Why all the hate on California (San Francisco: rent, car insurance, buying a house)

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

That only applies if you insist on living in LA/SD or the Bay Area/Monterey.

We live in a great part of CA and the average home price is $200K.

The Urban areas of CA comprise less than 3% of the state and as a whole, CA doesn't have the crap weather of the Midwest. My wife has Zero desire to return to the Midwest.

With that said you get what you pay for. I think TN is a fine state, but it so darn humid and so settled-no wild areas. No thanks. I have family there and I dread visiting May-Oct.

But Cali is a crappy dry and brown state. The weather is overrated.

Basically the way you can see Cali is as $100 a day to see an ocean and have 70 degree weather.

Oh, and the ocean is too cold to swim in.

[derekspere]

California is quite big and geographically too diverse to be just called good or bad. I like the entire coastal area of the state with its great ocean views and cool weather, which is also the most expensive in most cases. I also like the Sierras for its beautiful views, especially from the east side. A good part of the state is barren desert and a similar part is heavily wooded. The northern half of the state seems to be less crowded overall.

As far as the cities are concerned, my good, bad and ugly are as below.

Good: SD, SF and many small towns in NoCal
Bad: Los Angeles, San Jose and most of Bay area
Ugly : Bakersfield, Sacramento.. and many others

[LoriBee62]

Originally Posted by Phil P

But Cali is a crappy dry and brown state. The weather is overrated.

Basically the way you can see Cali is as $100 a day to see an ocean and have 70 degree weather.

Oh, and the ocean is too cold to swim in.

I guess it's a good thing you don't live here then.

[happycrow]

derekspere: SF isn't what it used to be, either. Much of the town is filthy. Like, disgusting filthy, way dirtier than a city its size should be. Last time I went back to see the old family digs I was shocked at how foul the place has gotten. I haven't gone back since.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Phil P

But Cali is a crappy dry and brown state. The weather is overrated.

Basically the way you can see Cali is as $100 a day to see an ocean and have 70 degree weather.

Oh, and the ocean is too cold to swim in.

Colombia is actually kind of nice this time of year.

[crouching_tiger]

They hate us cause they ain't us.

[Kobe25]

Only other States that can compare are Florida & Texas & Florida has that humid weather & hurricane season so no & Texas is redneck county & slow so again no.

They hate California because they're jealous, Give me El pollo loco & in&out any day of the week over piggy wiggly lol

[HappyinCali]

I think the money issue is an important one. I will repaste a post I had made in the San Francisco forum

We absolutely love California. However, both my wife and I are well-paid professionals and are able to enjoy everything this state has to offer. If I were not as well paid, I would probably live elsewhere.

I always tell my younger brother that the best thing that ever happened to our family was coming to America. The second best thing was choosing the South, instead of the coastal cities (NYC was a very real possibility). We came to America with almost nothing, but with mom being a teacher and my dad blue collar, we were able to buy a beautiful 150k house in to the best school district in the state. I went on to attend a top 20 college and my brother is headed in that direction, too. If we had moved to SF, NYC, Boston, we probably would have lived in a crappy, cramped apartment next to a crappy school.

So, yes, I love it here and it is the right place for me. I hope I get to spent many many years here. But it would have been a terrible place for my newly immigrant family to move to. As with everything else in life, it depends on the circumstances.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

You mean, like the problem of the disgruntled who moved away, yet still can't stop peppering CA forums with their anger? The ex has moved on. The stalkers should, too.

But some, like me, are not haters, as I still have family and businesses there. I try to give a balanced view for those posting. No liberal/conservative stupidity as both have made problems for the State. No it is over flowing with (name your race choice). I do acknowledge the actual problems so that people can make choices without the tinted glasses. I see CA as the best State overall in many ways. However in some it is not very good at all. The negative types are in both pro- and anti- CA camps as can be seen when a post belittles either as a group, with really stupid comments. That indicates insecurity and an unwillingness to acknowledge problems and ... actually try to fix them. Many can't admit where they live has problems, it must be paradise or there is something wrong with them (in their own eyes). Nope I would move back, but my wife won't and she comes first. I post favorable and unfavorable comments based on experience and reality and ... love pointing out that the weather is the usual choice for living in CA even though many other important things have to be given up to have it. Some think it is worth it and some don't. Both are right .............. in their own case only.

[LoriBee62]

Originally Posted by HappyinCali

I think the money issue is an important one. I will repaste a post I had made in the San Francisco forum

We absolutely love California. However, both my wife and I are well-paid professionals and are able to enjoy everything this state has to offer. If I were not as well paid, I would probably live elsewhere.

I always tell my younger brother that the best thing that ever happened to our family was coming to America. The second best thing was choosing the South, instead of the coastal cities (NYC was a very real possibility). We came to America with almost nothing, but with mom being a teacher and my dad blue collar, we were able to buy a beautiful 150k house in to the best school district in the state. I went on to attend a top 20 college and my brother is headed in that direction, too. If we had moved to SF, NYC, Boston, we probably would have lived in a crappy, cramped apartment next to a crappy school.

So, yes, I love it here and it is the right place for me. I hope I get to spent many many years here. But it would have been a terrible place for my newly immigrant family to move to. As with everything else in life, it depends on the circumstances.

You're using big cities to make generalizations about an entire state. I live in a neighborhood where there are many blue collar families. The man two doors down from me is a retired school teacher. A man farther down the street from me managed a Burger King. Both long-time homeowners who raised families here. We are 45 minutes north of San Francisco and it's considered a nice and desirable area. A kid from our high school just made it into Harvard on scholarship.

Really, I could say the same thing: Gee, if I moved to lower Manhattan, I wouldn't have afforded a 2,500 square foot single family home on a 1/4 acre lot. Well, no duh. That hardly speaks to the entire state.