what don't you like out of San Diego? I thought that place would be ideal living due to weather, beach, scenic hikes through mountains, etc

Lol well, let me explain, I don't like sunny weather, or the beach, or the mountains. I've always wanted to live in a place where there are 4 seasons (especially a snowy winter)

The mountains here really add to the housing problem, the ones I live near are all desert except for the rich people who live in their mansions at the top. Not really a good view to say the least, unless I want to drive in congested traffic.

I am lucky that I have an good amount above market pay job, so that is good, but if I lose this one, then it's back to competing for $40K-60K jobs. Since the job market here is extremely bad for being a city. I think I read that San Diego now has the highest COL than any city in the country (even more than SF due to wages being rock bottom over here)

Also the other problem is that rent is $3,000.

Rent will always be increasing without a doubt because too many people move here for the reasons you specified. Hell even some dude moved to Temecula and said it was beautiful beach weather since he is deluded. So idiots like that are also increasing rent in locations almost 2 hours away from San Diego. Apartments over there are around $2,200. That's how much I pay now due to rent control.

The wages here have not moved at since I was a kid. For example, my FIL was making $60K in the 80s and thought rent was too high then. Imagine now lol.

I have enough money to buy a modest home in cash in some states, but here in California? I can afford a crack house in the desert.

I have always lived in an apartment my entire life, and I do not want to continue that especially in the desert.

I want to move somewhere where I own a house, live near a decent economy, can carry, and a have big backyard for my family to hang out. Also greenery would be nice.

It's like this one dude I know, he mortgaged a house but he lives so far from society, what's the point? He has to commute 2 hours one way just to work (so 4 hours total per day) most likely longer now that post-covid has made traffic worse than before. No thanks Jeff

Also want to add that gentrification works a little different in the barrio. You have 5 grown adults living in a 2 bedroom apartment all paying $600.

Or it's easier to pull shenanigans with a house, and there are parking lots here with almost 10 cars. Poor people living here at any cost rather than leave, so it only gets more and more congested, the higher the costs become and no one leaves lol

Eh, its not that bad, you just actually have to put in the work. All my humanities majors friends just farted around and did the bare minimum and a couple STILL dropped out. I got my BS in Biochemistry and I'm not the sharpest when it comes to Gen Chem ( o-chem is easier b/c there's not as much math, and biology courses saved my GPA because it's mostly memorization) I wish I stopped to realize this as a freshmen, but college classes are intentionally made for you to succeed You start with an A in the class and it only drops from there when you miss assignments/bomb exams.