not the housing expert for San Diego as I live in Orange County. I think prices are more reasonable in parts of SD county.

Yes traffic can suck and unfortunately San Diego is getting worse ever year. But there are places to ride and the weekends are nice. I would look inland alittle ways say Vista, San Marcos or Esconidio, even out to Ramona.

Yes traffic can suck and unfortunately San Diego is getting worse ever year. But there are places to ride and the weekends are nice. I would look inland alittle ways say Vista, San Marcos or Esconidio, even out to Ramona.

Traffic is bad but still not as bad as LA. Housing costs are definitely more affordable as you go inland, but there is a reason for that :rolleyes: Commute times get worse and the weather gets significantly hotter in the summer as you go East.

San Diego is probably the nicest area, weather wise of all Southern CA

although it is nice, i beg to differ. the weather here in hb couldn't be more perfect.

I also may be moving to San Diego from north western Wisconsin.
Kinda scared going from somewhere that I can ride in the country and see maybe 5 cars in an hour, to a "busy" city.

Are there many biking trails of good quality that are worth riding, is it possible to ride around on streets without having to worry too much about getting hit?

I also may be moving to San Diego from north western Wisconsin.
Kinda scared going from somewhere that I can ride in the country and see maybe 5 cars in an hour, to a "busy" city.

Are there many biking trails of good quality that are worth riding, is it possible to ride around on streets without having to worry too much about getting hit?

There are some dedicated bike trails but they are rarely all that scenic, so "worth riding" will be your call. There are are backcountry roads where traffic is minimal and others where it is a hazard. You learn to pick your routes carefully around here to avoid the worst of it but the reality is that most riders in SoCal are used to co-existing with traffic.

On my commute to work from Point Loma to downtown I can see as many as 20 commuters on any given day. It's very do-able. It all depends on where you work and where you live. San Diego is a big county.

Compared to Toronto, Canada, the higher cost of living is really just in rental/housing ($1200-$1450 for 1 BR in LJ/UTC area). Traffic seems lighter and with friendlier drivers than other large cities that I've been to. Gas prices are cheaper than Canada, although may be more than in other places in US (right now I think it's about $3.1 for premium 91).

Restaurant-wise, if you're Chinese there're no cheap meals for $7-10. Those are available in LA but not in San Diego. Under $10 per person and it's fast food territory. Grocery prices aren't any higher I find.

I'm in the northern area of San Diego (in La Jolla/UTC). I don't really see that many bike commuters around in my area. There are some but not lots. It's only in the weekend that I'll see a lot of bikes in the club ride and coastal routes.

I find things in SD are fairly spread out. I would still prefer to have a car than to do it all on a bike although it is doable.

Although SD is beside the Pacific Ocean, it's a fairly dry city humidity-wise.

1 hour drive to Orange County, 2 hrs to LA, 4 hours to Vegas. ;)

http://www.efgh.com/bike

What area is your wife's prospective job in? San Diego is a big county, and different areas can have very different characters. Traffic is only bad into certain areas.

Great cycling because of terrain variety and year round riding weather. You get foothills and canyons for the hills and mesas for the flats.

I absolutely love Encinitas, where I live, but housing prices have quadrupled since we moved here in 1995. I think the median price of a home in Encinitas now is around $600k. Oceanside is actually starting to look nice.

It really depends where your job is, though. I work out of my home, but my corp. office is in Chula Vista, 50 mile away. San Diego is a LARGE county.

Central San Diego can be quite congested, particularily if you are headed east west. The coastal communities North of San Diego has better biking infrastructure, but is far more expensive. You will love the climate. Best cycling climate in the entire continental US. Has not the housing glut brought down housing costs any? Bummer, eventually, we'd think about coming back. Likely not at 500 K plus dollars.

The job would be near SDSU. The sprawl I hear being described sounds alot like Houston. There are parts of town here that seem a world away because it's an hour by car any time of day.

The weather sounds great, and as much as we like to do things outdoors, that's a big deal for us. We hat the climate here in Houston. You can't even sit outside without sweating most of the time. It gets old...especially when you are a blue collar worker and you work all day in the heat like I do.

BTW....I found this post on another forum, and thought it was interesting. Is this guy just ranting, or do alot of San Diegans feel this way.


http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-diego/161465-make-informed-decision-if-moving-san.html

The job would be near SDSU. The sprawl I hear being described sounds alot like Houston. There are parts of town here that seem a world away because it's an hour by car any time of day.

