How many people that live in CA are living exactly where they want to live? (Los Angeles: apartment, rent)

[BRinSM]

A lot of people outside of CA have these grand visions of CA being a place filled with tan, fit people surrounded by the beach and palm trees. Obviously this is not the case for all of us. With that said, how many of you here are living exactly where you want to live? You here a lot that many people in the IE would rather live in Orange County. Or you hear that people that live inland would rather live closer to the coast. There are also the people that would rather live in the big cities (SF, LA, and SD) but just can't afford it. So I ask, if you had the means, would you live somewhere else in CA or are you happy exactly where you are at?

For me personally, I love where I live. My wife and I rent a rather small 1 bedroom apartment, but I think if we could afford to buy, we would certainly stay in the same neighborhood.

[matt345]

I'm happy in LA right now, but I think I would eventually like to try San Diego. Or maybe even San Francisco (I know, how could a Southern Californian say such a thing?! )

[jillz]

I live in Santa Barbara and love it. I know I will never be able to buy a home (unless the lottery fairy delivers me a winning ticket) but that doesn't matter to me. I have left for brief periods (6 months or less) and couldn't wait to get back.

J

[laysayfair]

I live in the Westlake area of Thousand Oaks and I love
it. I never liked living in CA (I'm a native New Yorker)
until I the Conejo Valley. It fits me like a glove!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

A lot of people outside of CA have these grand visions of CA being a place filled with tan, fit people surrounded by the beach and palm trees. Obviously this is not the case for all of us. With that said, how many of you here are living exactly where you want to live? You here a lot that many people in the IE would rather live in Orange County. Or you hear that people that live inland would rather live closer to the coast. There are also the people that would rather live in the big cities (SF, LA, and SD) but just can't afford it. So I ask, if you had the means, would you live somewhere else in CA or are you happy exactly where you are at?

For me personally, I love where I live. My wife and I rent a rather small 1 bedroom apartment, but I think if we could afford to buy, we would certainly stay in the same neighborhood.

It would be interesting to compare responses to this query to a "time machine" version from about ten years ago when housing prices were about $150/sqft. "Sure, I'd love to live in a Santa Monica 4+2 home for $450K"

[Roaddog]

I'm happy where I am right now, I have a good job and my own house but if I could live in a small mountian town I would but in my kine of work it limois me to my locations.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Charles

It would be interesting to compare responses to this query to a "time machine" version from about ten years ago when housing prices were about $150/sqft. "Sure, I'd love to live in a Santa Monica 4+2 home for $450K"

I'd love to be exactly where I am (Fountain Valley) for $150/sqft. But not for $400+/sqft.

[grimstuff]

I'm pretty happy here in SLO, it's a great place to live, high quality of life, lots of outdoor activities, lively downtown, but for a young(er) professional starting his career, there are not many jobs in my line of work, they pay less than the same positions in other cities of similar population, but the main thing is the cost of housing. The rents are getting absurdly expensive and the housing market is way out of reach for me, even with the downturn. So I got to bide my time, get work experience, but keep throwing my money down the drain until I get out of here and buy my own place.

[SoCalFamilyof3]

We're very happy living where we do - a lot of people seem to dislike Long Beach, but we love it. We're about five houses from the beach, we can walk to shops and restaurants, and my husband and I both have about 10-minute drives to work. The "downside" is that our house is only about 1500 square feet, and we have no backyard at all. We could get a bigger house further inland, but we'd rather be close to everything and have no yard than be further away and have more space. That said, if I had a few million dollars lying around, I'd sell our house and buy one of the ones ON the beach instead of near it.

[jessemh431]

Well, technically, I don't want to move from the CITY I live in, which is Los Angeles, but I wouldn't mind moving to a different community within LA.

SoCalFamily, I actually want to move to Belmont Shore. It's cheaper than where I live, it's much more urban, and Long Beach is the warmest beach city in Los Angeles. I like warm weather and beaches, so LB works perfectly. My second favorite area would the Hollywood Hills. Third is a tie between the 4 neighborhoods around mine, including mine. Fourth would be a tie between South Pasadena, SFV below Ventura Blvd up in the SaMo mountains, and northern SFV areas such as Northridge, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, and Sylmar.