More people leaving the state than entering this year (Los Angeles: unemployment, good schools)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by AsymptoticFaery

The thing is can people AFFORD to get out of the state to settle elsewhere? The real estate market is crap so people are losing market value for their housing or they can't sell their houses at all. They certainly need the equity to move elsewhere for another investment.

This is a huge problem for people relocating all over the country. We couldn't sell our home in Colorado before we moved to Huntsville. Fortunately, my relocation package had my company buy our house from us at practically no loss. Thousands of jobs from DC are moving to Huntsville and the people can't sell their homes in Virginia and Maryland and move.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by cobmw

You ask over and over why we post negative here. I say it's not negative, but rather just the truth. How you interpret it is your business. I will ask why you never post an objective truth. It's always this one-sided, rose colored glasses stuff. Is that all people thinking of CA should hear?

We're talking about people leaving the state. Nobody is denying that fact so ... I don't think anybody is trying to whitewash anything. It's just kinda funny that you guys are still so PO'd, especially since you've already left and it shouldn't affect you anymore.

Some of you pine for the golden '70's and '80s but, what happened was inevitable. Lots of people moved here and drove up housing prices. Even with the early '90s real estate crash, the prices never got back to anything resembling the rest of the country.

I guess the state could have encouraged more development to lower prices but, that also means that a lot of the state's environmental treasures would have been ruined. The Elkhorn Slough along the central coast is a classic example. It was supposed to be this major development but David Packard (of Hewlett Packard) decided to make it a nature preserve instead.

This preservationist culture is one of the reasons why California is so expensive but you also have to wonder, would the quality of life be as good if all of these places were made into housing tracts instead?

I notice people complain about SoCal a lot. This is a part of the state where the development restrictions haven't been as severe, a lot more housing tracts have been built and ... what happened? Now people complain about the smog, the congestion and the traffic.

[Rose Red]

Over 20 pages of posts to say the same thing. A lot of people can't afford to live here. Those that are able to move out of state are moving. Those that can't move out of state for whatever reason are staying.

Those that can afford to live here try to make others feel worthless because they can't afford to live here.

California is not all that and people are realizing it now. That's a new reality.

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

I think it's great that you enjoy a change of seasons and snow and cold weather. Some of us don't. I say, live and let live. We all can't agree on everything, and that's a beautiful thing. However, not everyone who lives in CA is house poor or has a bad life or is getting a bad deal. There are a lot of us who are happy to be here. We've chosen to be here. I wish you all the happiness you seek, as I am sure you would wish the same for those of us who have chosen to live here and raise our families here.

Yeah, many of us out here aren't in difficult financial situations and enjoy the lifestyle offered in California.

We moved here a couple of years ago from Columbus, Ohio, where we lived for 14 years. Prior to that we lived in Washington DC, Cleveland, Kansas City and Philadelphia, so I have some perspective of life in other metro areas. I find California to have many fine attributes, and as one who is getting a bit up there in years I like having available all of the varied areas and activities within the state itself.

I enjoyed living in Ohio, and had a great time during my stay there. I could write page upon page of the advantages of each area, and things I would like to see improved, but overall California is a great place to live if you can reasonably afford it.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by Rose Red

Over 20 pages of posts to say the same thing. A lot of people can't afford to live here. Those that are able to move out of state are moving. Those that can't move out of state for whatever reason are staying.

Those that can afford to live here try to make others feel worthless because they can't afford to live here.

California is not all that and people are realizing it now. That's a new reality.

The interesting thing is that with the decline in home values many like myself are in the market for a home. The biggest factor for us was the former ever increasing home values. Now we are in a declining market and in Oxnard, CA the prices have allready declined below what homes were selling for in 2003. I always use my parents home as a guage for where things are. They sold in 2003 and the old neighborhood where I grew up has homes selling at $80,000 less than when my parents sold their home for. When I started this thread I mentioned how on the radio I had heard how more people were leaving than entering the state this year. I could have understood that in 2006 or 2007. Back then I new people that were buying homes that they could not afford and they were excited to do it. We thought it was time to get out then. Fortunatly things didn't work out as we would have liked back then. Now with a decline in prices and the bottom still not here, this seems like a bad time to leave the state. It is the perfect time to pick up a home. If I could buy more of them I would.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by Rose Red

Those that can afford to live here try to make others feel worthless because they can't afford to live here.

By the same token ... there are many who leave the state who constantly (and I mean constantly) try to make those of us who choose to stay feel like we're completely idiotic for doing so.

They can't stop raggin' on California, even long after they're gone.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

California is a great place to live if you can reasonably afford it.

It helps when you don't have to commute too.

Originally Posted by NewToCA

I'll be 57 in a few months,...I retired a couple of years ago.

[Roma]

Originally Posted by Charles

This is a huge problem for people relocating all over the country. We couldn't sell our home in Colorado before we moved to Huntsville. Fortunately, my relocation package had my company buy our house from us at practically no loss. Thousands of jobs from DC are moving to Huntsville and the people can't sell their homes in Virginia and Maryland and move.

That's like us. We can't sell our home in Texas. So we can't move back to California until it's sold. You're lucky you had a relocation package with your company.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Roma

We can't sell our home in Texas.

According to realtors, Anybody and sell their home - if they price it right. (And the "if" is in Times New Roman, Bold, Underlined, Size 144 font.)

[ArthursChoice]

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

Texas is where I learned NOT to use turn signals - you never want to tip off the enemy to your next move!

I'm sending your stuff to the comedy channel! :-)