Prospective Los Angeles Transplant

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by irvm

You'll be fine, once you realize being 'from LA' isn't something to brag about.
The vast majority of the US sees things that are happening in California, and decided long ago that Californians are living in their own strange, illogical little world, divorced from reality.
Unfair? Sure it is. Blame Hollywood for creating and reinforcing that image.

I don't think it's Hollywood's fault. To a more polite point, it's true. California *is* it's own little unique world. Well, SoCal is mostly. Those who were born and raised in that environment do seem a bid odd to those in many other areas.

We forget how vast the U.S. is size wise. If you were to take the 3000+ miles in width here and travel that same distance in Europe, you'd pass through multiple countries - each with their own individual languages, styles of dress, customs, foods, morals, etc.

People from around the world, and even those of us who are native to the U.S., are extremely naive at times. We tend to think that just because we are "the United States", that we are very similar to one another from Maine to California, and that just isn't true. Not only do the accents change, but whole ways of thinking. New England and the West Coast, as well as the Southeast, technically speaking, ARE pretty much like different countries culture wise. We share the same TV shows via satellite dishes, and share the same language, but really other than that, we really are very different region to region.

I grew up in "Appalachia". When I moved here, I thought the Southern culture was extremely weird. Well ok, I still do. They're very in-your-face with the religous stuff, get way too political, and like to create laws that forbid things they don't personally like. That's not me. Appalachians are quieter, more to themselves, and more of the "leave me be and I'll leave you be" as opposd to the "we don't like it, so let's hunt it down and kill it" type. But then to us, New Englanders are too blunt and rude, and people from California are far too politically correct and get offended over off-color jokes far too easily. See? "Different countries that speak the same language".

I think a lot of folks get culture shock when they move from one side of the U.S. to the other. We DO have different cultures and ways of thinking in this country, and a lot of it isn't stereotypes... it's based on reality. It's good to do some research into all of this before a move. Traffic, smog, and crime are one thing, but a whole region of people who think the complete opposite that you do can also put a damper on your move, too.

Visit first. Travel around the region, metro area, etc. Eat out, go to the malls and stores, talk to the locals. Get a FEEL for the people in the region/area first before any relocation.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

I think a lot of folks get culture shock when they move from one side of the U.S. to the other. We DO have different cultures and ways of thinking in this country, and a lot of it isn't stereotypes... it's based on reality. It's good to do some research into all of this before a move. Traffic, smog, and crime are one thing, but a whole region of people who think the complete opposite that you do can also put a damper on your move, too.

I lived in So.Cal. for many years, then moved back to Atl.
The differences were striking. While Californians preached diversity, there certainly wasn't much in the workplace. Or in housing. I can't recall a single black person I came into contact with on a regular basis. When I moved back to Atl, I was working with and for black people (about a 50/50 ratio). Made a lot of good friends there.

[Cubancoffee]

We just moved back to LA after 3 years in Atlanta and can finally breathe again.

The 405 has to be the most congested stretch of highway in history, so just throw it out. Rush hour in Atlanta is as bad as LA. We worked in downtown ATL and deliberately chose to live inside the Perimeter.

I might have a different perspective, but I found Atlanta much more stifling than LA. The notion by one poster here that Atlanta is more diverse than LA made me laugh. Yes, there's a large black population, which the whites "tolerate," but the undercurrent of racial tension is strong. Redneck, redneck, redneck. Latino immigrants who have moved to the area are openly discriminated against and ghetto-ized. Asians are rare.

By way of background, I am a native Southerner (Arkansan by birth) and have lived in Houston, Miami and Phoenix as well as LA and Atlanta. The ATL is a cheaper place to live, but I would never move back there.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by Cubancoffee

Asians are rare.

Huh? It may not be LA, but drive through Doraville, Chamblee, Lilburn, Duluth, and many other parts of Gwinnett. I have 4 Korean churches within 1 mile of my house in Suwanee, and my daughter's school is about 20% Asian. Metro Atlanta may not be as diverse as LA, but I wouldn't say that Asians are "rare."