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Old 09-26-2022, 08:53 PM
 
158 posts, read 165,602 times
Reputation: 353

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As many Californians have done in the past, Would you move here again today? There are still some great high earning jobs in this state and at least in my opinion I’ve been all over the country, it’s just blows most of the rest of the US out of the water looks wise. But perhaps the understatement of the century but it doesn’t look as if California is headed in the right direction. Is it all just a Siren song today or is it still a wonderful opportunity?
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Old 09-26-2022, 09:37 PM
 
14,207 posts, read 11,483,620 times
Reputation: 38783
I can't say how California used to look or looks now to people in other states. I and many others here are natives. There is a big difference between living in a place you grew up in, however much it may have changed over time, and moving here as an adult and always being something of an outsider. It is hard to explain that to non-natives and people who have always lived elsewhere and are just looking in.

We own a house here, we own a business here, we raised our children here and they are now young adults. The thought of just up and leaving because "the state isn't headed in the right direction" doesn't ever cross my mind. It's home. I would probably tell someone who was thinking of moving here that whether or not it is a good idea depends on where they are going, what kind of opportunity they have, and what their expectations are. It definitely would not be a blanket "Yes, it's a great idea" or "No, don't even think about it."
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Old 09-27-2022, 11:24 AM
 
3,142 posts, read 2,656,667 times
Reputation: 11943
I would do nothing different, besides the usual 20/20 non-CA-specific hindsight (buy google, bitcoin, tesla). Everywhere else I tried was worse. There are some bad parts of CA, but I moved to a part of it that is paradise, and is only getting better.

I am, have, and always will be trying to vote the ding-dongs out of Sacramento and send them to DC. The country needs more left-wing whackos in Washington, but California has far too many in Sacramento.

I don't think CA is headed in the wrong direction, but I do think some politicians in an echo chamber are making us veer off into the median and should steer back to the center. I think most voters agree with me. I hope we can get more critically-minded people to vote on policy not party.

I do not necessarily want my children to live here. They should go to the place that is best for them. If they want to stay in the nice parts of CA, they are going to have to compete with their wealthy, highly-educated, dynamic peers (and some idiots who just come from a ton of money). I'll help them out with the money and property I've accumulated here, and they have lots of advantages thanks to that, so I am confident they can go, do, and live anywhere and anything they want.
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Old 09-28-2022, 07:12 PM
 
Location: Sandy Eggo's North County
10,153 posts, read 6,602,520 times
Reputation: 16481
It must be an "ok" place. There's literally millions from around the world, that have risked their lives, to get to California. Specifically: Southern California.

And, that number is STILL going up, every day.
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Old 09-28-2022, 07:47 PM
 
Location: West coast
5,281 posts, read 3,010,467 times
Reputation: 12259
I have no complaints.
California has been very good to us.

I think it has and will continue to have great opportunities and rewards for people.
This place rewards hard working people that can think out of the box.

Is it for everyone?
Nope.
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Old 09-28-2022, 08:09 PM
 
327 posts, read 214,160 times
Reputation: 779
When I ran hiring and recruitment for a company in Orange County, I would steer young, out-of-state job candidates away from California. In Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties in particular, salaries/wages in run-of-the-mill industries (e.g., education, finance, government, healthcare, insurance, logistics, etc.) are simply not high enough, on average, to offset the very high cost of living, especially real estate prices. Salaries/wages in other states are much more commensurate with the local cost of living, which means the average person will most likely experience a higher quality of life outside of California. Also, job competition is much less fierce outside of California, which means young ladder-climbers will probably experience more career advancement and income growth than they would in California.
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Old 09-28-2022, 09:57 PM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,763,161 times
Reputation: 23658
I was 6 years old when my family moved here (from Maryland), soooo... not much insight went into that on my part, lol.

But when I moved back after college/etc in my mid-20s? I wish I'd bought a home right away! That was in 2002, so I'd be sitting on a goldmine now. Other than that, I'm pretty satisfied with how things worked out. Regrets don't do anyone any good, so there's no point in worrying about what could have been otherwise.

I'll probably relocate within the next few years, just because I'm getting ready to semi-retire + all my family is gone (dead or moved) from here now. It's been good to me, though. And I don't work in tech or anything like that, for the record. I'm a librarian, but my salary is nearly double the national average for my position. I looked into relocating previously, and nobody else could pay me enough even when adjusted for COL.
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Old 09-29-2022, 12:06 AM
 
Location: Vancouver, WA
8,181 posts, read 16,589,448 times
Reputation: 9417
No one can answer whether it would be good for you especially without knowing your background, interests, preferences, skills, abilities, etc... With 40 million people, you'll see and hear all kinds of experiences from the good, bad to the ugly. And as a native who was born and raised there, its a different perspective with family there, favorite things to do, etc...

I spent the majority of my life in CA and would not really do anything differently accept probably move to the Monterey Bay earlier. Everyone who could have bought real estate back in the day now knows they should have and doubled down in the hot areas. No one knows what the future holds. But with 5th largest economy in the world, there will always be opportunities along with lots of competition. People literally move to CA from around the world to complete for those top jobs and business opportunities.

Who's to say you might not find a better financial situation in another state? Many Californians have left including natives for better opportunities elsewhere. And now post Covid some have taken their CA salaries and can literally work remotely from anywhere around the world. Lots of Zoomtowns popping up all over the place where they were little to no high paying jobs before. It's really more of an individual thing vs. a blanket 'better for all vs. none' type situation. It really depends mostly on you. Is it worth the cost of admission for you? If so, why California over <fill in the blank>? Better job offer, you're attempt to make it big in Hollywood, live the CA beach lifestyle, or ...?

Derek
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Old 09-29-2022, 10:48 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,165 posts, read 80,294,308 times
Reputation: 57036
I spent my first 40 years in the Bay Area, and while California still has an amazing diversity of landscapes, with the ocean, bays, rivers, lakes and mountains, there are several main reasons that we would never go back. First is the cost, of course. Here in the Seattle metro area it's gotten much more expensive than when we moved here in 1993 but still not like the Bay Area. There is also the significant state income tax that we don't have here, and the fires, with now a threat of forced power outages. Where we live (Castro Valley) the median home price today is $1,245,107, and median family income is $113.150.
Here in Sammamish WA the median home price is almost the same, at $1,300,000 but but more affordable with the median income at $181,464.
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Old 09-29-2022, 10:52 AM
 
3,642 posts, read 2,478,645 times
Reputation: 6638
Hells no..
Southern California is a shell of it's former self. I generally refer to contemporary California as The (once) Golden State.. /trademark pending/
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