These San Diego Areas and Neighborhoods Might NOT Be For You If… 

It sounds like some people missed the point of this video - the point here is to mention the cons of most cities in San Diego. It’s not intended to say any of these cities are bad…just letting people know the pros and cons before moving here. In fact most of our videos are about the pros, so give em a watch 🤘🏼

This guy hit every nail on the head. He was accurate with everyone of those neighborhoods. His take on Oceanside is modest, the amount of work that's going on near the pier is crazy.

San Diego is a lot more expensive than the average USA city. Many newcomers learn that the hard way. I moved to San Diego when I was in my 20s "just to try it". I only lasted a year and moved away because it was too expensive. I noticed most home owners either inherited their home or bought their homes years ago. It did not seem like many working class people owned their house outright (unless they wanted to have constant roommates for the next 17 years). San Diego should be seen with the same lens as Hawaii. It looks pretty, it is a dream location, but unless you are earning way above the average salary, it will only be vacation or a short stop before it is time to move. I miss the beaches, but now I own my own house on a large lot. It is boring where i live, but I will never trade home ownership just for better weather. In fact, I would think that families might start leaving San Diego when they realize they need a bigger home for their growing families and cannot afford the ever increasing rent in sD

This is super helpful for those that don't know San Diego. Even I did not know some of these things as a SD native. 🧡

Vista, I grew up there during the 50s and 60s. Not a happy time. All I remember is the poverty and brutality of a fatherless home. Oceanside at that time was a two bit GI town lined with grungy bars and pawn shops. The work that was done on that town has improved it well.

I have lived in SD my whole life, in the same house 40 years. Our landlord has sold the property, and while this won't help us be unhomed, it provided helpful information and understanding the different areas of town. Thank you!

Nick I like that you are pointing out some of the good school districts

Excellent video! You did a good synopsis of each town to avoid for a specific reason. I have lived in San Diego 45 years and have seen tremendous growth and skyrocketing housing, rent and cost of living here. San Diego is a great place if you are very rich, or you are a highly paid peofessionally, making well over $100k a year. If you are retired with a modest retirement, or making under $100k a year. San Diego will be too expensive to have a good middle class lifestyle. Also, be prepared for high density living and horrible traffic. Over 40 years ago, San Diego was an incredibly beautiful city, not crowded, and a great place to retire. Now, its becoming too expensive and crowded like LA. Yes, you can't beat the weather, but you pay a price for it.

…it’s a wonderful city surrounded by lots of great small towns. Got me a condo back in 1998 at the Meridian that my Great Aunt was done with. Even with my most my Father side of the family living in the Rancho Santa Fe and Golden Hill area, I just could not get into the city’s groove. Gave it a year but eventually moving to Mercer Island near Seattle and renting out the unit which has luckily been occupied by a series of long term renters. My visits have not been too often lately since I’m now retired and lazy in my Grandmother’s old house in Atherton in the Bay Area. Glad to hear San Diego is still thriving for it is one of the finest cities.

I live very close to Poway and I’m really love it! Temperatures are a little bit higher or lower than DT but not so bad. Traffic is not as bad as the south SD. Rents are expensive but all SD rents are not cheap!

I like your show, Nick. San Diego born and raised and am now semi-retired. I love the diversity of the entire county - especially the beaches. Thank you for dissuading people from moving to Vista. I live here and love it for the reasons you send people away from it. I enjoy where rural meets contemporary, having the choice of buying my eggs from the local egg farmer or from one of the countless grocery stores available throughout the area. I came from Ocean Beach (loved it) - except for having to pause phone conversations while the airplanes passed over my living room LOL- to Shadowridge (loved it) - a pretty, well-maintained area, complete with golf course - and am now where the sidewalks are a little more scarce. (and, yes, love it) I am saddened by the deterioration of much of San Diego County, as we see in so many areas everywhere, but I still have hope that so much can be improved. Thank you for your videos.

