Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-05-2014, 04:58 PM
 
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
6,588 posts, read 17,544,859 times
Reputation: 9462

Advertisements

Well, okay, I'll be 51 in about two weeks, but I'm close enough!

I am very concerned about the drought in California. If we don't get a lot of rain and snow this winter, the entire state is going to be in big trouble. Right now I have a "wait and see" attitude, but if we don't get some good precipitation by April, I'm seriously thinking about moving. Luckily I rent, so I can give thirty days' notice and be out of here. I have about $10,000 saved.

Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and even parts of Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, and west Texas seem to be in the same boat as far as the drought is concerned, more or less. That leaves me considering moving to the Midwest, Northeast, or the South.

There's also the Pacific Northwest; Oregon has been a little too dry, but Washington would probably work if I could get used to it being grey and rainy all the time. That's a big "if", considering the amount of sunshine that I've been used to seeing.

I can do a lateral transfer with my company; the headquarters are in Charlotte, NC, so that's a real possibility. I've never been a fan of humidity, though.

I also thought of states like Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota or South Dakota. However, I have no winter weather experience, and I'm not sure I want to gather any at this age (there must be a reason why older people move from cold climates to warmer ones). Driving in the winter would be rather scary. I must sound like such a wimp, but it would almost be like moving to a foreign country.

I can't see myself in the Northeast; I'm not sure why, but I just don't want to go there.

My dad and stepmom live in Florida. I love them, but I'm not so sure I'd love Florida. My brother and my two adult children live out here; we're not a particularly close family, but we see each other once in a while. It would be weird to move somewhere all by myself with no support system.

For such a long post, I've been rather vague. I suppose I'm looking for a little bit of advice and direction from people who may have moved to another region after living in the same one for their entire lives, especially if it meant going from warm weather to cold. Help?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-05-2014, 05:23 PM
 
Location: Dayton OH
5,760 posts, read 11,358,171 times
Reputation: 13539
I'm a Calif native and lived here about 80% of my life. I've lived in enough other places to know that I can be comfortable in a variety of places. Other states that I've lived & worked in are New Jersey, Alabama (lived in AL, worked in Georgia), and Missouri. I've also lived & worked or studied in Germany, Chile and Russia.

I am about 10 years older than you, OP, and am considering retirement in another 2 or 3 years. There is a pretty high chance I'll move out of CA at that time. I am also a renter, with just myself in the household, so logistics of moving are fairly easy.

Of all the places you mentioned as ones you would consider, Charlotte is is a good option. Cost of living is reasonable, the city has everything that most people need, and it has good weather for a majority of the year. The summer is hot and humid most of the time from mid-June to early September, but it is not as oppressive as Florida summer. The rest of the year in Charlotte is pretty nice. Winter is short and mild, very little snow that doesn't last long. Spring and fall are fantastic. They get about 40 inches of rain scattered thoughout the year, so it is not like Pacific Northwest with 5 months of grey overcast & drizzle. Lots of rivers and lake in and around the area. Just a couple hours drive to beautiful beaches on the coast of NC & SC.

Charlotte also has a hub airport, so it is easy to get non-stop flights to visit almost anywhere. Even though Charlotte is in the south, you won't feel completely out of place. There are hundreds of thousand of transplants there from all corners of the map, mainly because it is the financial hub of the southeastern US. Good luck.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 05:43 PM
 
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
6,588 posts, read 17,544,859 times
Reputation: 9462
Recycled, thank you for your input. Your post is exactly the kind of advice I'm looking for!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 05:51 PM
 
Location: Austin, Texas
543 posts, read 1,900,056 times
Reputation: 359
We moved from OC to Austin last year. We like it here but will most likely move to either NC or PA once our son graduates high school (2017). Hoping to make it out before we run out of water. Austin is nice but we knew it wasn't forever. We were born and raised in Ca. and have adapted easily to a new area,although there are a lot of transplants here, which makes it easy. It's all about your attitude. We look at everyday here as an adventure. I will be 50 next year and so happy I can finally say I have experienced living somewhere other than CA.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 06:45 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,088 posts, read 82,920,234 times
Reputation: 43660
Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyCo View Post
That leaves me considering moving to the Midwest, Northeast, or the South.
I can do a lateral transfer with my company; the headquarters are in Charlotte, NC

I suppose I'm looking for a little bit of advice and direction...
Help?
Come to Winston and live with me.
Maybe stop in Simi on your way east to pick up my daughter and GD?

It'll all be very nice. No droughts.
We can run the RV down to FL for Jan/Feb and see your folks.
Oh yeah... but no cats. Just dogs.
Attached Thumbnails
51 years old; thinking of leaving Southern California.-backyard.jpg  
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 07:11 PM
 
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
6,588 posts, read 17,544,859 times
Reputation: 9462
What a lovely offer; thank you! Unfortunately, that would never work, as I have two cats.

Cute pic!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational View Post
Come to Winston and live with me.
Maybe stop in Simi on your way east to pick up my daughter and GD?

It'll all be very nice. No droughts.
We can run the RV down to FL for Jan/Feb and see your folks.
Oh yeah... but no cats. Just dogs.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 07:13 PM
 
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
6,588 posts, read 17,544,859 times
Reputation: 9462
oc2nyc, thank you for your input as well. You're right, of course; attitude is everything!

I perused the Charlotte forum today, and found a couple of other people from Southern California, so I may get more specific info from them if I decide that would be a good possibility.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 07:54 PM
 
Location: Groveland, FL
1,299 posts, read 2,578,168 times
Reputation: 1884
I was raised in Socal (San Diego County) and never thought I'd leave. A previous drought drove me out in 1991 (my ex was in construction and had no work at the time due to the moratorium on water meters). I've lived in five states since I left, Florida for the past six years. I adore Florida and encourage you to give it a chance. Yes it's hot in the summer, but there's a/c everywhere. Yes it's humid, but I adjusted quickly. I was just out visiting my Mom back in Socal for the heat spell, and I noticed I prefer my humid heat to the dry heat in Calif at the same temps. I have a friend who moved from the desert to Austin, and after a short time complaining about the humidity, a visit back to her desert home made her realize that she also now prefers humid heat to dry. Maybe you should visit your dad in Florida and at least see what you think? If you decided you did like it, at least you'd have family in your new state.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 08:00 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,088 posts, read 82,920,234 times
Reputation: 43660
Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyCo View Post
Cute pic!
We have more!
Attached Thumbnails
51 years old; thinking of leaving Southern California.-truckin.jpg  
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2014, 09:21 PM
 
Location: Somewhere below Mason/Dixon
9,468 posts, read 10,794,806 times
Reputation: 15967
The OP does not like humidity, but the dry states facing drought that he/she is looking to escape are really the only ones with low humidity. Places without water shortage issues will likely be humid. Where it rains a lot there is humidity, and those are the places where no one worries about going dry. One can get used to humidity, however you cannot get used to having no water.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:23 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top