Hiya,
I'm a newbie & lead to this site by my neighbor LightHouse Girl. Soooo here's the big debate...
I'm from Orlando, born & raised. Hubby has been stationed up & down the east coast for the last 15 years. Next year his tour here in Charleston, SC is up & I really really want to get off the east coast for his last few years (he can retire in just over 4 years). I KNOW Washington is beautiful but i'm fairly certain the lack of sun more than half the year would cause me to wither & die. I'm a summer FREAK & summer lasts most of the year in the south. I'm pretty sure San Diego is where I want to be but from time to time I hear some rather disturbing things about it. I get that there is traffic & the cost of living is high. Traffic is horrible in Orlando but it's all I've ever known. Can someone please put an end to the rumors that elementary school kids bring knives or worse to school & that the neighborhoods are horrible? There are always scary areas surrounding any decent size city. We just know to stay away from them. Someone please tell me housing is decent & my kids aren't forever going to be ruined from being in school in San Diego...
Thanks for any info you may have,
Val

Washington rocks :neener

I know, I'm no help.

Good to see ya Val!!

Can't help you on San Diego, never been there. We are stationed in WA right now and both LOVE it. Sure,, it rains a lot but actually it doesn't seem that bad to me as it is not much different where I am from. lol

I am from WA so I am probably a little biased. Both are going to have big pros and cons. And the last time I was in CA was 90-96. But

Cost of living is high in CA. And raising in WA. But still lower in WA then CA. As far as schools go. Unfortuntly you will find that ANYWHERE now a days. Washington isn;t immune. Just research the schools. There are good schools in WA and in CA. If you like warmer weather and the sun then CA is probably where you want to be. It DOES rain alot in WA but not as much as other places. It is just grey clouds and drizzly alot of the time. Many other places get more rainfall total amounts then WA. And summers cannot be beat out there (L)

Most the housing out there (CA) is pretty nice. And I know alot of the girls on here live in housing out in CA. I never lived in housing in WA just out in town. There is a ton to do in both places. In fact our top choices are going back to CA or WA. The cost of living does scare us for CA. And no your children wont be ruined by going to school out there. My neice graduated in CA an honor student, straight A's, scholoarship, head cheerleader, dance squad, homecoming queen, etc etc. It all depends on WHERE you go. And like with anywhere you will have good and bad schools. Just research em!

G'luck! Like I said we are debating WA, CA or even hawaii. I have family in CA and WA so I am leaning towards that since I havent lived near family in so long.

Never lived in SD and I'm scared of it too :P

WA is not as cloudy/rainy as people make it seem. But it is much cooler for so long. If you are a summer person it will be hard.
We have lived in Bremerton for 6 weeks and it has rarely rained during the day. For the most part it has been mostly sunny and in the 60's. I'm sure winter is wetter. From August to March we were in Whidbey Island and they get much less rain---less then half of Seattle. But it is colder and windy :shrug.

I lived in WA my whole life and just moved to San Diego a few months ago. I love Washington, but I am probably biased.
Washingto is good b/c I like having four seasons. The traffic is a little better than San Diego, but not that much. Another difference I noted is that in San Diego, there is a wait every night of the week. In WA, its only Fri and Sat nights that you have a wait.

Also with San Diego, cost of living is outrageous! Just things like gas, groceries, housing, EVERYTHING is much more expensive here! My hubby and I are really struggling and he is working for the Navy and has a part time newspaper delivery job, and I am working seasonally, as well as part-time with a little girl. And we are STILL struggling!

There is a lot to do down here, but I think that is the same in WA state.. The beaches are nice to go hang out at on the weekend (free).

I haven't lived in housing, but I have friends who do, and most of their places are pretty nice, but usually the houses are PACKED together, but thats how it is all over San Diego. We were shocked that million dollar homes down here are built just a few feet from eachother!

Regarding school, I do not have any school age children, but I think it depends on the neighborhood as well.... I know that Michelle has had some problems with her elementary school, yet I have heard great things about the Poway school district, so it just depends.

My best piece of advice would be to look at a budget and see if you can afford to live here. We lived in a two bed two bath apt in WA for 850 a month, down here, one the same size (albeit a bit nicer) is 1665, no utilities included. If you are going to live in housing, do a budget around that and see if you can work it out. I would be happy to give you estimates of services and what not... :D

HTH, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

I hope someone replies, I really would love to know more about San Diego too!!

