Adviced on moving to CA? (San Diego, San Francisco: crime, credit card, construction)

[jc76]

It's been a long time coming and I think I will be ready to move to CA later this year. I have about 40K and a new car thats paid off. No credit card debt, no kids, 32 male. My Mom recently passed from Cancer and it has always been my dream to live in CA mainly for weather and entertainment. She was VERY supportive of my dream and I really wanna make it happen, and yes I am aware of the horrific economy. I have been to LA several times and while I like LA I think I would rather live somewhere in CA that is a little smaller and nicer.
My main concern is work. I do not have a college degree and I have tried college several times and it just did not work out, everything else in my life I have been successful in, but not college. I am a handyman/ Jack of all trades with computer knowledge and lots of experience with the public. Don't tell me to work at Jack-in-the Box please, I am asking for some sincere advice.
So what I am asking you: What would be a decent area for a guy in my situation to check out? I am open to Fresno, San Bernardino, Sac, whatever just give me some input please. I am planning a road trip this Summer to drive all over California. Thanks in advance.

[Axxlrod]

That's a very broad question, but I'll try to give you some advice. I'd advise you to move to one of the interior areas (as you've already mentioned) as they are much cheaper than the coast. Try to get a job with some sort of future. For example, I have a friend that runs a large crane company. Even though construction industry is slow, he can't find enough qualified crane operators to run the jobs he has booked. Crane operators make a good wage; around $80 per hour.

This is just an example, but try to find a field where your wage will be decent and looks like it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

This seems like a natural juncture in your life, so its a perfect time to make a major change like this. Go for it, but plan ahead.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Why move to California to live in the Central Valley of all places? Yeah, its cheap and hot but so is Texas.

Have you ever thought of starting your own business? How good are your handyman and computer skills? $40k is a nice chunk of change to get you going if you have the skills.

[rkb0305]

Originally Posted by jc76

It's been a long time coming and I think I will be ready to move to CA later this year. I have about 40K and a new car thats paid off. No credit card debt, no kids, 32 male. My Mom recently passed from Cancer and it has always been my dream to live in CA mainly for weather and entertainment. She was VERY supportive of my dream and I really wanna make it happen, and yes I am aware of the horrific economy. I have been to LA several times and while I like LA I think I would rather live somewhere in CA that is a little smaller and nicer.
My main concern is work. I do not have a college degree and I have tried college several times and it just did not work out, everything else in my life I have been successful in, but not college. I am a handyman/ Jack of all trades with computer knowledge and lots of experience with the public. Don't tell me to work at Jack-in-the Box please, I am asking for some sincere advice.
So what I am asking you: What would be a decent area for a guy in my situation to check out? I am open to Fresno, San Bernardino, Sac, whatever just give me some input please. I am planning a road trip this Summer to drive all over California. Thanks in advance.

These cities are more affordable than others, but for a reason. The weather is not great, and neither is the air quality. For the "California experience" that most seem to want, you really have to be near the coast, which is quite expensive. What is it about those 3 cities that you like, or are you just willing to settle for them?

[AKgirlinCA]

Certain communities in the Inland Empire are nice and more affordable. Plus you will still be close to everything. Consider: Temecula, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, Big Bear ( if you like snow & don't mind commuting ) , Ontario, Claremont and so on. If you can stand heat, consider certain areas of the Coachella Valley. A lot cheaper and beautiful! Also Oceanside in N. San Diego county is "cheap" for coastal CA living, somewhat gritty in certain areas, but a chill beach town IMO. But job opportunities may be scarce in all of these areas and commuting long distances may be necessary. Good luck to you!

[Paula Lynn]

Diamond Bar is very nice, but it does get hot in the summer. Consider Long Beach or Seal Beach, Los Alamitos. Long Beach has many property management companies and a good handyman/jack of all trades is hard to find. Good luck.

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by jc76

It's been a long time coming and I think I will be ready to move to CA later this year. I have about 40K and a new car thats paid off. No credit card debt, no kids, 32 male. My Mom recently passed from Cancer and it has always been my dream to live in CA mainly for weather and entertainment. She was VERY supportive of my dream and I really wanna make it happen, and yes I am aware of the horrific economy. I have been to LA several times and while I like LA I think I would rather live somewhere in CA that is a little smaller and nicer.
My main concern is work. I do not have a college degree and I have tried college several times and it just did not work out, everything else in my life I have been successful in, but not college. I am a handyman/ Jack of all trades with computer knowledge and lots of experience with the public. Don't tell me to work at Jack-in-the Box please, I am asking for some sincere advice.
So what I am asking you: What would be a decent area for a guy in my situation to check out? I am open to Fresno, San Bernardino, Sac, whatever just give me some input please. I am planning a road trip this Summer to drive all over California. Thanks in advance.

Ocean or Mountains? Cold? Warm? Wet? Dry? Snow? Rain? Clean air? High altitude?
Liberal? Art? Music? People? Gay? Straight? Want peace and quiet? Nature? Nightlife? Sports? Mountain biking? Surfing? Skiing? Academic area? Lotta people? Small town? Big city? Medium size city? Combination of urban, suburban and nature. etc., etc.
Are you drawn to Southern CA? Northern?
CA is huge and diverse.
Don't let people discourage you from the move to California.
Statistics don't mean much if you're following your heart/inner compass which, to me, is the way to go.
I'd avoid the central valley unless you need to be there.
Even much of the Sierra foothills communities have really bad air until you get much higher up in altitude.

[Jonotastic]

I wouldn't live in Fresno if you paid me $250,000 per year, I swear lol. Horrible city...far from everything, scratch that off your list. You are naming areas that are completely opposite. It's like saying, I'm considering living in Dublin, Venice, or maybe French Riviera. You have to be more specific besides somewhere smaller and nicer than LA, that basically leaves 99% of cities in California open.

[FresnoFacts]

I'm the opposite, I chose to live in Fresno for a lot less than $250,000 per year. And I have turned down job offers to move to the Bay Area and other parts of California. The salaries could not give me the same level of lifestyle that I can get here.

Horrible??? LOL I think you need to get to know the city better. Does Fresno have its problems, sure just like everywhere. But it has lower crime than places like San Francisco and Sacramento, much shorter commutes, some great friendly people.

Air quality in the Central Valley is bad, although not as bad as the Inland Empire or LA. And Fresno's air is still improving, it has seen significant improvement. I'm looking out my office window at the Sierras right now as the sunset rays hit them. In the coming weeks the smog will get bad but this has been a beautiful spring.

In fact both my wife and I moved here years ago from different places along the coast. We now prefer it inland and would have a hard time chosing to move to the west.

But in terms of moving here right now, like all over California its tough. The jobs I hear about around Fresno are typically looking for very specific skills (they can be picky in this economy) so a jack of all trades is going to have a tougher time. But that might be true all over the state in coming months.

[AKgirlinCA]

Adding certain parts of Long Beach to your list is excellent advice given above.