Jess

I will be moving to San Diego in a few months and I'm hoping that someone who lives in the area can help me out.

Any suggestions on good areas to live within the county? I'm 30, single and am currently self-employed. I will have a budget of about $1000-$1500 for rent. I would prefer to live closer to the coast.

Are there some places to definetly avoid (crime, cost of rent/living, cleanliness)? Or some to defintely to take heed of (near the best beaches, excellent apt. complexes)?

And, (don't laugh), how bad are the earthquakes in that area of California? Do they occur frequently? I've dealt with hurricanes and tornadoes, but earthquakes are a new thing so I'm rather apprehensive!

I'd appreciate any help/ideas. Thanks so much!

Jess

Paul

Pacific Beach may be nice for you. It ranges from rowdy to suburban but its by the coast and within your price range. Its a popular place for young people like yourself. Crime may be more evident in places south of San Diego but crime is hard to avoid anywhere. As far as earthquakes, I have lived through a number of them in San Diego and its just a fact of life. They do not occur frequently and San Diego is not expected to have any major ones soon. But California and earthquakes do go hand in hand. You should research what to do in the event of an earthquake upon arriving.

dee

I have to agree with Paul about Pacific Beach. It sounds like that's what you're looking for. There are plenty of places that are about a ten-minute drive from the beach, but I don't know exactly how close you want to be.

As far as earthquakes go, I can't really speak for San Diego (I've only lived here a couple of years), but I've lived in California all my life and have been through a few earthquakes -- the biggest, the '89 Bay Area quake. They rarely occur, so don't be too worried about them. But at the same time, they are a reality. So as Paul suggested, you should learn what to do and how to be prepared should one occur.

When I moved here, I asked about crime in my neighborhood and was told one of the biggest problems in San Diego is car theft. I don't know how true that is, but I came close to losing my car last year. Luckily, my car and the car next to mine just received some vandalism. I guess they got frustrated when they couldn't successfully steal them. So it's probably a good idea to get a Club or alarm or some other kind of deterrence if you don't have one already, assuming you have a car.

Good luck to you.

SDSam

I live in San Diego. Being self employed, I assume that you are not concerned with commuting to work.

San Diego has a relatively low crime rate for a large city though there are some pretty bad areas. Generally speaking you will want to live north of downtown San Diego. Your budget should allow you a pretty good choice of areas to live in. Climate is one concern. The coastal areas are cooler and often have a marine layer at least part of the day.

Pacific Beach is definitely an area that will suit your budget and is close to the beach. It is pretty congested with a lot of younger people. However there is a lot going on there and you may like it. The crime rate in Pacific beach is higher than average though most of the crime is more of the petty stuff. It is generally a fairly safe area.

You may want to consider further north such as La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, etc. You really won't go wrong as long as you stick to the northern part of the county.

Jess

Thanks for all the help...and thanks for not laughing at my question about the earthquakes! I'm sure I'll be fine, but the thought of the Earth moving under my feet is a new thing--but I suppose if I can survive hurricanes and tornadoes, I'll make do like everyone else.

Again, thanks for the help!

Emily

Everyone prefers their own natural disasters to those of other regions. I once witnessed a very ugly shouting match between a woman from Florida who couldn't IMAGINE living in a place that had earthquakes and a woman from California who DETESTED the thought of living in a place that had hurricanes. I predict that if you move to San Diego, you'll soon feel very cozy with the small to moderate tremblors that we occasionally experience!

SDSam

I fogot to mention the earthquake thing. Actually San Diego is an earthquake zone that is ranked lower than either the SF Bay area or Los Angeles. There has never been an earthquake in San Diego severe enough to cause any deaths, major injuries, or property damage.

Shaky

Hate to nitpick, Emily, but as a resident you are required by state law to know: it's temblor, not tremblor.

Emily

Ooops -- Freudian slip! Mayhe it was because I was "trembling" while the earth was "tembling".

Shaky

That's okay. Ninety percent of the local anchors use the same term.

joe

This is a travel forum, not a relocation forum. With that in mind I offer the following: I would enjoy being a tourist for the first couple weeks or so to acclimate yourself to the area. Spend a couple weeks at different hotels in different areas. It will generally be quite hard to "arrive" and get a decent apartment quickly because it is most definitely a landlords market right now.

Based on your demographics (and accompanying stereo-types). I would stay 2 weeks near UTC/UCSD area, 2 weeks in Pacific/Mission Beach, 2 weeks in Hillcrest/Balboa Park area, and 2 weeks north county coastal, i.e. Del Mar.

