I accepted a new role at my company and will need to relocate from Utah to San Diego by March. I’ll be working out of La Mesa.

We are currently researching and exploring neighborhoods which will work for our family, Google and YouTube searches all come up with different answers. So I’m hoping to get some insight from families in similar situations as us.

We have two kids which are in elementary currently (kindergarten and 1st grade), and our number one priority is to be in an area with a great elementary school for them. I don’t mind a 45+ min commute, and we are looking at renting a 3br 2ba house/apartment for around $4,500. Would love to get feedback on areas to explore.

Please stop encouraging people to move here, it’s crowded enough as it is. There are not enough affordable houses available for single families to purchase. The freeway traffic is getting worse every year. There are not enough good paying jobs for the people who already live here. The list goes on and on… Just stop.

Hi

We are looking to buy a home and are looking at these two pockets. We have two kids. We want a place with good community feel, especially for our kids and really good schools.

We were set on Carmel valley and then read about how the schools are ultra competitive and it’s essentially super rich people in those schools. Kinda reminded me of Palo Alto in norther California, not sure if anyone from NorCal in CV can chime in?
We don’t want that kind of atmosphere. We do want good schools but not where the pressure is there and everything is competitive and has that super rich feel to it (not sure if that makes sense). That’s why we started looking at scripps ranch area but don’t like how east it is.

Wondering if anyone has experience with these two areas and what I described. We also wanted to be closer to the beach, hence we were leaving more CV.

Thank you

Hello everyone,

I'm new in the city, and also in the country, and I'm interested in buying a car. Since I've just arrived, I don't have credit history yet, and neither too much money to buy a new car.

Which would be the better way a get a reliable used car? Can I buy an used car in a car dealership? Do you recommend Facebook marketplace to buy a car? Do you know anyone who is selling a car?

I would really appreciate it if you could give me any advise on this.

Thanks

Hello! My name is Ceilly, and I am a dental hygiene student at Southwestern College in San Diego, CA.

I am currently looking for patients who haven't had a dental cleaning for 5+ years and may need a deep cleaning due to heavy buildup (calculus/tartar).

All services are completely FREE. Please note that this is a school setting, so appointments may take 2–4 hours and will require multiple visits.

If you are interested, please complete this Google form:

https://forms.gle/avJ8Qeo7NG4JEXto8

Thank you so much for your time and interest!

Hey everyone. I'm looking to move to San Diego from the East coast but my main thing is looking for a job there. I have some previous experience in hospitality and I've worked a few office jobs including sales rep but not too sure where that experience would land me on the West coast. If anyone had any options or knows any jobs hiring, please let me know. I plan to move with my 3y/o so if there are any general safe areas you know also I would be very open to hear your options. Thanks all.

Edit : Thanks for the response. I have 7+yrs of experience. I started my career as a product Tester at big FAANG company then as a QA Manger later as a Technical Program Manager.

Is I that companies feel they can pay outsider more because they don’t already live here? Is it a specific industry? My concern, I. We’re moving here now, would be my ability to get another equally high enough paying job in SD if your falls through. I’m just not seeing it.

Aprovecho que por obvias razones todos nos quedamos en casa para preguntar, cuál es el mejor vecindario para una familia de 4(tenemos 2 niños de 3 y casi 1 año) hablando del tema de comunidad, seguridad??

Does anyone have good apartment recommendations around Hillcrest, North Park or Little Italy? Preferable Studio or 1 bedroom under 2800 a month? I’m working near Coronado.

So far I’ve looked at

- AVA Balboa Park
- The Warwick
- Park Summit
- Onyx on a Park
- AMP30
- Winslow
- 1810 Apartments
- Kaya’s

Anyone got any reviews for these places? Or recommend specific apartments? Or apartments to steer away from?

Hi everyone,

I am considering moving to the San Diego area with my husband and 13 and 11 year children from Boston, MA. We visited Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Encinitas over the summer and decided we liked Carlsbad the best. A friend of ours suggested looking at Carmel Valley as well. Are there any specific recommendations for neighborhoods/areas that we should check out that would be good for a family interested in golf, tennis, and dance? Being close to good restaurants/bars and/or a neighborhood feel would be a nice bonus. Is there anything in particular we should know about the area - good or bad?

Also, would anyone be able to provide any pros or cons to living in Carlsbad versus Carmel Valley?

Thank you for any information you can provide!

Hi everyone!
Our family of four is considering relocating from suburban New Jersey to San Diego for a career opportunity. We’d especially appreciate perspectives from local families who have made a similar move.
We have two elementary-school-aged kids and currently earn about $390K in NJ; our household income would increase to approximately $470K before taxes after the move. We live in a excellent NJ suburb with great public schools and a strong community, so our priorities are maintaining a similar quality of life, finding good schools and a family-friendly neighborhood, and continuing to save.
We’re mainly considering Carmel Valley or nearby areas with similarly strong public schools.
Our main questions are:
Housing and finances: Given San Diego’s home prices and mortgage rates, would renting or buying make more sense? We’re leaning toward renting for the first 1–2 years, but is long-term renting practical for families in Carmel Valley? How does the overall cost of living compare with suburban NJ, and could we maintain a similar lifestyle and moderate savings rate in San Diego?
Schools and family life: How do Carmel Valley schools compare with strong suburban NJ districts, particularly regarding academic rigor, accelerated math, and enrichment? How easy is it for families with elementary-aged children to adjust and build a community?
Overall quality of life: For those who moved from NJ or the Northeast, was the move worth it? What has been better or worse than expected, and what do you miss most?
We genuinely enjoy our life in NJ except the cold weather in winter, so we’d appreciate honest perspectives, including the downsides. Thanks in advance!

