So this gets messed up all the time. Which generation is the millennials? If you were born between 1981 and 1996…You are a millennial! I’ve even seen it broken down even further but for this blog (and video above) sake, if you are between 23-39 you are most likely a millennial. (unless you just found this video and its years after I published it). Listen to these stats: Did you know that millennials make up almost a third of the population in San Diego? Seriously. Even better, millennials make up nearly 40 percent of the workforce in San Diego. No joke. Millennials represent. If you are a millennial and are trying to find the best place to live or call home, this article is for you so read on…
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What is up everyone, I’m your man wesley guest and like I said in this video I am going to break down the very best neighborhoods to live in or consider living in for millennials. The criteria I used in making up this list was living costs (both rents and home purchase prices), I looked for awesome amenities or stuff to do like restaurants, bars, cafes, farmers markets, I also looked at attractions such as museums and art galleries, and I wanted to include close proximity or easy access to the arts and culture like concerts, festivals, theatre, all that good stuff.
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Also, I wanted to point out that although the cost of living in these neighborhoods is considered higher than some other neighborhoods, I did take into account the fact that San Diego housing costs are actually lower for the most part than other major coastal cities on the west coast. That’s in addition to higher quality of life rankings than just about any other west coast city. I also wanted to mention, San Diego has one of the ultimate draws for not only millennials, but just about anyone thinking about living here or for anyone already living here. Know what I’m talking about? If you said the weather then you are correct. Its paradise here. Everyone knows this but we do have the best weather! It’s about as close to perfect as perfect weather can be!
Ok, so this list was originally supposed to be 5 neighborhoods but as I started putting the list together, I realized I needed to expand the list. As is, I have 7 neighborhoods but truth be told, It could be longer. There are so many amazing places to live in San Diego. These are 7 of my favorites.
Neighborhood Number (#1) on my list is probably the a more obvious one but its going to be Downtown San Diego. I’m going to go a little deeper on this and recommend LITTLE ITALY. If you’ve been following my channel, you know I know little Italy extremely well, I spend a ton of time there. I actually did a full vlog a couple weeks and showed all the bars, restaurants, shops, the places to live. If you want to check that out, click here. Little Italy is the hot spot in San Diego right now. Think amazing restaurants, great wine bars, coffee shops, outdoor piazzas, a farmers market, street performers, close proximity to the bay walk, balboa park, the airport. It’s an amazing place to call home. There’s a decent mix of residents that own their condo or home and there are tons of options to rent in the area. Lots of new luxury apartments actually. I’m mostly working on home (or condo) purchase and sales these days but I do keep an extensive list of apartments for rent for Little Italy hit me up if you need it. I highly recommend considering Little Italy if you are a millennial.
Neighborhood Number (#2) is going to be NORTH PARK. For north park, right off the bat there are a couple distinctions that have been made and I don’t disagree with them. The first one is that North Park is actually known to most of as the craft beer capital of the world… Yep, right there. The second one is that North Park is actually known as a huge hipster town. Check it out and let me know what you think. Like I said, I do not disagree. As far as the community, there are many bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and retail shopping options. There is a fantastic farmers market (there is an amazing farmers market in little Italy as well, sorry should have mentioned that before). Also, live music is pretty good here. Anything from smaller local acts to the larger national touring bands and acts. There are venues for all. It’s pretty great. Commuting from this location is so easy. You will have close proximity to several major freeways and the public transportation system. About a third of residents own their home and the rest are made up of some type of rental (think apartments and condos and some bungalows or craftsman type homes). You don’t see the high rises in North Park that you would in the city, Everything is lower and smaller for the most part.