I would not underestimate how important it is to have sunshine and warmth if that's what you are used to. I was born and raised in the south and got this crazy hair up my butt when hubby was choosing orders. I thought I wanted a break from the heat and sun because that's all I had ever known. So, I'm thinking Great Lakes, IL- REAL WINTERS, REAL SNOW, a break from the sun and heat, etc. Well, long story short, I got about 4 or 5 months into living here and was MISERABLE from lack of sunshine and warmth. The winters are long and cold and cause me to suffer from extreme seasonal depression. I guess seasonable depression would be managable except for the fact that the season that causes me to get depressed is almost year round :lol I know IL isn't exactly the same as WA but if the lack of sun and cold are anything similar, I know I would be just as miserable. I totally underestimated how much influence decent weather has over my whole emotional well being. That's definitely something to think about. I'm sure Becca can vouch for how much it's truly effected me. I'll never complain about the sun or heat for as long as I live after being here. The summers are mild and it's nice to have snow on Christmas. BUT, it's just too extreme. I'd rather deal with extreme sun and extreme heat than walk around feeling like a zombie :( I don't have any other advice for you. Just wanted to share my little experience.

Ive only been to Washington driving through, but I have heard about the cruddy weather a lot of the time and for me that would be an immediate no go unless we had to go there no choice. I love the weather out here, and yes it really is expensive.....VERY expensive, but for me its worth it. The school situation really depends on the area you live in....like Trey said, the schools a little more north are a lot better then the ones down in chula/national city area. I dont think Pt Loma is bad either....really nice area. After living here, I dont ever want to leave. Ohhh and yes the driving sucks, but like you said you lived in Orlando and I have driven through Orlando.....pretty similar I thought! :) Good luck in your decision....definitely weigh all pros n cons and you can look up housing pictures online.

I have never been to WA but would love to go
We were in SD though for 4 years and absolutely loved it.
between SD, Norfolk, Charleston and now Corpus Christi we prefer SD over all of them and we are from NC.
I agree with kristi as long as you research the schools your kids should be fine. We only had one child there and he was too young for school so I have no help on that.
Good luck deciding

I am a San Diego girl, born and raised and I still would pick anywhere but here to live. Maybe because I have seen the downsides to living here. Cost of living is through the roof here. Way of life is at a higher pace then other duty stations/ towns Ive been too. Schools are not that great unless you place your child into a charter school or live in a good area.. Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Poway, Temecula, etc. Traffic out here stinks. It went from taking a couple minutes to get somewhere to taking forever no matter what time of the day it is. Yes we have lovely weather but for the cost of what? Watching your children grow up faster then they should, being just a face among millions, paying through the roof to put gas in your car, struggling to stay a one income family which is next to impossible out here.

We do have advantages to living here and its beautiful from the outside but IMO it isn't worth it in the long run

Thank you all SOOOOOOO much for amazing responses. Becca has been trying to get me on here for months but I suck what can I say. Brandi, I know about myself that I HAVE to have sun to survive. I think WA is out just for that reason. It rains almost every day in the summer in Orlando n=but it's over & sunny again within an hour. From what I'm hearing from several sources, it's not the actual rain fall in WA that bothers me. It's the overcast drizzle that will make me crazy. Charleston was the first time in 13 years we had lived in housing & I hated it or thought I did till I moved out. Being able to keep the same schedule as my kiddos is EXTREMELY important to me, so it's all housing again once we transfer. Looking on the sites at SD housing it looks like there isn't much of a wait if one at all. However, i'm hearing people that had to wait to get into housing? What's the scoop.
Thanks again for all the info...i'm gonna drive you all nuts before this is all said & done...

Each area has it's own waiting list depending on the number of bedrooms and which area. We waited 2 days to get into Lofgren but have been waiting 4 months to get into Murphy Canyon. Just the luck of the draw though.

Do any of you know what Admiral Hartman housing is like?

Admiral Hartmen..It's nice but the school district is crappy. It's right next to the elemantary school and across the street from the high school. To the right of Garnett road. The yards are pretty decent size and the kitchen was pretty big with hardwood floors in the kitchen and dinning room/living room area. But that was 2 yrs ago when I knew someone over there.

I have lived in one and would visit my DH in the other so ill give this a shot...

Cali is nice, yeah, the weather is better (but not always) it rained a lot when i would go and visit...I DO NOT LIKE the traffic and how you have to take a highway just about everywhere that you go...I didnt find the people to be overly friendly, I am speaking as to my experiences...It just isnt a place for me, and I hope we dont go back for a while...

