Why are so many Californians moving to other states? (San Diego: real estate, wages)

[Bendlover]

I am currently in So Cal. and cant wait to move in just 3 months!! There is nothing here, but rude people who cant drive. The cost of living is so high and the pay is so little.... its crazy!!!

[Mvn2nc]

Originally Posted by Boof

Being a native Californian, I have to agree with MUCH of what's been said about CA and why people are leaving.

I've never lived anywhere but CA. I LOVE this state!!! And when I got married 21 Yrs ago, I told my husband he'd NEVER EVER get me to leave CA. Guess what?.....we're headed for the Mid-West in 4 weeks. We sold the house, we're packin' up, and getting the H*** out of this Godforsaken place. This is NOT the same CA that I was born in!!!

Why? For the same reason most people are leaving:

1. Too Expensive
2. Crime
3. Population Explosion
4. RUDE A** People!!!
5. Bumper To Bumper Gridlock on the roads
6. Lack of Morals & Ethics
7. Ugly

We live in the Central Valley/Modesto area. Pop: 400k+ Lord have mercy!!! Gangs are out of control here, and 1/2 the population won't speak english. Wages are some of the lowest in the state, and everywhere you look they're building more houses right on top of each other. Plus, the heat in the summer is dreadfully oppressive...with normal daily highs in the triple digits.

Pretty soon it's going to be nothing but houses, with pissed off people getting on each others' last nerve. Hardly anyone says 'Thank You' or 'Your Welcome' anymore. Everything is Rush Rush...due yesterday. If someone needs anything, they don't ask politely...they bark out their demands. And heaven forbid anyone accept responsibility for themselves; Everything that goes wrong is someone elses fault.

Every time you turn around, they're raising this tax or adding a new tax...and for what? Just to pad their bureaucratic pockets. Because it sure isn't getting passed down to the local govts.

And Uglyyyyyyyyyyy....they're taking all of our beautiful landscape and turning it all into freeways, housing, malls or industrial parks. Trash & Litter everywhere you look. Just one big dumping ground!

I don't know....it's just too much anymore. I'm too old for this B.S. It's not worth it. I'd much rather be in Mayberry or Pixley, on a couple acres, than to have to fight my way through this rat race everyday!

I remember when I was a kid...I'd go all over town on the bus with my girlfriend, and we never feared for our safety. We NEVER locked our front door, and all the neighbors knew each other. Today there are police sub-stations in most of the schools, and the kids have to worry about their safety every minute. It's just not right.

CA will ALWAYS be my state...but they are taking away everything that made it great...and I just can't watch them kill her.

......Just my 2 cents

I too thought i would never leave as i was born and raised in the central coast area.Something just drastically changed from the 60's/70's when i was growing up too.Modesto was such a "farm" type of area with plenty of open spaces and boy did they build there.I see your point on that one.
What fueled a lot of change all over Calif. was the influx of the hispanic population. It forever changed so much and you will have had to have lived there for a long time to understand what people are talking about.It just exploded with far to many.Gang issues are out of control.Hospitals are busting at the seams.Most new jobs require you to speak spanish.It just became to, to much.
Now that i am in N.C this past summer i'd go out and walk the dog and see all the neiborhood kids playing out in the streets untill it gets dark.There are no gangs around here. People wave and chit chat outside their homes. It is Mayberry!!

[gnetcanada]

I am so glad that i came across this forum, its going to be a phenomenal source of information. I recognize from past posts in the thread that SoCal isnt all its cracked up to be, fair enough, but what about Northern California? Places such as a Redding or Yuba City etc?

My situation:
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Im currently living in Canada, as i have my entire life, but run a fairly successfull company of which 90% of our customers are American, thus it makes sense to make a move. I also HATE winter, i hate snow, i like the sun, and the water, etc. I dont HATE Canada, Canada is a great place, but i just cant get over 5 months of Winter with sub 0 (C) temperatures.

If we make the move to the US, im looking to spend no more than $500K USD to get a 2000 sqft+ house on an acre or two of land. I understand this is not heard of in SoCal, but im also considering NorCal, Texas and SC. I dont need a big city, i could do with a rural property with some ammenities, i dont want to be out in the middle of no where, thats for sure. Any suggestions?

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[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by gnetcanada

I am so glad that i came across this forum, its going to be a phenomenal source of information. I recognize from past posts in the thread that SoCal isnt all its cracked up to be, fair enough, but what about Northern California? Places such as a Redding or Yuba City etc?

My situation:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Im currently living in Canada, as i have my entire life, but run a fairly successfull company of which 90% of our customers are American, thus it makes sense to make a move. I also HATE winter, i hate snow, i like the sun, and the water, etc. I dont HATE Canada, Canada is a great place, but i just cant get over 5 months of Winter with sub 0 (C) temperatures.

If we make the move to the US, im looking to spend no more than $500K USD to get a 2000 sqft+ house on an acre or two of land. I understand this is not heard of in SoCal, but im also considering NorCal, Texas and SC. I dont need a big city, i could do with a rural property with some ammenities, i dont want to be out in the middle of no where, thats for sure. Any suggestions?

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Redding and Yuba City are basically economically depressed rural commercial centers which have seen large tract home booms as a result of Bay Area residents cashing out for larger homes.