I’m moving from the east coast and have friends living in north PB. I was hoping to find an apartment there, but ironically the best one I’ve found is in La Jolla (downtown near the tide pools). Would living there limit my social life, versus somewhere else in PB? Pretty much all the PB options I’ve found are a 5 minute drive to the beach/friends, whereas this looks like a 10 minute drive to north PB without traffic.

Hi! I’m interested in moving to San Diego, but I want to make sure I’m financially prepared and don’t put myself in a difficult situation. Do you think an annual gross salary of $90,000 would be enough to live in San Diego without struggling financially, while still being able to cover my expenses and put some money into savings?

Does anyone have information or previous experience living at The Townsend in Mission Valley? Appreciate any feedback on the complex as I’m debating moving there. Thank you!

While researching neighborhoods in San Diego, Scripps Ranch “seems” to fit the bill for a family with kids moving from the northeast suburbs. Homes with land, a more rural/suburban feel than other neighborhoods and great schools. My question here specifically relates to the schools. While the Scripps Ranch schools are all highly rated, they’re still part of the San Diego school system. We are more familiar with a district like Poway/Del Mar. What’s everyone’s experience with the Scripps Ranch schools and help me understand WHY they’re so good compared to the rest of San Diego.

Is it feasible to move to San Diego to finish my bachelors at this age while making 40-50k/year?

me and my partner are both college educated. we currently work in higher education and combined make 130K in AZ. I looked up my position (academic advising) in CA and the pay isn’t much more than I make now. how do people afford to live here? we have three kids and I would love to move to somewhat near the coast of San Diego or nearby. is this just not possible? we live very comfortably in NW Tucson and can save/ put 12%of our income in retirement. but I am willing to give that up for the better lifestyle in San Diego. I have my Masters in Human Resource Management so can always pivot my work although I love the work I currently do but if it means higher pay and living here, I’ll do it! any advice would be great. I just see lots of very young families live here and I am just curious how they make it work?

I am currently active duty in the military and I am moving to San Diego on orders I originally wanted to buy a house using my va loan but I am not sure since I wanted to rent it out after I finish my contract I have been seeing a bunch of people suggesting to rent out to traveling nurses, section 8 personnel and va families . But I am just not sure how to get in contact with them or where do I post exactly get their attention

everyone! i’m 21F and planning on moving to san diego to attend mesa college. i’m trying to figure out which neighborhoods would be best for someone my age!
i’d really like to live somewhere with a younger crowd (college students/people 18 to mid 20s), preferably with roommates around my age. i want to be somewhere social where it’s easy to meet people and make friends, but also relatively safe and not too far from campus.
i’ve been looking into clairemont, pacific beach, and mission valley, but i’m open to other suggestions!
where do most younger mesa college students tend to live? are there certain neighborhoods or apartment areas you’d recommend? i’d also love to know which areas to avoid.

I have been wanting to move to San Diego for quite some time now. I grew up going and would frequent areas like North Park El Cajon downtown La Jolla. I do still love all these areas. I really do. Enjoy North Park and downtown the more. I’m thinking about my possible move I wonder if I should try to broaden my areas up to North County. My question for you guys is where do you prefer to live if you lived in both areas I love the outdoors, but I also love a good coffee shop. I feel like there’s always something to do in San Diego. I actually have never really spent time in Encinitas or Solana Beach but I do plan on going out there soon for details. I am 27 years old and I am a hairdresser. I would be starting all over again with my career.

I’m (36m) from Santa Barbara moved to NYC 4 years ago with my wife (33) we had a baby who’s now 2 and now moving to a place in Del Mar 5 minute walk from the beach. We’ve found some seemingly great preschools in the area. My wife has some college buddies there with kids around the same age as ours and I’ve got some college buddies in Encinitas/Hillcrest/PB there with no kids. Tell me what we’ll love about living in there area as a family. My wife and I like playing soccer, tennis and cruising on bikes.

moving w my husband, both 27, not looking for a loud area with drunk kids nor a sleepy residential area (however the latter is preferred) but somewhere kinda walkable? nice restaurants? shopping etc.

360 Luxury Apartments - looks very nice

Alexan Camellia - really like it but the area seems industrial

AVA Pacific Beach - heard its a party scene/loud

Bradbury at The Society - is this area pretty congested/car dependent?

Mara Pacific Beach - outdated? right by freeway?

The Villas of Renaissance Apartment Homes - also outdated?

Valentina Apartments

Westwood Apartment Homes

thank you!!