Why did you...or why do you want to move out of California? (Los Angeles: high school, living in)

[CArizona]

Why do you want to move out of California? If you've already moved away what were your reasons for leaving California? Just curious...Thanks.

[Count David]

Reasons for leaving the Inland Empire (Riverside et al):
-cost of living
-traffic
-smog
-felt like I was on a treadmill

Reasons for leaving the High Desert (Ridgecrest)
-too small
-too hot
-"nothing to do"
-felt like I was on a treadmill

[CArizona]

I just didn't really feel "at home" in SO CA as I got older...The culture changed so much through the years and "image" and "status" became "all and everything." It wasn't this way when I was small...Also I got tired of all the sprawl and non-stop development and the bumper-to-bumper traffic and crowds and long lines in stores etc...Life in CA just didn't fit me anymore and I decided to move away...to a small town in AZ...Now my "small town" has grown "big" and I am getting set to make another move before too long.

[CAVA1990]

I moved to Northern Virginia for a job relocation. However, I left that company several years ago and stayed here because it's just a nicer atmosphere here than there. I'm a third generation native Californian but really liked the contrast with what I'd grown up with. There's just so much more natural beauty here and don't have to compete with hordes to enjoy the outdoors. Other than the coast and maybe the mountains, there's really not much appeal to California.

[nmguy]

I left Palo Alto because of the cost of living and because I was looking for an area that offered more in an esthetic way.

[sjnative]

I want to leave just because as a native, I've lived here all my life and want to sample some other places, even if they don't like Californians there.

I think I will want to come back though. Family's here.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by CArizona

Why do you want to move out of California? If you've already moved away what were your reasons for leaving California? Just curious...Thanks.

I'm a native Californian. Over the course of 63 years I had lived in seven other states, some of them twice, and three other countries. This gave me some insight into other peoples and places.

By the time I retired from CA state service at age 62 I was ready for a change. I'd lost half my retirement funds in a divorce some years before so cost of living, and especially housing costs, were a significant issue for my wife and me. She'd had to leave state service after only 15 years for medical reasons so her retirement was reduced as well.

To say that California has changed drastically since 1946 is to understate it. Suffice it to say we wished to return to more of a heartland location, atmosphere and society that we'd both enjoyed during our lives in other places; not together but separately. Up until our move last year we'd spent the entire 13 years of our marriage in Sacramento.

A major consideration was to move somewhere in which we could maximise our pensions and savings/investments. At the same time we also wanted to live somewhere with four distinct seasons we didn't have to travel to in order to enjoy; none of which were consistantly harsh. We also wanted to be on water, not just a close drive to it. We were fortunate to find all those in our current home.

Next month I'll turn 64. I truly feel that I've finally come home!

[californio sur]

Originally Posted by CArizona

I just didn't really feel "at home" in SO CA as I got older...The culture changed so much through the years and "image" and "status" became "all and everything." It wasn't this way when I was small...Also I got tired of all the sprawl and non-stop development and the bumper-to-bumper traffic and crowds and long lines in stores etc...Life in CA just didn't fit me anymore and I decided to move away...to a small town in AZ...Now my "small town" has grown "big" and I am getting set to make another move before too long.

The point being that we can not stop population growth but move further away if possible. When I visit relatives in northern California [even little podunks like Los Molinos] I enjoy the quiet countryside of olive and fruit groves. My relatives ask how I can live in Southern California and sometimes I stop and think about it for a minute. Then the utter boredom sets in. Unless you have cable TV the only stations are in Chico and Redding [that means 3 channels]. After the extreme heat starts cooling down people come outside and sit around drinking beer and arguing over how the local high school football team is better than the other little towns around. Or they gossip about everyone in town because everyone knows everyone it town. After a while I get very restless and really start to miss Los Angeles. When I get married and have some kids I might want to consider living in a small town but right now that type of living would kill me of sheer boredom.

[Mossy]

I want to move from CA because:

-cost of living
-economy
-traffic
-heat and smog

[user_id]

I'd like to leave primarily because the cost of living, but also because the costs of doing business here are too high as well.