If you are looking for an acre + 2000sf in CA your best bet is either the Desert or rural acreage in Northern California. It's tough to get that size property anywhere close to a major population center. Even in the desireable rural areas where there are art or tourist communities you will find prices very high. Tract home developments tend to consist of large homes on small lots, so you may consider looking at buying undeveloped rural land and building on it.

[Boof]

Merlin70,
Sorry to burst your bubble. It sucks when you want to be somewhere but are forced out by the intolerable factors you are faced with. We all have our limits and they're all different, but it seems good 'ol CA has alot of them.

There are still some decent areas of CA, but they're out in the middle of nowhere, and not many jobs to be had.

then it just went batty with congestion and growth.

Yah, just try driving the freeway thru Tracy, Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton....it doesn't matter WHAT time it is, you slow down to 15mph practically the whole way. And then you get onto 680 towards Santa Clara/San Jose, and you're going 90mph with people STILL itching to pass you!!! No wonder we've got so much road rage!!!

MVN2NC,

Most new jobs require you to speak spanish.

You are dead on there. PLUS, they want you to be proficient at most software programs, have a degree, multi-task, do the job of 3, all for a whopping $8 per hour! Wow!!! What WOULD we do with all that extra cash???

Now that i am in N.C this past summer i'd go out and walk the dog and see all the neiborhood kids playing out in the streets untill it gets dark.There are no gangs around here. People wave and chit chat outside their homes. It is Mayberry!!

Funny you should mention NC. We almost moved there. You are right...people are very friendly, and it's just beautiful there. Even the freeways are clean and lush with greenery. We drove to the Charlotte Airport at 5pm on a Friday and it was smooth sailing the whole way. No back ups ANYWHERE!!! Now THAT'S more like it

Bendlover,

I am currently in So Cal. and cant wait to move in just 3 months!! There is nothing here, but rude people who cant drive. The cost of living is so high and the pay is so little.... its crazy!!!

Of all of CA, you have it the worst of anyone else. So Cal is what the rest of the state is headed for, and Crazy is the perfect word for it.

I think the worst things about CA, for me, are the rude, inconsiderate, self-absorbed people with Cell phones surgically attached to their ears. Adults and kids alike.

It's just not worth the stress anymore.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by Boof

I think the worst things about CA, for me, are the rude, inconsiderate, self-absorbed people with Cell phones surgically attached to their ears. Adults and kids alike.

I too thought cell phones were a scourge when we still lived in Silicon Valley.

Then we moved to Texas.

And we found out that Californians have NOTHING on the folks here as far as being addicted to cell phones goes.

[ExNYC]

I thought of something good to say about California as a counter-balance to all the negatives.

It's a great, wonderful, fabulous place to live if you have a lotta money. That sounds trite, but there are some states where no matter how much money you have, if you lived there you'd move. I can't say which ones, but we can all think of a few.

If you have a million for a modest house, you will be okay. If you have two million for an actual nice house, you'll be golden. If you have lots of money for everything else, you'll love it there. If you don't, well, forget it. :-D

[catpiperx]

Aerobicv:

Change is always hard! The first time we moved from CA to Las Vegas(of ALL PLACES)I was very scared! We ended up staying there for 4 years and had a GREAT life---nice home, nice neighborhood, schools, great jobs, etc. Sure, we paid to live in the 120 degree weather, but all in all it was a nice time. We ended up back in CA because of my husband's job--then moved up to Reno, same thing, nice "safe" life, and good schools, neighborhood etc. We ended up back in CA because of my husband's job(had been w/same company moving back in forth to NV)and we've been back here for 4 years.....we are now ready to leave because now that we are back in CA, we can't afford to live here.....we are at a point in our lives that change IS good and we can adapt easily. We also have a teen that is going to graduate H/S and a toddler that I want to be in an area that is safe, good schools, homes, etc. Is that feasible? I think so, you have to be ready and open to new experiences.

I do agree that people can be very shallow here in CA--and I agree that it's gone downhill in CA, but from what I gather from other forums, it's YOUR attitude and your honesty that they look at....I'm a people person and I know that I can make friends easily and I will adapt to whatever place we do move to........

I think the best tool we have is the internet, it has a wealth of information on any place that you are interested in!

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by Bendlover

I am currently in So Cal. and cant wait to move in just 3 months!! There is nothing here, but rude people who cant drive. The cost of living is so high and the pay is so little.... its crazy!!!

This is an uneducated result of stereotype syndrome claimed for 16 million people, on vast land, including beach, mountains, desert, and valleys.

[SusannaK]

Originally Posted by gnetcanada

If we make the move to the US, im looking to spend no more than $500K USD to get a 2000 sqft+ house on an acre or two of land. I understand this is not heard of in SoCal, but im also considering NorCal, Texas and SC.

I lived in Northern CA until the mid-90's and I've lived in SC for the past 7 years. For $500K here in SC you could buy a nice house on a lake with a decent amount of property around it. We do not lack for rural areas in this state.

But if you really don't care whether or not you're close to civilization, take a look at the more rural parts of Yolo county in CA (Guinda, Esparto, Rumsey). My dad just sold a piece of his property in Rumsey to a couple who are working from home via a satellite internet connection. It's absolutely beautiful out there, near Napa but not close enough to have tourists. But it's truly the middle of nowhere.