I am considering applying for a job there but to be honest I am not a sunny, warm weather person. What's the temperature usually like? is it dry heat or high humidity and what is living in California like in general compared to say, NYC?
I've been living in SD for over 15 years now. What you read in this thread is true if you live in the beach areas, but unless you are making a shit load of money new people moving to SD cannot afford to live near the beach areas. You'd think it is nice to live near the beaches expect if you work inland. Just getting to the freeways and back living next to the beach is the biggest fucking pain in the ass. Then you have to deal with freeway traffic and then business park traffic.
SD was fucking awesome up until the real estate boom. Since then this city has become one giant fucking suburb, over populated for the infrastructure and this bullshit Orange county superficial attitude has creeped in.
The weather is nice if you live 5 minutes from the coast, but go inland about 5-10 miles and in the summer it is fucking brutal into the 100's. Areas like Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Escondido, Chula Vista etc... are brutally hot in the summer and no breeze. Living near the coast is nice but you'll spend over 50% of your time living in a marine layer that causes clouds and mist. You can litteraly stand at the beach and look up and see a wall of clouds then perfect blu skys about 1 mile inland.
As for bums, it's bad downtown and at some beaches like OB and PB, but areas near Del Mar, Torrey Pines, Carlsbad and LaJolla are bum free but then again you'd need to make a serious salary to live there unless you rent a crappy 1960's apt.
Nothing is wrong with moving here and spending time, but all of the stigma that SD had from years ago have all but vanished since the housing boom. SD is not a sleepy sufer town anymore. It is packed with a lot of rich wannabees working for the biotech and RF/Wireless industry.
As mentioned the freeway infrastucture was not built for the current population. They have expanded the 15 which is nice but it still get's congested and the 5 is a fucking nightmare in the summer with the fair, horse races and vacationers. they are planning to open that up.
If you want to live near the beach make sure it is in location to where you work. If you work in North County, look at Oceanside. There is a big military population there but a lot of beach front condos have crashed in price and some nice one's can be picked up cheap. But you do not want to live in Oceanside if you have to commute way inland for work. PM me your office location and I can give you some decent ideas of where to live so you don't have a fucking heart attack dealing with the daily commute.
