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The idea of visiting is good, but don't assume you'd be staying with relatives for a couple of months, assume longer. When you meet then think about that. Would you rather have your own space for an extanded time or be part of someone elses? The state is about to issue IOU's so even if you get a job in the state govt, there would be no security in it.
A word about living by the beach. Anyone who hasn't things its so nice but from someone who lived a quarter mile from the beach for fifteen years, there is a lot more you don't think about. The fog with salt eats your mailbox. We repainted ours every couple of months. Come November the fog rolls in thick each evening and you hope to have the car safely inside and not have to go anywhere by then. When its cold its a damp cold, and to make up for it you have to over heat your house. When a red tide comes in... ugh. Little critters wash up on the beach at morning tide on an especially high tide. Then the sun hits them. The smell is pungent to be polite. During the summer we avoided the beach entirely. During the off season we'd go down and pick up shells, but probably didn't spend more than a few days a year at the beach.
I have complaints about Oklahoma, but still way far it exceeds the life in California now. Don't go to visit in the summer when its great. Go in December when its cold and damp. Check out schools where you would live since you have a son. Unless the state gets its act together fast his high school years may see things a lot worse.
If salaries look high in California, remember the cost of living is far more than in Missouri or Oklahoma. I'm still astonished how much my money buys here. Listen to your new neighbors and don't assume they are all sour grapes and don't get caught up in that old and now no longer real image of the state.
Yea...I heard about the state employees time off w/o pay. Ok...say for example that I have relatives to stay with (hopefully for a month or two or less) because I will shop around for a place to live. What is a good amount to save? What is your sales tax? What have your gas prices been running? We have been about $2.29-$2.49 for about the past 2 months. If you knew what are cost of living was here...you'd say..."why would you want to move here?" LOL
The sales tax in Ventura county is 8.25%, which is lower than many counties. Gas prices are almost $3 at the cheaper stations where I live in San Jose, but prices do vary to some extent. Expect prices to be higher in CA than MO. There is also a state income tax that is also above average.
The cost of living anywhere near the coast in CA is quite expensive. Even the areas far inland are usually more expensive than the national average.
For instance, I pay $850 a month for a studio apartment in San Jose, and that is cheap (no amenities, an old circa 1920s building, in good shape) by local standards. Ventura is a different area, so rent may be slightly cheaper, but probably not by much...and pay in Ventura county for most jobs is lower than where I live as well. Of course, there are always exceptions, but I wouldn't count on it.
There's lots of disagreement about why our state is in such a financial mess. But I think it's fair to say most would agree that CA is not well governed, and hasn't been for at least a decade. We have above average taxes, below average government services. We have the lowest bond rating of any state, and the ratings agencies are threatening to lower our rating further.
I personally worry because I do think CA is in a very precarious position financially and otherwise. We could be one major earthquake away from both a financial and social disaster (and yes, we're overdue for a major earthquake in both Northen & Southern CA).
That said, there are always exceptions to the rule. Maybe being with family is where you need to be right now despite the drawbacks. But I do have to say that the long term outlook does not look good. California's government and voters do not seem to have the stomach for the kind of painful reforms that would be necessary to put our state back in good financial shape (but hey, I could be wrong... and I hope I am).
Cost of Living, pollution, crime, illegal immigrants are just a few of CA's troubles.
Actually, my previous post was kind of negative, so I will try to give some positives.
Cost of living--definitely a problem and has been for a long time. The high costs are driven by expensive real estate, which is driven by restrictive land use policies...which limits housing supply...which drives up prices/rents.
pollution--the pollution in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange & San Bernardino counties is bad (absolute worst in Riverside & San Bernardino counties). But that said, it is much, much better than it used to be 10 or 15 years ago. And that trend is set to continue with all the stricter emissions laws being phased by by both the State & Federal governments (which we, of course, pay for, in higher prices of products, electricity, etc). Ventura County generally has good air quality (not pristine, but good).
illegal immigrants--definitely a problem. There is simply no way they (as a group) can pay enough in taxes to make up for what they take in services (and this assumes they're not being paid under the table or milking the system, which some definitely are). It isn't the whole story of why CA is in such dire financial straits, but even those who are 'soft' on illegal immigration would have to (grudgingly) admit illegals are a significant drain on the state's finances.
crime--I don't think it's really worse than any other state where the majority of people live in urban areas. Nothing to brag about, but not horrible, in general. I live in San Jose, which consistenly ranks as one of the safest large cities in America. Los Angeles & San Francisco have higher crime, but places like Washington DC & St. Louis would be worse.
