Moving- San Diego or Ann Arbor?
 

My husband's job will require our family of 4(2 elem. schl. kids) to move. The current possibilities are Ann Arbor and San Diego. I went on to Realtor.com and did a price comparison and for A.A. it said we need 20% greater salary for same life style and 30% more for San Diego. We live in an expensive close-in suburb of DC now and I guess I was a little shocked by the news. If you had to pick one of these cities, which one? We are a traditional family who likes older homes and friendly neighborhoods. Schools are important to us as is being near water and or mountains. We have always lived in cities and so this is our comfort zone but we are open. Thanks. Threehearts

Schools-AA
Mountains-SD
Cost of living-AA
Water-SD
Weather-SD
Friendliness-AA
Entertainment-SD

I suspect most people who have never been to AA will laugh at your question and ask if you're crazy. SD is on many people's list of places they'd like to live. Much of my family lives there. Personally I wouldn't choose to live there (though I would have felt differently 25 years ago when SD was much 'younger' as a city). AA has a lot going for it and is a surprisingly enjoyable town given its size. Proximity to Detroit is not much of an asset, except for the airport.
I really don't like the winters in Michigan. Verrry long, cold and gray-gray-gray. The seemingly constant overcast skies can be a real downer. That's my biggest concern about AA.
Really depends on what type of people you are. There are pros and cons to each place.

Thanks for the quick reply, travleis. We lived in Stockholm, Sweden for several years and so we are familiar with gloomy weather. I am from Boston and I loved the proximity to the skiing as well as the ocean but I know it will be hard to duplicate that. I appreciate your telling me the plusses of AA as I don't know anyone who lives there. It's so hard to calculate the cost of living not knowing if the kids will need private school(they're in public now), actual home costs etc.. Threehearts

Ann Arbor's schools are highly rated, with a plethora of sports/activities, etc. AA is expensive because of the University. The downtown areas--one more "student" than the other--are walkable and very safe, with speciality shops, coffee houses and cafes. There is a beautiful park called the Arboretum, plus several state and metro parks within 45 minutes. And they don't call us the Great Lake state for nothin'.

If you travel a lot for pleasure of business, consider what side of the country you spend the majority of your time visiting--those trips from the West coast back East can be long.

That said, I'm certain the weather is better in San Diego right now, but you are use to it if you are in DC now.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks, detroit sg! Threehearts

Ann Arbor is a few hours drive from many ski resorts and much water sports. Also close to Canada, which I consider a plus.

Keith

Lived in D.C. for a year, went to college at Ann Arbor, no way is Ann Arbor 20% more expensive than D.C. suburbs. I'd say the reverse is more likely true. Can't really comment on S.D., long time since I was there. AA has good public schools, with private school options. Lots of neighborhoods with older homes. No access to water or mountains, the main skiing in Michigan is about 3-4 hours from AA and not really all that good compared to other parts of the country. Do you want a 5 degree day today in AA or a 60-65 degree day in S.D.? I'd take the weather in S.D.

San Diego is very expensive. The better school districts are in the northern part of the county, where the homes are also more expensive. For schools, check Poway Unified School District at powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us and also San Dieguito Union High School District at sduhsd.k12.ca.us. There are some excellent public schools here and private schooling is not necessary, but an even more expensive option.

Thanks so much everyone! Your advice is invaluable. AA seems more "New Englandy" to me but you can't beat the weather in SD. We would like an older home if possible and good public schools but we have spent most of our summers on the beach and sailing. I just need to change my attitude and be more flexible. One concern I have is, we love visitors and have quite a few family and friends visit us. I can't help but think they'd rather go to SD than AA but maybe I'm wrong. Does anyone have an idea what a 4 bedroom colonial would be priced at in the better neighborhoods in each area? One other concern I have and I would appreciate brutal honesty here, is that I look good for my age but I am not super buff nor do I hope to spend all of my free time getting my nails done etc.. If I live in San Diego, is there a lot of pressure to look "absolutely fabulous?" Thanks. Threehearts

Hey Threehearts - I grew up in Northern Michigan and came to Ann Arbor for college. After marrying an Ann Arbor man, we moved to Connecticut for a few years but could not stay away. I love living in Ann Arbor, and would not dream of living anywhere else, even today when it's snowing like mad and I had a white-knuckle drive in to work. ;)

When we were home shopping, we were looking on the lower end. We ended up in a 1,000 sq. ft. house with 4 bedrooms, finished basement and detached 1-car garage on the outskirts of town (but in the city limits and 2 blocks from an elem. school). The house right now would sell for $190,000-$200,000. We looked at homes up to about $250,000 and could probably find a smaller 3-bedroom home (but larger than ours, maybe 1500 sq. ft.) in a nice neighborhood. I'd guess you're looking at $300,000 at least to get a larger 4-bedroom house in the older neighborhoods, if you can find one.

