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San Diego, also known as “America’s Finest City,” lies 120 miles (120 km) south of Los Angeles in the State of California. With a whopping 70 miles of beautiful coastline along the Pacific Ocean, and bordering Mexico to the south, the city is a cultural hub with spectacular geography and sunny skies almost all year round. San Diego has more than a hundred recognized neighborhoods housing a diverse population of 1.4 million residents, making it an extremely liveable city.

Whether or not you’re moving to San Diego for the perfect weather, here you’ll find authentic Caribbean cuisine, a vibrant arts scene, tons of craft beer breweries, and some of the best white-sand beaches to surf on. Is moving to San Diego worth it? Here’s everything you need to know.

Among the few cool things to know before moving to San Diego is the county’s rich history. Historically, San Diego has been home to the Kumeyaay people. It was the very first site visited by European travelers on the whole of the West Coast. After landing at the present-day San Diego bay for the first time, European explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claimed it as the Spanish Empire’s ‘San Miguel’ in 1542. The area was christened with its current name —San Diego, after Catholic ‘Saint Didacus’ —  60 years later in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno. The county area belonged to Mexico from 1821 through 1848, after which it was officially handed to the United States through the ‘Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,’ marking the end of the U.S-Mexico War.

Anyone visiting or moving to San Diego should learn that the creation of California statehood began here in 1850 which is where the county got its historical name as the ‘birthplace of California.’ Around this time, the area was better integrated with the introduction of railroads in 1878, with the southern portion of Point Loma being relegated to military purposes. Fast forward to World War II where San Diego grew to become a major hub for US military and defense operations. It was after the Cold War during the economic downturn when San Diego began diversifying its economy by prioritizing research as well as tourism.

The city grew to become “the tuna capital of the world” by the 1970s. While the last of the canneries closed in the 1980s, the influence of fishing fleets can still be felt in neighborhoods like Little Italy and Point Loma. The 1980s was also the time where San Diego movers and settlers began reconstructing the area with the goal of urban revival. Major tourist spots like Horton Plaza, the San Diego Convention Center, Gaslamp Quarter, and Petco Park were a direct result of this revival. Today, those moving to San Diego find a bustling multicultural metropolis with a myriad of activities for young adventurers.

Covering around 4,300 square miles, the city is roughly the size of the state of Connecticut, with 70-mile stretches of white sand beaches along the Pacific Ocean. It is flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the West, Riverside, and Orange Counties to the North, Imperial County to the East, and Mexico to the South. San Diego has a diverse blend of rural and urban communities, that live along the coastal beachfront, hilly mountains, and deserts.

Of the 58 counties in the state of California, San Diego is second-most populous. However, in San Diego, storage, as well as living space, is not a problem. The city remains sprawling and uncrowded, offering ample opportunities to buy or rent property when moving to San Diego. Although the city is quite modernized with tall skyscrapers, much of San Diego’s land area is still considered rural with agriculture and agro-businesses being an important part of the city’s economy.

The border’s significance is another one of the cool things to know before moving to San Diego. Since they share an international border, San Diego and Tijuana are grouped as a common international metropolitan area. Visitors and residents in this southern area enjoy colorful neighborhoods, exotic beachfront resorts with luxury spas and golf courses, multicultural festivals, and vibrant nightlife.

Like many, you could easily justify moving to San Diego for its incredible weather. The city offers an all-year-round moderate climate of warm, dry summers with mild winters. The annual temperature is an average of a pleasant 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which varies by the area you live in. In general, if you are moving to San Diego’s inland area (off the coast), you’ll experience much warmer days and cooler nights.

Precipitation is restricted to just 42 days between December and March with a total of 10–15 inches of rainfall per year. Being a coastal city, the humidity levels grow somewhat high at (over 70%) at some points in the year. You can easily combat this by stowing away a dehumidifier in a mobile storage container to use as and when you see fit. Aside from the humidity levels, the classic San Diego sky is sunny with a few scattered clouds and a light breeze. What’s more, the beaches boast some of the best surfing breaks during the mornings and gorgeous sunsets in the evenings.

With urban areas extending beyond the administrative limits, San Diego has a total population of almost 3 million of whom 1.4 million residents remain under the city’s administration. This makes San Diego the third-largest urban area in the state, right after Los Angeles and San Francisco. Moving to San Diego alone might feel daunting for young millennials. But the fact is that millennials, those aged between 18 and 34, constitute roughly 27% of San Diego’s population, with just 11% of San Diego residents aged over 65 years. As of 2018, the median age of San Diegans was 35.4 years.

If you’re moving to San Diego with kids, don’t feel disheartened by the young demographic. Roughly half of a million residents in San Diego are households with 44.6% of the population living together as married couples. With the 7th highest percentage of gay US residents as of 2013, moving to San Diego to discover your community is also possible as it is among the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the US.

