What do you think California would look like in the future?

[Widowmaker2k]

Originally Posted by The Floridian

People -
Right now FLORIDA beats California in every catagory. Wanna move up, out of debt and live a fuller/richer ($$$) life with less stress? ...One word; FLORIDA.

Welcome home!

Oh please. California will rebound. We're a state that like to reinvent itself. This has both good and bad consequences. Right now, they're leaning towards the bad, but give it a few years, and California will be back in its place as the most desirable, largest economic and political powerhouse in the nation.

Also, even if I could save money living somewhere else, why would I want to? Money isn't everything. Right now, where I live is one of the safest places in the nation. The only natural disasters I have to worry about are forest fires (which is a major concern in the summer, but every place has at least 1 major concern). Also, crime isn't really a concern where I live. I'm down a long dirt road, and anybody coming down this way knows I'm armed. I don't lock my door at night or when I'm gone during the day. There's really no need. On the plus side, I'm an hour away from the high peaks of a mountain range that rivals the Swiss Alps for grandeur and beauty. What's the closest I can get in Florida? The highest point in that state is 345ft. I have almost that much elevation gain on my property (about 70 feet short). What kind of wildlife can I expect in Florida? In the last month, on my property, I've seen several raccoons, deer (I have a herd of them living here), coyote pups (who can't weigh more than 8 or 9 pounds), a golden eagle, several red tailed hawks, all sorts of lesser bird varieties (woodpeckers, humming birds, turkey vultures, robins, etc.), several large snakes (gopher snakes, no rattlers or king snakes yet), a couple of foxes, a large group of turkeys (who also seem to share my land with me), jackrabbits, brush rabbits, salamanders...the list goes on and on. In years past I have seen bobcats, black bears (last year it was a mom and four cubs), spotted owls, skunks (not a good thing, though they do have a sense of humor, and are a lot smarter them people give them credit for), opossums, mockingbirds, etc.

Also, I have a year round, gold bearing creek, 170 foot tall pines, large cottonwoods, maple, oak, apple, cherry, and pear trees, and vast quantities of black berry vines (my favorite fruit) to harvest in the summer. From my house I can see across the central valley (including the skyscrapers in Sac) to the coast ranges (over 100 miles), up north to hills above Napa, and south as far as Mt. Diablo. That view shed simply doesn't exist in Florida (unless you're in an airplane, and even then, where are the mountains?). All that's not to mention that I'm 3 hours away from the most beautiful coastline in the country (Big Sur, though I will concede that Florida has better beaches), and 2.5 hours from San Francisco, which is more important and vibrant than any city not named NY, LA, Chicago, or D.C. (in the U.S. of course). Check back again when Florida has more than gators, old people, beaches, hurricanes, and humidity.

So, what's going to happen to California? We'll be fine in the long run. The short term may be very, very tough, but the state still has more going for it than any other, and in less than a decade, we'll be back where we always were. Sorry if this post came across as hostile, but when you say "FLORIDA beats California in every catagory[sic]," especially on the California forum, you have to expect some strongly worded replies.