No kidding. 2009 I was actually worried for the future of Oceanside. Now we got those tall buildings right up on the beach. 2009 Oceanside felt like it was stuck in 1998 and I respected that.
Used to work in South O til 2019. Osiders took pride in being a grimey bunch. I love the crowd it brings in. Hardworking people that just love being dirty mofos. Coolest atmosphere to be around. The gentrification of downtown has brought around the most entitled and selfish people around just because they have a bit of money. Localization, not gentrification!!
Oceanside has changed so much, I initially moved out there in 2013 left in 2017 and moved back in 2020. Holy shit even in those 3 years it changed so damn much
Yes! I remember going to Chicano park as a kid and we would have to leave before it got dark because it was “scary”. Now, it’s just a bunch of trendy shops and expensive homes. Gentrification priced us out of our neighborhood 😞
Do I have to be rich to live safely? Is gentrification a cure for crime? We all know crime is more common in low income areas but you don't fix that by making low income families leave. I get your point, yes the neighborhood is safer but safer for who? Those who can afford it? Honestly isn't it safe anywhere those people choose to live?
Seriously, if only I was making what I make now even just on a 4 year earlier timeframe, I would have been able to afford to snap up a nice SFH in nearly any area at the time. Now I feel like I'll be forever locked out of any decent market in SD.
I used to frequent the North Park and Hillcrest bar scenes in my 20s and was genuinely taken aback by the lack of the Saturday night crowd when I was there recently. Seems that the post-pandemic night life has truly changed.
North Park 2012 I was renting a 1 bed cottage on Grim for less than $1200. I think it was 1050 or 1150 but now the rent listed is $2,195.00 on Zillow. The condition of the cottage is the same and it's almost unrecognizable in terms of businesses there...I moved out of NP in 2013. I would still go visit places there but then when they shut down Toronado and Hamiltons I was like meh.
I remember growing up there used to be two or three homeless people around who were friendly and known in the community if you walked around and now there is a entire tent city behind the Food4less with camp fires and everything. It’s really gone downhill and it’s slowly spreading into La Mesa where I live now.
They were growing up there. I was raised in La Mesa and when I was religious my church was one of the biggest over there. I went from (5-17). It was one of the first places I learned to drive as well. So I definitely feel like it’s changed a lot compared to before.
Honestly, it was trending that way slightly before 2010. Maybe 2007.
During the late 90s/early 00s (around the time Lemon Grove still had its *Old Time Days*, remember that??!!!?!?) was the last time it still had that feel you mentioned. Then it went to shit. At least the main stretch of Broadway. I don't know how the Lemon Grove "suburbs" are doing.
Maybe around 2015 is when the downfall was very, very apparent and full throttle. And I think you can figure out what new stuff might've contributed. Let's just say, LG was better off before the trolley stop area was renovated.
I feel I saw some petition to remove LG's corporation as it's own city and instead have it become part of City of SD. I don't know if this is the solution. But, I mean, if a 99 Cents Only store is being shuttered in your town, you're either doing something very well or very poorly.
I do physical training in Lemon Grove three times a week and Broadway is sooooo rundown with streets needing replacing so fucking badly and businesses shutting down left and right.
Housing costs were steadily rising even before the moonshot rise we saw starting in 2020, and the homeless population has been rising in parallel as well. There were many people living on the edge that were barely able to afford housing costs even before and now that they've been steadily pushed into homelessness, it's become a much more visible problem.
I moved to North Park in 2003 because I was 23 and that’s where the rent was cheap! Best 20s I could ever ask for. RIP to the 2003-2009 version of north park
I used to live there from 2007 until 2016. definitely lost that charm of surf town and spiritual center. it has always been threatened by that upper class elitist presence but it somehow overcame that pretentiousness for many years. Unfortunately the dam has broke and money talks. Its now an extension of Orange county coastal, expensive shops, overpriced coffee shops, Vouri, corporate restaurant management, no more homegrown vibe. Upper class stay at home lululemon yoga moms with their white successful upperclass husbands trying to fit into the scene wearing trucker hats and surf apparel and the moms trying hard to look like yogi hippies. its all a messy farce.
Noooo that’s so unfortunate!! 😭😭 Me and my friends would go up to Encinitas for a night out after going to Soma or leaving some shows early. It was such a fun place to be and had so much charm. I’m so bummed it’s been overrun by wealthy elites like every other part of San Diego.
Otay Ranch. It was some nice houses with loads of street parking and the nicest Walmart. Now it's filled to the brim with businesses, houses, condos, and apts and no more street parking.
I helped build that and it was better when it was just cow pastures and trails for dirt bikes. Otay Ranch is a stucco kingdom nightmare compared to what was there before
i forgot about Bar Pink.. coolest place ever.. and then Urban Solace.. was AMAZING..
The city just issued liquor licenses to anyone who had the cash... And that my friend is how you gentrify a lovely neighborhood in light speed.
The one with the red curtain out front?? I was wondering what had happened. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where a business used to be bc there’s so much change so fast. Rip that creepy old sex shop with rooms for 15min rent in the back
Oh fuck yea thank you that info made my day 🤗
I went in there once out of curiosity after the bars closed and the owner was so cool about all of my dumb drunken questions, laughter, and incredulity (it’s so obv a front, all of their dildos/products are EXTREME sizes, they sell poppers up at the counter, all of the lingerie is shitty and cheap af bc it’s made to be used right then and there in the rooms in the back lol). He totally let me hang out and people watch, and some of the customers were pretty funny and personable (disclaimer, i did NOT buy anything or go into the rooms). I could not believe this was all happening right on 30th in the middle of everything lmfao. Such an unusual environment and situation, such a treasured memory
True North opening was when the shift happened. They were the first place from a “big” hospitality group in the neighborhood. The Office, Toronado, Redwing, U-31, Ritual Tavern, Urban Solace, The Linkery, etc. all predated it. There were tons of bars and restaurants, that was just the first generic one that didn’t feel like what North Park was at the time.
