Anyone made the move from New England to California and regreted it?

[family first]

countrygirl...thanks for the life experience in upstyate NY. I agree how beautiful it is back there and all New England. I think there are going to be more positives than negatives and the move inevitable. Just getting more fed up with the way CA. is heading.

[OC Investor2]

weather is a reoccurring theme for Maine/ New Hampshire. Being a native of CAlifornia but mostly liking the higher elevations, snow and rain are not problems for us. How bad can it be back East?

It's not the severity, Its the duration. Early November to as late as mid april is a long time to be in a winter wonderland.

With a larger home back there and most with basements I think we could spread out with a family. Don't people recreate outdoors during the winter months or is it so cold peolpe don't go outside?

I hear you. I'm sure you can adjust. When My wife & I go back to visit by day 2 or 3 we get antsy being indoors so much. We end up taking walks in the snow (Like country girl) & volunteering to run all the errands. "Need milk? We'll go!"

Thanks for the insight and if there are other factors, keep me posted.

I wanted to second Coutrygirls comments on Autumn. Fall in New England is about as good as it gets. Absolutely Beautiful. Only place I've been that comes close for fall scenery is the Blue Ridge Mtnsl.

Did'nt want to be all negative!

[Humanoid]

I was born/raised in Southern California and lived in Pennsylvania for a number of years. Although technical not part of New England I was there a lot.

The difference is weather is obvious. What is perhaps not obvious is that although it may seem nice at first you'll get sick of it after a few years. The snow stops being "neat" and more a pain in the butt.

This was in some sense mentioned by someone else. But things are much more socially stratified in New England than they are in California. Also, many people there go back many generations and have strong roots in the region. In contrast most adults in California don't even have two parents that were born in the state. Both of these issues make it hard for new comers to integrate into the town, city etc. I always felt like an outsider even in the cities.

Anyhow, the two areas are really different. I really like the architecture, natural landscape etc in New England but we decided to move to the west because we never felt like we "fit in".

Oh, and after living in Pennsylvania I came to appreciate California state government!

[gmkarr]

Here is one more experience to add to the list! I am originally from Berkeley, and lived most of my adult life in various parts of the Bay Area. I moved to the Cambridge, MA area with my husband for grad school, and ended up staying a total of 5 years there. While not New Hamphire, we were close and it was a short drive to get there (35-40 minutes).

During the first two years, I was enchanted by the history, architecture, the lush landscape during the summer months, the foliage in fall, and the more formal style of dress and people interaction. I loved that many of the suburbs were actually very historical (such as Concord, MA), with beautiful victorian and Cape Cod style homes in some parts, rather than only ranch homes. I noticed that people really seemed to have their act together, there was much less "flakiness" than I was used to growing up in California, and I felt a greater focus on family than I was used to (which I liked).

I was also in grad school and studying most of the time, so the winter months didn't get to me too much. However, in year three I had my son, and that is when I began to fantasize about returning to California (or an easier climate). I found myself imagining being outside in the Bay Area landscape almost every day of winter (about five months). I think it would have been easier if I wasn't from California, because then I wouldn't know what I was missing! The cold also really got to me after a while - my fingers and feet would crack from the cold, and it was actually painful. And the black ice was an unexpected problem - maybe this would be less of a problem in an area with less sidewalks. It didn't matter how careful I was - I slipped a number times during the winter - once while holding my son and was lucky I didn't break anything. It made a casual stroll impossible during some parts of the winter. Pushing a stroller was also impossible right after a snow. The summer was no piece of cake either due to the mugginess. It was pretty uncomfortable most of the year, with fall being the exception.

Much comes down to ones tolerance for cold and staying indoors much of the year. I knew people there who loved the winter, and who thrived on the cold. I don't think there was any way for me to truly know until I experienced it. I have deep respect for the moms who made it work for them there - in my opinion, they had a very hearty constitution. You might want to have a back-up plan if you find that the weather isn't for you after a few years. Then again, there are many California transplants there who are happy.

Culturally, I didn't think the differences were that great. As I mentioned, I think people were more formal, but warmed up once you got to know them. Then again, I was living in an area where there were many students and professionals, so it may have been easier to meet people there than rural New Hampshire or Maine. I did notice that racially different groups seemed to interact much less than in the Bay Area, and I have to say I never got used to that.

Hope that helps. As you know, everyone's experience is different, so the trick is figuring out what you can handle.

-gmkarr

[ArizonaBear]

To the OP:

If you have not done so just yet: arrange a trip to New England and 'feel' the vibes there.

This coming from a Wash DC native who hated it there admittedly------------I left for Calif then Az over 30 years ago and have yet to return to DC even for a visit.

Again: go with your gut------------it is rarely wrong.

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

To the OP:

If you have not done so just yet: arrange a trip to New England and 'feel' the vibes there.

This coming from a Wash DC native who hated it there admittedly------------I left for Calif then Az over 30 years ago and have yet to return to DC even for a visit.

Again: go with your gut------------it is rarely wrong.

Arizona Bear; I agree wholeheartedly. After all the due diligence has been done, one critical component still remains and that is actually going out to the place one is thinking of relocating to and feeling the vibe. I definitely think there is such a thing and that we all resonate positively with different things. Good advice, Arizona Bear.

[Alexva]

I knew a guy who moved from Boston to LA (Torrance actually). The guy constantly bragged about how much better everything was in Boston, and complained about how bad things were in LA. Always said he would move back first chance he got. That was twenty years ago. He still lives in Southern Cal., never did move back to Boston like he said he would. I wonder if he still thinks Boston is superior in all ways to SC??