I feel you Cardiff, I too am preparing to head out of San Diego, in my case for the 2nd time in 3 years. I left for Colorado in 2007. Came back for a job promotion in Sept 2008, but that job went sour real quick as the economy tanked. I thought I missed California, but it turns out I was happier in Colorado. We had better connections with friends there, a much better and cheaper house(owned, not rented), generally great weather, tons of things to do, and enough culture and food to keep us happy. San Diego has weather and the ocean but we don’t use the ocean, so really all it has is weather.

But for us the decision comes down to this. For our income we can buy around $500-$600K. Here in California we can buy a tiny run down dump with no yard in a crummy part of town. In Colorado we can have anything we want – 5 acres in the hills, a brand new hip loft in the heart of town, a mcmansion in suburbia. We want land and privacy, and we can’t have that here unless we move to Valley Center, which doesn’t work for commute purposes. That, and the connections we made out there were much stronger, better overall quality of relationships out there. We’re also considering the DC area, where I’m from and still have family there, but the real estate difference from here to there is minimal so that is a tough decision.

Either way, I’m totally in sync with your reasoning for leaving San Diego. You may miss parts of this place at first, but in the long run and in the big picture, you will probably be much better off. Good luck.