Why is California so worshipped by people? (Los Angeles, San Diego: condo, houses)

[minibrings]

I'm from Cali originally and got out and wouldn't want to move back. I've lived in NY, Australia and now Canada and hands down I need to get back to NY. I like the 4 seasons. I love the pace. I love the fact that in 5 hours you can drive through as many states with each state being different. No offense Cali, its nice to visit.. but give me the east... and I'm only referring to the Bay Area. Because truth of the matter there really are 5 states in California (Central Valley, Bay, North Coast, So Cal, Sierras) so its hard to make generalizations.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Collideascope

The weather is too hot? Okay ... don't live in Barstow. Seriously, what a bizarre statement: "the weather is too hot". California is, what, the 3rd largest state geographically? Its southern border is further south than Atlanta, its northern border is further north than Manhattan. It's the most geographically diverse state in the country and has a fantastic array of weather. You can't find a place to live that isn't hot in the state of California? Coastal San Diego is really too hot for you? Santa Barbara? San Francisco? The mountains? The northern coast?

Crime too high? Okay ... don't live in Oakland or San Bernardino. Again, it's an enormous state, crime rates vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. There are a lot of cities of 250,000+ in California that don't rank inordinately high re crime. In fact, some rank quite low:
United States cities by crime rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Expenses? Again, you don't have to live in Montecito or Palo Alto. There are lots of affordable places to live.

The scenery -- okay, you think Washington and Oregon look nicer. That's fine, it's a purely subjective notion. And you can't understand why someone else's subjective ideas of preferred scenery differ from yours? Seriously?

We get it, we get it - you don't like California. But your excuses aren't logical because California is those things only in some places.

Can't you see how it can be hard for people in this state to live in an affordable place with nice weather and low crime?? Usually the cheaper places have higher crime, like San Bernardino. The cheaper places usually have the hotter weather too, like Barstow and the Central Valley. The more expensive, unaffordable places have the low crime and good weather many times. Please name an area in Ca like that. In case you didn't notice Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and San Diego are all very expensive. San Bernardino is cheaper but it's also has a lot of crime and hot weather. So how and where is someone suppose to live in CA where the weather is perfect, the crime is low, and it's affordable?

The OP's reasons are very valid and CA is like that in many places. It's almost impossible to find an area with nice weather and low crime that is cheap.

[mrschilicook]

Originally Posted by MimzyMusic

I'm a California native, so I'm not speaking as a jealous Midwesterner or bitter Mountain Stater, I just don't see what's so GREAT about California.

The weather is too hot, crime high, expenses even higher, and while the scenery is great, you can do better up in Oregon and Washington.

I love California, but I just don't think it's that great. The Hollywood mindset really annoys me too.

I had to laugh when I read this. I too am a native Californian but am currently living near Branson MO. Everyone here thinks that there is a mass exodous out of California because everyone hates it. They are afraid that the Cali's are going to take over the area and make it a little Cali. I was born and raised in the Salinas area and spent most of my adult life in No. Calif...particularly in Pleasanton. I loved the area and the opportunties. I loved being relatively close to the ocean, the lake, and snow skiing. I loved the attitudes towards technology, the weather (no snow, ice, or extremes), and I loved my job. I didn't like the fact that some areas were becoming increasingly crime ridden with gangs, drugs, and robberies. The increasingly familiar rant against illegals was growing in scale and was defininitely bothersome. When it came time to retire or downsize, the cost of living became a factor....a huge one. So we went where the cost of living was less but we find that all of the things we didn't like about Cali are everywhere. The things we did like, particularly the weather, can't be replicated too many other places. But all in all....while I love "some' parts of California, I'm also happy with the new place I've chosen to live.

But I do find it funny that as you read thru the forums, California seems to elicit the strongest opinions about itself and it's citizens. I had a professor tell me once that "all the kooks live in Calif"....and that was 25 years ago....now people in other states think we native Cali's are taking over their state. So...mass exodous? I think not...but we certainly know how to raise controversy.

[rkb0305]

After being gone for a year, what I miss about CA:
My family and friends
The giant sequoias
The coast
Good Mexican food
Disneyland
I lived 3 hours from the coast, and hardly ever saw it. I lived a couple hours from the big trees and hardly saw them. Don't remember the last time we went to Disneyland, but I'm sorry we didn't take the kids while we lived only 5 hours away. We couldn't afford to eat out a lot, so I didn't even get good Mexican food all that often.

What I don't miss:
The heat
The fog
Dealing with non-English speakers daily (my job took me to rural ag areas)
the brown air
Our $500/month utility bill
These are all things I had to deal with on a regular basis.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

Our $500/month utility bill

How have your utility bills been in Denver and for what type of housing?