He's definitely right about Pacific Beach. In general, the closer you are to the ocean, the more expensive it will be. Duh! I live in Poway, and he's right about the heat in the summer. However, the Poway Unified School District is the highest rated in the County. Living in Poway can have a country feel, though, because there are a lot of working farms and orchards here, and many lovely horse trails for horeseback riders and residential lots perfect for horse owners. Rancho Bernardo was originally developed to be a haven for retirees, which is why there is a lot of over-55 housing, but there are also many communities predominantly serving families---really nice suburban-style single family homes. The kids go to Poway Unified School District schools, so that's attractive. And many defense industry companies (and their business providers) are located there, so those employees like to live in or close to their workplaces. Don't dismiss it out of hand. Unfortunately, there's a decent amount of gang activity in Vista and Oceanside, so another reason you might want to avoid those places if you have school-age kids and/or your budget forces you to live in lower income housing. The closer you live to your workplace, the better in terms of traffic, which has become ridiculously congested just over the past five or six years, with morning and evening rush hours lasting longer and longer every year.

It ALL looks like paradise to me!

EL CAJON (THE BOX) - BIG NO NO

Please mention prices of homes, apartment rentals units, condos including HOA fees in the different neighborhoods. Yes, mention areas without HOA's. We hate HOA's. Thank you for the great video. ✌🏼❤💋

Good video! Only have visited San Day Glo as a Tourist! Good times! Swimming 🥽 outdoors in January was a real plus😅!

4:20 Homes built in the 1960s and 1970s may require upgrading depending on one's tastes, but (1) they are solidly built and often have fewer structural and foundational problems than newer homes, and (2) in most cases they weren't built on tiny lots so that you are 15 feet away from your neighbor's bathroom, looking directly into it, and you have very little yard space. La Mesa (and nearby areas) is centrally located with respect to freeway access, parks, shopping, and so forth. The area is also quiet compared to other areas.

This guy is 100% spot on!....

I can't help but laugh at this video. He recommends NOT living in 94% of San Diego. Seriously, 94%.

Vista is a hidden gem, we have a home there and best purchase ever!

What about Del Mar? Home of the world-famous Del Mar Fair? Tierrasanta was nice when I lived there in the 80s and 90s.

What’s the verdict on Logan Heights? My dad grew up there in the 50’s and I haven’t visited that part of SD since 99 when I was a kid.

You just listed some of the so called nicer areas.... When in fact they are truly flawed and dysfunctional! Thanks for putting out the truth 🙏🏽

🤔..good video.. I will subscribe and check out your other videos

This guy is a real estate agent but he says to not move anywhere in San Diego County. Isn’t that counter intuitive? Then he describes all the great things in the various communities yet he tells you to not move there. WTF? I’m a native San Diegan and most of the places he said not to move to are the only places you want to move to in San Diego County…if you can afford it. Basically you don’t want to live anywhere that is south of the I-8 freeway, because that’s all the ghetto areas with a couple of exceptions, like the Mount Helix area, or Mission Hills, or Bankers Hill. Even when considering La Mesa. You don’t want to live in La Mesa south of the 8, but north of the 8 is nice. And in North County almost anywhere south of the 78 is fine, but north of the 78 is more ghetto. Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido are semi-ghetto, but there are some pockets of good areas. And the very far reaches of North County are fine, like Fallbrook, Valley Center, San Pascual, etc., but very far away from the action. If you can afford it, any of these North County areas are great, such as Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, La Costa, Rancho Bernardo, Sabre Springs, etc. The city beach areas such as PB, OB, Point Loma, Mission Beach, etc., are too crowded and pretty expensive. Lots of younger people with lots of open-air bars and a lot of drunken idiots around. The most expensive places which none of us can afford are places like Coronado, La Jolla, Mission Hills, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, etc. Great and safe places, but only for the super rich. So overall, the best places to live that are safer areas and barely affordable, because most anywhere in SD County is barely affordable, are the communities of Clairemont, Bay Park, Allied Gardens, Serra Mesa, Tierrasanta, Mira Mesa, Los Penasquitos, UC, Carmel Mountain, Torrey Highlands, Carmel Valley, Santee, Lakeside, East El Cajon, Jamul, Alpine, Ramona, Rancho San Diego, Poway, Sabre Springs, and maybe a few others. But now the cost of living in San Diego is the highest in the nation.