We just moved here (WA) in january...It took me forever to find a job, about 3 months and that never happened ever in my life...The weather isnt that bad, it could be all snow instead of rain...There is a ton of things to do outside, and I like the small town feel that they have going on here...Our housing is very nice, and most people have dogs and seem friendly...

Good luck!

I am a CA native and come from a big city (San Francisco area). I thrive on sun, oceans in my backyard, clear skies, busy city, busy nightlife, etc. San Diego wasn't my ideal place but I would choose it any day over WA. Washington has a great school system, its quiet....VERY VERY quiet, rural, clean air, SMALL town atmosphere, beautiful scenic mountains/trees, etc. If you can stand that 24/7/365, its the place for you. I, unfortunately, couldn’t do it. The city is too far away and they move at a difference pace. For example, in San Francisco, you could view downtown and see the streets packed at any given time…here in WA/Seattle, you see the 10:00pm news and it’s a ghost town. That is something that I am not used to…but others look at that as a good quality. The frequent weather (overcast, cold, rain, drizzle, snow, hail) and lack of activities/liveliness/diversity took a toll on me, but others absolutely love it here. Its all a matters of taste, preference and what you are willing to make of it. I wasn’t very open or willing…lol.

San Diego has some amazing schools (and some very bad schools), they also have a school choice program which will allow you to choose any school/district you would like (providing there are availabilities). We have used the school choice program and it went very smooth/quick. There are a wide variety of things to do in San Diego and they appeal to a diverse crowd. I am used to the traffic and it doesn’t bother me…I would much rather sit in traffic for an hour and suck up smog than be in a secluded atmosphere with nothing to do…lol. The thing I like about San Diego is that anything that I could want is within driving distance…city/night life, beaches, wooded areas, mountain areas…all within hours of San Diego. Housing in San Diego is decent and some are very nice in my opinion. As the others have said…the wait lists vary…it’s a gamble. Good luck.

Well, I am a southern girl, so I don't like the west coast, but we were stationed in SD and we are in Washington. We leave here at the end of the year (THANK GOD!)

Anyway, both places has it's pros and cons, but if I had to choose San Diego or Washington again, I would definetly pick San Diego. It is very expensive, but IMO, I feel there is more to do there, and the weather is way nicer than here. I am miserable here.

We are looking at getting orders back to the east coast, since we have been on the west coast for almost 7 years. Good luck with whatever ya'll choose!

Ive only been to Washington driving through, but I have heard about the cruddy weather a lot of the time and for me that would be an immediate no go unless we had to go there no choice. I love the weather out here, and yes it really is expensive.....VERY expensive, but for me its worth it. The school situation really depends on the area you live in....like Trey said, the schools a little more north are a lot better then the ones down in chula/national city area. I dont think Pt Loma is bad either....really nice area. After living here, I dont ever want to leave. Ohhh and yes the driving sucks, but like you said you lived in Orlando and I have driven through Orlando.....pretty similar I thought! :) Good luck in your decision....definitely weigh all pros n cons and you can look up housing pictures online.


Actually schools in Chula Vista aren't that bad...I've heard worse about ones up north than I have about the ones in Chula Vista...I live out in El Cajon and know nothing about the schools but worked in Chula Vista and where the test scores aren't great for ANY district in the San Diego area at least in Eastlake which is East Chula vista they have better scores...I personally don't like San Diego because I only have like 3 friends here and it's hard.

We live in Point Loma, just north of the airport in San Diego. My dd goes to a great school, a city school. If I didn't love her school so much there is a very nice charter elementary, middle, and high school down the road from out housing. San Diego does have it's draw back. Traffic can be bad. I have just learned when is not a good time to drive. Also shopping on the weekends means lots of other people and parking in San Diego sucks. If dh stays in the Navy I doubt we will ever leave the area. Someday when I get a good job we will buy a house. My income will probably make our house payment. Alot of the housing is newer or being renovated. We live in the village at ntc. www.thevillageatntc.com It is nice because it is newer and we are close to alot. Close to the ocean too, so that means it doesn't get too hot in the summer.
I hope that helps.

Actually schools in Chula Vista aren't that bad...I've heard worse about ones up north than I have about the ones in Chula Vista...I live out in El Cajon and know nothing about the schools but worked in Chula Vista and where the test scores aren't great for ANY district in the San Diego area at least in Eastlake which is East Chula vista they have better scores...I personally don't like San Diego because I only have like 3 friends here and it's hard.

