I used to live in Bellevue, down by Sammamish off NE 8th. But it was a long time ago and Bellevue has gone from a sleepy town to a pretty big city.
Yeah, we lived in Sammamish about 15 years ago. We liked it, and our closest friends live there. We know we could rent around the area, but it’s really unlikely we’d be able to buy a house. I don’t miss the weather half the year, there, or the darkness, or the traffic, but the food was great.
sounds like you - just like me - are in your 50ies? …
If true, than (perceived) Job-security would be very high on my list of decision parameters.
how is the current cost situation where you are? … b/c if all your cost also increas by 30% b/c both locations seem VHCOL … than that is a net “nothingburger” …
My vote would be San Diego. I lived there for 3 years in the mid 90s. It was great.
Well, that is a valid concern (and one that I hadn’t even thought of). I’m currently living in Edmonton, AB. Things are definitely cheaper here. The problem is that I’m here on a work permit, and it expires in December (unless I stay at my current job and it gets renewed). My new employer is trying to arrange a work permit through their local presence, but it’s not a given that it’ll happen. We’re pretty tired of living in Canada, so the idea of moving back to the US is really tempting.
I suppose that- assuming my new employer can get a work permit for me- we could stay here for two years and save up a lot of money, and then make this decision…
Do you have time to visit San Diego for a few days to see how it feels on you?
Warning: if you try a California burrito, you will never leave.
We’ve got those up here in the Seattle area, too. We’ve even got our own 'Berto’s chain now!
San Diego for the weather.
That deadly, eh?
People who are on Team San Diego for weather reasons, I’m curious. I spent a lovely week in San Diego one June about twenty years ago, at a hotel a stone’s throw from the water, and the weather was indeed great–but the people I talked to who were locals implied that the further you get from the water the less pleasant the weather becomes, that the inland heat even just a couple of miles from the Pacific can be really oppressive.
The other impression I got was that housing prices, which at the time were ridiculous, were ESPECIALLY ridiculous relatively close to the waterfront, so people who moved to San Diego typically wound up living in very hot but relatively affordable parts of the region.
–Just asking whether a newcomer to SD with less than unlimited funds would benefit from the beautiful weather if, like me, they don’t enjoy heat. But I don’t know!
So I just perused rental and home sale prices - both cities are pricey, but it appears San Diego is pricier. Which surprises me not at all. Coastal California metro areas are just incredibly expensive markets.
I think politically there is little to choose - both are blue urban areas, Seattle rather more so. San Diego used to be a moderately conservative stronghold, similar to Santa Barbara up the coast. But California moderate conservatives have increasingly swung towards the Democrats as the Republicans have broken hard right. Still lots of conservatives in SoCal, including many of the fire-breathing variety, but they have little power outside of select locales. Overall populous coastal CA (and hence the state overall) is blue and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. The difference is merely one of degree.
As urban areas go, both are reasonably large and have plenty to entertain. San Diego is a bigger city, Seattle is a bigger metro area.
Weather is chalk and cheese and if cost isn’t the driving issue, should probably be the deciding factor. If you suffer from SAD, go to San Diego - full stop. I like misty-cool and grey myself, but San Diego has plenty going for it.
They’re frankly both nice places to settle in and retire. But in your situation it sounds like if the price-points don’t break you, San Diego might be the better bet. I would try to visit first, though.
I was in San Diego for a week, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Besides that, you’d be in solid with your employer forever if he did get that promotion. All of that outweighs working at home all the time in Seattle which, according to people I’ve talked with, is far less aesthetically pleasing.
How was it? 
It is hot, but its a dry heat…except for the lava beds.
It’s been a long time since I was in San Diego but I recall the hotter interior would cool off quickly most of the year. But there’s plenty north of the city and still in the ideal climate zone. I think housing prices were rather ridiculous way back then. Not in comparison to Silicon Valley, but comparable to the prices in LA pretty far out in the valley at the time. No idea what Seattle house prices are like now.
I’ve been to both cities twice, briefly, but the biggest difference that no one else has mentioned is the color of the landscape. Seattle was green, but I remember San Diego hills being dusty brown. I know that that’s season and weather dependent, but brown hills would bother me, even if it’s only part of the year. On the other hand, where I live it’s either green or white (Minnesota), which many would find worse.
The DMV is better.
Lived in San Diego for 15 years and loved it. Gorgeous city with wonderful weather, food, and entertainment. The weather only gets hot if you travel too far inland. That’s also where the conservatives are. You are two hours from Disneyland and three from everything Los Angeles has to offer. You can be in Vegas in 5 hours by car, an hour by plane.
Most of the people I used to know in Seattle have moved away. The weather got to them after a while. You’ll still get rain in San Diego, but I’ve never seen it get below 40f.
If I were in your position, it would be a no-brainer. In fact, if I wasn’t making a lot of money in Orange County, I’d move back in a heartbeat.
I made it 21 years in Seattle but the last few winters slowly drove me crazy. Pretty much every time my wife and I could find a discount on Alaska during the rainy season we’d fly down to Santa Barbara for a recharge. Eventually it just stuck.
My sister and I are executors of my mother’s trust. I’d really like to sell our house in Clairemont (San Diego). Zillow has it at $989,000 right now. I don’t think my sister would go for it. We need to sell it by 2032, when depreciation runs out. Maybe it will be over a million by then. I’ve been way too nice as a landlord. The rent estimate is $4,500, and I’m only charging less than half that. I can’t just jump it up (morally, and probably legally), so I’m stuck with raising it about $100/year.