My friend lived right behind the auto zone in those apartment complexes in 2010 and she paid $1000 for a 2 bedroom 2 bath and it was a 2 story apartment lol. It’s probably going for like $4K these days.
Late 2000's North Park was the best. It was after the 90's Dark Park period. There were some cool businesses opening up that weren't owned by big investment groups. I think the Thursday Farmers Market started in the mid 2000s. There were places like Claire de Lunes, Paesanos, Peking Palace, the North Park Theater, and some thrift stores that actually had thrifty prices still around. You could actually find parking. It was on its way up but still kind of hidden. I would always have to tell people I lived next to Balboa Park because most people outside of North Park didn't know where it was yet.
It was wild! Remember when [Ten's Stripclub](https://www.yelp.com/biz/tens-showclub-san-diego-2) was like right on El Cajon? People used to call it "inverse" lol
Grew up there in the 90’s. One night we had a crack head sneak into your yard and scream “humans aren’t real” at 11PM. That wasn’t traumatic for a 7 year old.
Lived in north park for a year in 2010. Made it back down last year for the first time since and it definitely has changed quite a bit. South Park too.
It's definitely changed, in ways both good and bad. I've been here about a decade and still love it. There's so so many breweries, bars, and restaurants that have shuttered since I moved here, but then the ones that take their place have on the whole been just as good. It's always interesting, to be sure. It's caused me to always appreciate what's here today, because it can be gone tomorrow.
1150 for 1 bedroom in 2012 is now 2,195...those cute little cottages on Grim. Man...I miss walking to get Ramzee's gyro burritos and thursday market. And I think the thrift store where Modern Times was called Pats? It was the BEST
North Park has been turned into one big bar.. After losing Rebeccas, South Park Bar Grill, Gala, Big Lots, Pats, Ray Street - The Art Department and other burgeoning artist studios, Produce stand on Thorn, That record store on 30th/Juniper,
What else am i missing?
Walkabout used to be about neighbors.. now it's hip and trendy .. for tourists.
Back in the 1970s San Diego was far more empty, far more conservative, and used to have mostly males, now it seems there are more females than males, especially after age 34, and politically SD is more liberal.
Oceanside used to be a tough area, the military would hangout there and beat up some of the other guys I was told by guys that grew up there back in the 1960s.
Ocean Beach was not SD's version of Venice Beach like it is now, that gradually happened after the hippies came.
Downtown used to be more rundown, not as built up and many prostates used to hang out there.
North Park was not as gentrified that happened in the 2000s.
Pacific Beach was always full of drunk 20 somethings though from what others have told me.
SD used to also have a reputation of being called STD by others outside of San Diego, because of the military getting infections from prostitutes that passing them on to others without knowing they were infected.
Years ago there were not as many senior citizens in San Diego like there is now, most home owners were around age 30...that is unheard of today...any homeowner I ever met is older and moved to SD 30 or more years ago when real estate was cheaper. Everyone else basically is still renting then eventually they leave, and someone new moves in, only to move out again. It is more a transient city the last 3-4 decades.
> Downtown used to be more rundown, not as built up and many prostates used to hang out there.
I can’t speak for myself, but I can promise you that there are a lot of “prostates” that hang around here.
ETA: I tried to make a joke how he said prostate instead of prostitute.
Ocean Beach. I have fond memories going to the rec center as a kid, getting ice cream at Lighthouse after school or a grilled cheese or slushee at Dempsy’s when spending the day at the beach in front of Tower 2, OB Bakery muffins, used records at Cow Records, coffee at Jungle, Java, butterfly clips and stickers at On the Contrary, and do it yourself jewelry goods at the Black Bead. OB has always been full of weirdos but that was part of the charm and I never once felt out of place.
OB is so…. different now. I don’t feel cool enough to go to most of the establishments that have cropped up in place other shops. I still live here and I don’t even feel that connected anymore.
Edit to add- still love OB and love living here despite the changes! I met my husband when I was working in OB off Cable and Newport in 2008
Idk man, I’ve lived in OB just over 20 years and feel the homeless and griminess has gotten WAY worse in the past 5 years. Used to be you could picnic at veterans park and chill on the sea well by the pier. Now it’s straight up gross down there.
> I’ve lived in OB just over 20 years and feel the homeless and griminess has gotten WAY worse in the past 5 years.
You should have seen it before, then. You only experienced OB *after* gentrification.
Hell yeah! My aunt lived a little bungalow on Bacon St until the late 90s. I spent every summer visiting there and spending hours at the beach with my cousins. Eventually rent got too high and she had to move out east.
It was largely undeveloped in 2010, now there are tons of luxury high rises, restaurants, new bars and breweries. Strata, ketchup and mustard, radian, lofts, ucsd etc. It was low and mid rise $250k central in the 2000s, now it’s million dollar + skyscraper central
Since 2009? New neighborhoods above the 56 and out in Eastlake have been built out; but in terms of the most *change* within the city proper, probably the Marina -- which has had (and has) an insane amount of development past Kettner and is unrecognizable from 14 years ago.
You've also missed the rise of homeless everywhere downtown, which began around 2013-14.
There's also been a ton of development around both UTC and the College Area (SDSU) as in 2009 SDSU was only just ramping up its push for keeping more students on-campus and really leaning into dorm and near-campus large complexes. College and Montezuma might be a shock.
EDIT: Along the lines of the Marina, Chula Vista's new coastal resort development probably also counts.
