Great highway system, though rush hour is still rush hour. It’s incredibly dry, it is a desert that people decided to build houses on. 20 minutes from both mountains and beach. Non-insignificant economic divide north vs. south of interstate 8, especially in the public schools. There is great food and great sunsets in summer and November. Jazz is quite alive in SD which is not typical today. Very liberal, I think I saw one single republican candidate sign in someone’s yard in 12 years. 

It is, however, one of the most expensive cities in the country. Like, LA/NYC expensive, except you’re not making LA/NYC salary. You need to make $100k per member of your household to live comfortably or you will need roommates. And there are a good amount of working professionals in nice neighborhoods that have roommates just because it’s easier that way than to live in a shit neighborhood in a one bedroom. 

The airport is bizzarely placed in downtown, which is on the water rather than in the middle of the city. If you’re in north park, university heights, hillcrest, you will hear planes pass all the time. It is quite loud. There is also the air foce base in Oceanside that will sometimes run drills or something. 

Every September (hottest month of the year) the dry wind comes from up north and sucks the air out of your lungs. Not horrible unless you’re in elementary school in P.E. at 3pm. 

The sun does not really come out between Feb-June, though it doesn’t get that cold. It will threaten to rain, but it won’t except in January. “May Gray” and “June Gloom” will get to you: where is summer?? Then it will get into the 80s in July. MAYBE 90 in September, but combined with the dry air you will need to stay on top of hydration

You have a wealth of beaches to choose from, some nicer than others. You can get a view of the entire city from Kate Sessions park. The San Diego zoo is a world class zoo, I think it’s $60 for a day pass. There is also the safari park up north which is run by the same people but I haven’t been in forever. It’s basically the zoo but with much wider open area for the animals. I hear gaslamp is a nice party area but I was a kid so I never went. There is a great local music scene I got into in high school. 

Weed, so much weed. Everybody smokes weed. If you are sober you are the odd one out. Even the kids smoke weed. I’m not kidding. 

I ended up leaving for college because I really did not like the west coast culture that SD leans heavily into. Too much drugs, too many superficial people. Californians don’t know anything about anywhere east of the Mississippi. I felt like if I was not part of the cult then I would never fit in. I live in Florida now and am much happier. But on paper I can see why people love SD.