Moving From Boston to San Diego and 8 Reasons You’ll Love California

Naturally, a move anywhere new can be a bit scary. It’s a complex life-altering decision that takes not just time, but a lot of cojones to actually follow through on. Before moving across the US from Boston to San Diego we’d lived in New England for most of our lives. Eventually, we got sick of the long winters, and we’re yearning for more warm and sunny weather. So we started looking for where to live in California and were overwhelmed with amazing reasons to move to San Diego. Through our experience we learned moving is hard, but if you’re ready for change you can make it happen! Here’s how to move to California and our journey across the United States.

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Why Are You Moving?

Where to Live in California

We’re sure you’ve considered many options if you’re moving across the U.S. With that said, if you’ve never been to the west coast at all you’re severely missing out! California’s got it all, and despite the preconceived notions it’s not just beaches and palm trees. When looking at where to live in California, know that there’s mountains, deserts, and many large cities. You can even ski at Big Bear Mountain just 2 hours from San Diego!

Up north near San Francisco and Sacramento you’ll find a completely different vibe than Southern California. At the center of the state, you’ll be blown away by Big Sur, the scenic nature, and the untouched beaches of this beautiful state. In the end, we decided on moving from Boston to San Diego. Just know there are plenty of other places to explore when looking for where to live in California.

Reasons for Moving From Boston to San Diego

There were several reasons to move to San Diego, but we’ll give you a few of our favorites. We should preface this by saying we’d been to San Diego a couple of times already to visit friends and loved it. That combined with the things listed below made it an obvious choice for this paradise in Southern California!

8 Reasons You’ll Love San Diego California

Weather: The weather is the undisputed reason to move to San Diego and California in general. With almost 300 days of sun per year, you’re guaranteed to spend all your days outside and at the beach.

Food: Being so close to the Mexican border heavily impacts the food scene of San Diego. There are endless burritos, tacos, and other great food spots, along with a large Asian influence as well. 

Beach: San Diego is filled with some of the best beaches in the United States! Some of our favorites were in La Jolla, along with the gorgeous sands of Pacific and Ocean Beach.

Downtown: Although the beach is the star of the show, San Diego also has a great downtown area to explore. The center of the city is highlighted by the Gaslamp Quarter and Petco Park baseball stadium.

Balboa Park: Another one of our favorite places to walk around was the humungous Balboa Park. This is not your average park as it’s filled with not only nature but stands and exhibits from around the world.

Mexico: As travelers, we loved being able to cross the border in just 30 minutes from San Diego. Baja California is dotted with amazing beaches, and closer towns like Rosarito are great for a weekend getaway or even a day trip!

Lifestyle: When looking for where to live in California you’ll see that each section has a different way of life. We would quickly find out that the laid-back lifestyle of San Diego was much different than anywhere we’d lived before.

Happy Hour: For whatever reason, they don’t have happy hour in Boston. So grabbing a discounted drink on the beach was definitely a perk of moving across the U.S. to California!

Our Journey Moving From Boston to San Diego

Now that you know a few of our reasons for moving to San Diego, let’s take a look at physically how to move to California. Unless you have zero personal belongings you’ll likely be making a long drive. Unfortunately, for us that meant over 3,000 miles moving from Boston to San Diego!

During our travels, we’ve been on some long flights and even an epic 24 hour bus ride in Chile. However, nothing could have prepared us for this cross-country journey. You can supposedly do it in 3 days, but we took 5 and made some stops along the way.

We had a great time exploring some of the United States that we’d never seen before, but we’d be lying if we said it was all super exciting. Once you do this drive you’ll see just how big the U.S. is and that there’s also a whole lot of nothing in certain states! If you can swing it make sure you visit the Grand Canyon and other national parks along the way. 

Finding a Job After Moving From Boston to San Diego

Location: If you’re looking for a job, moving to a city over a small town gives you a clear advantage in your hunt. Also, remember that many jobs are specific to location depending on what type of work you do. 

Referral: Sometimes life is all about who you know, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Getting a referral for a job gives you the upper hand over other interviewees, and an overall better shot at landing a position. There’s no harm in asking for help. Plus your friend will probably get a nice bonus if you’re hired!

Part Time: Don’t be too proud to get a part-time job while you’re looking for something more permanent. In a place like San Diego there are endless bars and restaurants where you can make some extra cash while you continue your job hunt. 

Where to Live in San Diego California

• Pacific Beach
• La Jolla
• Ocean Beach
• Downtown
• North Park

How Expensive Was Moving to California?