Good luck. Late summer/fall is the best time of the year.

SDSam

Joe:

Are you one of the official Fodor's BBS police or what? If we wish to discuss relocation than so be it. It is just as legitimate a subject as any other on this forum. Just ignore the relocation threads if you are not interested in them. That applies to anybody of like mind and not just Joe.

Jess

Thanks, SDSam. And, as an aside, in general your posts have been extremely helpful to me (and to others traveling/living/moving to the San Diego region. Fordors is lucky to have you around!

Jess

Cindy

Just to correct the record with a total nitpick, I'm pretty sure there was an earthquake in San Diego with a fatality. I was there in 1986-1987, and there was a 5.0-6.1, and one guy died. He was a strange bird who had filled his apartment completely with books. They all fell on him in the quake and crushed him.

So, Jess, learn from this. Don't move the public library into your apartment and you'll probably be fine.

I lived through the big SF quake too. Earthquakes are unnerving and you might actually get hurt or killed in one, but so what? Disasters of all sizes and types occur. That's life. SD is a great place to be young, so go and have some fun!

Joe

SDSam, we can agree to disagree regarding content, but if you read my post I pointed out four areas to discover that would be a general fit for the area based on the original question.

In other words, I answered the question with a polite aside as to content, so what's your beef?

Lisa

Jess,
I'm jealous! Before I met my boyfriend, he lived in San Diego for a year and loved it! He said if he were to go again, he would live in Pacific Beach. We hope someday to relocate there ourselves. My sister has lived in the Chula Vista area for 14 years and she said they rarely feel earthquakes and they don't get the mudslides that L.A. and points north experience. She said most neigborhoods are quiet and she has not come across any trouble in the time she has been there. Good Luck to you and enjoy!!!

SDSam

Joe:

My comment was directed at your staing that this was a travle forum and not relocation forum. It was nice that you did offer the four suggestions.

Cindy:

I was here in 1986/87 and there was no earthquake here near of that magnitude. We had several smaller ones during this period but again no deaths nor property damage. In fact I have 2 free standing fountains in my back and front yards. They were not even moved.

SDSam

Jess:

Thank you for the kind words. As I suggested, I would investigate further north before deciding. You may find that you are a little older than most of the Pacific Beach folks. They are mostly in their early 20's though that is not 100% true.

Joe's suggestions are pretty good though the Hillcrest?Balboa park area is not near any beaches. Hillcrest is kind of a funky area with some neat restaurants etc. It is considered the Gay area of San Diego.

Your budget gives you a fair variety of choices though rents are escalating rapidly.

Jess

Thanks again everyone for all the valuable input. I appreciate the help.

When I came here I did realize it was a "travel" forum but I had hoped that 1) I would find an audience with eclectic tastes that have either lived in the San Diego region or had spent much vacation time there to know the area, and 2)I had hoped that the information I was requesting could be of interest to travelers too. If I'm traveling, I'd like to know the liklihood of earthquakes and other natural disasters. Furthermore, hopefully hearing about the different areas would give other people an idea of what crowd different parts of town attract and that might be helpful to tourists as well. Anyhow, no offense intended by posting my request on this forum. And, again, I appreciate everyone taking the time...

luni

some notes on areas i recommend close to the coast...(i live in the UTC area)

pacific beach (PB) - fun area, good beach - decent waves, good people watching but also crowded (on the sand and on the boardwalk), many clubs and bars nearby, mostly 20-somethings, great place if you are more the "big kahuna" type

la jolla (LJ) - beautiful area with nice beaches (for surfing, snorkeling, and kayaking!), more expensive (but still within your range), very quiet at night, mostly older crowd, some families and 30-something professionals, very few fast food places but great restaurants in the area, the "beverly hills" of san diego county

university town center/golden triangle (UTC) - 5-10 minutes east of la jolla (and nearby beaches), 15-20 minutes northeast of pacific beach, lots of UCSD students and young professionals, some families, a wide variety of apartment complexes(from bare to luxury - all definately within your price range), a nice mall in the area, 3 large grocery shopping centers, less expensive than la jolla, more suburban than pacific beach, proximity to freeways allows you to get to most places in san diego in 20 minutes (w/o traffic) including downtown

del mar/solana beach - older area, similar to LJ, farther from the clubs/bars of downtown san diego and PB, mostly families and mellow surfers, quiet atmostphere and great beaches (usually less crowded)

hope that helps!