The cool thing about West of I-5 is that it is literally cooler. In the summer the temperature is 1-2 degrees higher per mile as you move inland, compared to the coast.
e.g. 78 degrees at Point Loma or Mission Beach
83 degrees in Clairemont
87 degrees at Qualcomm Stadium
94 degrees in La Mesa
100 degrees in El Cajon
Yeah, it’s definitely cooler west of I-5.
As a former resident (who was first in SD in 1992) I consider areas west of I-5 such as Point Loma, La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Pacific Beach to be more desireable than Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, North Park, Normal Heights, La Mesa, El Cajon, Lemon Grove.
However, there are notable exceptions, such as Mission Hills (East of I-5) but very nice and some parts of lower Ocean beach (West of I-5), mostly nice, but with some crappy pockets.