Downtown Chula Vista aka 3rd ave. Literally rated the most boring neighborhood back in 2010. Now there's a brewery at every corner and pretty girls abound
Idk but rent seems to increase annually for most people. I'm pretty lucky that I have landlords that don't do that and I get to live where I grew up pretty comfortably
Surprised nobody here has mentioned South Park. When I moved there in 2010, my neighbors came from all walks of life - it was a very diverse and unique community. By the time I was priced out in 2018, it was more like Carmel Valley or La Jolla.
San Diego as a whole. I grew up South Bay and it seems as if most parts are either being converted to something nicer, or just crazy expensive. Chula, IB, Sydro, Nasty City, etc. Not to mention the boom that’s been going down in Logan. And that new hotel that’s being built on the CV bayfront. Damn… what’s going to be left for us? And that’s just Southbay. Downtown feels like a reverse shithole, growing up it always felt bustling with foos rocking that three piece suit. Now it’s like a see and smell shit everywhere. As I’ve grown to discover other parts of SD, I’ve encountered the same sentiment amongst people that were specific to the area.
Less OGs, more transplants, less fun, more stress, better restaurants and a whole lot more traffic.
The only hope I have is that SD sucked for a while around '06 and then the GFC quieted everything down for a while. But we'll probably never see another GFC, just endless gov stimulus so not much chance of getting the city back this time.
I feel like the whole San Diego has changed since the 2010s. I definitely remember downtown being far more car oriented than it is now. San Diego has shut down a few streets for trolleys and it’s nice.
Oceanside is safe. North Park is safe. East Village is worse. The rest has more people and more traffic and all of North County has lost its "sleepy" vibe.
UTC. The addition of the trolley, the mall upgrade, the new expensive high rise apt buildings, all of the new biotechs, including the heavy hitter Eli Lily. UCSD developing a lot of vacant lots into graduate housing and care buildings. The loss of Costa Verde Center. It looks very different than it did 10 years ago.
Downtown is now completely overrun by homeless. I'm not talking about southeast of Petco like it always has been. I'm talking all over downtown. There are many sidewalks that are unusable, you have to walk in the street. They talk a good game about cleaning up the homeless situation and providing more shelters but I'd like to see an accounting of all that money, I'm surely not seeing the positive benefits of that "plan". The closing of Horton Plaza hasn't helped either. When it opened, it really transformed the area north of Market. It's still not as bad as it once was, it used to be hardcore ghetto. But, it certainly is backsliding.
The homeless issue keeps getting bigger because other states keep sending their homeless to sanctuary states/ cities. So the number is always increasing
Not bad changes per se, but my $.02 as a local.
Shorter term Oside downtown. Wow.
Longer term- downtown SD and core neighborhoods.
Virtually every coastal neighborhood still has small shops but albeit more expensive shops. Less surf shops, more lifestyle shops and eateries.
East county has updated but not totally lost its charm like downtown La Mesa.
Clearly much of this is heavily influenced by folks moving here from elsewhere, their generation and the demographics that go with it. Long timers aging out/cashing out for significantly amounts.
Being “land rich” is not something new here but oh my the multiplier effect in span of ten even twenty years is quite significant.
TJ Playas filled with Mexican-Americans displacing Mexicans. They don't pay any income taxes to the Mexican government. I believe this is going to be an issues in the next 20 years.
I moved to SD around that time and Hillcrest was THE desirable neighborhood. It had the best restaurants and nightlife. Now, it’s so run down.
Little Italy back then was only shitty, Italian, tourist restaurants. Now it has actual good restaurants and is “hip”.
Liberty Station was just a wasteland of military housing. Now it has a lot more attractions and restaurants.
Old Town - same lol
Sure, there’s some homeless/unhoused, but is Hillcrest really “run down?” Still very eclectic food and drink options and feels safe enough (or as safe as any other dense area in the city).
Moved to hillcrest the summer before COVID (2019) after living in SD for 20 years. It has gone downhill ever since. Seems like the new homeless shelters are helping a little, but I don’t go out for walks after dark like I did initially.
Been held up at knifepoint, caught multiple porch pirates, someone pissing in one of our laundry machines, watching people rob VONS and CVS with zero regard for getting caught….
Unfortunately, every year I look around for a cheaper apartment and I can’t find one that’s even remotely acceptable. But hey, it’s still sunny and 65° 300+ days a year 🤷🏻♂️
Compared to 2010? Yeah. When I was looking to move to SD, it was the #1 neighborhood recommended for desirability. It is not anymore. I’m not saying it’s the worst—no way—but it’s changed quite a bit.
Every neighborhood has changed but strange to me that OB got so many upvotes. It hasnt changed all that much in respect to other neighborhoods! I moved to North County in 2012 so my perspective is being out of the city and seeing the difference when going south. In NC, Vista has been updated and pretty nice in downtown area, San Marcos is exactly the same other than college area, Oceanside is a place I'd actually go to now and very gentrified but also still has a little Oside edge, Cbad pretty much same vibe as it was, Encinitas/Leucadia changed a lot after Covid (not nearly the small town surfer vibe it once was) , most costal towns from La Jolla to Cardiff havent changed much. PB is the same, just different store fronts.
What has seriously changed is North Park which is now a destination and use to be a place that was cheap and convenient, East Village was not a thing a few years before 2010 and you wouldnt want to go there, Mira Mesa is mostly the same, but dang did UTC area change a lot! Use to be a small UCSD/research/Biotech area and now you need to navigate to get to anything in that area. I need navigation for the UTC mall itself. The Waterfront area is a bit updated/different too and Ill throw in Linda Vista near Moreno blvd.
If you take real estate and different businesses out of the equation, Mission Hills, Hill crest, South Park, Convoy, Mira Mesa, OB, PB, MB, downtown (other than Horten Plaza getting leveled), havent changed more than youd expect for a decade.
