Leav'in Calif...What the details... (Irvine, Orange: relocating, military, vacation)

[Hunter Wold]

I am working on a book/story ...non-fiction...names changed..re those that are leavin the Golden State for other areas.

I would like to hear some stories about why, how, when, etc..that leads to heading East..North, South, etc.

I am doing a reverse on JS..."Grapes of Wrath" ...Pat. Pending...etc.

I have seen sooo many folks packed up headin East that I think it would be a good idea to tell America..what has happened in the "Ole Golden State"..

You can PM me if you wish.

Happy trails,
HW..also know as Andy West...

[california5]

I left California because my husband was in the military and they told us to go. We came back though.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Too many people came here and too many came here with their hand out.

[Hunter Wold]

That is "copyright pending" etc...

Still like to hear your story....

Is it as bad as some say..re selling house..jobs...crime...
etc.

HW...aka AW...

[missionhome]

We left back in the 80's because my husband was the military. Couldn't wait for him to be done and get out of small towns like Beeville and Yuma and get back to CA. I like it here, but we bought our home in the 90's and we can afford to live here. The main reason people leave is the price of housing. Also, for some people, they don't like how urban Southern California for example has become. For a lot of people, the reason their families first came to CA was to escape the crowds of Northeastern cities like Boston or Philly or NYC. Now So Cal is just as crowded, if not more, and people are leaving for places like North Carolina or Arizona or Texas which have wide open spaces and are a lot more like CA was in 1960.

[hsw]

Suspect many leave b/c of steep housing costs and costs of private schools (as most public schools in CA are inept and/or unsafe)....

Doubt one will find weather as close to perfect as found in coastal LA and SiliconValley...

And, aside from in NYC/Chicago, really difficult to find as many smart, high-achieving people as one finds in SV and LA's Westside....

There are many reasons why some places are so cheap....

[CA central coast]

Interesting concept. I read an article 10-12+ years ago which had statitics that stated 2/3 of the people leaving CA, relocating mainly to other western states, were from L.A. and Orange County. 2/3? why do so many people from that area of this very large state feel compelled to leave? Is that stat. still accurate today? I wonder.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by CA central coast

Interesting concept. I read an article 10-12+ years ago which had statitics that stated 2/3 of the people leaving CA, relocating mainly to other western states, were from L.A. and Orange County. 2/3? why do so many people from that area of this very large state feel compelled to leave? Is that stat. still accurate today? I wonder.

I believe it. The reasons people leave have been posted here again and again (too expensive, too crowded, too much traffic, too many illegals, high taxes and regulation, etc, etc). I think a lot of people leaving are more on the conservative side and don't like the direction California's been heading for the last 30 years. This is no longer the SoCal they moved to in the 60's or 70's. You'll find a lot more people like that in OC than you will in the Bay Area so SoCal is overrepresented when you look at where people are leaving from. The Bay Area also hasn't been as impacted by the above problems as SoCal has except probably for the taxes and regulations. I've also read that a good number of people leaving LA are Blacks leaving South LA for Southeastern states as their neighborhoods have become a big extension of East LA.

[killer2021]

I am planning on moving out of CA once I get out of school. I won't have any obligations tying me down (girlfriend,family, job, school etc) so it will be the best time to make the move.

Basically it is too expensive to live here and CA has the 4-5th highest unemployment rates. Even if I was able to gain a good paying job it still would not be worth it because a large percentage of my income would go to housing bills. Why bother doing that when I can move to Texas where the land is cheap and jobs are plentiful?

When I was growing up it was much different. My neighborhood was considered decent, now it is a cess pool. Many gangs moving in, all the good neighbors moving out and being replaced by slumlords. 10+ people per house, 5+ cars per house, trash all over the place. It isn't a good enviornment to live in. I'd hate to tell you guys but Orange County, Ca aint all that it is cracked up to be unless you enjoy spending all your paycheck to live in the good areas. Good weather is about all that CA has going for it. The beaches are polluted, constant contamination warnings. I used to go to the beach all the time and swim. Over the years I got a few ear infections and then I started to get a lot. The doctor said I should stop swimming in the ocean because of pollution. I was at risk of developing immunity to the antibiotics. I never swim in the ocean anymore. Constant traffic jams, tons of air pollution etc

I can understand coming to the OC on vacation and only visiting the good parts but living and working here is a waste of time.

When I move to Texas I am planning on living in the country side and renting a small studio in the city for work.

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by killer2021

I am planning on moving out of CA once I get out of school. I won't have any obligations tying me down (girlfriend,family, job, school etc) so it will be the best time to make the move.

Basically it is too expensive to live here and CA has the 4-5th highest unemployment rates. Even if I was able to gain a good paying job it still would not be worth it because a large percentage of my income would go to housing bills. Why bother doing that when I can move to Texas where the land is cheap and jobs are plentiful?

When I was growing up it was much different. My neighborhood was considered decent, now it is a cess pool. Many gangs moving in, all the good neighbors moving out and being replaced by slumlords. 10+ people per house, 5+ cars per house, trash all over the place. It isn't a good enviornment to live in. I'd hate to tell you guys but Orange County, Ca aint all that it is cracked up to be unless you enjoy spending all your paycheck to live in the good areas. Good weather is about all that CA has going for it. The beaches are polluted, constant contamination warnings. I used to go to the beach all the time and swim. Over the years I got a few ear infections and then I started to get a lot. The doctor said I should stop swimming in the ocean because of pollution. I was at risk of developing immunity to the antibiotics. I never swim in the ocean anymore. Constant traffic jams, tons of air pollution etc

I can understand coming to the OC on vacation and only visiting the good parts but living and working here is a waste of time.

When I move to Texas I am planning on living in the country side and renting a small studio in the city for work.

You will find TX to be a welcome change. We moved last November from Irvine, CA. Even though Irvine was quite nice and we had lived there for 28 years we do not regret it for a minute. I could give you a list longer than you would want to read but I will suffice to say that we are much better off financially and the only things we miss are our son and the many friends we had for so many years. Our son comes out a couple times a year and we keep intouch with friends. The people here are so friendly and we have made some friends here. You are leaving for thr right reasons. Just make sure TX is right for you. There are so many choices outside of CA. Good luck!