51 years old; thinking of leaving Southern California. (Palm Springs: 2014, rent)

[SandyCo]

Danielj72, you're right as it seems that almost everywhere west of the Continental Divide is going dry. East of it is the humidity I'm not in favor of, but yes, having water available is much more important.

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

Danielj72, you're right as it seems that almost everywhere west of the Continental Divide is going dry. East of it is the humidity I'm not in favor of, but yes, having water available is much more important.

Unless there are major desalination plants built I suspect that a water crises will be the future of some areas out west. California has more options than does the true desert states of Arizona and New Mexico. There are so many people in those states nowadays, and no where near enough water. The eastern states always had more capacity to carry large populations. Some very unpopular states have the most water of all. Michigan,Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana all sit at the foot of inland seas of freshwater, but they are losing more people than any states in the country. Cold weather, flat land and economic troubles have driven hundreds of thousands out of these Midwest states in recent years. Many leaving these water rich places are actually the same folks moving to Arizona, bringing a water crises even closer.

[BusyMeAK]

Don't move. The only place in the US that is better than SoCal is probably NY-Philly area, but for some people it's too crowded. Washington is a good state, but Seattle gets empty after 9 pm, that can look weird for those who is used to SF lifestyle. The scenery in SoCal is beautiful, the climate mild and stable, and after California many states will look boring, poor and lifeless. Just an opinion, so other state residents, please don't get mad on me!
NC is culturally quite different from CA, this is the South.
I have a tenant from CA, and it's snowing outside. He looks so miserable that I probably would not punish him if he breaks his lease and goes back to CA.

[SandyCo]

Danielj72, my biggest gripe is with California's "leaders" whose entire plan seems to be, "Let's hope it rains." Even if the desalinization plants could get past the environmentalists, good luck getting them built in time to be of real assistance. There seems to be this willful denial in place by most of California's 38 million residents, as if no one wants to see the elephant in the living room. Even if we get a deluge of rain and snow this winter, it's not going to magically cure the drought. We really need two or three very wet years in a row, which is rare.

I'd certainly prefer not to move; this is my home. However, I'm also a realist. I told a friend of mine about my plans to move away next year if we don't get any rain, and she laughed, not taking me at all seriously. I hope her laughter is justified - but what if it isn't?

[SandyCo]

BusyMeAK, I'd prefer not to move, but I have to be realistic about the water possibly drying up here. I'd miss the natural wonders that California provides, of course, but that's how it goes.

I wouldn't like snow in October, either, although I'm sure it's beautiful!

[dbsteel]

What.... you want to leave California and you don't want to move to Austin like everyone else? Just kidding

[stevek64]

I don't think I'd just consider leaving CA just because of water. With the CA coast and desalinization potential if CA wakes up to reality, recycling water like OC is(was?) doing etc. are solutions. I think leaving because of the crowds/traffic, expense, and those of us that feel CA is being "managed" into the ground would be better reasons than water alone. And if there's concern about water, I assume another concern one might have/that I wouldn't discount is a major earthquake that's long overdue in the historical trend of quakes in your area. Roll the dice!

As for moving to another weather climate, I'd suggest living in an area for a while if you could(rent) to see if you could really live in a different climate. I couldn't live outside the dry desert as any kind of humidity is unpleasant to me/the air feels heavy. Even much of CA, including southern, feels humid to me compared to the desert....hehehe. It's all relative I suppose. And anything under 60 degrees in the day is freezing to me and you might feel the same way after living in So Cal so long.

Good luck on your search!

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by danielj72

California has more options than does the true desert states of Arizona and New Mexico.

Not sure about NM, but not true for AZ.

I can speak for the Phoenix metro and water is extremely well managed here. We also have many more water sources than CA in greater quantity(CO river, Salt River, vast underground supplies, large use of reclaimed water on golf courses, community common areas, etc). The Phoenix metro was a shallow sea once eons ago so I guess that's why we have so much ground water supply. Before a new subdivision is built, a 100 year water supply has to be ensured. We also have huge amounts of ground water in many parts of the state including in the Phoenix metro. What will happen is the easy, ie cheap, surface water(CO river) will be exhausted at some point and we will have to tap more expensive ground water more sometime in the future. We also have the option of tapping water from the Gulf of California which is only about 200 miles from Phoenix but I'm guessing That won't be required for a long, long time.

[rzzz]

Personally I would not leave SoCal due to the water issues, unless you live in a farming area that is really being devastated by the drought. Ag is feeling the effects of drought much worse than other residents.

[aggierk]

Charlotte is wonderful place - close to mountains, good jobs , affordable.
Why not move there?