im 21....moving to SD to finish up school. a year at a community college then probably sdsu. im from tennessee so the california life is sort of a new experience altogether. im a laid back guy and im just looking for a good, fun, relaxing time on the west coast. i dont really want to be in the sdsu area as far as living goes because id prefer to not party every night. i was just curious what areas of SD county you guys think might be a good fit. this can be anywhere from carlsbad on down to san diego, basically anywhere in the metro area. id appreciate the opinons. btw....the money thing isnt a huge deal (right now) so dont disqualify and area because of cost.....thanks everyone
2006-09-12 21:17:24 · 12 answers · asked by drake s 2 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ San Diego
I can't believe someone lived in San Dog and "didn't like it."!!!!!!! San Diego is a great place to live and work.
This is the answer I gave to someone else, should work for you:
Live next to the beach and you'll have to pay BIG time. But, if you have the cash it is definitely worth it.
Downtown - especially near the Gaslamp District - is awesome and pricey. If you use the downtown attractions often then living there makes sense. If it's just an every-now-and-then thing then I say live inland and take the trolly (light rail) to downtown. The Trolly is your best friend for a night out. Cheap, reliable, safe and drops you off only two or three blocks away from it all.
Not a lot of cash? Live inland and save yourslef some money. There are some great new communities where you can live ("rent") for $1,200 a month in a brand new place.
Pacific Beach ("PB") would be where I would look first if I were moving back. LOTS of college students, right in the middle of the action, GREAT FOOD (Fred's, thai, In-N-Out...) and shopping. Housing could be seen as reasonable for the area... better prices than downtown, yet still close to it.
They cleaned up Ocean Beach ("OB") from the days of being the meth capital of the world. It's a great beach community and home prices are somewhat reasonable (for the area). Close to downtown, too. This is where you will find all of the old hippies and surfers. Great place to be.
Look around Balboa Park, as well. Pricey, but beautiful! AND close to downtown. Hell, everything is close to downtown; it's not that difficult to get around.
Remember, the beach is always close in San Dog!
2006-09-13 06:23:50 · answer #1 · answered by Trixie D 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think I may be able to help you. I am a native Californian, but I lived in Muscle Shoals, Alabama for a while. I also go to StDSU, atleast that is what we call it due to the reputation it has (Playboy etc)...anyways....the commute to SDSU is a bear, but there is a trolley line that comes right in to the center of campus (underground). I would recommend living in the Mission Valley area because it is not a "party area" like Pacific Beach, or Mission Beach, Downtown, or around SDSU. Mission Valley has lots of trolley stops, so you can easily ride the trolley to school (and avoid the parking fee and traffic). You are also 5 minutes from anywhere, so it is a great location. If you are going to community college, Mesa College is nearby as well. The commute from alot of the above mentioned posts can take over an hour (15-20 miles+) Avoid having to commute on the 5 freeway at all costs! Unlike the south, Calsifornia has massive traffic problems, and they are somewhat unpredictable....good luck!
2006-09-14 17:47:08 · answer #2 · answered by itsme 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Live in La Jolla or Mira Mesa. Rent in La Jolla may be high but you'll need a roommate. These area are near UCSD and SDSU and are very safe. The area near SDSU is not so safe, in my opinion. Carlsbad is a bit of a drive now that traffic is getting worse.
2006-09-12 21:23:40 · answer #3 · answered by RunSueRun 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If I were you I would avoid living at the beach, I mean its amazing but I wouldn't want to live there. And even if money isn't an object right now, as you said you'd still need a roomate, its unbelievably expensive. I was from the east and moved to SD as you are about to. Trust me, be prepared its waaay different. But wonderful and fun at the same time. I think Mira Mesa is a good place, you can get to the beach and downtown in no time! I love Mira Mesa.
2006-09-14 00:54:49 · answer #4 · answered by Muffin 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi! Hope you enjoy SD, it's a great place to live.
