Leaving California (Sacramento, Orange: house, neighborhoods, private school)

[Tired_of_OC]

Some may think I'm crazy, but I want to move my family out of California. We live in Orange County in a very nice neighborhood, own a business, kids in private school, wife stays at home, life is generally good. But I've been in OC all my life and it's not like it used to be. I think it's time to leave.

I am trying to find that perfect place to go, and am looking for advice from this forum. We are a conservative Republican family and want that idyllic "Leave It To Beaver" experience for our children. The summer heat here kills my wife too so we need someplace cooler than CA, somewhere with 4 distinct seasons would be great. Having an ocean nearby (1-2 hrs) is a plus. We like fine homes and lots of space, and would want to be in a place where upper class neighborhoods with 4000-6000 square foot homes are common on at least an acre of land. We can't be off in the backwoods either, we would need to be near a larger city with culture, arts, restaurants, etc. Pricewise, somewhere in the $1.5M-$2M range. And somewhere that is not crawling with illegal aliens...

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Charles]

What line of work are you in?

Denver?

Sacramento?

North Carolina?

Atlanta?

Columbus?

Nashville?

Dallas?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Cooler than OC in the summer? That's going to be hard to do. Most of the country is either hot and dry or hot and humid in the summer. You'll probably have to head up the the Pacific Northwest or the California north coast for a cooler summer.

[Tired_of_OC]

It's the 100+ degree days of North OC that get us. Coastal temperatures would be fine, averaging in the 80's. I've thought about the Denver area but have never spent any time there. It all looks pretty flat and suburban when flying to the airport though. The Pacific Northwest is inviting as long as it's a place that doesn't rain all the time, and I hear that Oregon and Washington are fast becoming centers of liberalism - not the place for us. My wife's parents live in Florida, and she can't stand it there, too humid and too many bugs. So any place with a climate like that is out of the question.

And regarding my line of work, my business will be sold and I will basically be "retired" despite the fact that we're still raising a family, living off the investment income. So locale doesn't matter in that sense.

[EscapeCalifornia]

All I can say is that no place is perfect. Coastal SoCal's climate is pretty unique in the country and pretty rare in the whole world. If you want cool, you'll have take rain. If you want affordable, you'll have to take hot, cold, humid, snowy, etc. Pick your poison. Oregon and Washington have long been liberal. Oregon got all the hippies from SF and Seattle has long been a union town. Nothing new there. Denver is hot in the summer and cold (but manageable) in the winter. Colorado Springs is a bit higher and a bit cooler. They're both on the plains and thus pretty flat but they're right by the mountains.

[sav858]

Maybe Northern Virginia (NoVa)

I hear it's fairly conservative there and have seen people compare it to OC, even though they aren't that alike but the demographics appear similar, mostly upper middle class and conservative. Has 4 distinct seasons. Within a few hours of the beach. It can get hot and muggy there during the summer but since I've never lived there I'm not sure how bad it is. And being near DC you'll have lots of big city cultural and entertainment options not too far away.

[Niners fan]

You might consider Boise. It is farther from the ocean than you would like and a little hotter in the summer. But there aren't too many conservative states left near an ocean.

From one business owner to another, I can tell you that Idaho is MUCH more business-friendly than California. I have had some dealings with local and state politicians there as I move my business. It is so refreshing to meet with officials who realize that business create goods, services, jobs, and tax revenue!

[BRinSM]

Have you considered Mayberry? Seriously though, many, many people are leaving CA for the same exact reasons you are, so many of the problems you are looking to avoid are probably already taking root in the places you will consider moving to. With that said, you may consider coastal N. Caorlina, just beware of humidity and hurricanes. you may also like richmond or virginia beach, va. certainly not my cup of tea after going to school there for a semester, but it sounds like it might be up your alley. in fact, one person i went to school with back east was from the virginia beach area and told me that it was often compared to orange county, ca.

what gets me the most about your post though is with the amount of money you have, why not just move closer to the ocean somewhere here in southern california. i honestly don't think the pristine town with perfect weather that you are looking for exists, atleast not with the size of house you are looking with the price you are looking to spend. If you had another couple of million I might recommend the santa barbara area.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

If you had another couple of million I might recommend the santa barbara area.

I was going to write almost exactly the same thing.

[cleosmom]

I'm thinking ID, UT as far as conservative.... ideally CO might be better for more of a big city feel.

Heck here in SE Idaho it snowed yesterday, would that be cool enough for you?