Housing over 50 different nationalities, San Diego is truly multicultural. Most San Diego movers are not surprised to learn that nearly 25% of the population is Hispanic or ‘Mexican American,’ with residents spanning African American and Southeast Asian ethnicities. While English is the most common language, around two-thirds of the residents speak Spanish, in addition to native Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Mon-Khmer (Cambodian). Other languages with sizable presence are Hmong, French, Thai, Swahili, German, Portuguese, Hindi, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.

San Diego’s most popular neighborhoods to reside in are University City, Mira Mesa, Carmel Valley, Pacific Beach, and East Village. However, beyond the bustle of these urban neighborhoods and lull of laid-back coastal towns, San Diego offers close-knit suburban communities, desert oases, and quiet pockets of wilderness just waiting to be seen. These can be explored in Mission Valley and Old Town, East County, and North County’s Inland areas.

In East County, you will find rolling hills, deep canyons, and sparkling lakes to satisfy your wanderlust. But don’t let the hush-hush of its California’s wilderness fool you. In East County, you will also find sizzling casinos, Las Vegas-style resorts, stunning golf courses built into the topography, and plenty of rodeos for your entertainment. In North County, you will find countless opportunities to hike in the form of trails on San Diego’s Palomar Mountain. You can spend a cozy afternoon at the local wineries in North County, or golf at one of the 40 different courses carved into the mountains, making for an exceptional outdoor experience.

In sharp contrast to the abounding nature of East and North County, Mission Valley and Old Town are convenient places to call home for those newly moving to San Diego. This locale is minutes away from the airport and conveniently located right in the center of the county. Not only do you find affordable housing and storage solutions, but San Diego’s Mission Valley and Old Town are also full of immersive art galleries and theatres. This neighborhood is within a 15-minute drive from SeaWorld San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, and the Downtown Gaslamp District, making it an ideal spot to live in.

Moving to San Diego means surrounding yourself with endless entertainment opportunities scattered throughout the city. Enjoy your afternoons strolling the cobblestone streets of the city’s Little Italy, a chic downtown neighborhood known for its indie music hubs, upscale boutiques, and quaint piazzas. Here you’ll find craft beer in the spotlight at establishments like BottleCraft Beer Shop and Ballast Point. When it comes to nightlife, the hotspots to visit are the San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, Pacific Beach, and Downtown San Diego.

Tourists love to explore the history of San Diego in its cultural heart —  the famous Balboa Park —  offering double the acreage of New York’s Central Park, with more than 50 museums including the unique open-aired San Diego zoo. Artistic expression is seen as ‘Trolley dancing,’ a famous contemporary dance style with its heart in San Diego. A rather underappreciated tourist spot is San Diego’s ‘Writerz Blok’ whose establishment was driven by the goal to reduce delinquent vandalism in the city which has since evolved into a thriving program for urban artists.

Visit the area to find explosive street art in the form of murals, screen printing, graffiti, as well as discovering educational opportunities for artists to hone their skills. San Diego is also famous for hosting the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers who relocated back to Los Angeles in 2017. Baseball fans moving to San Diego will rejoice to hear that the city is home to the San Diego Padres  — a Major League Baseball team — that plays at the city’s Petco Park.

Moving to San Diego is going to immerse you into the world of Caribbean cuisine which finds authentic expression in San Diego’s classic jerk chicken, goat curry, and fried fish.  Mexican cuisine is just as -if not more- abundant in the form of streetside fish tacos, California burritos, Carne Asada fries, enchiladas, and ceviche. Seafood-oriented South Asian cuisines like Korean, Chinese, and Japanese also earn their spot under San Diego’s diverse street food. In contrast to the modern and experimental breweries, famous vineyards like San Pasqual Valley, Julian, and Rancho Bernardo offer local wines rooted in tradition.

Now that we’ve covered the diverse neighborhoods and ample space for living and storage in San Diego, how do people get around the city? San Diego is a more auto-dependent city than other US cities, with just 6.6% of households not owning any vehicles as of 2016. However, public transport is also popular here with the most common mode in San Diego being the bus. Plenty of lines interconnect the city, but as a new San Diego mover, you should be mindful about planning your routes well in advance by checking bus schedules. For residents, using the bus or calling an Uber is common.

For those visiting temporarily, exploring San Diego by car is the fastest way to get around and sightsee all the corners of its region. San Diego’s freeway system is quite easy to navigate through the numerous road signs or Google Maps and has manageable amounts of traffic. As with any city, the traffic increases during evening rush hours and morning work hours. You also have the option to rent a car from the Rental Car Center at San Diego’s International Airport which offers visitors a safe, reliable, comfortable way to move around the city. This rental service offers a range of national and local car companies as well as independent businesses, all of which are conveniently available in one spot.

