I've noticed something about these forums.. (Sacramento: renting, amusement parks, low crime)

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by Fat Freddy

There are millions of people in California.

Some live in multi-million dollar mansions and spend more money each day than the annual budgets of some third-world nations.

Others live in cardboard boxes and the only money in their pocket came from selling the aluminum cans they found the day before.

Your degree of personal happiness or contentment is not determined by where you fit within this wide spectrum.

It's determined by where you fit within yourself.

FF, you hit the nail on the head - you expressed it very well!

[edelweiss]

I agree with much of what the OP said in terms of the California forum having a bit of an "elitist" flavor to it. I spend about equal time reading posts in the Texas forum, and the atmosphere (if you can call it that) is just so much more friendly. People seem more down to earth and not caught up in their own bubble. So many of the CA and LA posts are about money, traffic, money, money, housing, traffic, money, etc... unless you are ready to make these things a priority in your life, then you won't fit in. Texans do have a great deal of pride in their state, but they don't seem to have the "exclusiveness" that many of the California posters do. And I am a native Californian btw.

[littleword]

i am loosing my friends and i dont see them as much . all my friends are professionals and they are married and beginning to have families. and the common theme "these days" is to leave CA, because they want to have a house for once and not rent forever in CA.

heres where they moved too: san luis obispo moved to bend-oregon. montrey moved to portland-oregon. sf moved to murrieta-ga. sf moved to sacremento-ca. sf moved to santa maria-ca. santa maria moved to phoenix. santa maria moved to las vegas. santa barbara moved to portland. i have more friends too looking to move out of state. pretty soon too, i "might" be moving out of CA im looking at (phoenix, tucson, portland, houston, colorado springs, and huntsville-al.) i dont want to leave but i want to own a house too for once

best of luck moving to CA, "if" u decide to move.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by Donna7

I've been to S. CA many times for business and we also lived there years ago. The only thing that I see costing a lot more is housing.

Basically, that's about it. If you are not scared by the cost of housing (at whatever your price range), and you want to move here, then come on out! Because CA is just another place in the USA with good, bad, and ugly. We got grocery stores and gas stations and the whole deal. It's just a place where people live and all that goes with that.

I love CA and still recommend anyone move here. People on message boards are often negative, it's just the way it is.

[missionhome]

Star,
If you want to come here, than do it!!!!
Do not let people on this forum control your life, it is your decision in the end to come out and make the decision. Now, when someone says something like, "Living on 25k a year will be difficult in [name of city]," then listen to them, but ignore those that say this: "You should not live in California, you will be miserable and poor, so go somewhere else." Be able to find those giving reasonable advice and disregard those who just say run away.

[ferretkona]

I really think the whole "cost of living" is a lot of baloney. I wanted to move up to Reno and my wages would drop 30%, they said it is because of lower costs of living. But vehicles cost the same everywhere, groceries and clothing often higher in smaller communities.

We are looking at other states for a new home and I have found. Some states have a much larger property tax, in CA it is 1% a year. CA has a higher rate for electricity since Grey Davis screwed up on our propane costs from other states. Gasoline is pretty much the same price everywhere.

In my profession I get the most here in the LA area, a dollar less in San Francisco or two dollars more in New York. Sixteen dollars less in Sacramento/Reno and Atlanta, Georgia. The cost of a home drops a little in the Reno/Sacramento area but drops in half in Georgia.

CA has a very fast pace of life, workers not keeping up will likely lose their job.
I am a foreman and I do not play favorites, the slow get laid off.

This is just my opinion, some will probably have different results.
But if a person can adapt their income to high mortgage or rent, it is a pretty good place to live. The temperatures in So CA have risen thru the years with little rainfall.

[eekwine]

California is really like 5 or more different states all in one depending on the area you choose to live in. I think it is difficult to put adjectives onto Californians in general. Are we talking about people living in OC or in Bodega Bay or in Placerville. Very different lifestyles & attitudes permeate each of these areas.

I was young when I came to CA, got married, pregnant, divorced, raised my kid as a single parent in poverty level conditions in one of the most beautiful areas in this state. Kept thinking I should move elsewhere but my friends & family were here & that was important. We often say, what you pay for here is the weather (not fair when its overcast all summer though!). I had very little income, most went into renting a very modest (understatement) home but I could walk to the beach, my kid had a great education, I met many interesting people, put myself through school (great costs here by comparison).

Many decades later, much hard work later, I am a home owner in one of the most desirable places to live (IMO & the opinion of many others) anywhere.

So, follow your heart & intution. I understand the desire to own your own home. My desire to live where I wanted to live trumped my desire to own until many years later when I was able to afford it (if I'd moved, it is doubtful I would have had the opportunity to buy in this area but that is another story).

[treeluvr]

Originally Posted by eekwine

I was young when I came to CA, got married, pregnant, divorced, raised my kid as a single parent in poverty level conditions in one of the most beautiful areas in this state. Kept thinking I should move elsewhere but my friends & family were here & that was important. We often say, what you pay for here is the weather (not fair when its overcast all summer though!). I had very little income, most went into renting a very modest (understatement) home but I could walk to the beach, my kid had a great education, I met many interesting people, put myself through school (great costs here by comparison).

Sounds like my story. Worked long hours to support my child, but I lived in Santa Barbara. When I stepped out of the crummy trailer we lived in, I was in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I've always thought that if you are going to be poor, it's best to do it in a beautiful place.

[JakeDog]

Funny, I think there is far less elitism and far more California bashing. Outside of these forums, California is highly regarded. In these forums crime ridden places like Houston and even Detroit are highly touted and areas like Orange County (which has the safest city in america) are called dumps. Sometime I think these forums are a mirror image of reality.

[Huckleberry3911948]

my uncle in mississippi says bunky, livin in california is like livin with a beautiful woman
that has a headache all the time.
i live here (alone) and i want you to know it is all about status
yep i've come a long way
i want you to know i no longer shop at 99 cent store
i do all my shoppin at walmart now
im movin up!!
good morning.