[RichLockyer]

+1... some of the best twisties in California are within 100 miles of SD... and if you like dirt, you're just over the hill from Ocotillo Wells SRVA and Glamis... but it's a TOTALLY different kind of riding than the woods.

Mexico? Dunno if I'd be riding down there. Erring on the side of safety, I'll believe the stories I'm hearing out of there... tourists are generally okay when in the tourist areas, but I wouldn't do any kind of travel out of those immediate areas.

Where to live is a tough call. The people of San Diego County don't like taxes, so they keep voting down tax increases that would pay for a County fire department... they rely on CalFire and local agencies... and that's what has cost 50,000 homes over the past 4 years. Don't try to find something in an area that reminds you of Colorado... you won't be able to get fire insurance.

Traffic is bad, but not as bad as LA. I can leave Chino for a job in Chula Vista and it takes me less time to make the trip than it does to get to Santa Monica (120 miles vs 50 miles).

Near the coast... Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, LaJolla... it's very nice with very mild weather... the kind of place that you might need to run the air conditioner 2 weeks out of the year, and run the heater 2 months.
Once you move inland... El Cajon, Escondido, San Marcos, Poway, Santee... temperatures start climbing rapidly and it gets into the 90s and 100s for extended periods in the summer. The worst part is the mountains along the coast tend to block the sea breezes, so even when it's only 80, it can be pretty durn miserable if there's any humidity.

Try to stay clear of National City, Lemon Grove, Imperial Beach. They're not unlike parts of Denver near Stapleton.