The weather sounds great, and as much as we like to do things outdoors, that's a big deal for us. We hat the climate here in Houston. You can't even sit outside without sweating most of the time. It gets old...especially when you are a blue collar worker and you work all day in the heat like I do.

BTW....I found this post on another forum, and thought it was interesting. Is this guy just ranting, or do alot of San Diegans feel this way.


http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-diego/161465-make-informed-decision-if-moving-san.html


That guy's a jackass - drinking sewer water? He is also way off base with the real estate taxes - they are much lower than Texas, and they don't escalate as severely every year.

Butter bean. You are lucky. From SDSU area, there is a bike path adjacent to the San Diego river, running east /west. That will lead to the better bike paths running north south. Want to save time adjusting to San Diego bikeways, go to the tourist offices and buy a bike map. You'll learn faster that way. Also, lots of bike clubs in town from which to get into the San Diego cycling world.

The job would be near SDSU.
...
BTW....I found this post on another forum, and thought it was interesting. Is this guy just ranting, or do alot of San Diegans feel this way.

Well, as another poster pointed out, a lot of what this guy said about San Diego can be said about any major city in the US. Sure, traffic is bad here, but I guarantee you it's NOTHING like traffic in L.A. Or how about trying to get across the Bay Bridge from Berkeley to S.F. in rush hour?

Yes, water is becoming an issue, and will continue to be an issue for every single desert city in the U.S. The answer to a lot of those problems is xeriscaping, which more and more people will begin to do as water bills go up.

Pollution in the ocean -- an issue after rainstorms. But most of the beaches here are open most of the time.

Aircraft noise - in a couple of corridors, yes. Otherwise a bogus issue.

Crime? I think SD is safer than a lot of places.

Real estate prices - I can't think of any coastal city with a climate like that of SD where prices haven't risen dramatically.

In other words, my answer to that post is mostly a yawn. Nothing he's saying there wouldn't apply to a lot of other big cities, and even more so. The biggest imbalance in SD is that salaries tend to be lower while living costs tend to be higher -- the "sunshine tax."

But talk about a gorgeous climate! Wow! Well maybe I won't, because that would just encourage MORE people to move here!

I lived in San Diego in the first half of the 80s, and can honestly say it's one of the few places I'd leave OC for....

The job would be near SDSU. The sprawl I hear being described sounds alot like Houston. There are parts of town here that seem a world away because it's an hour by car any time of day.

The weather sounds great, and as much as we like to do things outdoors, that's a big deal for us. We hat the climate here in Houston. You can't even sit outside without sweating most of the time. It gets old...especially when you are a blue collar worker and you work all day in the heat like I do.

BTW....I found this post on another forum, and thought it was interesting. Is this guy just ranting, or do alot of San Diegans feel this way.


http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-diego/161465-make-informed-decision-if-moving-san.html

That guy is ranting. Air noise is totally bogus, and most people accept the high cost of living as a tradeoff for living here. Near SDSU i think is one of the cheaper areas to live. You also have the trolley line from SDSU/La Mesa area out to Mission Valley, Old Town, and downtown. If you split between bike and trolley, you can probably cover a lot of the city.

I really like what I'm hearing. I have never been able to utilize public transportation in my life. Houston has an extensive bus system, but it doesn't come any where near the suburbs where I live. We have the new light rail....big deal. If you don't live or work in the medical center, it cannot take you anywhere.

San Diego sounds great...except of course...for the "Sunshine Tax".

We'll see how things go for us....maybe we'll be there this time next year.

Well, San Diego is similar, in that the busses don't go to a lot of the suburbs. Certainly not my neighborhood. The center of the city of San Diego proper is pretty well covered by transport.

SDSU is very bikeable if you live in the San Diego metro area.
There is many nice neighborhoods close (hillcrest, university heights, north park, kensington, normal heights) that would make a bike commute very practical. Although you'd be taking a little tour through a crappy part of town, but as long as you dont ride in the middle of the night I dont see a reason to worry.
Mass Transit to SDSU is great, including the trolley and many bus lines. Mass transit in the rest of the county and even outside the trolley line leaves something to be desired though.