A word about living by the beach. Anyone who hasn't things its so nice but from someone who lived a quarter mile from the beach for fifteen years, there is a lot more you don't think about. The fog with salt eats your mailbox. We repainted ours every couple of months. Come November the fog rolls in thick each evening and you hope to have the car safely inside and not have to go anywhere by then. When its cold its a damp cold, and to make up for it you have to over heat your house. When a red tide comes in... ugh. During the summer we avoided the beach entirely. During the off season we'd go down and pick up shells, but probably didn't spend more than a few days a year at the beach.
I agree with a lot of your post. But I do think that Ventura County is pretty warm year round. I know they have their chilly and damp days, but the Southern CA coast is as close to "ideal" as you can get when it comes to weather. And 5 or 10 miles inland it is warmer, but usually not too hot.
I do agree with you however, that when you live in CA, you go to the beach less often than you might think. I only live 45 minues away, but I don't go every weekend, especially with gas at $3 a gallon.
But even if you live closer, day to day life of working your butt off to pay the high rent often gets in the way of all the 'fun' things there are to do here. Most of those fun things require time or money or both. And both time and money are in short supply for a lot of people here in CA, especially for parents with children.
But I just want to stay stuck in your craw, reminding you that California was not always the land of fruits, nuts, Commies and illegals.
Yay for Nihilism!!!
And your not at all stuck in my craw
Your just one of the proud to be an Americans, that's all. Get an old truck, a rifle, some camo gear, move to my state, or another boring crap-hole state, and join the many others who share your mode of thought outside of California. You think your so solo in your beliefs but most of America is on your side, just not so much in CA.
You need to explore the U.S. and get out of California, your never going to change it so why don't you move somewhere "American" so you can cool your nerves?
if u like sales tax in the 10% range (yes it just went up again, this last week). if u like state income tax. gas prices in the $3 range. and state legislature paying people with IOU's (yes they are in debt every other week). unemployment close to 11% then be my guest. But the weather is fantastic! that is the ONLY thing positive about this place.
I agree with a lot of your post. But I do think that Ventura County is pretty warm year round. I know they have their chilly and damp days, but the Southern CA coast is as close to "ideal" as you can get when it comes to weather. And 5 or 10 miles inland it is warmer, but usually not too hot.
I do agree with you however, that when you live in CA, you go to the beach less often than you might think. I only live 45 minues away, but I don't go every weekend, especially with gas at $3 a gallon.
But even if you live closer, day to day life of working your butt off to pay the high rent often gets in the way of all the 'fun' things there are to do here. Most of those fun things require time or money or both. And both time and money are in short supply for a lot of people here in CA, especially for parents with children.
I lived in Huntington Beach. It was a quick walk to the beach. But in the summer it was swarming with people and you could hardly see the sand. They had problems with the inland gangs showing up and picking "turf" on the sand and did have a few riots. In the fall once school started it was great, but got cold in winter. Of course I've somewhat redefined "cold" since last winter here, with the ice storm we had, but in Huntington when the weather is good its wonderful. When its a bad summer its gloomy and cold all summer. I'll never forget the fogs. I worked in Santa Ana and knew how many streets I drove past before I turned towards home. Had to since the fog bank rolled in in winter about 4 and you could not even see the poll the signs were on.
I'm not sure what is different about dampness on the coast and inland but it is annoying inland but induced repeated bouts of bronkitis on the coast. Perhaps because its so constant and persistant and creates a mold problem unlike that in somewhat humid inland areas.
I think most people think of living by the beach as a perfect warm summer day with a nice breeze. They don't consider the pacific storms or the red tide or the fog which are also part of the beach. I think before someone commits to the coast they should try it outside of summer first. I don't know why but even in Riverside with the worse smog in the country I didn't have the trouble with sickness that I did by the coast with good air.
