From Missouri to Cali.. are we crazy? (San Diego, San Francisco: credit, hoa)

[Sadie85]

Within the next 6 months or so, we want to move to California (from Missouri). I want to live in a place where there is practically no winter, and not 150% humidity like Missouri. I don't mind rain, or chilly weather - just not 10 inches of snow and ice!

With that being said, we aren't rich. I plan on renting a place for a few years until I can get enough credit to buy. I'm currently a preschool teacher and will need to find a job when I get to Cali. Any suggestions on nice cities to live in that aren't impossible to afford? I have small children, so I don't want to live in the ghetto. I don't really care about the school districts, as I plan to continue homeschooling for as long as I can.

Also, we don't have any public transportation here. I plan on selling my car when I move to Cali, and doing without one for a bit. So I would need to live on a trolley line or near a bus stop!

Any suggestions on cities/towns that aren't too ghetto but aren't as expensive as Sacramento? I appreciate ANY opinions (the good, the bad, and the ugly)! Thanks. -Sadie

[EscapeCalifornia]

Sacramento is sort of cheap by California standards. Anywhere except the mountains will have much milder weather than you're used to, but anything more than a few miles from the coast is going to have long, hot, dry summers. What do you honestly expect to earn as a preschool teacher? Everything in this decision flows from that. $40k/yr leads to a very different experience in California than $140k/yr.

[Sadie85]

I don't know if I will still be a preschool teacher in California. Everything is so different. Right now, I can afford to live in a nice townhouse in a nice neighborhood. But again, this is Missouri - not Cali. I can work just about anywhere; I've been an Administrative Assistant for the past few years. I don't know how much they make out there. Sorry, just a country girl being transplanted to the city. To be honest, I'm clueless...... just wanting some info on good towns to live in that aren't too ghetto

[Cali BassMan]

Sadie
Whoa there, umm Sacramento is pretty darn cheap out here. Anywhere cheaper is going to be Ghetto.....and the price of living here vs Mo is huge too. A 2 bd rm Apt is going to be close to $1000.00 a month in most places... Me thinks you might want to rethink..

[Sadie85]

When researching CA living, they said that some places had houses half the price of those in Sacramento but said the houses were still over $600K. That means that houses in Sacramento (according to their data) are over $1mil. Either their data is wrong, or you guys are really rich lol.

A 2 bedroom apartment for $1K won't be bad if the income is higher out there..

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Cali BassMan

Sadie
Whoa there, umm Sacramento is pretty darn cheap out here. Anywhere cheaper is going to be Ghetto.....and the price of living here vs Mo is huge too. A 2 bd rm Apt is going to be close to $1000.00 a month in most places... Me thinks you might want to rethink..

And that 2 bedroom apartment is going to be closer to $2000/mo in a nicer area like Orange County or the Bay Area.

Here's the problem with California: The good jobs are mostly in the big, highly populated areas like SF/LA/SD. But that's exactly where life is most expensive. You could go to some place like Fresno or Bakersfield and while they're certainly cheaper than the coast, its not the California you see on TV and hear about in songs. You may as well go to Arizona as to live in the central valley.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Sadie85

A 2 bedroom apartment for $1K won't be bad if the income is higher out there..

Lots of people LEAVE California, give up 15% of their income, and save 50% or more on their housing costs. Yeah, you'll make a little more in California, but the higher cost of living will eat it up and more. One thing to consider is that people here spend a higher percentage of their incomes on housing than in other states.

[Cali BassMan]

DAta is wrong, in the SAc area you can get a house for mid 300's
Have you been out here to visit, I have relatives in Mo and Ark and they are just terrifeid to come here again, You'll see more traffic between La and Orange county or between Sac and San FRan than you've ever seen in your life.

[Sadie85]

Ick to Arizona. I guess I should go back to the drawing board.. I had it narrowed down to CA, OR, WA, and FL. CA was my first choice... *sniff*

[Sadie85]

Originally Posted by Cali BassMan

DAta is wrong, in the SAc area you can get a house for mid 300's
Have you been out here to visit, I have relatives in Mo and Ark and they are just terrifeid to come here again, You'll see more traffic between La and Orange county or between Sac and San FRan than you've ever seen in your life.

I visited San Diego for about 2 weeks back in July. I loved it. I live near St. Louis, and honestly the traffic here is pretty bad too. Nothing compared to San Francisco, I'm sure.. but it still sucks. That's why I'm looking to move where there is a trolley/bus.

What about La Jolla? I've heard it was nice..