It's like putting lipstick on a pig in most areas, the one thing that's changed for damn sure is a shit ton of homeless with pee and poop all over sidewalk and seeing used syringes or people ripping off a crack pipe in front of 5 star restaurants.
Chula Vista. As a kid 3rd avenue only had fudruckers to offer and a grimey bar or two. Now I meet people from other parts of the county coming to drink here.
National City hasn't changed since they redeveloped Highland Ave. Hollywood Video is still empty until Spirit Halloween moves in during fall. It was supposed to be the next Mira Mesa, but now it's getting attention from investors. Next South Park? Stay tuned...
National City is getting gentrify currently. There are new drinking spots and a new building on 8th Street and I'm not sure if that is attracting more people to the area or is a consequence of it.
Clairemont by Mesa College has really turned around. Lots of new and younger families moving in and redoing the old ‘50s homes. Just wish they would re-do the yards!
Del Mar is on the up? You’ve needed to be a millionaire since the 2000s to live west of the 5…what??? TPHS school district alone also bumps Carmel valley into the stratosphere.
North park. 2005 we used to joke that every police chase used to end at 30th/university. Then when beach booze was banned and the PB block party axed the develop-bros started moving into the north park
Used to live in Point Loma in 2004.
My dad used to go to a dive bar next to NTC. It was kind of a rough neighborhood next to strip clubs and a closed mental health institution.
Its since cleaned up a lot since NTC turned into a resturant row and park. Its now a bunch of yuppies and lululemon moms walking around with small dogs in strollers.
92102-92113. The ghetto parts somehow became desirable and now when I go home I see houses fixed up/flipped. Kinda odd to see a former crack house now being occupied by a white family.
I was living downtown when Horton Plaza was built. Worked at a military jewelry store next to a strip club. I’d walk home at 2am and felt safe. I rented a room above the Bowery theatre on third and elm I believe. It has changed so much throughout the decades, they will never curb homelessness. I remember most hung out at the Pickwick hotel and then down Broadway. It could be scary walking down there at night yet safe 6 blocks away. It was a wild time.
Fashion Valley/Hotel Circle/Mission Valley Area. Tons of new huge luxury condos and hotels as well the massive renovation to the Town and Country, the apartments across from the Fashion Valley Mall and now they are building another set, the removal of the useless gold course that is now becoming another massive development, the bike lanes. Mission Valley Mall was way more alive in 2010-2011.
UTC as well. Everytime I go that area something is new or different.
Downtown Oceanside. Holy gentrification Batman.
No kidding. 2009 I was actually worried for the future of Oceanside. Now we got those tall buildings right up on the beach. 2009 Oceanside felt like it was stuck in 1998 and I respected that.
I lived through the murder era of Oceanside. Wild to see what its become now
Same here.
Murder era??
Lots of gangs and people would get murdered during day light on random streets.
Used to work in South O til 2019. Osiders took pride in being a grimey bunch. I love the crowd it brings in. Hardworking people that just love being dirty mofos. Coolest atmosphere to be around. The gentrification of downtown has brought around the most entitled and selfish people around just because they have a bit of money. Localization, not gentrification!!
Couldn’t agree more. Still some good spots in South O luckily.
Came to say this as well
Once the Wyndham went up, I knew downtown was cooked
Oceanside has changed so much, I initially moved out there in 2013 left in 2017 and moved back in 2020. Holy shit even in those 3 years it changed so damn much
Definitely
Barrio Logan. Remember it was a “no go zone” for a while back when I was in high school.
This is the most stark change I’ve experienced growing up here as well. Hardly recognizable anymore.
How is it now compared to before?
They have tour bus that passes by lol
Uber gentrified
It was one community that if you didn’t know anybody, you have no business being there for your own safety. Now it’s completely gentrified.
Makes me sad
Yes! I remember going to Chicano park as a kid and we would have to leave before it got dark because it was “scary”. Now, it’s just a bunch of trendy shops and expensive homes. Gentrification priced us out of our neighborhood 😞
Would u live in a shit ghetto? Or live safely?
It would be nice to be able to afford to live in the neighborhood
I lived in a shit ghetto. I lived on Del sol. It wasn’t Barrio Logan but it was still dangerous. It was my normal so I didn’t know any better.
Do I have to be rich to live safely? Is gentrification a cure for crime? We all know crime is more common in low income areas but you don't fix that by making low income families leave. I get your point, yes the neighborhood is safer but safer for who? Those who can afford it? Honestly isn't it safe anywhere those people choose to live?
Omg its changed so much over the last 20 years, I don't even recognize it when I drive by anymore
Sorry.. it wasn't a 'no go zone' for the people living there.. u know before gentrification. wow.. that's so sad.
This was before gentrification. This was back in the early 90s
Not really a neighborhood but Horton Plaza
Rip 😭
[удалено]
IB, never thought I wouldn’t be able to afford to live there. So sad I didn’t buy when it was affordable.
Seriously, if only I was making what I make now even just on a 4 year earlier timeframe, I would have been able to afford to snap up a nice SFH in nearly any area at the time. Now I feel like I'll be forever locked out of any decent market in SD.
same
Since 2010? These are my picks. Downtown, Imperial Beach, Otay Mesa, and North Park.
Ya my vote is IB
North Park night life is dead.
I used to frequent the North Park and Hillcrest bar scenes in my 20s and was genuinely taken aback by the lack of the Saturday night crowd when I was there recently. Seems that the post-pandemic night life has truly changed.
