Where is California’s cheapest place to live?

“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market.The pain: The cheapest place to live in California – the Central Valley’s Hanford – is still more expensive than 295 metropolitan areas across the US.The source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed the annual “price
Read MoreHome flipping profits in San Diego cool with some of the lowest returns on investment in U.S.

The number of homes fixed and flipped in San Diego is down from a peak two years ago, and profits are hard to come by.There were 554 homes flipped in the third quarter in San Diego County, said Attom Data Solutions, down from more than double that two years ago. The report from Attom, an Irvine-base
Read MoreIn City Heights, a Tutoring Org Changes Refugee Lives

It’s Tuesday evening at Ibarra Elementary School in City Heights. But instead of the campus falling quiet as the sky darkens outside, kids are bouncing into classrooms. Some 75 neighborhood students are sitting down with volunteers from throughout the county for 90 minutes of one-on-one English and
Read MoreWhere to Get Gluten-Free Pastries in San Diego

Leaving the house is hard—so, obviously, I have to reward myself with a sweet snack whenever I do it. But, recently, I ran into a problem: My stomach couldn’t handle gluten for a while, making it difficult to pick up a donut or cookie with my coffee while running errands. And, when the sugar craving
Read MoreSan Diego FC’s First-Ever Jerseys are Here

Here. We. Go. This only happens once.The first-ever San Diego FC uniforms are here. Welcome to the unveiling.This is a moment in San Diego sports, and another big step as the club prepares for its debut in Major League Soccer’s 2025 season. Partnering with Adidas, the team’s new kit is minimalist in
Read MoreFarmers Insurance promises to write more California home insurance policies ahead of planned reforms

Farmers Insurance plans to start writing more home insurance policies in California ahead of regulatory reforms set for next year, the state’s second-largest homeowners insurance provider announced Wednesday.In 2023, Farmers capped the number of new homeowner insurance customers it accepted at 7,000
Read More3 San Diego Hikes to Wow Your Out-of-Town Guests

It’s the time of year when friends and relatives descend on San Diego from across the country. While the rest of the US sees cold, snow, rain, and freezing temperatures around December and January, our city usually has sunny days and perfect hiking weather in the 60s and low 70s. Plus, our hiking tr
Read MorePort buys Coronado Cays lease for $3M, kills controversial RV resort project

The unwanted RV resort that appeared destined to replace a boat storage yard on 7 acres of waterfront property in exclusive Coronado Cays is no more.Tuesday, the Board of Port Commissioners for the San Diego Unified Port District voted unanimously to approve a lease termination agreement with port t
Read MoreChicago company buys Vista apartments for $185M in one of the year’s biggest sales

A Chicago investment firm has bought a Vista apartment complex for $185 million in the second-largest deal of the year in the county.Mesirow Financial, a privately held financial services outfit, paid $451,220 per unit for the Preserve at Melrose Apartments — a deal real estate tracker CoStar said s
Read MoreCalifornia home-repair costs jump 40% in 5 years

“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market.The pain: California’s home-repair inflation rate has more than doubled during the past five years.The source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed the California slice of the Verisk Remodel Index. These insurance ind
Read MoreBalboa Park’s Botanical Building reopens after $26.5M restoration

San Diego’s 109-year-old Botanical Building, a popular landmark in the heart of Balboa Park, will reopen to the public Friday afternoon for the first time in nearly three years after being almost entirely reconstructed according to historic standards.The debut of the painstakingly restored park attr
Read MoreUnhinged, A Dating Series: From the Archives

I’ve been digging through San Diego Magazine’s archives recently, working to understand what dating has looked like over the past 76 years of the mag’s existence. As I browsed, I came across an article in the February 2016 issue featuring a byline I recognized: Kai Oliver-Kurtin. The SD local has be
Read MoreMeet San Diego’s Renowned Pet Detective, Babs Fry

Babs Fry is on a mission.It’s 74 degrees out, the sun is shining, and the 54-year-old is pushing through bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 8 freeway at 5 o’clock on a Tuesday evening. But she’s not going to Ocean Beach for a last minute dip. No, she’s headed in the opposite direction—to an overgrown s
Read MoreSan Diego home sales pick up; single-family home price nears $1 million

San Diego County home sales picked up in October as mortgage rates dropped to their lowest level of the year.There were 2,372 home sales in October, a 19% jump from September, CoreLogic said. The median home price was $879,000, down $1,000 from the previous month but still up 7% in a year.September
Read MoreSan Diego abandons plan for new City Hall

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has abandoned his ambitious plan to offer the city’s downtown real estate for redevelopment as part of an effort to secure a new City Hall facility for government workers.The decision, announced Wednesday as part of package of potential emergency budget cuts, comes after
Read MoreBest Restaurants and Best of San Diego 2025 Marketing Toolkit

You’ve served us mouthwatering meals, styled our hair to perfection, or helped us crush our fitness goals. Now it’s our turn to celebrate YOU! Sit back, relax, and let us handle some of the marketing. We’ve put together everything you need to rally your biggest fans and followers to nominate and vot
Read MoreThe (Not So) Secret Work of Billionaire Philanthropist Ernest Rady

Ernest Rady and his wife, Evelyn, came to San Diego from Manitoba, Canada in 1966 simply looking for a home where Evelyn’s allergies wouldn’t be so bad. “We tried several places, and we ended up in San Diego, and she hasn’t had allergies in 60 years,” Rady says. “So that was a good move.”Little did
Read MoreNew UCSD Museum Will Feature the Strauss Foundation’s $20M Collection

The bones are here. A mirrored closet reflecting a massive painting. A pleated window shade peeking out from behind a frame. Reminders that, before this place was a museum, it was a regular—albeit expansive—house tucked away in the North County neighborhood of Rancho Santa Fe. Real estate moguls Mat
Read MoreCalifornia ranks No. 9 for economic ‘balance’ between bosses and workers

Which state economies are best at juggling the needs of bosses and workers alike?In recent months, my trusty spreadsheet produced a pair of state economic rankings. One took the view from the employer’s perspective. The other saw economics through the employee’s eye.Let’s politely say there were pas
Read MoreThese new state laws could increase San Diego homebuilding

New statewide laws could make home construction easier this year in San Diego, says the state’s biggest construction organization.California’s Building Industry Association says new legislation is likely to cut down on time, and delay or reduces costs. The new laws, signed last year by Gov. Gavin Ne
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