But, Ann Arbor has a lot going for it, and the schools are wonderful. Some people also prefer to live in the surrounding small towns and work in Ann Arbor. Dexter, Saline, Milan, Chelsea and many others are nice, though home prices there are going up quickly as well.

If you've never been to Ann Arbor or Michigan, it would be great if you schedule even a long weekend to come visit. Michigan is a beautiful state - particularly the northern lower peninsula and the upper peninsula. The skiing here is certainly not like Colorado or northern New England, but people do travel quite a distance for it all the same - it's not that bad. ;) The beaches on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are a few hours drive from Ann Arbor at most, and they're wonderful - big bodies of water with big waves, but no salt.

I have only been in SD for a few days, but one thing I would not be happy without is seasons. I don't love every winter day that we have, and the humidity in the summer can get you down, but I love the variety of changing seasons. I can always vacation to a warm spot in the summer for a nice getaway. :)

San Diego is great but it might be less of a "neighborhood feel" that what you are looking for. And, private schools are so damn expensive.

Older homes are also hard to come by in SD.

Now, I love Southern California and have lived here for most of my life. But if you do not have a compelling reason to move here (family, $$$$), then AA would be my choice.

I think, in San Diego, the feeling of neighborhood depends on which area you live in. If you have kids in school, then it's easy to get to know a lot of people by being involved in the schools, but otherewise, if you and your neighbors are working all day, it's can be harder to meet a lot of the people in your community. All the various communities in San Diego are very strong and the amount of involvement is your own choice.

There are seasons here, they're just not as dramatically defined as they are in colder states.

Yes, yur friends and relatives will visit you here...tha's almost one of the dpwn sides. THey will come every year and won't want to go home!

Your kids would love it here. They can do any activity they want all year round. There is skiing in the winter just three hours drive at Big Bear Lake and six-seven hours drive at Mammoth Mountain.

Most of the older houses here are ranc-style bungalows or craftsman-style bungalows. There are few colonial houses, most are Spanish/Italian/Mediterranean style. They're all expensive.

Another area here with good schools is Coronado, but the housing there is even more expensive.

Realtor.com gives you a good overview, but not all homes are listed there, so do talk to local realtors who specialize in relocation. They may know about less expensive properties that meet your requirements.

Good luck in your decision making.

Thanks, everyone. This is one tough decision. It does sound like my family will need quite a bit more income to live in metro SD then we would for AA. I am a nurse but stay home because of a special needs child. Threehearts

threehearts,

I have lived in both places (albeit for only a few months in AA). I really sense that AA has more of what you're looking for; the older homes in SD are generally in neighborhoods close to downtown with not-great schools and questionable safety. Unless of course, you can afford Coronado, which most people can't. AA has a palpable community feel with the University. Is it possible to visit both places?

threehearts,

Since you have a special needs child, keep in mind the economy crisis in California. Gov. Ahnold's budget proposal calls for severe cutbacks in most areas of public funding, including therapies for special needs kids. Everything out here is very volitale right now: the housing market, the economy, the politics, and the recent fires still have many communities in disarray. As much as I love SD, I think AA would be a more stable environment right now.

One more vote for Ann Arbor. It's essentially part of the metro Detroit area (about 40 miles west of the city) so you have easy access to theater, sporting events, concerts and etc in the city, but it feels very much like its own community. Its identity is heavily shaped by UM, but that's meant far more great ethnic restaurants, theater, museums and shops than just about any city of its size.
The transportation links are great (Detroit Metro Airport is 20 miles away) and I-94 runs right thru the city, meaning Chicago is about 3.5 hours away.

As the mother of a special needs kid, it is my understanding that Gov. Arnold is not cutting back services for the developmentally disabled after it was pointed out how hypocritical of him that would be. This would not, in any case, affect schools. The biggest problem for these kids is the Federal (unfunded) "No Child Left Behind" nonsense.

Threehearts, you do need to make sure that the school district has a good special ed. department.

We now live in the DC suburbs but spent many years in Indiana and Michigan. Ann Arbor will average about 10 degrees colder in the winter than DC area. It also gets more snow. DC has long, beautiful springs that you will not get in the upper mid-west. The plus side is fabulous (albeit relatively short) summers with less humidity. With that said, if you can handle the climate I'd go with AA. The University environment gives the city a much more cultured and sophisticated feel than other mid-west towns of similar size. It's less expensive than SD and the people are friendly and down to earth. In my opinion, it's just a better place to raise kids. The Great Lakes have lots to offer in terms of summer recreation opportunities.

Barbara, thanks for pointing that out. I was heartbroken when I heard the proposed cutbacks--I used to work with special needs kids and I understand how important early intervention is. I'm glad to hear those programs have been spared.

Try bestplaces.net. They have a page where you can compare two cities, side by side for climate, economy, education, crime, etc., etc

http://www.bestplaces.net/html/citycompare.asp