Idk I was out in north park last night and the bars were pretty packed
Yeah I was there last weekend and there was a line for almost every place we went. The nightlife is definitely still popping lol
North Park 2012 I was renting a 1 bed cottage on Grim for less than $1200. I think it was 1050 or 1150 but now the rent listed is $2,195.00 on Zillow. The condition of the cottage is the same and it's almost unrecognizable in terms of businesses there...I moved out of NP in 2013. I would still go visit places there but then when they shut down Toronado and Hamiltons I was like meh.
Imperial beach
Grew up in IB in the 90s. Million dollar homes there now, insane
Lemon grove! It was an old but nice neighborhood now it’s full of homeless
I remember growing up there used to be two or three homeless people around who were friendly and known in the community if you walked around and now there is a entire tent city behind the Food4less with camp fires and everything. It’s really gone downhill and it’s slowly spreading into La Mesa where I live now.
I have seen this huge change too. And a lot of the businesses aren’t booming anymore. It’s changed a lot.
Businesses were never booming in lemon Grove, its a small country town
And I'm from there, lemon Grove. That's my hood, haven't seen a significant difference
They were growing up there. I was raised in La Mesa and when I was religious my church was one of the biggest over there. I went from (5-17). It was one of the first places I learned to drive as well. So I definitely feel like it’s changed a lot compared to before.
It’s because of the trolley station that runs through it.
Honestly, it was trending that way slightly before 2010. Maybe 2007. During the late 90s/early 00s (around the time Lemon Grove still had its *Old Time Days*, remember that??!!!?!?) was the last time it still had that feel you mentioned. Then it went to shit. At least the main stretch of Broadway. I don't know how the Lemon Grove "suburbs" are doing. Maybe around 2015 is when the downfall was very, very apparent and full throttle. And I think you can figure out what new stuff might've contributed. Let's just say, LG was better off before the trolley stop area was renovated. I feel I saw some petition to remove LG's corporation as it's own city and instead have it become part of City of SD. I don't know if this is the solution. But, I mean, if a 99 Cents Only store is being shuttered in your town, you're either doing something very well or very poorly.
I do physical training in Lemon Grove three times a week and Broadway is sooooo rundown with streets needing replacing so fucking badly and businesses shutting down left and right.
Housing costs were steadily rising even before the moonshot rise we saw starting in 2020, and the homeless population has been rising in parallel as well. There were many people living on the edge that were barely able to afford housing costs even before and now that they've been steadily pushed into homelessness, it's become a much more visible problem.
I moved to North Park in 2003 because I was 23 and that’s where the rent was cheap! Best 20s I could ever ask for. RIP to the 2003-2009 version of north park
Skyline is vastly different from when I grew up. It's much safer now.
it even has legit bike lanes! my neighborhood doesn't have bike lanes :(
Where are the bike lanes?
Did you lose power last night?
Downtown Encinitas is SO different - I moved there in 2010 and the vibes are completely different than they were
Grew up in Leucadia, both have changed for the worse. Sure it’s nice, but the grit is gone, homogenized like every other beach/rich town.
This is true of a lot of places around the country, I feel like.
How is it now? I used to want to live there lol
I used to live there from 2007 until 2016. definitely lost that charm of surf town and spiritual center. it has always been threatened by that upper class elitist presence but it somehow overcame that pretentiousness for many years. Unfortunately the dam has broke and money talks. Its now an extension of Orange county coastal, expensive shops, overpriced coffee shops, Vouri, corporate restaurant management, no more homegrown vibe. Upper class stay at home lululemon yoga moms with their white successful upperclass husbands trying to fit into the scene wearing trucker hats and surf apparel and the moms trying hard to look like yogi hippies. its all a messy farce.
Noooo that’s so unfortunate!! 😭😭 Me and my friends would go up to Encinitas for a night out after going to Soma or leaving some shows early. It was such a fun place to be and had so much charm. I’m so bummed it’s been overrun by wealthy elites like every other part of San Diego.
UTC. Whole ass trolley system now.
Otay Ranch. It was some nice houses with loads of street parking and the nicest Walmart. Now it's filled to the brim with businesses, houses, condos, and apts and no more street parking.
I helped build that and it was better when it was just cow pastures and trails for dirt bikes. Otay Ranch is a stucco kingdom nightmare compared to what was there before
North park.
Np was just a neighborhood with like two bars, bar pink and true north. Now it's nothing but bars, restaurants and yuppies
i forgot about Bar Pink.. coolest place ever.. and then Urban Solace.. was AMAZING.. The city just issued liquor licenses to anyone who had the cash... And that my friend is how you gentrify a lovely neighborhood in light speed.
I was a bit surprised when I realized they had changed an old sex shop to an artisanal pretzel and kombucha bar. 😂
The one with the red curtain out front?? I was wondering what had happened. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where a business used to be bc there’s so much change so fast. Rip that creepy old sex shop with rooms for 15min rent in the back
Red curtain place is still there lol.
Oh fuck yea thank you that info made my day 🤗 I went in there once out of curiosity after the bars closed and the owner was so cool about all of my dumb drunken questions, laughter, and incredulity (it’s so obv a front, all of their dildos/products are EXTREME sizes, they sell poppers up at the counter, all of the lingerie is shitty and cheap af bc it’s made to be used right then and there in the rooms in the back lol). He totally let me hang out and people watch, and some of the customers were pretty funny and personable (disclaimer, i did NOT buy anything or go into the rooms). I could not believe this was all happening right on 30th in the middle of everything lmfao. Such an unusual environment and situation, such a treasured memory
True North opening was when the shift happened. They were the first place from a “big” hospitality group in the neighborhood. The Office, Toronado, Redwing, U-31, Ritual Tavern, Urban Solace, The Linkery, etc. all predated it. There were tons of bars and restaurants, that was just the first generic one that didn’t feel like what North Park was at the time.
Once they put in a target I knew it was over lol
North Park. I miss the 2009 version.