A word about living by the beach. Anyone who hasn't things its so nice but from someone who lived a quarter mile from the beach for fifteen years, there is a lot more you don't think about. The fog with salt eats your mailbox. We repainted ours every couple of months. Come November the fog rolls in thick each evening and you hope to have the car safely inside and not have to go anywhere by then. When its cold its a damp cold, and to make up for it you have to over heat your house. When a red tide comes in... ugh. Little critters wash up on the beach at morning tide on an especially high tide. Then the sun hits them. The smell is pungent to be polite. During the summer we avoided the beach entirely. During the off season we'd go down and pick up shells, but probably didn't spend more than a few days a year at the beach.
A very well-written assessment of the realities of living on the West Coast. My own experience confirms every word of it and I wish your post could be archived somehow to give it wider exposure to the starry-eyed beach dreamers who idealize coastal living. Whatever the season, the difference between on-shore flow and off-shore flow changes everything. I suppose different people might see things differently depending on how their own life formation forged their expectations of good climate. For those who grew up near the coast, the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of weather that is constantly shifting as fog, sun and wind play their game of paper-rock-scissors is "how things should be." For those of us who grew up in more continental climates, the lack of any seasonal constancy can be frustrating..."it felt like summer two hours ago, why does it feel like early winter now?"
I think the best climates are the coastal valley climates that are moderated by the marine air mass, without being constantly invaded by it. There you can find a good 8 to 9 months that are entirely fog-free and conform to seasonal expectations of a mild climate...without the unpredicable variable of on-shore flow or off-shore flow.
hey Molly, don't let these naysayers discourage you just because they're having a hard time and don't have the desire to stop and smell the roses. Oh boo-hoo paint the mailbox, the night is ruined when the fog rolls in, let's blame the immigrants, why even bother going to the beach, blah blah blah. I'm willing to bet that more than of half of the complainers are not native but now claim cali as their state. Notice most of them still live there.
Sure, the economy is rough but that's true everywhere. Sure Nor-cal has fog but it beats the snow or extreme heat. The beaches are beautiful and if people don't take the time to enjoy them, that's their decision.
I'm not suggesting you move there willy-nilly but you don't need 20grand to make things work if you live within your means. Ventura is an awesome place, one of the last genuine beach towns in the state, kicked back attitude, nearly perfect weather, nice people. If you have somewhere to stay for a month or so until you can find a place, all the better, but do be sure you have enough money to last you a few months as jobs are tight. You should be able to find a small place big enough for you and your son for around $1100 or so if you're comfortable in an apartment. Not sure what field you are in but you may end up working an extra PT job to make things work, but so what? If you're enjoying life, it's worth it.
Most importantly, is the opportunity to get to know your family better, you're likely to regret it if you don't and I think you're lucky that you can do it in a place as cool as Ventura.
I am a native and have lived in SF, Oakland, Berkeley, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, LA, the valley, Oceanside and San Diego. I left in 2000 for adventures sake and have been all over the country and world and met my wife 2 years ago and we're just about to finish up our immigration process, I currently have a good job in the Florida Keys and you know where we're moving to? Back to Cali, stylin' and profilin'.
To you grumps, sure times are tough but if you're not going to enjoy so much of what is free (or nearly) in cali, the beaches, the diversity, $6 burritos, botanical gardens, redwoods, the parks (pinnacles, yosemite, joshua tree, sand dunes, etc), minor league baseball, frisbee golf, salt and fresh water fishing, it goes on and on...you're missing or have forgotten the point of what brings people to california.
I keep reading complaints about high taxes, but here in Tinytown, AL the sales tax is already up to 10%. Also, there is nothing to do unless you want to hunt, fish, or watch cars go in a circle. We have two grocery stores, Wal-Mart and the local "cash your welfare check here" 900 sq foot dump. Sure you can buy a bigger house with some land here, but then what? Sit on the porch and swat bugs all night?
I don't think people who've never lived in a tiny, rural, redneck, isolated town can really comprehend what it means to have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO. I think a lot of people feel the same way I do when they entertain thoughts of moving to the west coast, which is "I AM BORED".
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Go for it as long as...
