Is it normal to have fallen in love with California? (Los Angeles: quality of life, living in)

[investorscooter]

MtnSurfer:

Your photos stir. They continue to stun me. You are extremely talented, and I thank you for sharing your images.

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Thanks, Ruth. No, it's more my hobby. I don't have the time it takes to go to the galleries and such. But who knows, maybe one day.

Derek

At the very least, watermark your photos, Derek. They are truly beautiful. It would be a shame to see someone else use them and take credit for your work.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

I don't know, but Taco Bell in Billings, MT seemed to taste the same as Taco Bell in Anaheim, CA.

This is the Taco Bell in Pacifica. On the back deck, overlooking the waves and surfers, yeah, a Doritos Locos taco tastes a little better.

The nicest Taco Bell in America | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by investorscooter

This is normal. The first time I experienced California was living for three years as an adolescent in 1960s Marin County. That was a time & place experience, as you can imagine. My father was in the service, and we sadly departed. I've lived in South Florida most of my adult life, but have also lived in the northeast, midwest, northwest and overseas in Asia and Europe. I travel. A lot.

California has several things going for it which are not easily replicated elsewhere.

Firstly, it's a long, narrow state, which conveniently and efficiently puts it in 1 timezone, but different latitudes. You will get extremes of weather, and everything in between. The most variety of latitudes allows for incredible diversity of microclimes, therefore an amazing array of plant life & agricultural possibilities. It's not the fruit and nut capital of North America (and maybe the world?) for nothing. Add to that, altitude differences. It's not flat, like Texas or Florida, or the Great Plains. This puts mountains, hills, rainforests, deserts, valleys and everything in between into ONE state. The lowest and highest points in the lower 48 are in California. Again, add to that the coastal riches - marine life, marine vocations, industry, and marine research.

Secondly, it has an extremely varied economic engine. World class wines, incredible natural and cultural tourism, the movie and entertainment industries, Silicon Valley and related tech, venture capital, Big Ag and small, sustainable farm movement, defense & aerospace industries, oil, world class university system on the leading edge of much research, etc. Quite a list. When one single segment weakens, there are others to keep the ship afloat.

Thirdly, it has multiple ethnic groups which have layered and mixed into the fold. First Nations tribes,some Russians on the northern coast, Italian immigrants (wine & agriculture), Greeks (wine, agriculture, fishing), first the imported Chinese, then the subsequent varied Asian waves and Hispanic ones, too, starting with the Spanish missions. All have rich food heritages which heightens the California food and beverage culture, which has no peer in the United States.

Fourthly, there's something about the Pacific Rim edge which speaks to progressive, optimistic forward thinking. "Go West, young man", for opportunity is still an operative philosophy, though the opportunity now continues across the Pacific into Asia.

I've been making forays into the state, looking to spend more time there. Some of my children have migrated there, after having been raised in South Florida and having traveled extensively. The costs are high, but the unshakable truth of it is YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR in life.

High living costs, but high quality of life.

Nice post, scooter. The climate is so mild, and the topography's so varied, as you noted, giving rise to a real wealth of flora and fauna in microclimes spaced close together, that the first humans flourished here. California has about as many tribes than all the rest of the lower 48 states combined.

[CousinMaynard]

theres some thick stuff being poured on here.

i've spent my entire civilian life here and do love it, but i cringe when i hear it idealized so much on the forum. at some point reality will need to be addressed. if youre independently wealthy and can actually live a pleasant life smelling the roses then enjoy, most cant and life can be much less dream like.

not to pick on anyone but for perspective, the pics in the thread, the nearest affordable towns like salinas, watsonville, greenfield, soledad, king city. there can be alot more "wrath" then grapes let me tell ya.

[Ruth4Truth]

Please allow us to wax poetic and enjoy here, CousinMaynard. There have been plenty of other threads on what's wrong with CA, why people hate CA, why people supposedly flee in droves, etc. This thread is to balance out the negative with some positive.

[CousinMaynard]

where did i say theres anything wrong with california (if you did read it, i actually said i LOVE it)? thats life anywhere and everywhere. you can hang the prettiest pictures in the most beautiful house filled with the best furniture, what makes it a home is who you share it with and the neighbors who surround you.

[MtnSurfer]

Regarding the pretty picture, of course you can certainly take nice pictures in other locations and I have since that is my hobby. In fact while living in CO I took quite a few, some of which are hanging on our walls. The big difference for us is the geographic diversity which these photos represent. California is unique in this way among other states from the highest to lowest points in the lower 48, the best overall weather, the beauty of the West Coast, the redwood forests and so on.

Of course like anywhere there are problems. No one has ever denied that. To that point as Ruth said there have been literally hundreds, possibly thousands, of threads on this forum bemoaning all the issues CA has from politics, to illegals, to high cost of living, to becoming the next 'rust belt' and the list goes on. After the Great Recession things got especially ugly on here where any mention of *something* positive got immediately shot down by the gloom and doomers. In the end I think there is room for both views as this forum reflects a wide range of people in variety of situations. The problem lies more in one insisting that others need to change and accept their own point of view of things whether it be mostly negative or positive.

From my perspective you do not need rose colored glasses to love many, many things about CA. It will never be perfect as no place is. But it sure is a nice state to call home for many of us who truly enjoy it in spite of whatever difficulties it has faced, is facing or will face in the future. Many people will continue to flock here because of its positive qualities as will there be people who leave because of problems they face, whether those be financial, political or otherwise. It's been like that as long as I can remember and I don't see that ever changing.

Derek

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by CousinMaynard

where did i say theres anything wrong with california (if you did read it, i actually said i LOVE it)? thats life anywhere and everywhere. you can hang the prettiest pictures in the most beautiful house filled with the best furniture, what makes it a home is who you share it with and the neighbors who surround you.

I sold all my furniture when I moved to California.

[jen5276]

Originally Posted by california_dreamer1

OK so I visited California for the first time last year and have fallen in love with the state and become obsessed with moving out there. I simply find the weather outstanding, the food tastes amazing, heck even the water tastes better. Of course the state is filled with stunning views, especially driving around PCH. I also find that the people are very nice and friendly, at least compared to the East Coast.

I have since visited the state multiple times already and and now am dying to move out there. I swear I have traveled all over the US and the world and never felt like that about a place, except maybe Hawaii to an extent. California has a dream like quality that I have never seem anywhere else in the US.

Is this a normal experience or am I crazy?

Oh yeah did I mention that I find people here sooo much chill? I mean evertime I come here even I a normally anxious person becomes uber chill.

Just wanted to say I loved your post!