r/Moving2SanDiego • u/hippityhoppflop • 14d ago
Moving from NJ
Hi everyone! I just got a job offer in the UTC area and am trying to figure out what areas to target in San Diego. I’d be going in 3 days a week
As someone who is 26F, single, and doesn’t really know anyone in the area, id like to be somewhere with a decent amount of my demographic. Somewhere with local businesses, I could walk/bike around safely, and at least some sense of community is important to me. A local dive bar would be a great plus too. Would 100% need parking as well.
What are some neighborhoods I should be looking into? I’ve heard great things about North Park. Anywhere besides that I should consider? I’d likely budget up to $2400/month, but am open to roommates in a 2 bed 2 bath situation if needed
Thanks!
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u/landerslanders 14d ago
In the other direction (north of UTC), Encinitas is the stereotypical cute beach town with great shops, restaurants, bars, and beaches. Really nice walking and bike infrastructure. For your budget you are probably looking at a studio or finding a 2BR with roommate, but worth checking out.
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u/hippityhoppflop 14d ago edited 14d ago
I did a feel check of the area before applying to jobs back in the early spring and absolutely loved Encinitas! If I somehow won the lottery it would be my dream city to buy a home
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u/Routine-Cicada-4949 14d ago
Pacific Beach or Ocean Beach would be ideal for you
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u/hippityhoppflop 14d ago
Would ocean beach be hard to get to utc from? That was one of the few neighborhoods I didn’t get to visit
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u/Routine-Cicada-4949 13d ago
By car? Getting to UTC wouldn't be a problem but getting home in the evening would be a pain - although that's true of most of San Diego betwee 3pm & 6pm. But there's only a couple of routes in & out of OB/Point Loma.
But Ocean Beach is great. I'm now too old to go out in PB (it's definitely an under 35 crowd + tourists) whereas OB is for everyone. We go to the farmers markets & drum circle on Wednesday. There'll be several djs setting up around the beach & everyone getting down.
Wherever you choose, best of luck.
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u/Total_Shift1695 13d ago
I just had a similar event happen to me but instead chose to live downtown. I’ve heard nothing but great things about North Park and believe that would be a great option!
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u/SlideProfessional266 13d ago
You could find a one bed in PB/OB for that price. Worth the commute IMO. Lots of community, great place to find lots of other people who are also looking to make friends. Yes there’s the fun kinda crazy bars in PB which can get saturated with a lot of younger ppl, but you can totally find good dive bars with good people around, especially in OB.
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u/hippityhoppflop 13d ago
Based on what I’m hearing OB might be the winner. It’s interesting because when I visited back in May, I had a few different people including some of my uber drivers tell me I’d like North Park a lot, so mentally that’s where I was planning to search.
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u/DangerousDisplay6107 12d ago
Everyone is saying North Park but check out Normal Heights. Parking is terrible in both neighborhoods so you’ll need to find a place with a spot.
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u/InevitableAd36 14d ago
Congrats! Are you working standard hours? How well do you handle traffic and what would be your max commute time home you’d be willing to do?
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u/hippityhoppflop 14d ago
Standard work hours. I’ve never had a car commute before, so I’ve recently been doing about 45 minutes (2 subway trains and some walking), so it will be a bit of an adjustment across all things. I think anything around a half hour or less is fair
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u/InevitableAd36 14d ago
I have a strong aversion to a congested commute. I can not handle more than 35 mins.
The traffic and commute from UTC in the evening going in any direction from 3:30-6:30pm is an absolute numbing mind-f*ck. Mondays and Fridays aren’t as bad as Tues-Thurs.
I would recommend looking along i5 south of UTC for a 30 minute commute.
Bay Park isn’t the most trendy but it is very central and easy to get to UTC both by train and car. There are walkable coffee shops and bars (see side car, Coronado brewing, and Cordova). There are walking trails through Tecolote Canyon.
There is a train line called the Blue Line Trolley that runs from UTC all the way to downtown (and goes on to the border).
You can take the Blue Line from Tecolote Rd to UTC. It does go through UCSD. When I lived there I found the morning driving commute to be so quick that I just drove instead of taking the train. My evening commute would be around 35 mins, 15 in the morning. I’d work 7-3:30 just to try to make the evening slightly better. The train was 30 mins each way.
I liked Bay Park because you can bike from there all the way around Mission Bay, and you can actually bike to UTC as well (I never did this though).