I think La Jolla would be best, followed by Del Mar, then Mission Bay. I picked La Jolla because though it's expensive, as another person has said, you can find a roommate to help defray the cost without too much difficulty since UCSD is nearby. Another benefit of having UCSD nearby is that you have access to a fantastic library in case you need one while you're attending school (you can purchase a library card from UCSD even if you're not a student - this might come in helpful).
La Jolla is also very pretty, and near to the beach. The coves are a great place to hang out or do water sports like kayaking, etc. There's a lot of top-notch restaurants and shops in La Jolla where you can meet people or window shop, just to get out if you need to take a break from studying. The comedy club is also in La Jolla if you need a laugh.
Del Mar's also great, but quieter than La Jolla. It's also right by the ocean (Torrey Pines area) and has some options as far as great restaurants and cute shops for window shopping, but in general Del Mar closes down earlier than La Jolla and the night life isn't as thriving in my opinion. It's pretty quiet, but beautiful, mostly rich people can afford to live there. It's a close drive up the coast to Encinitas from there, where I used to live. Encinitas is also clean, well-maintained, and family friendly, close to the beach and pretty laid-back. There's an artsy feel to the downtown Encinitas area, but everything in Encinitas closes down pretty early. Also the closest top-notch library is maybe half an hour away at La Jolla. Encinitas is a good place to raise a family, but might be a little too sleepy even for a studious 21-year old.
So my last pick was Mission Bay. Mission Bay's also close to the water, if you like water sports or walking on the beach, and there are also a lot of great restaurants nearby. Very laid back. Friends live in Mission Bay, but I never have, so I don't have much to say about the amenities as far as library resources are concerned.
As far as San Diego east is concerned, I think that's better suited for families. To me, Mira Mesa is near Miramar College, but it's kind of ghetto (sorry to anyone who lives in Mira Mesa, just my opinion) and aside from the theater, there's not that much to do around here if you do want to get out. People here don't walk around the neighborhood as much as they do in the other parts of San Diego that I've lived in, and I've found myself going to La Jolla for interesting things to do when I need a break. Poway and Santee are not ghetto but definitely more family-oriented; you'll probably find less college-age people roaming the streets there. Ramona is TOTAL country! Even for a laid-back person, it might be too quiet there for you. It's gorgeous, with mountain views, but the town is verrrrrry small and a lot of people there still have horses, I kid you not.
For central SD, there's Clairemont, which is kinda crowded in my opinion, and PB and OB, which have a nice laid-back atmosphere during the day but get a little sketchy at night. There are a bunch more neighborhoods in central SD that offer different combinations of price and attractions, but I think that none are as nice or as accommodating as La Jolla.
Good luck making your decision! I hope you enjoy it here.
2006-09-13 05:54:10 · answer #5 · answered by LB 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bankers Hill.....Golden Hills/North Park..... City Heights.....Normal Heights All have the most culture in San Diego (in my opinion)
2016-03-26 22:59:39 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The areas following the Coast, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Lecudia, Encinitas, Del Mar, La Jolla, beautiful. They all have great towns, shops, eateries, galleries, wish I could join ya.
2006-09-13 02:16:19 · answer #7 · answered by GreatNeck 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It might very well depend on the juco you attend. If you go to Grossmont, you can live in the Allied Gardens (not quite SDSU) area and not have to move when you go to State. You can go to Mesa and live in p.b. or North Park and do the same. If you go to Palomar, you may have to move when you go to SDSU but you can live in Mira Mesa and go to both.
2006-09-13 06:33:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
escondido is a laid back sort of place, it's usually quiet here and nothing ever huge happens, it's next to the freeway, but ther's not alot of noise or cars honking. Palomar college would be a good comunity colege to go to, but it's 45 minutes away. We also have new homes now selling up here.....anyway good luck fiding a place!
2006-09-13 06:04:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
North County isn't too bad, but oh man is it high! Both ways money and drugs. Rancho Bernardo is pretty nice as well as Poway. But again, watch out for the "tweekers" it seems like they're situated in most neighborhoods.
2006-09-14 05:25:48 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