Moving from NY to CA -- Need info/opinions

[Woof]

Carmel has become reasonably affordable? Wooohooo, I'm on my way there!

[ajohnson56]

Nothing in california is cheap, or reasonable, even the ghettos are expensive, so welcome to expensive cali!!! for this reason, I'm actually moving out of here. Dont get me wrong the coast is beautiful, but nothing is under 1500 a month, and thats just renting, forget about owning, unless your a self made millionaire

[Coffee Mate]

First:....to all those who have heard the song....'california dreamin'....get that out of your head.
Second:....here is the reality surge comm'n at ya....Imagine you have a life boat fit to take 50 people....now....cram ten thousand people into that same boat.......get the idea? This is the modern 'California'. Please read the post by ca_north called "infinite ingress". This person hit the nail square on the head by calling attention to THE issue not only with California population growth...but U.S. and indeed GLOBAL population growth....There is not enough [air, land, water, housing, space, peace and quiet] to go around people....literally. Everyone wants to come to california based solely on some bizarre 'dream' that comes from too much time watching T.V. or reading books about the 'summer of love'. The reality is much much different. Now...you want to live in a cute little town on the coast...not too far from the "city" …yeah……with a view of the beach and the breakers no doubt....cool!!! Well...you WILL need to be a multi-millionaire at a minimum...[billionaire is better]......and then you'll have to wait for such an 'estate' to become available....Rent??? If...IF...you can find it....try 3, 4 or 5,000 per MONTH......
Third: There is NO SUCH THING as 'nice' and 'cheap' in california.
Cheap is a dangerous dump with criminal gangs in control of the streets.....no joke. Sure...You can find a 'cheap' place to live on Fruitvale Ave. in Oakland....but be sure to wear full body armor at all times and never stand by the windows..... Taft and Oildale are cheap too....and marginally safer......but you should be bilingual…..
Nice...is NEVER cheap. Palo Alto [not EAST Palo Alto on the wrong side of the highway] is not cheap.....but it [for now] is nice. Atherton is nice too...but not cheap. Again people...do your homework...don't come flowing out here thinking it's all gona' work out. Everyone wants to move out here and close the door behind themselves...[ME ME ME!!! I'm the LAST ONE IN type of mentality].....hundreds of thousands of people think this way...and they pour in every year....well......there you have it…the boat sinks.
Nice will cost you millions....
Cheap will cost you your life....

[a family moved out from Kansas....and bumped into a gang in Palo Alto...[the East Palo Alto gangs come over for fun and games]....and the father of two got stabbed to death....he had been in town for less than a week....]

Oh....and if you want peace and quiet.....well that is a thing of the PAST in California....you want to go to the 'wilderness'? GET RESERVATIONS!
That’s right....and some places have a waiting list of OVER ONE YEAR!!!
Want to go to cool little farm towns....in the central valley? Don't.....Can you guess why? Cool little ‘arty-farty’ coast towns....go for it...and bring lots of cash...and credit cards....[you might even see some 'pretty people'.....]
Now...read this...my earlier post.....
Here is a short list of the very dangerous places to visit...let alone LIVE in
the S.F. Bay area.
Going into ANY of these places is dangerous. How dangerous?.....Think Detroit, South Chicago, New Orleans.....or D.C. etc.
How do I know? Born and raised in the Bay Area....and have been to all the places listed on this post [save D.C.]....so yes...I know.
East Palo Alto. REAL BAD!
[At one point the per-capita murder capital of the nation]
Ravenswood. [Menlo Park] Bad, near EPA.
San Mateo East of El Camino Real. [dicey]
South San Francisco. [dicey]
Hunters Point / Bay view / Visitacion Valley Area. [pure death on a stick housing projects]
South Market. [more gross than bad during the day....death at night]
Fisherman’s Wharf area....and any of the Wharf/docks in the city...BAD esp. for tourists looking for cool places to go 'slumming'......if you do so at night esp. you are risking your life.
Any and all housing "projects" in the City of San Francisco itself. Bad.
The Tenderloin. [S.F.] Bad. Oceans of crazed drunks and whak-0-"homeless" sleeping on the sidewalk. You'd have to step over them to get in there...so don't bother. Do NOT go into the Tenderloin at night.
China Town. In daylight…O.K…..but not at night.
Golden Gate Park. Esp. at night. Don't go wandering off into the bushes....ever.
The Presidio. Dangerous at night.
Marin City.....[dead rappers come from here]
Richmond....now here is a place EASILY on par with Detroit....burned out cars....smashed windows....boarded up houses and businesses....Never...NEVER go in to Richmond! And MAKE SURE you have enough gas to get PAST these places....don't you EVER go into any of these areas to get gas.....do not do it!
Vallejo. Good place to get shot in the head.
South San Jose, East San Jose, Downtown San Jose....be very careful!
Then....there's OAKLAND.....Avoid West Oakland...and avoid East Oakland....which does not leave much Oakland left to see.....International Blvd. area is yet another, perhaps the best "good" place to get shot.....[seven dead in a weekend is NORMAL for Oakland]
So....to all those seeking the 'good' life in Khalifor-nya....be sure to do your homework....and get a real good hard look at your ‘new’ location before you make a move. Perhaps you should stay where your at.....
Unless your rolling in HUGE amounts of money.
Then....
Live in Pacific Heights, Burlingame, Palo Alto, Rockridge, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Sausalito, Strawberry, Tiburon, Danville, Blackhawk and Belvedere....all are good choices for places to live.....but again....you’re going to need lots of money....figure.....1 to 3 million per acre and 1 to 3 thousand per sq. foot......yup....no joke.......SO! ENJOY CALIFORNIA! Moderator cut: Off-topic
Oh...forgot the traffic.....Well...if you intend to use a highway to get to work.....your going to be stuck in traffic....so....get used to it...because it will happen far more often than not......

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Coffee Mate

Everyone wants to come to california based solely on some bizarre 'dream' that comes from too much time watching T.V.

Excellent.