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

Jocelyn, that's just my understanding, I may have it wrong. The cuts he initially proposed would have affected the Regional Centers.

Barbara, when I was working as a speech pathologist I saw kids through the Regional Center. Maybe we know some of the same people. :)

Jocelyn, We haven't used the regional center yet. Up until now, my daughter's needs have been well met through her school district (Poway).

My first reaction to your post was "Are you kidding? San Diego, of course!"

Then I thought about it awhile. I do know Ann Arbor to a limited extent and it is a pleasant town. But I compare the climate, the cultural events, the climate, the coast, the climate, the nearness to LA or Palm Springs, the climate, the variety of things and cultures nearby, and the climate. My final answer, "Are you kidding. San Diego, of course!"

Cultural events-wise, I don't really think San Diego has an advantage.

So, Patrick, the climate's important to you??

Oh, did I mention the climate?

About cultural events. Well, I realize that with the university there's a fair amount in Ann Arbor, in fact very nice for a city that size and what's more they are reasonable to attend. But how many prizes have been won by Ann Arbor groups for world premiers of Broadway plays? How many touring groups appear and how often compared to San Diego? How many local orchestras, operas, and chamber groups does Ann Arbor have compared to San Diego? Where is the world famous Shakespeare Festival in a park in Ann Arbor? Nope, I'll stand by my original statement there.

Remove climate from the equation, and I'd pick Ann Arbor. I just prefer smaller cities, lower cost of living, less crime, and more seasons. (Of course you would never know that about me since I live in Austin, but I'm leaving as soon as I can...)

All the major touring plays, an opera company, a world-class symphony orchestra and every major pop/rock/r&b act will visit Detroit, 35 minutes away.

You will have much less of a culture shock moving to Ann Arbor, for all the reasons already mentioned. It's a town one-tenth the size of San Diego, which no one has pointed out. Given the way you describe your family and your desired neighborhood traits, I'd think you'd be more comfortable in a nice, little university town like Ann Arbor than a big, bustling West Coast city like San Diego. You have to move to California wanting something new.

If it were my choice-- San Diego. In a heartbeat. No question. Great town. Great climate. Lots to do in town, and LA's two hours away, as is Palm Springs. But that's me....

Since I think some people have the wrong viewpoint of San Diego, I felt compelled to respond. Threehearts, 16 years ago I dragged my midwest raised husband (from Wisconsin) kicking and screaming from D.C. to live in San Diego (where I had gone to college). He couldn't have been happier with the move and is very glad I made him do it. I have two elemenatary age children (ages 7 and 12)so I think I know what you are going through. I live in the Mission Hills area of San Diego, our home was built in 1918 (thats very old for San Diego) and we love it here. We definitely have a neighborhood feeling (e.g. we all take trips togeather, have a 4th of july parade every year, playgroups, etc.) We live 5 minutes from downtown and our neighborhood is extremely safe (despite what another poster said). My husband loves the short commute. There are many other neighborhoods like mine (Point Loma, Coronado, etc.) There are certain neighborhoods where the older homes are located because you have to remember that san diego is a "young" city. My neighbor lives in the cities oldest home and that is dated at 1895. As others have mentioned, cost of housing is a huge issue here because prices have gone through the roof in the last 3 years. We bought our home 9 years ago for $425 and it is now worth $1.3. A 4 bedroom in m.h. or point loma will be between 600k to over a million. The plus side to cost of living out here is food is cheaper, we don't have to pay for winter heating, my kids don't get sick as much as their cousins do in d.c. so we have really no medical expenses. clothing is cheaper-my kids only need one set of clothes and entertainment is cheaper, with the beautiful outdoors we do lots of free things outside. As far as cultural, that was one of my husband's main concerns-he had lived in NYC and thought San Diego was a wasteland. That has proven not true, we are subscribers to broadway productions that come into town-this summer we have tickets to hairspray,the producer etc. Plus playwrights love san diego, both the la jolla playhouse and the old globe are known as a test market for broadway productions. Jack O'Brien who won a tony this year for directing Hairspray lives 3 streets away from me. With UCSD, SDSU and USD, we are a university town and my children have met writers, nobel prize winners etc. I always think of san diego as a small town in a big town body. You can do a lot, but still be in a big city. People are very friendly here and when our city was faced with its greatest crisis ever, the fires of Oct. The compassionate, caring and friendly nature of San Diegans really was shown in our response to that event. As far as whether you need to get your nails done and have a plastic surgeon on call, San Diego women are not that way. I would say in general San Diegans are health conscious and like to be outside. You don't have to be an expert in sports, rather people just take advantage of what god has given us-a good climate. I am no means a skinny thing (I could stand to lose 40 pounds), but I like all my friends enjoy exercising. In response to your love of skiing, we have a neighborhood tradition where about 40 families go every year to Park City on a ski trip. It is a short 1 1/2 hour plane trip ($200 fare) and we all share condos to keep cost down. Big Bear is only 2 hours a way and has some great runs. As my kids like to say where else in the world can you go surfing inthe mornig and skiing in the afternoon on the same day and not be on a plane. As far as schools, Barbara is right, the school just depend on the neighborhoods and the school. I have a friend who lives in Del Mar and has tons of bucks, but she sends her five kids to public school because they are so good. San Diego High school (a high school located near downtown) has a great program (called the international baccalauret) and tons of those kids go to ivy league colleges. Bill Gates started public high and middle schools called "high tech high" that are wonderful and in point loma. My kids go to the largest Catholic school in the county five minutes from our house, we pay $200 a kid per month and the ocean view from their school isn't bad. There are just many different options and expensive private school isn't the only one. I have a child with learning issues and I have been able to obtain some very wonderful services here for that child. The other thing San Diego has going for it is diversity, my children are learning spanish and they have many friends from differnt ethnic backgrounds. San diego is selected for many big events, we have had the presidential debates, the superbowl, political conventions to name a few and Joan Kroc,one of our beloved departed citizens every day is giving away millions to make this city better. we had friends visit from D.C. with their children this summer and their father in the past had the oppoturnity to work here and turned it down, when these children found out about it during their visit, they were so unhappy and asked to move in with me, they kept on saying "we had a chance to live here!!" I just wanted to present San Diego in a more positive light that what other posters have done, I am not wealthy my any means, but I couldnt' think of any place better to raise my children. You have a hard decision ot make and if you can afford it, I would visit both places.Good luck and I hope this info is helpful. email me if you have any other specific quesitions. I agree the cost of housing will be your biggest issue living in san diego. Veronica