At 10:33, it's my old high school, Torrey Pines! Shout out to all Falcons! I remember when Carmel Valley was literally only from the ocean to the I-5 on Carmel Valley Rd. The 56 didn't even exist, and there was nothing out there.

You not lying 💯

LOL, I live in South Park in an older area. A house built in the 40s just sold for 1.2 million dollars.

I live in RB. Westwood area is very family and kid oriented

Chula Vista also has the extra fees for schools libraries, etc., which could add another thousand dollars per month to your mortgage

Ì have friends in Vista which is quite a ways inland, yet they have an ocean view up on a hill. Beautiful area. They grow lavender on the property.

Nick, although I wasn't a native I lived in the San Diego area starting before you were born. I lived in many areas and I sadly watched it change from a great place to the hellhole it now is. Both local and state policies/laws have destroyed a once great place. We fled the area and state 3 years ago.

University City is the hidden undervalued gem 💎

Basically avoid all of San Diego County, move elsewhere

PB is adjacent to La Jolla.......it's pretty nice for city living

I love the video, I've learned a lot, I appreciate the knowledge shared😊

A lot of San Diego has 55 and up living, which btw is supplemented for them to afford living there.

This dude should consider comedy -thanks for the laughs!

Nick, you are such a great resource!

Looking for 55+ community in Rancho Bernardo any suggestions?

I susbcribe - Hillcrest here - best place to live now

Very accurate.

I'll say it once, Golden Hill And Grant Hill ARE the place to be. But i didn't say that.

😂 Chula Vista was fine back in 1986 when I moved in then I moved out of Chula Vista in 2019 just before Covid-19 hit so good timing foe ME. Bye 😅

Allied gardens?

If you can afford Carlsbad it is a great place to live!

I love living in La Mesa

You mean people are still actually moving to CA?!

Hahaha, high temperatures 80-90, hello from Houston 100-115.

Why not touch on crime

I live in Rancho Bernardo and seniors are only one fourth of the population NOW. It is a great place to live… very low crime rate.😊

I keep seeing $400k+ houses that look like mobile homes...what is up with that? Why so many mobile home parks?

My daughter and son-in-law live in Shadowridge and their home is lovely.

I got 10k and make a median San Diego salary family of 5 what can I get.

I am new with this city and not super with tough pronunciation of English. your speech is so fast for me to understand , to avoid misinterpretation of your words if it is possible please add the written speech . I mean type your speech as well. to better understand and catch the exact word you say . Thank you

Imperial Beach?

My kid went to school in RB and the schools are excellent. He is misinformed. Not 55 only at all. Great. Town.

Be careful I thought you weren't allowed to "steer" people

Unless you are already rich, avoid San Diego, unless you plan on being homeless and addicted to fentanyl. Trust me, it will happen when Blackstone jacks up your rent or mortgage payment.

Hllo bro

Thanks a lot! I’ve been living in Vista for nearly a decade. Now I’ve given up my rent because of what you said, and I have nowhere to live. Now I’m one of those vagrants downtown that you mentioned. thanks a lot! You suck hard.

Everyone needs to move away from SD weather sucks!

Good info..... But You definitely need to change the title of this video. AVOID......IF...😁

You are wrong bro.

New Title: Avoid living in any area of San Diego

This guy is probably just trying to convince people not to move here so he has a better chance of getting his offer accepted lol.

You need some marketing g training young man !!!

SD NATIVE. Basically if you can't afford to live W of the 163.....and N of the 8 then don't do it. No reason to live in SD if you aren't 10 min from the beach. Period. I call it the horse shoe. Live in Ob, Point Loma, Mission Hills, Bay ho, Clairmont, PB or La Jolla. That's it.

