Married couple (IT and healthcare), why and where to move in CA? (San Diego: 2013, renters)

[iamanewuser]

Hi,
I posted my question in the general US section and got different responses, mostly favoring NC and very little about CA. You may take a look at it to get further context (trying to avoid double posting)

Husband in IT and wife in healthcare field, with kids wants to settle down, but where?

What do you think? Where in CA would be the best place for us to move to? Not putting lot of emphasis on the tech areas since thinking of working remotely in the long run so proximity to IT job areas is not critical (would be nice to have). More important is spouse's closeness to healthcare related jobs (hospitals, medical centers etc).

I don't know much about CA except I visited San Francisco once or twice for a company I used to work remotely from East Coast.

I would like to hear your views whether you are for or against moving to CA for someone who is thinking of doing so?

Thanks for reading my question and looking forward to learning from your collective wisdom!

PS: Does anyone know about licensing for new physicians? Is PTAL required.. anyone gone through the process?

[nightlysparrow]

Your posts say your budget is capped currently at $500k. That is low for a SFH close-in to the biggest cities. But in the strangeness of California, sometimes even high-priced houses are in unspectacular school districts.

It might be best if your wife search for jobs first and then see what areas around her job have good school districts.

[iamanewuser]

Thank you for your reply! The budget can be stretched to fit the ground reality, it could be 1 million. Also our move is not immediate or at least buying the house would't be immediate..in a few years probably! First would move as renters and then work towards being home owners!

I was thinking what if one doesn't need to live to the so called IT hubs then cost of living may be low in parts of CA but with still decent schools. Healthcare jobs I'm assuming would be found pretty much anywhere in the state..as you gotta have hospitals all around no mater what..


The main question really is that if CA is worth it or are there other places that give you better bang for your buck? That's interesting that high prices of housing don't equate to high quality schools.. I was under the impression that they were always related!

Also is weather the only major draw for CA? If that's the case, are there other places in the country that offer something similar?

Also are current trends point towards migration out of CA or into CA from other parts of the country?

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Your posts say your budget is capped currently at $500k. That is low for a SFH close-in to the biggest cities. But in the strangeness of California, sometimes even high-priced houses are in unspectacular school districts.

It might be best if your wife search for jobs first and then see what areas around her job have good school districts.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by iamanewuser

The main question really is that if CA is worth it or are there other places that give you better bang for your buck? That's interesting that high prices of housing don't equate to high quality schools.. I was under the impression that they were always related!

Also is weather the only major draw for CA? If that's the case, are there other places in the country that offer something similar?

Also are current trends point towards migration out of CA or into CA from other parts of the country?

1. Only you can answer that and it depends on what you want.


2. It is a primary draw but it changes all over the State so aside from generally speaking low humidity the climate is vastly different in various parts of the state. SoCal coastal is generally viewed as the best and say Barstow, Indio and similar desert areas not that good. However some hate the SoCal coast and love the desert. What do you favor?


3. More citizens leave CA than move in. Growth is birth and foreign immigration both legal and illegal.

[payutenyodagimas]

you cant go wrong with Orange County, particularly Irvine if both of you are in IT and Healthcare.

[nightlysparrow]

Sent you a DM

[MtnSurfer]

One of the funny things you'll find in CA more than other states is that a lot of people are weather connoisseurs. In other words, the weather is a *very* important aspect of their lives and why many have chosen to pay a premium to live where they do. For those who both love the outdoors and enjoy a mild climate year round, there are parts of CA that cannot be beat. In other states you will not find this as much, folks talking about how 'freezing' cold it is when it gets down into the 50s or how the wind makes them cold when at the beach, its in the 60s and the wind is blowing, etc... Some have moved from bitter cold climates and are committed to never living like that again. So they go for the opposite in places like southern and central coastal CA where the weather rarely changes. Maybe a little rain here and there, some cloudy days mixed with lots of sun, a few heatwaves in the summer and that's about it.

Add to the relative good weather the highest mountains in the lower 48, lowest deserts, amazing national parks, redwood forests, incredible beaches, there is a lot one can enjoy year round.

The tech scene is second to none in the Silicon Valley as are the Bay Area prices. You have world class research hospitals such as Stanford, etc...

All of the above and more result in ever increasing prices. Those higher costs cause some to reassess at certain stages of their lives. Sometimes that means moving to more affordable areas 'within' the state to inland parts such as Sacramento, for example. Other times it means leaving to another state entirely which has other benefits including more affordability. As natives, we have left and returned for similar reasons. I would say if you do not love the outdoors and take advantage of all the state has to offer it may not be worth it. Some stay regardless because its home, their family is here and they love the weather even if they're too busy to get out and enjoy it much.

As expatCA said, most of it really depends on you more than 100+ opinions you'll get on a forum like this from folks who all have their own preferences and reasons to stay or leave. Some love living in the mountains, forests, desserts, along the coast, etc... CA is both one the largest and most geographically diverse states. So it has a lot to offer a wide variety of people with many different preferences.

