5 Reasons People from the Valley and Inland Areas Are Going West (Fresno: real estate, crime)

[HSP1161]

I think a good number of people aspire to live at the coast for all the reasons you mentioned.

Having lived inland and in the valleys and now at the coast, I can honestly say I'd sooner move out of state than live away from the California coast.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

New grads who grew up inland will live along the coast in many cases ... until they grow up. Then they will at least move to the close inland areas (e.g. Walnut Creek, Pasadena, etc). It's pretty limited - essentially it's the inland elites who are able to do this. I know quite a few of them.

[FresnoFacts]

Instead of the Valley maybe your question should also be why are so many people moving to the Central Coast from Southern California?

Additionally there are many moving away from the Central Coast too (its not one-way movement), maybe that is a question to ask?

But some reasons many are not moving to the Central Coast:

The Central Coast is limited on career opportunities for many of us. I have no desire to spend lots of time commuting in Southern Calif or the Bay Area so I do my career here.

There is also personal preferences of mountains vs beach. I lived on the Central Coast before but prefer easy access to the beautiful scenery of the Sierras. I'd rather have closer access to a hidden spot at high elevations than the beach.

Others I know like being closer to skiing/snowboarding/mountain biking at China Peak Ski Resort instead of surfing at the beach. The extra 3 hours driving from the coast eats into mountain time.

Same amount of shopping/dining? You mean SLO has Macy's? What about REI, Jos Bank, and others? Dining? I don't usually eat in restaurant chains but you mean SLO now has Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris, Flemings, etc?

Keep in mind, there are millions of people already living in the Valley. The region between Merced and Bakersfield is projected to add millions more in the next few decades. Latest projection I saw is 75% population growth in the Valley in the next 3 decades.

If all or most of those millions of people were moving west, wouldn't the lifestyle on the coast change drastically? Might as well then call it Orange County North.

[the city]

I think possibley people want out of the San Joaquin Valley for a better quality of living.

I think now it's not just west, but to where nicer communities are. Lower crime rates, better schools, and still have some good dining and shopping from where people came from.

Monterey has cool weather, good schools, low crime rates, and the Del Monte Center. Santa Barbara is pretty much the same. Ventura too.

[Shawn_Estrada]

Originally Posted by the city

I think possibley people want out of the San Joaquin Valley for a better quality of living.

You just answered your own question.

As a former valley resident, the quality of life for me and my children is just plain better here on the CC than in the Valley. Am i going broke to do it? Yup, but it is worth it to have clean air, a stellar school system, and a great network of fellow parents that share similar views on life and experiences as my wife and I have.

[TimC2462]

Originally Posted by the city

I think possibley people want out of the San Joaquin Valley for a better quality of living.

I think now it's not just west, but to where nicer communities are. Lower crime rates, better schools, and still have some good dining and shopping from where people came from.

Monterey has cool weather, good schools, low crime rates, and the Del Monte Center. Santa Barbara is pretty much the same. Ventura too.

Lived in both areas for a number of years before settling in Bakersfield for now. Would I want to live here my entire lifetime? Definitely not. It isn't progressive as most of the cities on the coast and while I don't have children of my own yet, I'm OK with living in the central valley for now.

On the other hand, my folks and I left the Monterey because there weren't enough jobs or business ownership opportunities for us in the late 90's. Even 10 years later, my former high school friends have relocated out of the area for better career opportunities. Those who stayed behind are stuck with far fewer career opportunities to choose. For those who have went onto college to obtain their degrees rarely come back due to the lack of jobs in the Monterey area.

This is not a knock on the central coast. I can list the pros and cons for each of the respective cities I have lived in.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by Shawn_Estrada

You just answered your own question.

As a former valley resident, the quality of life for me and my children is just plain better here on the CC than in the Valley. Am i going broke to do it? Yup, but it is worth it to have clean air, a stellar school system, and a great network of fellow parents that share similar views on life and experiences as my wife and I have.

I have been working outside, and I must say, 60 degrees and fog beats bright sun and 95 degrees for working in.

[the city]

Also, anyone notice that the San Joaquin Valley has one Whole Foods (in Fresno) while the Central Coast has two-Santa Barbara and Monterey.

And the Inland Empire has none also. Seems to me more liberal and wealthier areas have Whole Foods.

And in San Luis Obispo, I would say low crimes, good schools in the county, and still a good amount of shopping makes things good here. There's Olive Garden, Apple Bee's, Hometown Buffet, Chipotle, Habit Grill, Panera Bread, California Pizza Kitchen, Woodstock's Pizza, Starbucks, Peet's Coffee, Jamba Juice, Subway, and other local eateries.

Then there's Best Buy, Petco, TJ'Maxx, Old Navy, Ross, PetSmart, Staples, Office Max, World Market, Bed Bath N Beyond, Big 5, Trader Joes, Fresh N Easy, Costco, Home Depot, Sear's, and others to shop at for discounted products.

My only complaint is we have no mall, and no Macy's. All though I'm hoping and thinking Macy's could be here next year. I visited F21 for their back to school specials during a busy time of the day and the store was filled with a 1/4 of people buying not alot of stuff. By January people will know if F21 will still be around for another year according to employees.

[Californiaguy2007]

Believe it or Not some people prefer living in The Central Valley than The Coast....The CV is also huge so their are Good and Bad communities just like everywhere else.

For me I like the Quality of Life,Affordability and the Climate of living in the CV,but also cause I have Family and have Close Friends that live here too.

[Everest209]

Originally Posted by the city

From what I've gathered,

1) Cooler Weather
2) Less Traffic
3) Less Crime and Less Gangs
4) More outdoor activities
5) More social and vibrant downtowns

Unfortunately, it seems the Valley's population is getting alot of migrant workers for the fields and the white flight is occuring to larger cities or the Coast. It will be interesting to se what happens with the Central Valley in a couple years. Bakersfield, Fresno, Sacramento, and Visalia seem to be only communities retaining people to stay.

Why is it unfortunate? Migrant workers are people too....