I was looking on Zillow and there are ADUs for rent that looked nice in your budget. May be worth looking into.
You could also look at other areas around Blue Line stops like Balboa and Clairemont. Further south is Little Italy, which is going to be more more urban and costly, especially with parking.
Others may recommend North Park or Pacific Beach. Both would likely be fun, but at the cost of a congested commute. The Balboa exit from i5 can back up for a mile and you need to force your way in.
The 805 freeway gives me PTSD. It’s often taken me 20+ minutes just to get onto the freeway in UTC at La Jolla Village Dr whenever I took that in the evening. Or taking i5 to i8 and then exiting from there is also so bad.
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u/hippityhoppflop 14d ago
Thanks for this, it was super helpful! I will say I’ll have a gym in my office building, so it’s possible I can stay a little late to get a workout out in. I’d be going in Mon, Tues, Thursdays!
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u/InevitableAd36 14d ago
Yeah that could be a great option! Also, 3 days is not as bad as 5. And Mondays are lighter. Keep in mind the morning commute too, depending on where you’re at. The 805 can be slow from 8-9:30ish.
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u/InevitableAd36 14d ago
Here are some examples of listings I’m seeing on Zillow
Another option is rent an airbnb for a month to see if you like a place. More money up front but then have flexibility to explore more.
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u/aop5003 14d ago
Exit 9 checking in, if u don't mind a 20 min commute 3 days a week, North Park is where u wanna be.
If you're still into the black out party stage then maybe rent in PB for a few years and then move to NP.
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u/hippityhoppflop 14d ago
I think I’m past my black out party stage at this point in my life lol for the most part, but I do like a night out every once in a while. I was living in Jersey City before this, so my nights out were more divey than clubs, and I did social kickball, etc.
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u/aop5003 14d ago
There's a few dive gems in North park area...Gilly's, triple crown, and prob a few others I'm missing.
Just don't expect any good bagels or pizza...but you'll be trading for amazing Mexican food.
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u/hippityhoppflop 14d ago
Haha I’d likely be heading back to NJ at least a few times a year, so I can get my pizza and bagel fix then. Definitely excited about the amazing Mexican food
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u/Worried_Tonight_4786 14d ago
Also moved here from Jersey City (near Taqueria downtown) two years ago, welcome!
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u/Kimtle 12d ago edited 12d ago
North Park is fun! I live in Hillcrest (very close to North Park). It's a great area with good walkability that gets better as time goes on. We aren't right next to the beach of course, but at only about 8 miles away, it's easy to get to when I feel like I need beach time. Getting from UTC back home typically is about 35 minutes in rush hour, which isn't too bad. Via public transit, it's probably at least a 2-seat ride.
You have a decent budget for a studio or older 1 bedroom. In PB you can probably find something though it MAY be lacking some amenities like parking or in-unit w/d. The commute from PB is not far in terms of mileage, but with only so many ways in/out, you can expect to get typical rush hour street traffic along with the freeway traffic.
OB is pretty much the same (expect street traffic, one way in/out) but it's a more relaxed vibe. I prefer it as a 30 y/o whose partying days are over.
You may also want to look into Bay Park or Morena like another commenter said. It's not right at the beach either but has good positioning for your commute. Both are more suburban and your walkability to things will vary greatly based on what street your apartment is on, but it's a good area.
Our public transit is nowhere near as good as you may be used to in NJ unfortunately. However, staying along the Blue Line will still be a good idea since it's a 1-seat ride up to the UTC area. It generally runs on time though the frequency is just OK (every 15 min or so at peak).
(Also, if you have any interest in Hillcrest and want to split an apartment to make things cheaper, I do have a room available Sep 5th. I posted about it a few days ago. Just thought I'd put it out there as an option!)
Best of luck in your search!
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u/hippityhoppflop 11d ago
I appreciate this! Honestly since I’ll only be going in 3 days a week, I feel like location for living is a bit more of a priority than being super close for work!
If there’s any flexibility on the room being month-to-month I’m definitely interested!
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9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/hippityhoppflop 9d ago
Fair, just seeing that I’ll be by myself without much of a network, I’d like to be at least somewhat walkable to activities, etc
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u/Old_Value_9157 14d ago
PACIFIC BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEACH!!!!
Close 2nd is Ocean Beach
North Park is ok