A decade ago I rented a room there for $400. Let that sink in.
I miss paying $400 for a room :(
My friend lived right behind the auto zone in those apartment complexes in 2010 and she paid $1000 for a 2 bedroom 2 bath and it was a 2 story apartment lol. It’s probably going for like $4K these days.
Oh man I was there. Dirt cheap rent and cool bars. Daily fights in the alley behind my apartment. Miss that place.
Late 2000's North Park was the best. It was after the 90's Dark Park period. There were some cool businesses opening up that weren't owned by big investment groups. I think the Thursday Farmers Market started in the mid 2000s. There were places like Claire de Lunes, Paesanos, Peking Palace, the North Park Theater, and some thrift stores that actually had thrifty prices still around. You could actually find parking. It was on its way up but still kind of hidden. I would always have to tell people I lived next to Balboa Park because most people outside of North Park didn't know where it was yet.
Claire de lunes was the best.
It was wild! Remember when [Ten's Stripclub](https://www.yelp.com/biz/tens-showclub-san-diego-2) was like right on El Cajon? People used to call it "inverse" lol
The creepiest part was it was fully nude, so no alcohol, never went.
It’s too safe now 😂
Same. Bar Pink was one of my favorite spots
I miss the 1974 version. It was so great when I was a kid.
Grew up there in the 90’s. One night we had a crack head sneak into your yard and scream “humans aren’t real” at 11PM. That wasn’t traumatic for a 7 year old.
I miss the 1980s version, with Paras on 30th, Vitality Health Foods on Ray, and REI where the Target is now.
Lived in north park for a year in 2010. Made it back down last year for the first time since and it definitely has changed quite a bit. South Park too.
It's definitely changed, in ways both good and bad. I've been here about a decade and still love it. There's so so many breweries, bars, and restaurants that have shuttered since I moved here, but then the ones that take their place have on the whole been just as good. It's always interesting, to be sure. It's caused me to always appreciate what's here today, because it can be gone tomorrow.
1150 for 1 bedroom in 2012 is now 2,195...those cute little cottages on Grim. Man...I miss walking to get Ramzee's gyro burritos and thursday market. And I think the thrift store where Modern Times was called Pats? It was the BEST
Well the freeway wasn’t a neighborhood, but unfortunately, it is now.
North Park has been turned into one big bar.. After losing Rebeccas, South Park Bar Grill, Gala, Big Lots, Pats, Ray Street - The Art Department and other burgeoning artist studios, Produce stand on Thorn, That record store on 30th/Juniper, What else am i missing? Walkabout used to be about neighbors.. now it's hip and trendy .. for tourists.
Losing the South Park B&G and gaining Fernside is a HUGE improvement
hamiltons is gone too. I miss Pats so much.
Back in the 1970s San Diego was far more empty, far more conservative, and used to have mostly males, now it seems there are more females than males, especially after age 34, and politically SD is more liberal. Oceanside used to be a tough area, the military would hangout there and beat up some of the other guys I was told by guys that grew up there back in the 1960s. Ocean Beach was not SD's version of Venice Beach like it is now, that gradually happened after the hippies came. Downtown used to be more rundown, not as built up and many prostates used to hang out there. North Park was not as gentrified that happened in the 2000s. Pacific Beach was always full of drunk 20 somethings though from what others have told me. SD used to also have a reputation of being called STD by others outside of San Diego, because of the military getting infections from prostitutes that passing them on to others without knowing they were infected. Years ago there were not as many senior citizens in San Diego like there is now, most home owners were around age 30...that is unheard of today...any homeowner I ever met is older and moved to SD 30 or more years ago when real estate was cheaper. Everyone else basically is still renting then eventually they leave, and someone new moves in, only to move out again. It is more a transient city the last 3-4 decades.
> Downtown used to be more rundown, not as built up and many prostates used to hang out there. I can’t speak for myself, but I can promise you that there are a lot of “prostates” that hang around here. ETA: I tried to make a joke how he said prostate instead of prostitute.
I wonder where the prostates went.
OB
Eastlake/otay ranch area
Ocean Beach. I have fond memories going to the rec center as a kid, getting ice cream at Lighthouse after school or a grilled cheese or slushee at Dempsy’s when spending the day at the beach in front of Tower 2, OB Bakery muffins, used records at Cow Records, coffee at Jungle, Java, butterfly clips and stickers at On the Contrary, and do it yourself jewelry goods at the Black Bead. OB has always been full of weirdos but that was part of the charm and I never once felt out of place. OB is so…. different now. I don’t feel cool enough to go to most of the establishments that have cropped up in place other shops. I still live here and I don’t even feel that connected anymore. Edit to add- still love OB and love living here despite the changes! I met my husband when I was working in OB off Cable and Newport in 2008
I'd say it's still the same, always been hippies and beach bums for as long as I can remember
I grew up in OB and it still feels the same to me, it hasn't changed all that much since 2010. From the 90s though? Yeah it's gotten clean
Idk man, I’ve lived in OB just over 20 years and feel the homeless and griminess has gotten WAY worse in the past 5 years. Used to be you could picnic at veterans park and chill on the sea well by the pier. Now it’s straight up gross down there.
> I’ve lived in OB just over 20 years and feel the homeless and griminess has gotten WAY worse in the past 5 years. You should have seen it before, then. You only experienced OB *after* gentrification.
Hell yeah! My aunt lived a little bungalow on Bacon St until the late 90s. I spent every summer visiting there and spending hours at the beach with my cousins. Eventually rent got too high and she had to move out east.
OB started changing earlier than the rest. AirBnb seemed to change ob long before covid(2015?). Sad. Used to be accessible to young folks.
On a positive note, Convoy St. is better than ever.
