A long-time residen't view on San Diego & North Co
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3/28/2008
San Diego is a Supermodel....blond, beautiful, somewhat shallow, but overall a pleasant and happy companion. More Golden Retriever than high-bred Borzoi. More playground than metropolis. There are all types of people here, you just have to seek them out.
For the pst 20 years, I have resided in coastal North San Diego County, all the while looking for "something better." As a basis for comparison, I've lived in Los Angeles CA, Reno NV, Honolulu HI, have traveled extensively through Europe, spent time in Texas, Canada, New York, and have driven cross-country in the USA.
Every time I travel elsewhere, upon returning home, I bend down and kiss my front porch in gratitude for being able to live in such a fair city (that's only somewhat of an exaggeration!)
The ocean is 2 miles from my door, the mountains and snow are a couple hours drive from here, as is the excitement of Las Vegas or Los Angeles. San Francisco is an 8 hour drive, when one needs a culture fix. Tourist attractions abound, Sea World, Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, Tijuana, Mexico. We have cultural activities, arts, a singer -songwriter "scene," rock music arena shows as well as horse racing, football, baseball and other sporting events. There's almost too much to do here! One can still buy a family home in a pleasant neighborhood for around $350K and a condo for even less. Property taxes are 1.25% on average...Lower than Portland and Austin.
Endless traffic jams and freeway construction projects? Road Rage?More "pricks per inch" than any other city in the USA?? I have to reluctantly agree with the writer who mentioned those drawbacks. Many area residents are stressed to the max...working 3 jobs to pay off 100% home loans and to-the-hilt credit card lines, paying off boob-jobs, botox, porcelain teeth, Porsches and Escalades along with private schools for the kiddies and alimony to exes. Yes, there is a lot of plastic here.
If a person can live within his means, work within 5 miles of his home, and save a bit of money for quarterly vacations to remind him of how good he really has it, I think the cities from La Jolla north to Oceanside are as close to all-around perfection as it gets. The key to happiness in SoCal is "live where you work" unless you enjoy spending 4 hours of your day sitting in traffic as so many seem to do.
All in all, I've yet to find someplace I'd rather live.
KayGotz | ,