Carlsbad is a horrible place to live. Don’t move here. All of the surrounding areas are better. Sincerely a Carlsbad resident.

Outright strange post. Confusing and weird.

Unhomed.... It's called Moving...been happening since the beginning of time , it's not a new found state of victimhood.

I would rather move to another state

Is this video a joke? Other than downtown you basically told people to avoid places that are plainly gorgeous. It’s getting crowded, and expensive, but gorgeous!

Lordy, what a negative take on the entire metro area. If you're trying to discourage inbound moves, I think you've succeeded. Was there even a script for this video? You bounced all around the county map. Anyone unfamiliar with this area would be dizzy with how you flew around. Some of your other videos make more sense and are easier to follow.

If you want to live longer, go as far as you can from San Diego. Visit and get out of this nonsense city.

Do the opposite video for 55 plus

lol

San Diego. People seem deaf and dumb. The lights are on but no one is home.

You need to give pros and cons. Every area has both 😆 You’re defeating yourself and really of no help to anyone !!!

Don’t move to California. Everything costs so much more here. Electricity has been climbing and going higher. Taxes and insurance are crazy high. Expect gas tax to go up to $2 a gallon in a few years.

This video Definitely makes you want to avoid San Diego overall. 😅 epic fail.

Lol lets avoid California all together 😂😂😂😂

Only go to those neighborhoods if you’re YT and you need your drugs.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Lol... what is left?... this was not helpful...

This is a dud video....Vista has crime....PB is for a party beach vibe...Carlsbad is nice near the beach and full of Karens....Downtown is great if you want to be in the mix...Otay lakes is the jewel of Chula...O'side is mostly military but updating.....sums it up

So negative

Love the older homes, can't stand the new ones or styles. I'm not alone in this. If you have an older home that hasn't been "upgraded" - don't as plenty of people looking for those. And please stop painting everything grey, black or flipper brown - yuck. The only thing that should be painted grey is battleships. Nothing should be painted black, grey or a dark color as it attracts the heat. Only paint light colors to deflect and reflect the heat and save $ on air conditioning. Also, what millenials think is better, is really awful - they don't make things like they used to. Older is way better, plus more affordable. New stuff or "upgraded/flipped" is totally unaffordable and was made worse. There is no style to what they do today and they think less is best. The builder/renovator is just trying to save $. These square boxy houses and apartments are the ugliest yet (reminds ofvthe projects in the 60s, 70s). Again, just saving $ as they are the cheapest, easiest thing to build. No thought or artisan necessary. Ruins the neighborhood too. Then they have the nerve to charge outrageous prices too, couldn't pay me to live there. Give me an old home any day of the week, even a fixer upper, especially if it hasn't been "upgraded".

Long story short: Don't move to dago unless you are ultra-liberal and well off. Seriously well off.

This guy doesn’t know what he’s saying 😂 I live in vista and its not how he described it

A map of "avoid here" should just be a map of the entire USA with a giant arrow pointing at it. Would be a much easier video.

The homeless crisis, staffed with drug addicts and criminal, is ramping up all over N. County Coastal, from Oceanside down to south Solana Beach. Del Mar seems to not be popular with the lunatic population. Rancho Santa Fe is immune, BUT, it I very expensive. In North County, we have beggars at the freeway off ramps....we are fed up with this place....where do we go? If we were to sell our home in Solana Beach, I would pick a gated community with armed guards....viewing "Next Door", crime is scary.......we have another home in the North Fork of Long Island, NY, as we say, NoFoMoFo. Nome homeless, and low crime. There is basically one road in/out of Greenport....not a great place to do crimes as the police will probably catch you....we may wind up there....yes the weather can suck, sometimes...in the summer there are bugs...buy overall, the Good outweighs the Bad. We may pull the plug....

I guess anywhere in San Deigo sucks!

This is hysterical. Nothing was left out.