:roflmao Im sorry but that is a bunch of crap. We are in Chula Vista on the border of East Lake and the shcool my daughter goes to is beyond crappy with crappy test scores. Lower ones then let's say Murphy Canyon, Mira Mesa and diffiently WAY lower then Poway which is a north county school

The schools here in Point Loma test in the high 700 and some in the 800's. Better than the school dd was going to go to in IB, which is closing now. I think schools here in SD are hit or miss and it is worth the research. Here is the link to check the API of CA schools.

API School Level Reports (http://api.cde.ca.gov/reports/page2.asp?subject=API&level=School&submit1=submit)

and to check San Diego County Schools.
San Diego County API Reports (http://api.cde.ca.gov/APIBase2006/2005Base_Co.aspx?cYear=&cSelect=37,SAN,DIEGO)

The schools here in Point Loma test in the high 700 and some in the 800's. Better than the school dd was going to go to in IB, which is closing now. I think schools here in SD are hit or miss and it is worth the research. Here is the link to check the API of CA schools.

API School Level Reports (http://api.cde.ca.gov/reports/page2.asp?subject=API&level=School&submit1=submit)

and to check San Diego County Schools.
San Diego County API Reports (http://api.cde.ca.gov/APIBase2006/2005Base_Co.aspx?cYear=&cSelect=37,SAN,DIEGO)


Sooo very very true. I have diffently learned that just going off API reports though don't mean very much. Sometimes you have to go visit the school, speak to the teachers, shadow a classroom, etc befor eyou find a school that is even close to what you are expecting or wanting

Sooo very very true. I have diffently learned that just going off API reports though don't mean very much. Sometimes you have to go visit the school, speak to the teachers, shadow a classroom, etc befor eyou find a school that is even close to what you are expecting or wanting

We went to dd's school and checked it out first. They have way more parent involvement that her "home" school. The teachers are very nice and very open minded. The fact that they have after school activities is what sold me. I'm thinking about looking into Explorer Charter school for ds. He needs more one on one and I'm going to go talk with the teachers first. He doesn't start kinder till 2007.

Lucretia, if we ever get stationed back in SD, I sooooooooo want to live at The Village at NTC!! I saw those when right before we moved and they are so nice!!! Do you have any pics on the inside?

I know nothing of Washington, but i have been in SD for about 7 1/2 years now.

Schools:
Like others have said, schools are hit and miss.. I recomend picking a public school a lot like you would pick a pre-school or a day care,do your homework on the scores, then Go visit, talk to the teachers, arrange to meet some members of the PTA.. there are some really good schools in the district and some really crappy ones.

Cost of Living:
As far as cost of living goes.. well to sum it up, your screwed.. there is no nice way to put it. Things just cost more in san diego end of story.. but flip side of that is there is a reason they cost more.. EVERYTHING is here. San Diego is a VERY desirable place to live. You are close to beaches, mountains, desert, snowboarding, anything you want (malls, groceries, movies, doctors, schools) is "about 20 min" away.

Places to live:
I currently live in a 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bath w/ a back yard and a fireplace for under 2k a month. So there ARE places that are affordable here, you again just have to shop around and do your homework. I don't know anyything about housing i have never utilized that service i have always lived in town (i prefer independant living)

Traffic:
Refer to cost of living.. LOL *JK*
Traffic sucks depending on where you live, and which direction you are traveling if you want to get a feel of what the traffic looks like go to http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist11/d11tmc/sdmap/mapmain.html during san diego rush hours (5am-9am PST, 3pm-7pm PST) that is roughly the start-stop times for most commuters. there is also a mild lunch time rush hour but not nearly as bad.

Hope some of that helps out.

Lucretia, if we ever get stationed back in SD, I sooooooooo want to live at The Village at NTC!! I saw those when right before we moved and they are so nice!!! Do you have any pics on the inside?

I don't have any. :( I can take some for you. I'm in a three level. The two level ones are a little different. The kitchen/family room is bigger. I have 3 1/2 bathrooms and they only have 2 1/2. Our bedrooms are slightly bigger. I'll take some pics today, if you don't mind the mess. :)

My dh and I lived in SD and loved it so much. I thought I wanted to try a new area so we moved to Great Lakes, Il. I am also a sunshine person and I have been sun deprived for 2 1/2 years now. We tried desperatley to go back to SD and could not get orders at all. West Coast orders are hard to come by right now. We are going to Wa though in Everett. I guess by Christmas I will know what I think of Wa. I can say that I am not looking forward to not having the sunshine I am used to having I was born and raised in Ca. Good luck on getting what you want and making your decision.