Moving to SoCal (Oceanside to San Diego?)

[ESC POD]

My wife and I are moving to SoCal next year and I wanted to get some info from those that live and work down there. I dig the Lifestyle, Car Scene, Food, Cultural aspect of it...I'm originally from Phoenix and spent a lot of time in the San Diego area...However, I'm not all that familiar with the cities/neighborhoods?? My wife will be transferring down with her job, but I will need to source a good paying job after we get there. I am a Certified Structural Journeyman Welder/Fitter (Cert Positions Unlimited/Thickness Unlimited) and was looking to use the wonder of the Web to Network. So...Are there any cities to stay completely away from? Suggestions for Work? Opportunities for Work?

I appreciate the help!! We are looking to downsize even more once we get there...I've sold all of my Cars, Projects, Motorcycles, and Parts...Working on selling the house now...then simply want to move into a Studio or 1 bdrm apt with my wife and little dog. We'd like to try something different, in a new city...Then 10 years later it's off to Hawaii!! Seriously...I've got it all planned out...just need to work on the details!

Thanks Again!!

[Gen]

Originally Posted by ESC POD

My wife and I are moving to SoCal next year and I wanted to get some info from those that live and work down there. I dig the Lifestyle, Car Scene, Food, Cultural aspect of it...I'm originally from Phoenix and spent a lot of time in the San Diego area...However, I'm not all that familiar with the cities/neighborhoods?? My wife will be transferring down with her job, but I will need to source a good paying job after we get there. I am a Certified Structural Journeyman Welder/Fitter (Cert Positions Unlimited/Thickness Unlimited) and was looking to use the wonder of the Web to Network. So...Are there any cities to stay completely away from? Suggestions for Work? Opportunities for Work?

I appreciate the help!! We are looking to downsize even more once we get there...I've sold all of my Cars, Projects, Motorcycles, and Parts...Working on selling the house now...then simply want to move into a Studio or 1 bdrm apt with my wife and little dog. We'd like to try something different, in a new city...Then 10 years later it's off to Hawaii!! Seriously...I've got it all planned out...just need to work on the details!

Thanks Again!!

Well, you pretty much have two options in Oceanside--slums straight out of the show "Gang Land" or really crazy expensive. What's your budget looking like? How close to the beach do you want to be? In general, plan ~$1200+ / month for an apartment where you don't have to worry about your car being broken into on a weekly basis.

I don't know much about welding...so I can't really give you much help with that.

[whataboutbob]

What city is your wife going to be working in?

For sure you'll want to consider the cost of living, but the commute down here can be a b***h if you are going the wrong way at the wrong time. Also, gas is pretty expensive at this point, so a shorter commute for the both of you would probably save you some money.

I've lived in SD County since '75. So I should be able to give you some suggestions if you can give some additional info.

[Spartan65]

I used to live in Vista, CA and drove the 78 into Oceanside, Escondido was alot cheaper also.

[JACK 8URT0N]

Inland is cheaper. The closer you get to the beach, the more you will pay for less square footage.

[ahausheer]

Oceanside can be kinda ghetto. Either look just outside of San Diego or San Clemente, if you like the beach scene check our San Clemente. Also, I would recommend purchasing a condo as opposed to renting. If you have a decent down payment say 10-15% the mortgage will be cheaper than rent and it is very unlikely that the market will go much lower if any.

[whataboutbob]

BTW, San Marcos is a very nice place to live.

Lots of dining options, parks, and about 20min from the beach in Carlsbad.

[ttknf]

Enough has been said about Oceanside. Try the Carlsbad area if you want to stay in North County. However, you might actually have some luck in the city of San Diego (or around it) depending on what you're looking for. I just moved down to SD from LA earlier this year, and I went through exactly the same thing you're going through so I have a good idea of rental pricing relative to what you get for apartments or condos by area.

[Gen]

Originally Posted by whataboutbob

BTW, San Marcos is a very nice place to live.

Lots of dining options, parks, and about 20min from the beach in Carlsbad.

I'll second that.

[whataboutbob]

Originally Posted by ttknf

Enough has been said about Oceanside. Try the Carlsbad area if you want to stay in North County. However, you might actually have some luck in the city of San Diego (or around it) depending on what you're looking for. I just moved down to SD from LA earlier this year, and I went through exactly the same thing you're going through so I have a good idea of rental pricing relative to what you get for apartments or condos by area.

If you want to live closer to SD proper and the beach, Point Loma and Ocean Beach are good options.

[ttknf]

Originally Posted by whataboutbob

If you want to live closer to SD proper and the beach, Point Loma and Ocean Beach are good options.

Very true. OB is a little dodgy though; a few of my coworkers live there and it's not a place that I'd want to live.

[shrike92]

If you're a welder, Solar Turbines is always looking for qualified, competent people. Send me a PM and I can send you more info. We run a 24/7 shop and we're CA's third largest exporter of goods worldwide. Lots of overtime (if you want it) and I think the union is optional.

www.solarturbines.com

check it out!

[Calidrifter]

Ocean Beach (OB) isn't that bad. If you value sleep stay away from Pacific Beach (PB). Point Loma is a great location.

[shrike92]

I think it's going to depend on where you and your wife are working. If you can avoid it, I would not want to cross North-South freeways (eg: start in carlsbad, take 5 south to 56 and then to the 15 north/south). Try to stay on a single one, and stay on a single side of San Diego. If you live south of the 8 it's not as big of a deal but up north the 5 and the 15 are worlds apart.

If you want a good idea of what it looks like, just search San Diego in google maps at 7am or so, and then again at 4pm or so. Turn on traffic and you can see which parts really suck. Those red/black areas are ALWAYS bad.

I guess I'll add my opinions:
Carlsbad: Good area, little pricey though. The beaches are not as good as Encinitas but you'll have everything you need up there.
Oceanside: Carlsbad's cousin who's down on his luck.
Encinitas: Surfers and suburbs. Good area and pretty good schools. Close to the beach.
Del Mar: Rich pricks, expensive but has really good schools.
La Jolla: Two parts. One part is wealthy people who would never settle for del mar. The other part is filled with students.
Pacific beach: lots of partying. If you go towards bird rock/mission beach it gets a lot nicer.
Tierrasanta: Central location, quiet and not too expensive. Very limited shopping though.
La Mesa: cheaper version of Tierrasanta, same as the carlsbad/oceanside thing.
San Marcos: Recently gentrified, lots of new stuff there.
Rancho Bernardo: Old white people, but also some industrial areas too.
Scripps Ranch: another suburb, nice area but also expensive.
Rancho Penasquitos: more suburbs! Mount Carmel is one of the best schools in san diego though (or at least it used to be).
North Park: Like PB but with much better bars/pubs.

Now that I think about it, everywhere in San Diego is expensive

I would avoid anything south of the 94 or east of the 125. If you want to get a general idea of what's available I would recommend PadMapper. It scrapes craigslist and compiles the info onto google maps: https://www.padmapper.com/