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Neighborhood Number 3 is coming right up and its actually one of my favorites but I wanted to real quickly mention: If you are thinking about moving to, from, or inside San Diego, hit me up anytime. Always happy to help. Alrighty, just wanted to throw that out there. Let’s proceed…
Neighborhood Number (#3) is PACIFIC BEACH. It’s no secret PB is a great party town. Surf, sand, bars galore (wine, beer, and clubs sorta clubs) line garnet avenue. It’s a great place to be if you are millennial. Depending on your lifestyle, there will be better places to live than others. It’s also a big area broken down into smaller sub neighborhoods like Crown Point, Mission Beach, North PB, Central. I lived here for a long time. Specifically the neighborhoods of Mission Beach, Central, and Sail Bay near Crown Point. Just use common sense. You don’t want to be living next door to an SDSU makeshift frat house or the latest location for weekend BBQs featuring keg stand contests. There is a mix so residents who own their homes and there are a number of renters. My personal favorite part of PB is Mission Beach. It features the boardwalk, endless sandy beaches, surfing, the roller coaster at Belmont park, slomo, and limitless people watching. If you need hep navigating where to plant your roots here, hit me up.
Neighborhood Number (#4) is also going to be The Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego. This neighborhood can be a little confusing at first. Downtown San Diego is not the Gaslamp Quarter. The Gaslamp Quarter is just a part of the entire Downtown San Diego. True Gaslamp Quarter area is a very small area, and there are only a few places to actually live inside the 16 blocks that make up the Gaslamp. Many of the residents who frequent the Gaslamp live close by in East Village, the marina district, Columbia, or Little Italy. There is a mix of residents who rent in the area and those who own a property there. I will say this. During the virus, things are up in the air. I’m not 100% what’s its going to look like until we get past the current virus happenings. Right now, there are a lot of bars, restaurants, clubs that have closed for good. The homeless situation has grown a bit in this normally busy happening location. I have a feeling it will go back to normal in a few months once things start to normalize post virus but who knows. Its not the same at the moment. Not even close.
Neighborhoods number (#5) is going to be Normal Heights. This area gets overlooked and over shadowed by North Park all the time. Before North Park took off with real estate prices, entertainment options, restaurants, and everything else. Do you know what community looks the most like it used to? You guessed it. Normal Heights. To me, this is the next obvious hot spot to be. You will already find bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and some parks. It is located right next to North Park so you have easy access to that neighborhood as well. Prices for homes tend to be slightly lower then North Park as it is still considered up and coming in many parts. Living options will be smaller apartment complexes, craftsman style and Spanish style homes. All shapes and sizes. Don’t believe, take a drive around the neighborhood. You will see an unbelievable diverse collection of housing options.
Neighborhood Number (#6) on my list is going to be OCEAN BEACH. So for OB (that’s what you call it if you live there) be thinking bohemian meets something a little more 2021 hip vibes. Sorry fi that’s confusing. OB has its own unique thing going on. It’s really cool and I highly suggest you check it out. It’s another amazing beach and surf community kind of like Pacific Beach but like I said before, it has its own distinctive style going on. You are going to find shops, places to drink wine, beer, and everything else spread throughout. The main cluster of restaurants and shops is going to be on Newport Avenue but like I said, you can find stuff spread throughout. It’s a super dog friendly town which is awesome. They actually have a dog beach. If your dog likes the water, this is the place for you. It’s also worth mentioning, very close by is sunset cliffs. You have to check this out. Amazing place for a walk. The waves hit the cliffs and rocks. There are caves. Its something to see. The ocean views are some of the best in the world I think.
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And Neighborhood Number (#7) is going to be a combination of Hillcrest and Mission Hills. You are going to find a fantastic mix of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, retail shops, gyms, parks and everything else spread throughout. This is going to be a highly walkable community for the most part. Mission Hills can be a little more difficult because there are some super steep hills in certain areas but everything close to commerce is pretty flat. I did a vlog last week though old town and through mission hills if you want to check that out its right here. You are going to find probably the most diverse selection of housing options in these areas. There is a bit of everything. High rise condos and apartments, million dollar homes (some old and some brand new), condos, town homes, craftsman homes, Spanish style homes. You name it and its here (ok, maybe not igloos… dumb joke). Part of this location is on the canyons which allow for incredible city and ocean views. In addition to bordering the Balboa Park on the east side. It’s an amazingly convenient location if the lifestyle is a match for you.
So those are going to be 7 neighborhoods I think are ideal for living if you are a millennial. To be honest, there are so many San Diego places to live that could be on this list. I picked the ones I lie the most and the ones I am the most familiar with.
And don’t forget, if you are thinking about moving to, from, or inside San Diego, don’t be hit me up anytime. I love to help and I’m always here for you!
