Need to move to SD, but scared (San Diego, Escondido: sales, rentals)

[Deserter]

Originally Posted by socketz

The delivery of the statement was a bit harsh and came across as painting the entire South bay as ghetto filled with illegals.

While we all agree illegals are a problem here in Socal with regards to support from our social/economic infrastructure, nobody seems to have any issues with hiring them to move, clear brush, trim trees, garden, etc. You can't have your cake and eat it. If you want to hire a licensed/bonded contractor to cut your lawn, you are going to pay alot more than $40 a month. Then folks will whine about having to pay so much.

The whole play on illegals from Mexico as a potential link to terrorism is a Red Herring. While we do need to look into how to track people moving between out border to the South (I'm for guest worker programs and earning citizenship), I think Mexicans are getting thrown under the bus as some sort of example of how we can crack down on terrorism if needed.

But we are ignoring the reason behind why people come here from Mexico, to work.

This is an example of how nuts/extreme we can get when we're scared. We have radical/idealistic Islamic people targeting us as the next stop on their genocide tour, but we now want to treat all foriegners as terrorists.

It's just not American.

Ok, I'm done with politics though.....this is a relo board.

I wish I'd said that. I was getting a little creeped out by how Anti-Mexican so many people on the LA board and even on the Oregon board are. After all, Spanish was CA's first European language and CA was part of New Spain before it was part of the US. Hmmm...maybe I should move to San Diego.

[Kaligirl]

Hi there,
Since you are familiar with California we don't need to tell you about all the congestion etc.......but what I can say is that when we moved down here from the IE 15 yrs ago I did what you did and based my decision on each cities stats. However a lesson I learned was that even though Carlsbad had a wonderful reputation, I could only afford a place in the not-the-best-part-of-town area there. My truck was broken into etc. Then when I decided to move to Vista, many people told me not to move there because of crime stats etc. However, I could afford a much nicer place in the best area there and have been happy here ever since.

So really if you can, compare what you can get in each area. The DelMar Solana beach area will be very expensive. IF you can go inland a bit and deal with a bit of a commute you may find a very nice area, in another surrounding city.

Good luck with your relocation!! And welcome to San Diego County. It is beautiful here and we've got the best weather!

[victor555]

Originally Posted by ashlyc

I am trying to get out of San Diego, or should I say Mexico. The further south you go, the more it has become Mexico. It smells, there are tons of illegals and there is trash all over the street. The best advice I could give you is to have your wife relocate somewhere else.

This comment might be a little misleading, the fact is that Eastlake
has being voted for 9 year's in a row as San Diego best community.
That's pretty good for an area that's about as close as you can get to the
Mexican border.
Imagine that the best community in America's finest city.

[catonj]

Sorry for bringing back a old post but here I am. I have to speak up in favor of Vista. My husband and I bought a home in Vista in '99 and have been extremly happy here ever since. The only reason we are moving in my husbands job, otherwise we would add on to our home and stay here. Of course there is crime here but there is crime everywhere. We have actually accidently left our home with the front door wide open for a 3 or 4 hours and nothing happened while we were gone. We have also left the windows open in our truck and nothing happened then either. There has been one crime on our street in the 7 years we have lived here. The nieghborhood is full of great people that we will miss once we leave. And Vista has been named #8 on the "List of 50 Fabulous Places to Live" book.

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

Except for very specific areas, much of North County is as safe and peaceful as anywhere. Crime rarely finds people who are careful and stay out of obvious marginal areas.

[gvch]

Originally Posted by Sampaguita

I'm also surprised by all the reports of San Diego being a city where you will get mugged or have your car broken into. I've actually lived in City Heights (not exactly what I would call paradise) and in 2 yrs there, NEVER had anything stolen or broken into or vandalized. In fact, DH once left his Bronco unlocked with windows rolled down over a weekend. We discovered his big oops Monday afternoon when we got home.

Certainly, there is crime all over San Diego but it's not rampant like some folks have been led to believe. I don't think it's any different than other cities of comparable size. It's not as if San Diego is one big inner city with an inordinate amount of theft or assaults.

Yes - San Diego is expensive. As my husband says, Location, Location, Location - San Diego is ideally located with ideal weather...and we pay through the nose for it. We love it here but just can't afford to live here anymore.

Oh - for what it's worth - we have never had a mice or roach problem. Ants can become an issue when it rains but ant traps do a good job.

Yeah, I live in City Heights too and have never had a problem with crime.

[jsamuels7]

Ants, roaches and mice? I don't think you will have a problem like that unless that is how you live.

As for being mugged, I don't see that either. No one I know (including myself) was ever mugged or hurt anywhere in San Diego.

Some of it sounds a little extreme to me and I live in the ghetto growing up. As I got older, I lived in nicer places. Regardless of where I lived, I wasn't ever hurt and I didn't live with mice, roaches, or ants.

I didn't have my car broken into, but I did live in an area near a college and a lot of older people and cars did get broken into frequently. I always attributed it to the area...I figured whoever was doing it figured they could get more from the cars since it was a better area than some.

It is so surprising to hear these things. I lived in San Diego all of my life and then made a stupid move to Philadelphia. The things you mention in your post remind me of Philly, not San Diego, even if you look at the not so good areas or the ghetto, as I call it.

Originally Posted by EquityTrader

I really appreciate any info anyone can give me here.....

I have been all over Cali but never to SD. My wife and I have to move to San Diego area for a job related move (my wife's) and we want to rent an apartment.

She will be working mainly in the Solana Beach/Del Mar area. I have been online looking at Craigslist, forrent.com and alike. All I can find everyone saying about living anywhere in SD county, whether north or south is that "you will get mugged, you will have your car keyed or broken into, and your house/apt will be burglarized" and "it's not a matter of if it will happen but when"

Is it really that bad. According to all the reviews of apartment complexes I see online everyone posts that they had their cars vandalized or stolen, and that all apartments are filled with ants, roaches, and mice.

I am lost and don't know what to do. Is there an area that is "safer" than others, or areas to avoid?

Is it better to rent in North County? or is it "ok" to rent close to PB, La Jolla, UTC area and be able to walk to stores/shopping/cafes???

Is is just me or is all of San Diego just crime infested?

I have a friend that lives out near Poway and she loves it. Just seems that Poway is too far from everything and I also read online that "the center of Poway has just as much crime as the worst areas of SD county"


Any info is greatly appreciated here as I am stumped as to where to get the correct info....

Can anyone guide me in the right direction????

BIG THANKS!!

[TheDeep]

Originally Posted by EquityTrader

I really appreciate any info anyone can give me here.....

I have been all over Cali but never to SD. My wife and I have to move to San Diego area for a job related move (my wife's) and we want to rent an apartment.

BIG THANKS!!

Dude, you're in NYC. Compared to NYC, Poway should be a walk in the park. I have a few friends who live in Manhattan and every one of them had their apartment broken into. I've had my car broken into, twice. Once at 9pm downtown, once in broad daylight around Columbia Univ. I've had my car broken into and totally vandalized in one of the better areas of Philly.

[la jolla xo]

i live in a rich area of san dieo in la jolla and we have had our car broken into, our mail stolen, and multiple attempted break ins. nothing like that when we lived in university city.

[TheDeep]

Originally Posted by la jolla xo

i live in a rich area of san dieo in la jolla and we have had our car broken into, our mail stolen, and multiple attempted break ins. nothing like that when we lived in university city.

maybe that's because you live in an area where there's lots of transient population....tourists, other out-of-towners, drunk college kids upto no good after clubbing etc? If you lived in Poway or some other area that's away from the 'limelight' it may be a different situation.