That said, there are other nice states to live in also with weather that is not as harsh as the NE. You are getting some good recommendations on that general thread as well. The main thing to do is figure out what is most important to you. Think about what may bring you a sense of higher quality of life beyond work and weather. What do you like to do in your free time, for example? Do you like the mountains, beaches, deserts, forests, big city stuff, what else? Then go explore those places and see what you think first hand. That will go a long way it helping narrow what you'll really enjoy most.

We moved to CO because we love the mountains. But after a while I missed the coast too much and didn't like that much snow. So we moved back to the central coast where we have mountains right up to the water.





Derek

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by iamanewuser

Thank you for your reply! The budget can be stretched to fit the ground reality, it could be 1 million. Also our move is not immediate or at least buying the house would't be immediate..in a few years probably! First would move as renters and then work towards being home owners!

Smart. Rent until the next property bubble burst. At some point in the next 10 years, property values will drop 20-50%. Save your pennies and explore your area prior to buying, while prices are high. We did this from 2003 until 2013, when we bought a piece of coastal gold that saves us HUGE in rent and increases in value like you wouldn't believe. It's the single best investment we have made, and it gives us a lot of economic freedom, despite our (for now, and comparitively) modest income.

I suggest anywhere in Coastal CA, depending on your climate preference:
Sunny and Warm: San Diego or Ventura/SB counties.
Cloudy and Cool: Monterey Bay to SF.
Rainy and Cool: North of SF.

Healthcare jobs I'm assuming would be found pretty much anywhere in the state..as you gotta have hospitals all around no mater what.

Ventura has a brand-new hospital that had a ribbon-cutting ceremony last night. Lots of rich old people are moving in, so health care needs with the aging population are only increasing. The gentrification means they're willing to pay top dollar too.

The main question really is that if CA is worth it or are there other places that give you better bang for your buck? That's interesting that high prices of housing don't equate to high quality schools.

If you don't surf or don't love the ocean/boating/sailing/beach, don't bother paying the premium to live near it. There are cheaper places to be within a drive of skiing, surfing, camping, scenery.

Also is weather the only major draw for CA? If that's the case, are there other places in the country that offer something similar?

Here's our list of draws:
1. Ocean - Surfing, beach days year-round, beautiful vistas galore.
2. Weather - Play outdoors year-round. Small house, go out on the town for fun every day. We're not homebodies. Also, our kids are fit and active because we play every day. I forgot how bad it was in places with 3-6 months of winter. When we go visit relatives, we just sit around inside all the time.
3. Environment - California's strict ecological, health, and safety regulations mean we feel safe eating, drinking, and breathing the local food, water, and air, respectively.
4. Tolerance - We're racially and politically mixed, and we feel safe being who we are in California. The race riots, hate crimes, and general intolerance and anger present in big swaths of America seem like they happen in a different country. I feel like our kids can grow up and be accepted here, facing no more discrimination and hate than what anyone would find on the schoolyard. I'm not worried about them getting screamed at, attacked, or shot by adults crazed with hatred and fear. We have lived in parts of this country and other countries where this was not true.
5. Culture/Society - In a similar vein, there's a broad mix of cultures, lots of diversity (in our area, at least) that doesn't cause divisiveness, and just a general get-along and friendy attitude. People are generally so wrapped-up in their yoga, crunchy, techy, barefoot, unschool, or whatever nonsense, that they overshare and are overly-friendly and really want to get you into their favorite thing. That's a lot more fun and nicer to be around than more insuler socities we've lived in.

Also are current trends point towards migration out of CA or into CA from other parts of the country?

People who make under $50,000/year are moving out. People who make over $150,000/year are moving in. This means a net migration out of the state, because there are fewer rich people. It also means areas are RAPIDLY gentrifying. We've witnessed it, and you'll hear a lot of grousing about the cost of rents and housing from locals in sleepy blue-collar towns that are now becoming desirable destinations. Old-timers in our town particularly like to complain when someone builds a new brewery, starbucks, or the like. Talk about first-world problems!

This is another aspect of our part of California that we love, that accompanies the gentrification, is the ability to start profitable small-and-mid-sized business ventures. We've run small home business ventures in the past and made quite a bit of money. In fact, I'm currently heading a successful (so far) spin-off from my primary employer that wouldn't be possible in a LCOL area with a less-educated population. We tried this in other areas of the country, but none were as condusive to small business start-ups as here.

While regulations and taxes, in other areas, were lower, we couldn't find the talent/interest/customer base to make a go of it. It's really the local level of economic activity, workforce, and attitude that determines business success. Taxes and regulations are an annoyance and a drag, but if you go out of business due to a few % points of taxes or an environmental or workplace regulation, then your company was unlikely to survive, anyway.

[iamanewuser]

How about Fresno? Looking at it for possible move.

Are there IT jobs in the area? How is it for elementary and middle schools? What's the general impression of the area? I looked through forum posts and it seems to suggest that it was/is agriculture focused area with some Govt employment options and of course hospitals but not much in the way of IT jobs.. The prices of the houses are low compared to other parts of CA.

How does Fresno compare to the more well known (San Francisco, San Jose ..) etc or it's not a fair comparison.

[iamanewuser]

Checking back here to see if anyone had any thoughts about Fresno or the overall question of moving to CA for a couple like us (details in post # 1 above?