"laid back California lifestyle" (Huntington Beach, Jackson: student loan, unemployment, income)

[The Floridian]

Originally Posted by JMadison

Exactly how do you afford to live this way?

Mr. Madison, like the Joker in Batman, "....if you're good at something, never do it for free." Suffice to say I made it in real estate. Sorry to hear about your problems moving back. Oh, and being single, no kids, no debt, no alimoney, child support or ex wives helps. I don't over spend like most Americans and I don't need a new 52' Plasma TV to make me happy. I live within my means meaning I don't have a new car nor live in a large home I cannot afford.

Best of luck

[tamajane]

Originally Posted by The Floridian

Mr. Madison, like the Joker in Batman, "....if you're good at something, never do it for free." Suffice to say I made it in real estate. Sorry to hear about your problems moving back. Oh, and being single, no kids, no debt, no alimoney, child support or ex wives helps. I don't over spend like most Americans and I don't need a new 52' Plasma TV to make me happy. I live within my means meaning I don't have a new car nor live in a large home I cannot afford.

Best of luck

The real American dream.

[skyway31]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

As a native I can tell you that CA used to be more laid back especially in areas like San Diego and parts of LA. However the drive to get ahead and pay the bills in an ever increasingly expensive state can take away from that laid back feel.

But as Nita menitoned there are parts of CA that are more laid back in general. Those include places outside the larger cities such as where we moved to here in Monterey. Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Grove are small towns and not too crouded even during rush hour. The pace is slower which I like. I have family in Petaluma and Windsor and it is slower paced up there. The whole coast North of SF is slower paced and sleepy.

Now to the whole concept of 'Laid Back.' I grew up in a surfer community in Hermosa and Manhattan Beach and living a more relaxed beach lifestyle was a goal of most residents. Surfing itself helps ppl learn to chill out and relax. Spending a lot of time in the ocean and excercising helps a lot. It is something that has to really be experienced to understand. The challenge is to figure out how be be successful and still laid back. Once one 'grows up' and has to make a living this is a real tension. It is a fine balance between pushing for excellence in one's career and going overboard in chasing the golden carrot. Materialism is very strong in parts of CA. Ppl are really into their toys and keepin' up.
Then there is the other side of the coin which Sassberto referred to which is the basically the pursuit of being laid back at the expense of eveything else including being gainfully employed. Being lazy or a 40 y/o man/child is different from being laid back. I also know ppl who didn't want to grow up. That is the other extreme.

But if one can balance career and the desire to get ahead with learning to appreaciate and enjoy the outdoors, nature, etc... then CA can be a good place live a more laid back lifestyle. This can also be achieved in other areas as well. When I lived in CO I noticed the pace of life was slower than many parts of CA. And much Oregon is slower paced minus the surfing unless one has a tolerance for very cold water.

My 2c,

Derek

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by nmnita

you are probably close to right..I think there are places in Ca where people are very laid back, maybe toward Sonoma and further north, but big city life is just that, big city..Los Angeles, many years ago was slower liviing than say, NYC. I am not sure this is true anymore.

Laid back, slower pace is living in the mid west or smaller states.

Nita

I think LA is still slower living than New York. But no, it is not really laid back.

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by The Floridian

I lived in LA in the 90s.... but I woke up a week after the Northridge quake and asked myself '....what do I want out of life?' That said, I moved to back to Florida. Life is easy going here and I live at half the cost of anywhere in California... 30 minutes to MIA, 3 hours to Bogota, 6 hours to Rio de Janeiro, 4 hours to Manaus (Amazon) 8 hours to Barcelona (all direct flights: $200-Colombia, $400 Brazil and $500 Barcelona; round trip). I own a large home, a Corvette, R1 sportbike, self employed with minimal debt that frees me up to travel and enjoy life. Oh, forgot to add, no kids, no alimoney, no child support. If I stayed in LA, I'd be another 9-5er busting my booty like most of you good folks here.

People complain about Florida's humidity, low wages, etc. Well, I chose to leave LA, and I'm typing this post on the Beach in South Spain (Marbello) with my Brazilian princess.