Cars hate bikers, SUV's cant see you, Running stop signs is common. As with any city, riding on the streets are no joke. In the surrounding downtown area, people are a little more aware, but I havent ridding anywhere where you didnt need to be on your toes. This is california, fast, stupid, and often drunk drivers are everywhere, in huge cars with even huger blind spots. There is very little urban bike trails and pretty crappy bike lanes. That being said, you get used to riding in the streets and being defensive, theres some good FAQ's floating around about rules and tips of urban commuting which can be very helpful if you're a little timid.

Sweating only happens inland for the most part, unless youre a little outside the city you will rarely ever see the 90's, Or rain, Or anything else besides morning low clouds and afternoon sunshine. San Diego is known for its many "microclimates" so it really depends on where you live, but pretty much anywhere here is nicer weatherwise than anywhere else in the US.




Holy crap that person ranting about San Diego is a wreck.




*Get used to BEING IN LINE for everything. Shopping. The DMV. The cell phone store. Movies. Gas stations. Long lines.
Yes San Diego is crowded, isnt that obvious? Isnt that why we are a major city? Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I rarely have to wait at a gas station. Shopping? isnt that being a little general? The DMV... OF COURSE, ITS THE DMV! And what the heck is a "Cell Phone Store"? Wouldnt that be "Shopping"? Theres a thousand cell phone stores and even more Kiosks at malls. Waiting in line to buy your new cell phone isnt an issue.




Ask about airways. Planes zoom over many residential neighborhoods constantly
As others said, aircraft noise is not something you need to worry about. Unless you live in Bankers Hill (which is a nice place really, with most homes and apartments having extra thick windows to block out the noise), Point Loma (eh.. boring place anyways) or Little Italy (you probably dont want to try and afford it) then you will never notice it.




*In high tourist areas, be aware that your life will be living next door to the non-stop (often drunken) vacationers, drivers, people people people
Dont live in Pacific or Mission beach if you dont want a bunch of young adults and tourists around. Its a pretty easy thing to avoid.. just dont live in a high tourist area.




*Commutes during the fair, the racing season or the tourist season are horrendous
Traffic isnt any worse than most other major cities. Yes rush hour is crowded. Unless you are forced to commute across the county its not really a big issue. Hey people, if you work in the city and live way out in the suburbs, of course the commute is going to suck. If you dont like it, move closer. Yes you might pay a little more for a smaller place, but you wont be stuck in your car for 2 hours a day. This being said I commute from San Diego to Vista every day and there is very little traffic and its a choice I made, so you will never hear me complaining about it.




LACK OF BASICS SUCH AS WATER, ROADS
I just took a shower and im about to ride my bike down the newly paved road thats right outside.




*Our beloved ocean is very sick.
Thanks for noticing, complaining about it is not helping. I grew up at the beach, spent a lot of time in the ocean, I've never been sick from it. Its uncommon but it does happen though. This kind of thing isnt just in San Diego. As for the little story he gives, I've never had anything like that happen (with the tar and raw sewage or whatever sensationalised story he gave was). Although I have been stung by a few jellyfish, and swam about 6 feet from a dolphin!




BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO
Everything under here is silly. There is a lot of sun, little rain and no snow. If you want snow, there is many mountains within an hour or two to skii or whatever. There is many people who live here and only work one job and live just fine. Commuting is your choice, if you choose to live near where you work, then there is no problem, right? There is construction but its never been remotely burdensome to my life (except when the damn neighbor took 2 months to redo his damn roof). There is crime, yes. The crime rate is probably a pretty decent amount lower than Houston and other major cities. Pretty much everything here applies to highly populated areas.




There are basically two types of jobs here: A high paying executive type position and a low paid service industry job.False.




It's a long wait list, by the way, to get a rental truck to go OUT of the state.
It took me 15 minutes and two forms of ID to get a uhaul.




Make sure you have an exit plan for yourself in case things don't work out as you hoped.Wow finally some good advice, this should be applied to most things in life. Just uh, relax a little and dont go overboard with it.




Be prepared to feel increased stress and health problems as you live here. It is unavoidable.
Moving somewhere new can be stressful. Adjusting to a new place with different problems isnt the easiest thing. It IS unavoidable, thats life. Thats why a lot of people die in the same town they grew up in.



Sorry for the long re-rant. San Diego isnt perfect and faces the same problems as most major metropolitan areas. It is a wonderful place to live though, there is tons of things to do, and the weather permits year round enjoyment of many activities including biking.