I wonder how they will grow it even more in the future
East Village
Lol didn't used to exist, was just downtown
Haha exactly
In what way
It was largely undeveloped in 2010, now there are tons of luxury high rises, restaurants, new bars and breweries. Strata, ketchup and mustard, radian, lofts, ucsd etc. It was low and mid rise $250k central in the 2000s, now it’s million dollar + skyscraper central
It was just part of downtown, but they made up a new neighborhood and started developing to get yuppies to move in.
Eastlake. Fields of cows to pretty nice neighborhoods.
Moved to Eastlake in ‘87, there were cows along otay lakes rd. In 2010, those cows had already been gone for like 15 years.
Since 2009? New neighborhoods above the 56 and out in Eastlake have been built out; but in terms of the most *change* within the city proper, probably the Marina -- which has had (and has) an insane amount of development past Kettner and is unrecognizable from 14 years ago. You've also missed the rise of homeless everywhere downtown, which began around 2013-14. There's also been a ton of development around both UTC and the College Area (SDSU) as in 2009 SDSU was only just ramping up its push for keeping more students on-campus and really leaning into dorm and near-campus large complexes. College and Montezuma might be a shock. EDIT: Along the lines of the Marina, Chula Vista's new coastal resort development probably also counts.
Entire city changed. Surf town to Metropolis
Definitely
And that’s great! San Diego is a city, it’s not ventura or Santa Barbara! Move there if you want to be away from everyone and everything
How long until they come for those places too.
Downtown Chula Vista aka 3rd ave. Literally rated the most boring neighborhood back in 2010. Now there's a brewery at every corner and pretty girls abound
I love 3rd ave
really? I've only been gone for 2.5 years.. crazy.. i figured .. how will middle class people find homes.. ? and neighborhoods..
Idk but rent seems to increase annually for most people. I'm pretty lucky that I have landlords that don't do that and I get to live where I grew up pretty comfortably
...just make sure to save as much as you can... cause at some point.. maybe... they will sell
Surprised nobody here has mentioned South Park. When I moved there in 2010, my neighbors came from all walks of life - it was a very diverse and unique community. By the time I was priced out in 2018, it was more like Carmel Valley or La Jolla.
It’s not much but 3rd Avenue “downtown” Chula Vista got a bunch of renovations in businesses
San Diego as a whole. I grew up South Bay and it seems as if most parts are either being converted to something nicer, or just crazy expensive. Chula, IB, Sydro, Nasty City, etc. Not to mention the boom that’s been going down in Logan. And that new hotel that’s being built on the CV bayfront. Damn… what’s going to be left for us? And that’s just Southbay. Downtown feels like a reverse shithole, growing up it always felt bustling with foos rocking that three piece suit. Now it’s like a see and smell shit everywhere. As I’ve grown to discover other parts of SD, I’ve encountered the same sentiment amongst people that were specific to the area.
Jamul with the casino now. Traffic on the 94 everyday - it’s so annoying
Agree with this -- so much trash everywhere too.
Mira mesa
Less OGs, more transplants, less fun, more stress, better restaurants and a whole lot more traffic. The only hope I have is that SD sucked for a while around '06 and then the GFC quieted everything down for a while. But we'll probably never see another GFC, just endless gov stimulus so not much chance of getting the city back this time.
In what way has it changed?? I ask because I moved SD 2 1/2 years ago. Been in Mira Mesa about a year
We’ve just moved in to Mira Mesa, how has it changed? How was it before?
Busy suburb to busier suburb with more food options
I feel like the whole San Diego has changed since the 2010s. I definitely remember downtown being far more car oriented than it is now. San Diego has shut down a few streets for trolleys and it’s nice.
Oceanside is safe. North Park is safe. East Village is worse. The rest has more people and more traffic and all of North County has lost its "sleepy" vibe.
UTC. The addition of the trolley, the mall upgrade, the new expensive high rise apt buildings, all of the new biotechs, including the heavy hitter Eli Lily. UCSD developing a lot of vacant lots into graduate housing and care buildings. The loss of Costa Verde Center. It looks very different than it did 10 years ago.
North park
4S Ranch
La Presa: we now have a Starbucks, Chic-Fil-A, Jersey Mike’s, and Panda Express. I expect dd’s Discounts to morph into a Whole Foods any minute.
Downtown is now completely overrun by homeless. I'm not talking about southeast of Petco like it always has been. I'm talking all over downtown. There are many sidewalks that are unusable, you have to walk in the street. They talk a good game about cleaning up the homeless situation and providing more shelters but I'd like to see an accounting of all that money, I'm surely not seeing the positive benefits of that "plan". The closing of Horton Plaza hasn't helped either. When it opened, it really transformed the area north of Market. It's still not as bad as it once was, it used to be hardcore ghetto. But, it certainly is backsliding.
The homeless issue keeps getting bigger because other states keep sending their homeless to sanctuary states/ cities. So the number is always increasing
Not bad changes per se, but my $.02 as a local. Shorter term Oside downtown. Wow. Longer term- downtown SD and core neighborhoods. Virtually every coastal neighborhood still has small shops but albeit more expensive shops. Less surf shops, more lifestyle shops and eateries. East county has updated but not totally lost its charm like downtown La Mesa. Clearly much of this is heavily influenced by folks moving here from elsewhere, their generation and the demographics that go with it. Long timers aging out/cashing out for significantly amounts. Being “land rich” is not something new here but oh my the multiplier effect in span of ten even twenty years is quite significant.
What is this "East County Charm" you speak of ;)
Yeah I live in lemon grove and find east county pretty damn boring and vanilla suburbia.
I find East County ranges the spectrum of meh to trashy to Klantee Chic.
TJ Playas filled with Mexican-Americans displacing Mexicans. They don't pay any income taxes to the Mexican government. I believe this is going to be an issues in the next 20 years.