If you are moving to San Diego’s downtown area or just visiting the city, hop on the bright red San Diego trolley for the perfect tour of the city. The trolley will leisurely cover key locations like San Diego Convention Center, Santa Fe Depot, Old Town, and Mission Valley. Trains help you travel beyond San Diego to places like Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and the north Pacific Coast. For tourists or those looking to casually explore the downtown area, Pedicabs or cycle rickshaws are a popular choice.

According to Best Places, San Diego has a cost of living score of 160 compared to the US average of 100. For those moving to San Diego with kids,  Economic Policy has stated that an annual salary of $97,000 can comfortably support a family of four. Alternatively, for those moving to San Diego alone, one-bedroom homes in San Diego average out at a monthly rent of $1621; $250 higher than the state average  For a two-bedroom apartment, rent averages at $2046, and $2946 for a three-bedroom. The median price of a home is $645,300 in San Diego, which varies by area with downtown San Diego being on the costlier side.

New tenants in the process of house-hunting can make use of mobile storage containers in San Diego for additional space to keep household essentials. You can conveniently have storage units delivered to your doorstep and combine differently sized storage units to get the space you need. These make for convenient self-storage options in San Diego while you transition to a new residence.

Living costs per month for basic utilities in San Diego are around $200 according to Numbeo, which does not include one’s rent. Hence, the utilities include things like electricity, garbage, water, internet, HVAC, and gas. The median household income of the average San Diegan is $75,456, which includes those living alone, as well as those with families.

One of the top things to know before moving to San Diego is that it was rated as the safest large city to live in 2017 by the FBI. The rate of crime was a meager 3.7 for every 1000 San Diego residents. Regardless, the neighborhoods with the highest safety rank of A+ are Del Mar Mesa, Via de la Valle, San Pasqual Valley, and La Jolla. The most unsafe areas seem to be tourist hubs like Old Town, Mountain View, Emerald Hills, and National City. But even in these areas, the safety rating averages at a B+, making San Diego a fairly safe city.

For the school year of 2020, 768 public schools served 504,039 students in San Diego. It is also known to offer one of the most competitive colleges — the University of California: San Diego (UCSD)—in the country. UCSD has been ranked among the top the most LGBTQ friendly universities in the nation. It is known for its research-intensive medical programs, with most students flocking to Economics, Computer Engineering, Psychology, and Mathematics programs.

Moving to San Diego is incomplete without learning about the largest industries fueling its economy. Currently, these are defense and military, international trade, tourism, and research. In 2014, San Diego was rated by Forbes as the best city to launch a startup or small business, with the rate of unemployment as low as 3.40% in 2018 which was significantly lower than the state average. Qualcomm was founded and currently remains headquartered in San Diego, and remains the largest private-sector technology employer in San Diego County.

For tech junkies moving to San Diego, the city is quickly becoming one of the largest technology hubs in the US. Both LG Electronics and Nokia have their headquarters in this city. The growth of San Diego’s technology sector is hugely impacting its real estate activity. In fact, in 2018, the total office leasing in the city was driven by its flourishing technology sector, which was superseded by the life sciences industry. Beyond the upcoming industries, there is a range of jobs one could choose from in San Diego.

The highest-paying jobs are from industries like utilities which is the business of providing basic amenities like sewage services, water, dams, and electricity to consumers. This industry offers a median salary of $86,187 per year in San Diego, which is much higher than the national average of $78,871. Management of businesses is also among the highest paying careers in San Diego which comes in second at a median salary of $73,000 per year. The lowest paying careers which make for good additional income streams are Accommodations and Food Services at $18,547 per year as well as Agro-businesses (Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, and Fishing) coming in at $21,957 per year.

San Diego movers who choose to live towards the south of the county should know that the US government also authorized San Diego to operate as a foreign trading zone. The city currently hosts the busiest international border in the world. The 15-mile San Diego-Tijuana border enables imports and exports that are an important driver of the county’s huge GDP. Tourism is another key factor in San Diego’s economy owing to its climate, beaches, beautiful attractions, and festivals like Comic-Con, the Street Scene Music Festival, San Diego Black Film Festival, and Pride.

In 2012 alone, there were 32 million visitors in San Diego who spent an estimated $8 billion locally. It’s no surprise that the tourism sector employs around 160,000 residents, and includes everything from organizing tour rides to hosting people. When it comes to handicrafts, San Diego’s local businesses can be found sprawled across Hillcrest Market. They are known to create everything under the sun spanning gourmet chocolate and craft beer to surf wax.

So is moving to San Diego worth it? Without a doubt. The city offers diverse cuisines, breathtaking topography, lucrative career opportunities, and surfable waves, so what’s not to love? Get your move on with our mobile storage containers perfect for self-storage while you transition to your new lifestyle. San Diego awaits you.