[quote=briansd1]
As almost a life long San Diegan (on and off, although I wasn’t born here) I have to agree with much of what you said.

The main problem is that most people don’t go anywhere so they don’t have a frame of reference to compare.

Another thing is that houses in San Diego are badly constructed and not well insulated. That would never work in very cold areas with sub-freezing temperatures.[/quote]
Just because people still live here doesn’t mean they didn’t go anywhere and don’t have a frame of reference. Their priorities/tastes are just different than yours. Just a few example, when I go boarding these days, I rather take a week long vacation instead of weekend trip, so be w/in driving distance isn’t too big of a deal for me anymore (it used to be when I was in college). I rather explore various ski resorts throughout North America before I want to come back. I could careless about any of the houses built before 1980. 99% of them are just ugly to me. I rather go to the beach than the lake. I can go on, but the main reason I’ve been here for 20+ years and have no plan to leave is because SD is the most ideal city for me.

SD houses are constructed for the need of SD environment. Why build a house that can withstand sub-freezing temperatures when we’ll never see sub-freezing temperature. That’s a big waste of money. If you want to beef up your insulation, a few grand can cover that.