Robert Higgins

I am moving next year and have narrowed down my choices to Lake Tahoe or San Diego.

I like the idea of San Diego for the climate,night life and activities.

I like the idea of Lake Tahoe for skiing,scenery,etc.

I am a young 50 yr. old,divorced with grown children and of average income.

Any responses positive/negative would be most welcome.

janis

An awful lot depends on what work you can find. Like most resort areas, Tahoe has very limited, and very seasonal, employment opportunities. The tourist industry generally pays very little - and there is VERY little reasonable accomodations in the Tahoe basin. So unless you have independent income you have a better chance feeding yourself in San Diego. You can always travel up to Big Bear, Mammoth Mtn or Tahoe to ski.

Robert higgins

I forgot to explain that I recieve a pension so work may not be a necessity.

janis

My main point is that it is VERY expensive to live at Tahoe. A basic apartment (if you can even find one) will be expensive. There are some really ratty, semi-inexpensive apt. and motel complexes but they are usually rented out by the ski resorts so their seasonal employees don't have to stay in tents. I'm not kidding - some summer seasonals do have to stay in tents or camp grounds.

There are some really nice areas at both North and South shores - but you would be competing with Casino and Ski resort managers/executives, and old money from the Valley and San Francisco, the rents in those areas are very high. A nice house anywhere at tahoe can rent for $4000 a month (on a weekly basis) to tourists - making it hard for year round residents.

Plus utilities are VERY high - heating during the Tahoe winter can be more than monthly rent in San Diego.

Barbara

Robert, San Diego is perfect. The weather is great all year round. We even have cold (to us!) nights in the winter so we can justify having a fire in the fireplace! At the same time, we're within driving distance of several good ski areas, Mammoth, Tahoe and Big Bear. We have our own local mountains, the Cuyamacas, for hiking and camping and occasionally for playing in snow, but not skiing. We have any kind of outdoor sport you can imagine, plus a Major Legue Baseball team (Padres) and an NFL Football team (Chargers). San Diego is not an inexpensive place to live. Housing, whether buying or renting, is very expensive. I'm assuming (dangerous thing to do) that, as you've narrowed your choices to two places, that you've taken the financial aspects into account.

Suzie

It depends on what you want. These places are very different from each other.

Tahoe has the four seasons because of altitude. Summer and fall are outstanding seasons in Tahoe. Winter and spring have snow. You can find somewhere to live on the west side of Tahoe while still being in the vacinity of ski resorts. If you check Tahoma, Homewood, Tahoe pines and other areas south of Tahoe City and north of Emerald Bay there are year round residents. Between Tahoe City and Incline you may find something suitable without breaking the bank, depending on your resources. Incline, like south shore is more expensive but does have more housing options. South shore is probably the least desirable location for living unless you like the constant motion of tourists through the seasons, which some people do.

San Diego is pretty nice all year round. I grew up in S CA on the coast and we just threw on a sweatshirt if it got chilly. If you like that then you might consider SD. It's pretty expensive to find a nice place in San Diego too.

After growing up in S CA I prefer northern CA by far but that's my own bias and I know there are others who will rave about living in Southern CA.

OliveOyl

We were almost transferred to Tahoe (Incline Village area). I got as far as looking at houses on the web and was shocked at what I was seeing!!! Housing is absolutely incredibly expensive and has gotten much worse in the interim, (5 years) from what I understand. We didn't see anything much under $500,000, and at that, it wasn't anything I'd have lived in.

Can't comment on San Diego other than "what a city!"...still expensive but if you can afford it, live there and visit Tahoe!

topper

Topping this for Robert. You have to look in the 2nd 50 posts sometimes Robert. This had sunk off the first page.

Cheryl

Barbara:

How far/long a drive is it from SanDiego to ski areas such as Big Bear, Mammoth, Tahoe? I live in mid-Atlantic area and am pondering moving to perhaps SanDiego, but the only thing I will miss is being close by to skiing on the weekend, i.e., within 1-2 hour drive.

xxx

For Cheryl: The ski mountains are up in Big Bear and Wrightwood (you might want to check them out on the map). Plan on closer to a 3 hour drive to get up to Big Bear - and add extra time for traffic if you're choosing to leave San Diego on a Friday evening to head up for the weekend.

Before you contemplate the move in terms of the ski opportunities, I'd suggest that you take a hard look at the employment opportunities. More and more layoffs being announced everyday and keep in mind that San Diego has a very high housing cost(not to mention gasoline, milk, etc.) and the pay scale is fairly low. People are willing to forego decent pay in lieu of getting to love in beautiful weather. But with little vacancy and high rents, it means having to bunk up with roommates.

