There is no “perfect” city – big or small. I lived in the Chicago area for the first 28 years of my life and then lived in Seattle for another 7 before moving to San Diego. Chicago is a great city for culture, but it certainly has it’s downsides, including awful weather, crime, and suburban sprawl. Seattle is very hip, polite, but not very friendly, with great outdoor beauty. But try to spend 9 months out of the year with gloomy weather, for some it can be just awful. Heck, I’ve heard native San Diegans complaining about a couple of days without sun, try 200. I agree that San Diego is a little boring in terms of culture and nightlife. The downtown area is pretty disappointing, but at the same time I apprechiate the great schools, family friendly, warm neighbors that live around me in boring old Rancho Bernardo. On Saturday I went shopping(window shopping) with some girlfriends in Beverly Hills. It was exciting, but once I got home, it sure was nice to be back in boring, but very comfortable San Diego. Because home prices are not at all in line with salaries, I am wondering what (if any) types of incentives the city has done to try to attract bigger companies that can offer bigger salaries. Some people actually like warm weather, palm trees,and the beach, so I think that San Diego could have potential if they positioned themselves better.
