The Pros and Cons of San Diego from a Navy Family
Ahh, warm and sunny, San Diego. Or as the Anchorman would put it, "...a whale's..." -well, you know.
To be honest, I think he hit the nail on the head with that line. But to each their own.
Lots of people loved being stationed in San Diego. Even more, loved visiting. It's still a top tourist destination in America.
I remember when my husband was out in San Diego for a few months, for some training about 10 years ago, it made a big impression on him. He wouldn't stop raving about how amazing it was. How it was "the promised land" and he couldn't wait to be stationed there.
Not sure what promises were supposed to be kept, but I couldn't find them.
As you can probably tell from my already very sarcastic approach to this piece, this wasn't exactly my favorite place to live. For some, it has been so amazing, that they are still there. For me, well... let's just get into it.
San Diego was the last place we were stationed at before moving here to the Great Lakes area. It left quite the impression on me- or maybe I should say scars.
But I promise to try and play fair and list all the positives I can think of- no matter how short the list may be. And on the flip side, I will try to limit the cons if not this post may end up being a book.
Pros
There are some perks to being stationed in San Diego. For the most part, the weather is pretty nice and predictable. It was usually in the 70s and sunny or partly sunny. It hardly ever rained, and when it did rain people on the road would lose their minds.
(Think of a brief snowstorm in the southern part of the country.)
The probability of it happening is small, but still there. And so when the weather somewhat changed, they lost any ounce of sanity they had left. The perfect climate that they love to shove in people's faces goes out the door, just like their driving abilities.
Another perk would be the parks. San Diego did have some awesome public parks for kids. Sometimes with great views. That coupled with the weather was definitely a positive for me and my oldest son when we lived out there.
Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo were always fun places for us to go on family adventures. Or just to go for a stroll. The zoo was huge. You could easily spend all day there. Getting a membership was definitely worth it.
Balboa Park had many beautiful gardens and museums to check out. Some of them were free, and the others just had a small admission fee.
When it comes to theme parks, Legoland, SeaWorld, and SeaWorld Aquatica were all within San Diego County and very easy to get to from the highways.
I'll put the beaches here under pros because I'm a beach lover and San Diego sits on the Pacific Ocean. However, this also falls under cons because there are some negatives I wanted to point out.
But when it comes to the positives, you do have multiple points of access to the beaches in the area. The sand is pretty in its own way because it has a gold shimmer to it that cameras don't do justice for.
I googled that the gold shimmer is from mica (AKA fool's gold) which is easily found out there. Hence another nickname for the area- "the gold coast".
Cons
For cons, I will first continue with the beaches. As beautiful as they were, they had some significant downfalls.
Unless you had access to Breaker's Beach at the North Island Naval Base on Coronado, parking was always a mess. Especially on weekends or holidays.
Mission Beach, La Jolla, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Imperial Beach... you name it. Every public beach was always completely crowded and it was almost impossible to find decent parking. And that's saying something coming from a girl from Miami.
If you could find parking and get to the beach, don't bother going into the water past your feet unless you have a rash guard on. It doesn't matter the time of year, the water is always freezing.
In the 2.5 years, we were there, there wasn't one time I could go in fully submerged because the water was that cold.
Pollution- Before even heading out to a beach, check water conditions at /http://www.sdbeachinfo.com/.
Sometimes the beaches would have to close due to bacteria levels or the waters being so polluted. Imperial Beach was almost always closed because of this and where it's located.
San Diego sits on the border with Mexico. And although the US might have stricter waste laws, Mexico doesn't.
They frequently had sewage from Tijuana spill over into the Pacific Ocean and go up the coast of San Diego. (This was not a one-time thing, and never something I've seen anywhere else.)
The homeless population was everywhere! And I don't just mean on one street or even one section of the city.
You could be driving down the highway and see whole tent cities by the ramps, sprawled along overpasses, and even all over public parks.
For safety reasons, I tried to limit any shopping I did and eventually only went to the commissaries for groceries. I can't tell you how many times I was approached out of nowhere by homeless people asking for money while I was trying to load my groceries and my baby into the car.
And I know speaking on this topic in this matter might sound mean, but I would offer food items and they would decline all the time. Cash was all they ever wanted.
Child abduction concerns are a legitimate fear when living out there. As I mentioned, Mexico is right there.
You can't get any closer without needing a passport in your bag at all times.
We would go on family drives and accidentally wind up at immigration checkpoints.
What I'm trying to get at is that unfortunately kid abductions are a reality there, and they could easily be smuggled over into Mexico because of the proximity.
Our neighborhood parks and even some shopping centers in the area had signs that said: "Known Child Abduction Area, Watch Your Kids".
Traffic out there was almost always a disaster. It was frequently bumper-to-bumper. People did not know how to merge. They regularly flew down the shoulders of the highway because everyone there was a brain surgeon.
Debris is something you also got to regularly dodge on the highways as if you were in a game of Mario Kart.
And the middle finger was how everyone greeted each other.
The cost of living is outrageous out there! Gas, groceries, goods, taxes... you name it. You literally hemorrhage money.
You'll check your bank account and think-
"OMG!"
"What happened?"
"Where did it go?"
My husband and I are not big spenders at all. We are actually extremely conscious about money management.
But no matter how much you try to save, there's nothing to prepare you for what it costs to live there... but the weather's nice!
Support for Military Families
When it comes to certain aspects as a military family, they do make the move out there pretty smooth. At least if you are willing to live in military housing. It's not the prettiest, most up-to-date accommodations. Still, through Liberty Military Housing (formerly known as Lincoln Military Housing) you can sign and receive keys the day you arrive in the area. Just make sure to schedule an appointment with the housing office of the neighborhood you've selected and been approved for.
The housing at this duty station does take all of your BAH but does include basic utilities- water and energy. The way the housing market is out there, military housing is a steal for what you get and the locations available. We were able to buy a house out there after about a year. But that was with both of us working, only one small child, and sticking to a very tight, conscious budget.
Also being centered around families, most of these military housing communities come with access to a pool, gym, playgrounds, and community center.
Some of these neighborhoods also have a Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC) in or near the neighborhood. These are great resources if you feel completely alone and are new to the area with no idea where to turn when it comes to jobs, childcare, and other things you may be looking for.
Would You Live There Again?
No. Plain and simple, no.
To those of my friends that are still there, I give you props! I don't know how you do it. I'm sure you would survive in a world like Mad Max, or as a tribute in the Hunger Games.
As I've mentioned before, some people have loved living there. Others may resonate with how I feel.
While San Diego did have some perks, overall it just was not for me. I had never felt less safe or like I didn't belong until I moved there.
If you are moving to San Diego, try to keep an open mind. Maybe you'll have better experiences than I did and end up falling in love with the location.
Good luck!
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