Barbara

Cheryl, The closest ski areas, at Big Bear, Snow Summit, etc, are about a two and a half to three hour drive, depending on traffic and the weather when you get there! Mammoth Mountain is a longer drive (about 6-7hrs), but great skiing. Tahoe is a bit further than Mammoth. There have not been a lot of layoffs in San Diego, and the unemployment rate is still a low 3.5%. However, it does cost a lot to live here and still have some disposable income to go skiing with!

Tony

Not sure what Janis has against Tahoe, but I think your getting some misinformation about living costs. While its true that a few locations like Incline Village (referred to locally as Income Village) are quite expensive (Incline Village is the residence of choice for millionaires looking to claim Nevada residency to avoid paying any state taxes), there are many areas at Lake Tahoe on both the North and South Shores that cost considerably less, probably less than you'll have to pay to buy a home in San Diego. Citing Incline Village as representative of the cost of housing at Lake Tahoe is like saying that La Jolla represents the cost of all housing in San Diego. Generally speaking, as in San Diego, home prices are in proportion to the properties proximity to the water. In fact, there are many very nice homes available in the Lake Tahoe area for between $150,000 and $250,000. For awhile the real estate market in Tahoe was quite hot. However, with the crash of all the Dot Coms, prices are starting to come down and probably will continue to do so into next year. Utility bills aren't that much of a deciding factor. In summer, you don't need air conditioning in Lake Tahoe. In winter, the gas bills do go up but the houses are built for it with extra insulation. That being said, I think the real choice you need to make is the type of climate and geography you prefer. I happen to love both Lake Tahoe and San Diego, but they are as different as night and day. Lake Tahoe is a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains and pine trees. It has all the type of recreational activities you would expect with a mountain resort area, including water sports, great golf courses, ski areas, plus casinos. As Suzie points out, it has all four seasons. Spring, summer and fall are all quite nice. Winter is great if you like or can put up with snow. San Diego on the other hand is an oceanside city. Its quite crowded and getting more so all the time. As a big city, it has a lot of cultural amenities nonexistent in Lake Tahoe. As far as weather, it is almost perfect. You don't have four seasons. You only have one. The temperature range year round is basically 65-85. The sun shines most of the time. In fact, its so nice its almost boring. However, I think my dream retirement would be to spend spring, summer and fall at my place in Lake Tahoe and my winters somewhere in the San Diego area. Good luck to you. Let us know what you decide.

janis

Tony - I have nothing whatever against Tahoe. I love it and spend a lot of time there (My parents live there part of the year). But you have to admit - there is no inexpensive housing in the Tahoe Basin. I did not use Incline as an example. If Robert can buy a $200,000 house - fine, but he will not be able to find afordable rental houseing unless he shares with several friends.

xxx

Barbara, There are layoffs going on in San Diego and the unemployment claims are on the rise. A friend of mine just got laid off at the local newspaper and my brother-in-law is a recruiter in the area and has had 100 resumes sent to him over the weekend from laid off workers. They may not be advertising this in the newspapers, but it's happening in San Diego as well as everywhere else in the nation.

SanDiegan

As a current resident of San Diego with a lot of familiarity with the Lake Tahoe area (we have a summer place there), I think the other poster was right. A nice home in a good area is going to cost a lot more in San Diego than many areas around Lake Tahoe. Also agree that proximity to the water and view is what drives prices in both area. That being said, if you can afford it, your first choice should be San Diego. The weather is great year round and there's lots to do.

Barbara

xxx, I did not say there have not been ANY layoffs, but there has not been a large amount. There are always people being laid off, for a variety of reasons. Over the past several years, people have been laid off from several big San Diego employers, including, but not limited to Qualcomm. None of this has, to date, impacted the local economy in San Diego. House prices here have not begun to drop, but are still going up.
San Diegan, house prices in San Diego are not driven by proximity to the Ocean, although they definitely are more outrageously expensive the closer you get, but are driven by lack of supply and great demand.

Jim

I was out looking at houses and condos in the San Diego area over the weekend and actually encountered some lowered listing prices. Two of the agents said that with recent layoffs in the area (including dotcoms and biotech), prices have actually begun to drop in some of the local markets. That said, prices are still outrageous. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that I'm not the next to be laid off (two of my buddies have just got notice of upcoming layoffs at their companies - one in insurance and another at a investment firm), and that housing prices continue to drop.

pat

Live in Reno, so Tahoe is close. One point not mentioned, a lot of people who move to Tahoe get tired of the winter and snow, and want to move elsewhere. Some people never tire of it but a lot do.

Al

Wish I had your choices.

Suzie

Living in Reno and visiting Tahoe is not a good idea. Reno is nothing like Tahoe. It has snow in the winter and is blazing hot in the summer. Reno has none of the beauty of Tahoe. While north and South shores of Tahoe on the Navada side have casinos the CA side has lots of natural beauty. Reno just has the casinos.