[quote=CA renter] Along with the decimation of the middle class, we’ve seen the decimation of middle class neighborhoods[/quote]

This is absolutely right. But there still the taste culture thing. Over the last 10 years, we’ve been told “luxury for all,” so for a lot of people, its Carmel Valley or nothing. As we’ve seen on recent threads, quiet, diverse neighborhoods like San Carlos are not even on people’s radar. Its about aspiration and homogeniety.

I think San Diego will begin to live up to its potential when people with means move and invest in nice family neighborhoods in places like Clairemont, San Carlos, La Mesa, Serra Mesa, Morena, etc and live a simpler economic life rather than really, really stretching to make some area with perceived status. Then all those neighborhoods become better, and the new residents will have a lot more money to spend enjoying San Diego. Hell, even parts of Linda Vista, National City, & Rolando are ripe for the picking. But you can’t be afraid of people who look different from you – you need to see diversity as an asset especially for your kids. I was impressed by the number of white people who moved their families into SFRs in City Heights during the last 10 years, investing in the neighborhood and committing to diversity. If the boom/burst didn’t happen, and if the bottom didn’t fall out from under a lot of those folks, change might have happened more quickly. I still think it has a lot of potential.