The thing that distinguishes San Diego vs the other major SoCal metro area is the canyon and mesa geography that creates a series a natural demarcations between areas that are still within the boundaries of the City of San Diego. Also Mt Soledad, similar to Palos Verdes in the region of Long Beach, is much closer to downtown San Diego so that adds another natural feature to the urban mixture. Therefore, the actual City of San Diego incorporates numerous distinct neighborhoods (some actually identified by a festive neon sign arched over a main thoroughfare) that enables one to still live within the City Limits (about 1.3 Million people) without walking in view of the City Center (think skyscrapers). My family wanted good school ratings and a family beach real close so we opted for the La Jolla neighborhood. Some San Diego u201cneighborhoodsu201d (like Encinitas) are located outside the official City Limits and some (like Chula Vista) are still within reach of the regional trolley system that defines San Diegou2019s sphere of influence.