Those of you who left So. Calif., where did you go and would you come back? (San Diego: rental, home)

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Yep, lots of DoD work out there including contractors like Northrop. I have several friends who moved there for a time because of it. One eventually moved back to CA. I think he wanted to be closer to family again, plus Boeing offered him a good job back in SoCal.

I've been fortunate to move to various states and locations within CA while maintaining work for my current employer. They've allowed me to work remotely more recently. So we could technically live anywhere with decent internet and an airport for business travel.

Derek

Not just Northrop, but also Lockheed, Raytheon, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, Jacobs, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance. Also not to mention many home-grown companies that are getting bigger such as Dynetics and many support contractors big & small.

Jobs are plentiful right now in Huntsville. I had offers paying over $200K a year as support contractor for NASA, but I will need to move back there and this defeats the purpose why we move back to California in the first place (family).

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by CAHLUV

I had long training and stayed in the Huntsville/Madison area for a year with employment for Northrop. I thought about moving there when I get older and live an expat lifestyle. Definitely is a slow-paced city but I wouldn't mind that if I'm able to still travel...although that airport really doesn't get many flights because of its size.

A lot of military retirees who decided to move back to Huntsville and retire there. They were once TDY in Huntsville and when the time comes to decide where to retire, they remember Huntsville and decided to move back. I think there are a lot of Generals retired there too.

[BillyBobJoeBobWilly]

I just looked up Crime rates in Huntsville by year and it doesn't look good.



I would move back to Socal in a heartbeat if I could get the same conditions I had in the year 2000 that ain't gonna happen anytime soon, if ever.

[MikeQBF]

Both of us grew up in California (me, high desert; her, Bay Area), moved to Atlanta in the '70s, met there, careers took us to St. Louis around 1990, retired in rural Illinois, a/k/a "downstate". Would we move back to California? Hell, no.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot we miss about California, but like the old adage says, "You can't go back." We still have family there, and have visited periodically in the last 20 years, albeit mostly to her old stomping grounds. Our most recent visit was to my roots in SoCal, and we were so appalled by the rampant sprawl, congestion (traffic and people), and what we could only describe as "endemic meanness" that we have zero interest in returning.

Cost of living differential can't be ignored. Both of us had already concluded our moves east were one-way, as this happened as California housing costs were starting to run amok. Nonetheless, we inherited an interesting house in the hills on the SF Peninsula, so we could have afforded to move back. Bottom line was we sold the place and promptly retired, and bought a modest but nice home in a small city (25,000 pop.) for 1/10 of what we sold Mom's place for.

We don't miss the traffic and the density, and the OMG! bill at the grocery checkout. We miss the scenic beauty, nicer weather, decent restaurants, and shopping variety. Not a tough choice 'tween the two, however - we'll take the relaxed lifestyle, the affordability and the 10-15 years it likely added to our lives.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

People think 100f heat is all the same, what they don't realize is that elevation makes things worse!
That's why Vegas feels so much hotter than Sacramento and other valley cities, especially at night.

Vegas is actually a lot higher in elevation than people realize. It's around 2k feet, while cities in the CV are all pretty close to sea level. Death Valley is only ~150 miles away, but a lot of it is below sea level. Vegas and Phoenix feel hotter because they're drier, AND they're actually hotter. 10-15 degrees in 100+ temps are definitely noticeable, and because Phoenix is only at 1k feet, the effect is even more pronounced.

I've spent wayyyy too much time in Vegas during the summer since I have family living there, but I can tell you that Phoenix is always worse. ALWAYS. I would never want to live in either place, but I'd pick Vegas over PHX every single time. Both are absolute hell on earth during summer, but at least Vegas has more to do, and cheaper flights to escape.

[dcisive]

I left back in 93 before traffic, taxes and the political scene became much of an issue. I for darned sure, now in my retirement years, wouldn't ever consider heading back that way. I managed to find a place that much more fits my lifestyle (quiet, no traffic, low taxes that favor seniors, minimal young ones etc.) I was a road rep that traveled Ohio to the West Coast when I was in my 40's for a decade, so had the opportunity to see it all and when things were a LOT more tolerable in all States back then. I'll stick to my memories of when things were better (IMHO anyway). I see so much of the discontent across the internet enough to sink a battleship regarding your and many other States having their "issues". I prefer to stand on the sidelines and watch you deal with it and NOT be directly involved thank you. My years in Cali were certainly pleasant so I'll stick to what it "was" and not what it "is" currently.

[Bonezman765]

Moved out of San Diego and went to the PNW; I [mod cut] hated living in the Greater Seattle area and will never return to that dump. At least I'm back in Northern California (where I'm originally from) and I'm considering going back to southern California (OC or San Diego County) in a few years. I miss going surfing everyday and being able to go to Tijuana whenever I felt like it.

[CaliRestoration]

I moved my company out of the state over a decade ago but had to stick around a little longer to fulfill obligations on a partnership "product" with another company.

But finally in 2018 I broke clean away financially from the state, and then became "fun-employed" a short time later. Although I've consolidated my real estate holdings and become "less landlord", and more pure "investor", I still maintain homes in multiple states.

I just bought a 3 bedroom in North Kihei on the island of Maui. I'll be spending the entire month of August and September on the island, remodeling the place, and taking in the sights. I'll post pictures for those interested.

As for the question of moving back to California... I would never say "never". If the politics became more purple, and guys like Newsom and Pelosi began to lose major popularity in the state, I might consider moving back. But for now, politically, financially, it doesn't make much sense to claim residence in California.

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by Juilane

My husband and I will soon retire. We have a pretty good deal here where we are renting from a good friend. Sold our home about a year ago in anticipation of our retirement. My questions; where did you go when you left Southern California and would you come back? Do you regret your move?

Well, I grew up in N. Orange County, left to go to college in Boston, took a job in Boston, and was transferred to Chicago. I now live in the western suburbs of Chicago, and really like it here. Would I ever go back? Only on a part time basis. I own a house in OC as an investment, and plan to keep it that way.

[MrJester]

Moved to OKC. Would come back to So Cal if my salary tripled (it's simply not true when people say you couldn't pay me enough to live there, everyone has a price!)

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