is california a good place to live without any real family in the state and what are the best places to live (day care, how much)

[naye20]

well im thinking about moving out there from the east coast with my child but im kind of scared of the earthquakes. i have a half sister out there and she told me they are not the bad but i guess i have to find out myself.is it really hard to find a good job or find a nice place to live without paying my life a way? and if you do think its a nice state to live at what part should i look at

[ferretkona]

Most earthquakes are never even felt. Seak the family out for day care.

[Adriatica]

Whether or not you need family is very personal. Do you rely on family a lot now? Are you willing to give that up?

It is really hard to find ANY job in CA right now, let alone a good one. And you should not move here without having a job lined up first. Unemployment is high and the economy is very poor.

The best place to live is wherever you can find a job. Larger cities will have very high costs of living.

Earthquakes are not a big deal at all.

[buckeyenative01]

I always thought any quakes registering under 5 were kind of fun. They happen without warning and are usually over before you realize what's going on.

My only real fear was getting stuck under a freeway overpass if one struck. Probably because I remember waiting for Game Three of the 1989 World Series to start on TV and seeing footage of the collapsed portions of the Nimitz Freeway and Bay Bridge...

[MtnSurfer]

The chances of being seriously injured by in a major Earthquakes are low. I have lived here most of my adult life and don't even know anyone who was really hurt in one. Greater real dangers in terms of statistics include driving on the street of NY or LA, chain smoking or eating high choloesterol foods on a daily basis.

As a parent moving with your child can be a good thing if it provides more stability, a better school system, a better peer group, not as many gang influences, etc... But leaving some place familiar, all one's friends and family to a new place can be difficult. Age is also a factor. We have moved twice with our young children. And they do miss friends, familiar places, etc... But the places we go tend to offer them something they like more (eg - more outdoor activities, proximity to some relatives, etc...). So they are not that opposed to the move.

A good job will be key especially in this economy. Also consider waiting a bit for things to turn around some in CA. Alot will depend on how in demand your skills are. You should be working on keeping your skills current.

Derek

[loveautumn]

I don't have any family in California and my experience has been that it is difficult, especially the older one gets. In spite of any perceptions of California, it is very family oriented...so I have felt very much alone here without family, in spite of having good friends, etc. Society revolves around family....

When I moved out here, I came with a best friend who had a young daughter and she ended up moving back home after a year or so because of family, missing grandparents, etc.

I know people who are raising children without family close by and they say it is hard because they can't rely on others for help, the way you could family (at least if you have a fairly close family).

Course having your daughter with you, you would meet other mothers to connect with...but you do miss out on family holidays, birthdays, special moments, that sort of thing.

Don't know where you're moving from, but I would really think twice about it.

[Twinkle Toes]

What area is the OP thinking about? California is a big state.

Earthquakes are not that big a deal. We get a little shaking from time to time, but our state hasn't broken off from the rest of the country and fallen into the Pacific yet.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by naye20

well im thinking about moving out there from the east coast with my child but im kind of scared of the earthquakes. i have a half sister out there and she told me they are not the bad but i guess i have to find out myself.is it really hard to find a good job or find a nice place to live without paying my life a way? and if you do think its a nice state to live at what part should i look at

Where you choose to locate would depend on what your skills are? What kind of a job or career are you looking for and do you want to be close to your half sister?

Being away from family and raising a child can be very difficult, but as mentioned could be to your advantage..

How much for housing will depend on where you locate and how expensive depends on what you call expensive. Where do you live now, why do you even want to move, what are you looking for? I think you need to do lots of research before making a decision and have some money saved up to tide you over until you can line up a job, find decent child care and find a place to live...

Now, as for earthquakes, I can't think of many places in our world that can not be hit by mother nature, she does lots of good and some bad.. Earthquakes are no more common or damaging than hurricanes or tordados..

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

What area is the OP thinking about? California is a big state.

Earthquakes are not that big a deal. We get a little shaking from time to time, but our state hasn't broken off from the rest of the country and fallen into the Pacific yet.

But just think when it does break away we will have an entire new island resort to visit and it will be closer than Hawaii!!!

Nita

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by naye20

well im thinking about moving out there from the east coast with my child but im kind of scared of the earthquakes. i have a half sister out there and she told me they are not the bad but i guess i have to find out myself.is it really hard to find a good job or find a nice place to live without paying my life a way? and if you do think its a nice state to live at what part should i look at

It's tough to live anywhere without family, as you at least initially won't have much of a support system, but it can be done. I think California, or at least the parts of CA I've lived in, have been pretty good from that standpoint. If you move near your half sister you'll at least have the beginnings of an en extended network, and you'll meet more people soon enough.

Yes, the job and affordability thing is going to be rough. There aren't many jobs right now, and many parts of the state are extremely expensive.

The good thing about living somewhere with a lot of experience and knowledge about earthquakes is that many structures have been reinforced or have been built with earthquakes in mind. I remember in a college geology class learning about how many parts of the East Coast are also prone to earthquakes, but because they happen few and far between the cities and residents simply aren't prepared, and a smaller magnitute quake there could cause far more damage than the equivalent here. Earthquakes are scary, but I wouldn't use let fear of them influence your ultimate decision.