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I lived in Denver for years and finally couldn't take the heat, cold, hail, Tornadoes and biting bugs. Oh ya and the wind, lots and lots of wind. Driving on black ice is a real treat too. No thanks, I love SD now.
They do have the Donkos though

[Collideascope]

Originally Posted by sav858

Can't you see how it can be hard for people in this state to live in an affordable place with nice weather and low crime?? Usually the cheaper places have higher crime, like San Bernardino. The cheaper places usually have the hotter weather too, like Barstow and the Central Valley. The more expensive, unaffordable places have the low crime and good weather many times. Please name an area in Ca like that. In case you didn't notice Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and San Diego are all very expensive. San Bernardino is cheaper but it's also has a lot of crime and hot weather. So how and where is someone suppose to live in CA where the weather is perfect, the crime is low, and it's affordable?

The OP's reasons are very valid and CA is like that in many places. It's almost impossible to find an area with nice weather and low crime that is cheap.

Nonsense.

Take San Diego. Nice weather. And, yes, there are good low-crime neighborhoods in San Diego where it is affordable. La Jolla? Nope. But they are there. Look up the crime statistics - they are online by neighborhood. I've done it. Now look up prices. They are there. No, it's like like Fargo or Fort Wayne prices, but it's not Orange County, either.

Wrightwood. Freaking Wrightwood. $400,000 median home sales 4Q07. Nice and cool in the summer, low crime. Oh, wait, wait ... I bet the winters are just killers for some. Too bad, highs in the 50s? That's great! And you drive 15 miles into the desert if you can't handle that. Great schools, too.

Live in Ojai. Low crime, great weather, and affordable.

Live in Tehachapi. Low crime, great weather, good schools.

Here's another tip - rent instead of own. It's far cheaper, you can save the balance of what you would have put into a home and have it be far more liquid. By now you'd think the silly "A home is the best possible investment you can make" idea would be nonsense to most people, but I get the impression that they still haven't figured that out.

Or, you can whine and insist that all of California is unbearably hot and as expensive as Beverly Hills and crime-ridden. It's not reality, but it's obviously a mantra that some people just insist on repeating ad nauseum.

[MimzyMusic]

Originally Posted by Greenchili

This is so true and funny! When we were in the military, we would meet
people from Texas,and whoo boy, what an interesting conversation that
was. Once they got to know us, they realized we werent all that different.
I guess we might be different because we are conservatives living
in the Golden State!

Greenchili

I think this is a myth. Here in Oregon, half the people seem to be born in California anyway, and I've never got any slack for being from California. It might have been more true back in the 70s or 80s.

[17271]

Correction, people worship the old California from the 1970's (Hollywood, celebrities, and surfer dudes). Now California has changed for the worse big time and people know it.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Collideascope

Nonsense.

Take San Diego. Nice weather. And, yes, there are good low-crime neighborhoods in San Diego where it is affordable. La Jolla? Nope. But they are there. Look up the crime statistics - they are online by neighborhood. I've done it. Now look up prices. They are there. No, it's like like Fargo or Fort Wayne prices, but it's not Orange County, either.

Wrightwood. Freaking Wrightwood. $400,000 median home sales 4Q07. Nice and cool in the summer, low crime. Oh, wait, wait ... I bet the winters are just killers for some. Too bad, highs in the 50s? That's great! And you drive 15 miles into the desert if you can't handle that. Great schools, too.

Live in Ojai. Low crime, great weather, and affordable.

Live in Tehachapi. Low crime, great weather, good schools.

Here's another tip - rent instead of own. It's far cheaper, you can save the balance of what you would have put into a home and have it be far more liquid. By now you'd think the silly "A home is the best possible investment you can make" idea would be nonsense to most people, but I get the impression that they still haven't figured that out.

Or, you can whine and insist that all of California is unbearably hot and as expensive as Beverly Hills and crime-ridden. It's not reality, but it's obviously a mantra that some people just insist on repeating ad nauseum.

And how many employment opportunities do you think they're are in Ojai, Tehachapi, and Wrightwood? Especially ones to be able to afford a $400k house. $400k isn't cheap by most people's standards either.

San Diego is another bad example b/c the job opportunities are limited and the wages are not what they should be. And if you manage to find an affordable home in a low crime area then take a look at the schools. All the good school districts in SD are in higher priced areas. Also many of those more affordable areas in SD get very hot in summer.

Your anecdotal evidence proves nothing really b/c they're are so many flaws in your argument.

I never insisted "ALL" of CA was like this or anything but realize a lot of places are hot in summer, have crime, or have high housing costs. Most people will have to deal with one or the other depending on where they choose to live and some people just don't want to deal with any of them and they tend to leave, and for good reason. I love CA but realize at least it's very hard for many middle and lower middle class people, especially families, to get a good quality of life here that they can find somewhere else for cheaper.