Warren Buffett can live anywhere, but he chose to live in a small mid-western town. Perhaps some of you might want to learn a thing or two from Master Warren? California, for all it's accolades, up to the late 80s was a great place to be... I cant say it is anymore.

My $0.002

Not everybody can just pack up and move to another place when they have no job lined up and not everybody can just be self employed. To top it off Florida sucks, both my parents are from Miami and going back there is depressing aside from the women. I see why you feel the need to travel out of Florida so much, it's boring as hell.

I think you actually work for a Florida travel agency with the way you relentlessly promote that state on the California forum. The same way the real estate people come in here and hype up the states they work in.

[jc76]

Main thing that comes to mind with the term "laid back lifestyle" is how out in many parts of California people are pretty accepting of others fashion, culture etc etc. Whenever I am in L.A. I see tons of different people all co-existing and moving by each other without a second glance. Here in the midwest it's much different. The men here don't stray too far from the traditional classic-fit blue jeans and sport team/nascar shirt. That's what's "normal" here and if your to dress like sum uh dem deer fancy pretty boys like out in dat der Kalifornya then your a P***y. You may even get called names or punched out by a "real" man. In my area here it's a very tense uptight vibe, always has been. People are stuck in their shells so to speak and afraid to live because we are governed by the conservative christian backing with no interest in ever progressing.
So I think that's what the whole "laid back" thing is, you can go to California and be whatever and your not nailed to a cross for it.

[grapico]

From what I saw in the communities Sonoma county and north... it is the most laid back I have seen in the U.S. ... similar around santa cruz.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by jc76

Main thing that comes to mind with the term "laid back lifestyle" is how out in many parts of California people are pretty accepting of others fashion, culture etc etc. Whenever I am in L.A. I see tons of different people all co-existing and moving by each other without a second glance. Here in the midwest it's much different. The men here don't stray too far from the traditional classic-fit blue jeans and sport team/nascar shirt. That's what's "normal" here and if your to dress like sum uh dem deer fancy pretty boys like out in dat der Kalifornya then your a P***y. You may even get called names or punched out by a "real" man. In my area here it's a very tense uptight vibe, always has been. People are stuck in their shells so to speak and afraid to live because we are governed by the conservative christian backing with no interest in ever progressing.
So I think that's what the whole "laid back" thing is, you can go to California and be whatever and your not nailed to a cross for it.

Good point. However, I think California goes the opposite extreme. It's sort of 'anything goes'...tatoos, piercings, etc. Some of the things people think are beautiful to me are just gross/ugly/tasteless

I appreciate that when I visit the Jacksonville, Florida area the people there are not inked up with tatoos like so many people here are.

[jc76]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Good point. However, I think California goes the opposite extreme. It's sort of 'anything goes'...tatoos, piercings, etc. Some of the things people think are beautiful to me are just gross/ugly/tasteless

I appreciate that when I visit the Jacksonville, Florida area the people there are not inked up with tatoos like so many people here are.

I'm 32 with no tattoos or piercings and never plan on getting any. It's not for me, we have lots of that here in the midwest but those people cant get good jobs, it seems out in CA I have seen many people in professions with tattoos etc. That's on eof the many differences between here and there. Here you gotta have real short hair, no sideburns and usually they request no facial hair. Basically to get good employment here ya gotta go with the innocent little churchboy look. That all ties in with how CA is more laid back and we are all uptight.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Good point. However, I think California goes the opposite extreme. It's sort of 'anything goes'...tatoos, piercings, etc. Some of the things people think are beautiful to me are just gross/ugly/tasteless

I appreciate that when I visit the Jacksonville, Florida area the people there are not inked up with tatoos like so many people here are.

There is massive intolerance here of people who are thought to be "hick" or are in general very "traditional American" in manner and appearance.

The saddest thing about this is, many Native Californians who are from modest backgrounds get thusly tarred and discriminated against by the new in groups here.

It's an ugly carpetbagger dynamic at work.