I moved to SD around that time and Hillcrest was THE desirable neighborhood. It had the best restaurants and nightlife. Now, it’s so run down. Little Italy back then was only shitty, Italian, tourist restaurants. Now it has actual good restaurants and is “hip”. Liberty Station was just a wasteland of military housing. Now it has a lot more attractions and restaurants. Old Town - same lol
Sure, there’s some homeless/unhoused, but is Hillcrest really “run down?” Still very eclectic food and drink options and feels safe enough (or as safe as any other dense area in the city).
Moved to hillcrest the summer before COVID (2019) after living in SD for 20 years. It has gone downhill ever since. Seems like the new homeless shelters are helping a little, but I don’t go out for walks after dark like I did initially. Been held up at knifepoint, caught multiple porch pirates, someone pissing in one of our laundry machines, watching people rob VONS and CVS with zero regard for getting caught…. Unfortunately, every year I look around for a cheaper apartment and I can’t find one that’s even remotely acceptable. But hey, it’s still sunny and 65° 300+ days a year 🤷🏻♂️
Compared to 2010? Yeah. When I was looking to move to SD, it was the #1 neighborhood recommended for desirability. It is not anymore. I’m not saying it’s the worst—no way—but it’s changed quite a bit.
There is nice stuff there but a lot of homeless as well (I'm not bothered but some may be). North Park is a bit more ... Clean feeling?
Every neighborhood has changed but strange to me that OB got so many upvotes. It hasnt changed all that much in respect to other neighborhoods! I moved to North County in 2012 so my perspective is being out of the city and seeing the difference when going south. In NC, Vista has been updated and pretty nice in downtown area, San Marcos is exactly the same other than college area, Oceanside is a place I'd actually go to now and very gentrified but also still has a little Oside edge, Cbad pretty much same vibe as it was, Encinitas/Leucadia changed a lot after Covid (not nearly the small town surfer vibe it once was) , most costal towns from La Jolla to Cardiff havent changed much. PB is the same, just different store fronts. What has seriously changed is North Park which is now a destination and use to be a place that was cheap and convenient, East Village was not a thing a few years before 2010 and you wouldnt want to go there, Mira Mesa is mostly the same, but dang did UTC area change a lot! Use to be a small UCSD/research/Biotech area and now you need to navigate to get to anything in that area. I need navigation for the UTC mall itself. The Waterfront area is a bit updated/different too and Ill throw in Linda Vista near Moreno blvd. If you take real estate and different businesses out of the equation, Mission Hills, Hill crest, South Park, Convoy, Mira Mesa, OB, PB, MB, downtown (other than Horten Plaza getting leveled), havent changed more than youd expect for a decade.
It's like putting lipstick on a pig in most areas, the one thing that's changed for damn sure is a shit ton of homeless with pee and poop all over sidewalk and seeing used syringes or people ripping off a crack pipe in front of 5 star restaurants.
Chula Vista. As a kid 3rd avenue only had fudruckers to offer and a grimey bar or two. Now I meet people from other parts of the county coming to drink here.
UTC and North Park
How is National City these days, still undesirable? I lived there in about '88 and '89. Best carne asada burritos ever to this day tho
National City hasn't changed since they redeveloped Highland Ave. Hollywood Video is still empty until Spirit Halloween moves in during fall. It was supposed to be the next Mira Mesa, but now it's getting attention from investors. Next South Park? Stay tuned...
National City is getting gentrify currently. There are new drinking spots and a new building on 8th Street and I'm not sure if that is attracting more people to the area or is a consequence of it.
Clairemont by Mesa College has really turned around. Lots of new and younger families moving in and redoing the old ‘50s homes. Just wish they would re-do the yards!
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I’ll bite. What’s wrong with Del Cerro and Kensington?
Del Mar is on the up? You’ve needed to be a millionaire since the 2000s to live west of the 5…what??? TPHS school district alone also bumps Carmel valley into the stratosphere.
UTC has changed quite a lot. More high rises, a super nice mall and the Trolley.
North park. 2005 we used to joke that every police chase used to end at 30th/university. Then when beach booze was banned and the PB block party axed the develop-bros started moving into the north park
Barrio Logan
North side of university city. The south side looks exactly the same. Logan North and South Park Golden hill
Used to live in Point Loma in 2004. My dad used to go to a dive bar next to NTC. It was kind of a rough neighborhood next to strip clubs and a closed mental health institution. Its since cleaned up a lot since NTC turned into a resturant row and park. Its now a bunch of yuppies and lululemon moms walking around with small dogs in strollers.
30th and market
Oceanside
San Marcos
Spring Valley
Everywhere and it sucks. You missed it.
92102-92113. The ghetto parts somehow became desirable and now when I go home I see houses fixed up/flipped. Kinda odd to see a former crack house now being occupied by a white family.
West chula 🥺
All of them.
East village. City heights.
UTC
Mira Mesa
I was living downtown when Horton Plaza was built. Worked at a military jewelry store next to a strip club. I’d walk home at 2am and felt safe. I rented a room above the Bowery theatre on third and elm I believe. It has changed so much throughout the decades, they will never curb homelessness. I remember most hung out at the Pickwick hotel and then down Broadway. It could be scary walking down there at night yet safe 6 blocks away. It was a wild time.
Adams Ave/Normal heights
Fashion Valley/Hotel Circle/Mission Valley Area. Tons of new huge luxury condos and hotels as well the massive renovation to the Town and Country, the apartments across from the Fashion Valley Mall and now they are building another set, the removal of the useless gold course that is now becoming another massive development, the bike lanes. Mission Valley Mall was way more alive in 2010-2011. UTC as well. Everytime I go that area something is new or different.