Downtown Living in San Diego

San Diego real estate is desirable for many different reasons! Located on California’s Pacific coast, the city has a mild, temperate weather all year. Farmer’s Almanac rated San Diego’s climate as among the best in the country, based on its pleasantly dry weather, with an average of 200+ days of sunny, 70 degree weather.This allows residents plenty of time to access the cities numerous parks and beaches.There are over thirty parks, ranging from large, wild nature preserves like the Torrey Pines State Reserve and Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve to highly developed outdoor recreation areas like Robb Field and historic monuments like the Old Town San Diego State Historical Park. The city is also justly famous for its beaches, which provide numerous opportunities for swimming, surfing, diving, and boating, all nearly year-round with the proper equipment.

The unique, rugged topography of the city, which is built in and around canyons, ensures that all of these features are fairly accessible from even the densest parts of the city center. This unusual geology also produces a large number of “microclimates”, which are boons to naturalists (San Diego has among the highest biodiversity in the US) and food aficionados, who will enjoy the delicious and varied output of many nearby farms.

This city also offers numerous opportunities for indoor recreation. As the eighth largest city in the United States, there are numerous opportunities for fine dining, particularly in the Gas Lamp and Mission districts. The San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art (San Diego), the San Diego Symphony, and San Diego Opera anchor a thriving arts scene, which is supplemented by the numerous actors (hundreds of movies have been filmed in the city) and extensive art/music student populations at the many local colleges, universities, and art institutes. The city itself has over 50 unique neighborhoods, San Diego is also immediately adjacent to the Mexican border, which provides another potential source of cultural enrichment.

For sports fans, San Diego’s Qualcomm stadium is home to the San Diego Chargers, as well as the NCAA Division I San Diego Aztecs. The San Diego Padres play home games at Petco Park. The city also has a large number of other athletic events, including surf contests, road and boat races, and triathalons. This city is the ninth-most educated city in the United States and is home to the University of California San Diego (and its associated medical school), San Diego State University, an extensive community college network, and several research institutions, including the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Scripps Oceanographic Research Institute. The San Diego Zoo and Sea World Park, in addition to their roles as tourist attractions, also produce some research. There is a large high-tech industry in San Diego, based around electronics (Qualcomm is one of the city’s largest employers) and healthcare/life sciences. There is also a substantial defense industry in the city due to several nearby Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard bases and their associated contractors. However, unlike many defense installations, these are generally not too disruptive to life in the city. San Diego is a safe (it has the sixth lowest crime rate in the US), beautiful, and vibrant city that makes owning real estate in San Diego ideal for individuals, families, and investors.

While this city has had a reputation for extremely expensive real estate, prices are down considerably from their 2005 high, making now an ideal time to consider. While San Diego is a terrific place to live, it may also be a sound investment. Students, military service members, visitors and contractors often need short term accommodations and renting one of the many condos for sale in San Diego to these groups could prove lucrative.

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