Why is California so worshipped by people? (Los Angeles, San Diego: real estate, apartment)

[rkb0305]

Originally Posted by hsw

SF and LA need to be compared to NYC and Chic, not Podunk...

COL is not dissimilar in these regions....CA has some of world's best weather, topography, culture of innovation, food and produce, very talented young women (obviously LA's Westside, not SF)....

Much of CA's talent, economy and culture of innovation and achievement is product of immigration, as is case for NYC region....many of world's smartest kids choose to come to Stanford/Berkeley for their education; many never leave SiliconValley as they build their careers and some start companies....and many affluent people from all over US, incl SiliconValley/NYC, choose to have wkend houses in BevHills/Malibu, some of most enjoyable wkend playgrounds in world

Always am amused when some claim CA's best days are behind it...talented people from all over world have been migrating to CA's leading universities for nearly 50yrs; the migration wave still continues....perhaps an efficient form of Darwinian selection in that CA's economy and high COL filters out those who gain admission to CA's best colleges and/or those who succeed in CA's most competitive industries???

Those who think they can find better "values" in living in allegedly cheaper places like Dallas/Houston should choose that option....Dall/Hou/Atl/Podunk may make sense for many w/lower-skilled/paid careers, but there are many reasons why many/most of the world's most talented/affluent professionals choose to live in SF region or in NYC region....

I really wouldn't call those cities podunk. I think of podunk as a very small, middle of nowhere town, not a large metro area.

Po·dunk (pdngk)
n. Slang
A small isolated town, region, or place that is regarded as unimportant.

[Sassberto]

If you are in the oil business, Dallas or Houston is not going to be podunk - and moving to NYC or LA would be silly.

Everyplace has it's role. Cities like Dallas or Denver are regional cities. LA and NYC are international cities. SF has tech. SD has tourism. DC has government. Boston has education.

[orangeapple]

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.

Why would a place like that be cheap? An area with nice weather, low crime, high paying jobs, good schools, near the ocean....of course it is expensive, it is IDEAL! Sooo many people want to live there that they can get away with charging those prices - people will pay it. That's why Cali is a mere dream for many, and the love & hate it at the same time. There's a resentment towards what they know they cannot have.

I live in south west Riverside, and when I get bored out of my mind here , I remind myself that at worst, the height of summer is pretty hot (rarely too hot for me though) and it's a typical cookie cutter suburb. On the plus side, I am not relatively far from LA & SD, I am only a half hour to the beach without bad traffic, we have winters that are dry & mild & a spring & fall that are positively perfect, the cost of living is not astronomical, and the area is safe & squeaky clean. So there are places in Cali that are quite good, if not perfect. I realize that I could be in far worse places. I think Cali can be what you make of it also. I suppose if you don't take advantage of the pros enough, then the cons will wear you down.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

If you are in the oil business, Dallas or Houston is not going to be podunk - and moving to NYC or LA would be silly.

Everyplace has it's role. Cities like Dallas or Denver are regional cities. LA and NYC are international cities. SF has tech. SD has tourism. DC has government. Boston has education.

SF has tech - and tourisim, and cuisine, and finance, and entertainment (hello, Pixar, Dreamworks, Lucasfilm?) and much more.
SD has tourism - and biotech, and aeronautics, and much more.

But I get your point.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

SF has tech - and tourisim, and cuisine, and finance, and entertainment (hello, Pixar, Dreamworks, Lucasfilm?) and much more.
SD has tourism - and biotech, and aeronautics, and much more.

But I get your point.

Yes I am simplifying. But no one moves to SF to make it big in finance just like no one moves to Chicago to make it big in movies.

[mini_cute]

Hey Mimzy,

I used to feel that way about California (more specifically LA) too before I moved to NYC for a period of time. NYC is hyped too and I found that out when I got there. You know that show "Sex and the City"? Living in NYC is nothing like for most of the people living there unless you are super rich. I realized after living there all the qualities that make California great, qualities that I just took for granted when I was in California and couldn't see it because that was where I was born and raised and never knew a difference. Anyway, many places are hyped not just California.

[mini_cute]

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.

well put

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by hsw

SF and LA need to be compared to NYC and Chic, not Podunk...

COL is not dissimilar in these regions....CA has some of world's best weather, topography, culture of innovation, food and produce, very talented young women (obviously LA's Westside, not SF)....

Much of CA's talent, economy and culture of innovation and achievement is product of immigration, as is case for NYC region....many of world's smartest kids choose to come to Stanford/Berkeley for their education; many never leave SiliconValley as they build their careers and some start companies....and many affluent people from all over US, incl SiliconValley/NYC, choose to have wkend houses in BevHills/Malibu, some of most enjoyable wkend playgrounds in world

Always am amused when some claim CA's best days are behind it...talented people from all over world have been migrating to CA's leading universities for nearly 50yrs; the migration wave still continues....perhaps an efficient form of Darwinian selection in that CA's economy and high COL filters out those who gain admission to CA's best colleges and/or those who succeed in CA's most competitive industries???

Those who think they can find better "values" in living in allegedly cheaper places like Dallas/Houston should choose that option....Dall/Hou/Atl/Podunk may make sense for many w/lower-skilled/paid careers, but there are many reasons why many/most of the world's most talented/affluent professionals choose to live in SF region or in NYC region....

Ah, yes. Only the top 1% of people should be allowed to have a decent life in California. Enjoy you two class society. This kind of elitism is what puts a lot of people off about California and New York.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Yes I am simplifying. But no one moves to SF to make it big in finance just like no one moves to Chicago to make it big in movies.

So, by that reasoning, do you think people are moving to SD to make it big in tourism?

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

So, by that reasoning, do you think people are moving to SD to make it big in tourism?

They move to SD to live the lifestyle they experienced as a tourist.