On last bit of advice..........
You want to avoid north county and east county at all possible. No offense to you people who've tricked yourself into thinking those are suitable places to enjoy life. You guys know rents even cheaper in arizona right?

Cost of living is high. There are a lot of bikes on the road, but San Diego is pretty spread out. Depending on where you live vs. where you work, commuting by bike might not be practical.

My parents live about 10 miles from the ocean, and it will occasionally hit 100F. So, yes, people sweat.


i think the type of sweeat is different.. 90* with 90% humidity is unbearable to me.... 100* and dry is different.. ur sweating only because its hot.. not because the humid which would feel worst! makes me feel like i cant breathe!

San diego sucks....please move away and don't come here if you already don't live here!!!














J/K....love it...will retire here...the juice is well worth the sqeeze...

and i commute about 4 days a week 15 miles each way thru downtown and all over central SD...it's not hard...i have found it to be a very biker friendly town..

If she's going to SDSU, don't rule out Santee. It's just over the hill, and the trolley line ends here. If you're looking for a place to live, don't want a long commute, I'd go north of the 8. Serra Mesa, Santee, Tierra Santa, all nice. I'm in NE Santee with a Lakeside zip, commute to SDSU is not bad at all from here. I used to pass it on my way to downtown by bike.

On last bit of advice..........
You want to avoid north county and east county at all possible. No offense to you people who've tricked yourself into thinking those are suitable places to enjoy life.
Why?

Man, I didn't even catch that. What's wrong with east or north county? Too many hills for a city rider? :)

Yes, please avoid North County. I want it all for myself! :)

I think North County is nice. It would just suck to commute down into San Diego from there.

I have always thought commuting from the downtown San Diego area to east county ( like Lemon Grove) to be on of the more difficult commutes . Can not that be solved by taking out the east trolley line to east county.

I only have to go south once every two weeks or so, but the far worse commute is going from south San Diego to North County. I typically make it from Encinitas to Chula Vista in about 50 minutes. Considering it's over 50 miles, that's not bad. The merge in the afternoon is bad, but you generally can get through it in less than 20 minutes.

Once you're in Southern California, you get access to all of it, not just San Diego. This is the awesome part. Yes, its spread out, but if you really like bike riding and have an SUV, then this is the place to be.

Here, let me show you. Take this neat trip: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_California

I only have to go south once every two weeks or so, but the far worse commute is going from south San Diego to North County. I typically make it from Encinitas to Chula Vista in about 50 minutes. Considering it's over 50 miles, that's not bad. The merge in the afternoon is bad, but you generally can get through it in less than 20 minutes.
Chaco. It's taken me 20 minutes to get from UCSD hospital to the base of Torrey Pines. Solution. Pedal your way out of the gridlock.

On last bit of advice..........
You want to avoid north county and east county at all possible. No offense to you people who've tricked yourself into thinking those are suitable places to enjoy life. You guys know rents even cheaper in arizona right?

congrats on making one of the most awesomely stupid comments i've ever seen on these forums.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/the_maryhunter/Horses_ass_1.jpg

I was half joking.







Only half though.

Take me with you!!

So, it's pretty much been confirmed.
I'm moving to the San Marcos area in December or January.

Like someone else mentioned, sweating from heat isn't so bad, when there's low humidity.
Here in Wisconsin it can get to 95F+ with 80% humidity in the summer.
I'd take 100F and low humidity over that any day.

Looking forward to moving out there. yay!

Welcome!

So, it's pretty much been confirmed.
I'm moving to the San Marcos area in December or January.

Don't say you weren't warned!

Um... I don't remember anything being mentioned about there...
I'm getting worried now, lol.

San Marcos is fine..you'll be fine.....come to cali...bring a bike....ride..enjoy.

Um... I don't remember anything being mentioned about there...
I'm getting worried now, lol.

It's in the North County. TheFly doesn't like the North County. It might be a tough commute if you're working in San Diego the city.

Take me with you!!

curious about your photo. do you really cycle underwater. I know of three spots about the globe where they have an underwater bike competiton. Think they are the Virgin Islands, Genoa Italy, and Cyprus. I'd love to give it a try.

curious about your photo. do you really cycle underwater. I know of three spots about the globe where they have an underwater bike competiton. Think they are the Virgin Islands, Genoa Italy, and Cyprus. I'd love to give it a try.

Lol, thats not really me. I just figured it was a cool photo combining my two favorite outdoor activities :) I'd like to give it a go too.