Hey Patrick - Some of us would choose AA over SD because of the climate! ;) I love seasons, and would prefer to only visit a place like SD. But that's what makes the world so interesting - we're all a bit different.

As to culture - martytravels makes a fine point that many wonderful cultural things are available in Detroit (including a wonderful art institute).

Ann Arbor also has a fine symphony orchestra. There are a few wonderful, small theater groups that perform new and cutting-edge plays, even though they're not as big as broadway productions. There is also the Purple Rose theater company in Chelsea (15 minutes from AA). That is Jeff Daniel's theater group, and it also puts on several new show a year - a great support to the starting playwright. You will find many chamber concerts just due to the university. Many are student performances, but they're still wonderful quality. Ann Arbor may not have a Shakespeare festival, but every spring a student group does produce "A Mid-Summers Night Dream" at our arboretum. And there is a wonderful jazz festival every year in Ypsilanti, the next town over.

I suppose it's impossible to do a truly quantitative comparison about the cultural differences between any two cities, but Ann Arbor is right up there in its offerings, particularly with Detroit an easy drive away. And for a bigger city feel, Chicago is an easy weekend trip!

threehearts - If you do decide to visit the AA area to check it out, let me know if you need help planning where to stay or what to see. Feel free to email me. :)

I've always thought that San Diego has the best traits of Los Angeles with very few of its bad traits (and there are a few). Granted, now everyone knows about how great it is to live in SD, which explains its high housing costs (and going higher every year).

Being able to enjoy the outdoors year-round is very important to me, which is why I live 90 minutes up the coast from SD. Higher cost of living? Oh well. You do what you have to in order to be happy....

Still, threehearts, you have to do what's best for your family. I don't think you can really go wrong with either-- each in its own way is great. Best of luck in your decision!

When I flew into San Diego last year, I was shocked at the digusting, dirty blanket of smog that lay over the entire area. It quickly killed any fantasies I'd harbored about living in SoCal. Some trade-offs just aren't worth it.

i live in east lansing, home of msu, just down the road from aa. most of the good things about aa have been listed, but i would add that u of mich. has a top-notch medical school, also the town has two highly-rated hospitals and attending doctors. if by chance you choose to return to work as a nurse or get an advanced degree, this is the place.

we all go "up north" in the summer to swim, sail, shop, etc. big sand dunes, sleeping bear national lakeshore, mackinac island.

it does snow once in awhile. toughens us up.

lpas, the only time last year, in fact ever, in the 26 years i've lived here, that I can recall anything remotely like a "disgusting,dirty,blanket of smog" over San Diego is last October/November when we had major brushfires. You may have heard about them.

Barbara, that's what <b>I</b> was thinking! In all the times I've gone down to SD, I can't think of one time where I noticed dirty air-- other than during the fires (and it was bad everywhere-- let's not talk about all the ash falling in Long Beach!!).

For the Michigan boosters, UM-Ann Arbor Medical Center is a great hospital, no question. &quot;US News&quot; rates it as #9 in the country. San Diego has Scripps, UCSD Medical Center, and two hour away, #3 in the nation, UCLA Medical Center in West LA.

And Sharp Memorial hospital,which is also very highly rated. Having one of the top medical schools in the nation really helps.

Okay, now it's harder than ever...
I can see such plusses to both areas but the differences are certainly extreme(housing prices, climate and as Patrick said- climate). I need to visit both places and see the terms of my husband's contract proposal to see if SD would work. I love the idea of living close in since we have lived in metro NYC, Boston, Stockholm and now Chevy Chase, MD. We love Chevy Chase but you still have to drive quite a ways to get to a good beach and one hour to open water sailing. I need to factor in the cost of private schooling if the public schools don't offer good special needs services. My daughter has a bit of a unique problem in that she is emotionally disabled but able to be mainstreamed most of the time. She goes to therapy 4 days a week after school and so good medical care would be a plus. For myself, I am heavily into volunteer fundraising at this time for children's issues and am a people person so I have no doubt that I'd be happy with the people most anywhere. Thanks for all the replies. I really appreciate it. Threehearts

Yes, I've heard of them. I was there about 2 weeks prior to the big fire. Perhaps there were smaller blazes burning at that time that would account for the problem.