Should I move to California?? (Sacramento, Monterey: house, best school districts, college)

[novaman]

I've been lurking a while now, and I've made a few posts, but I've finally decided to put my own thread out to see what people think.

Most people think I'm crazy, but for the longest time I've had a desire to move to california, specifically Northern California. The main reason, and pretty much the only reason, is because of the weather and the outdoor lifestyle that it gives you.

But I have such a good life right now, which is why people think I'm nuts. I'm in my early 40's, and I've built a very successful dental practice in Mclean Va, one of the wealthiest areas in the country. My practice is in my home so I have no commute. My kids are in one of the best school districts in the entire nation. My home is located literally within 30 minutes of EVERYTHING (airports, some of the best malls found anywhere- Tysons Corner, great food, great entertainment, great churches). I have a house at the shore about 3 hrs away so my family and I can enjoy the beach living. I also have family in the area.

Still, I can't stand the weather. In the summer (right now). It is so hot and humid that it is simply torture to be outside. walking, biking, sitting on the porch all are simply miserable in the humidity and heat,not to mentions the bugs- mosquitos, horseflies, etc. We have nice spring and falls, but they seem too short. Once winter rolls in it is just gray, cloudy, and cold. The first snow is always fun, but then is just becomes a lot of work dealing with the snow and ice.

So the truly nice days, where it is sunny, not too hot, with low humidity are just few and far between. I figure we get maybe 2-3 weeks in total of perfect weather here in any given year .

So that is why I want to move. Everyone thinks giving all I have here up for near perfect weather just isn't worth it. What do you say?

[greatbasinguide]

Go West Young Man. You will love it out west, dry air, majestic mountains, great skiing and everything else.

[davidt1]

Are you financially set? You have achieved a great deal where you are. Do you really want to give all that up and start all over somewhere else because the weather is nicer?

[novaman]

Originally Posted by davidt1

Are you financially set? You have achieved a great deal where you are. Do you really want to give all that up and start all over somewhere else because the weather is nicer?

I am close to financially set. My oldest child will be heading to college in a year. The best windows for me would be to either do this before my middle daughter gets to high school (she is a 6th grader) or wait until my youngest graduates (she is a 4th grader).
I know things have worked out well for me here. That's why it is a tough choice for me.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by novaman

I am close to financially set. My oldest child will be heading to college in a year. The best windows for me would be to either do this before my middle daughter gets to high school (she is a 6th grader) or wait until my youngest graduates (she is a 4th grader).
I know things have worked out well for me here. That's why it is a tough choice for me.

I understand everything you wrote. I would expect you would have performed a lot of research already.

Are you familiar with the cost of living and traffic? They are both actually worse than NOVA believe it or not. Where would you expect to live? Where would you expect to work? What school (middle school & high school & district) would your younger children attend? How does your spouse feel about this? Where are your kids' grandparents living? Would you be letting them down (like I did when I moved from LA to Colorado)? Is California the only place you would consider moving to from back east? There are other places with better weather than back east. Why did you eliminate them?

Perhaps if you provided some more details, forum members could fine tune their responses for you. Plus, we're just curious too.

[Cali BassMan]

Novaman,
I can't argue about the weather, it truly is perfect.. and outdoor activities can be enjoyed year round.
About your children though, Do some research on the California School System, and you'll find that it is in the bottom 10 of the nation.. So unless you want to send the kids to private school, you just might want to wait..
Your kids, your call.............

[goodgirl49]

I would wait until the children are out of high school and more independent. I think that putting weather above other priorities is a little selfish right now. Since you like CA so much, I would take my vacations out here. We may have "perfect" weather out here, but plenty of people would like to have the success that you have achieved for yourself in DC. There are plenty of struggling people out here with the astronomical housing costs. Lucky, I'm not one of them as we bought our house in the San Fernando Valley about 30 years ago and it's paid off now.

Cathy

[stephanie54]

The weather won't pay your bills.

I've lived here since I was born, and hate it. It has changed tremendously and not for the better. If I did not have family that needed me here, I'd up and move back to North Carolina - truly, Heaven on Earth.

Stay east and have a good life - the weather isn't the best reason to move.

[junkman18]

Originally Posted by greatbasinguide

Go West Young Man. You will love it out west, dry air, majestic mountains, great skiing and everything else.

But you can't see the majestic mountains through all the smog

[goodgirl49]

Novaman,

My late brother-in-law was an oral surgeon and he was stationed in Monterey, CA about 15 years ago. He truly loved the area and was looking into staying permanently but he found out that he would have to retake his dental boards and get re-licensed in Sacramento. That's also something to think about. He decided it wasn't worth it and returned to PA when he left the Army. It really sounds like this would be a nice place to retire to. Maybe if you do so well back there you could retire early. I really think that Northern CA is nicer than Southern CA but I can't move for family reasons.

Cathy