My thoughts on CA (new house, dorm, unemployment)

[Quatermass]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Speaking of DC, during the Bush Administration, $55 Billion in federal contracts were taken away from states and all awarded to DC area contractors. California lost the lion's share of that money. Im sure no political motivation was involved*rolls eyes*

Whine... whine... whine.

No wonder California's failing...

[City Boy]

Everybody fed up, mad, hate California etc, please just leave already. We are over crowded as it is. Just go, leave it to those who enjoy it, maybe there will be less angry people on the road.

[Greenchili]

Originally Posted by City Boy

Everybody fed up, mad, hate California etc, please just leave already. We are over crowded as it is. Just go, leave it to those who enjoy it, maybe there will be less angry people on the road.

Yeah,dont go away mad,just GO AWAY.

Greenchili

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by City Boy

Everybody fed up, mad, hate California etc, please just leave already. We are over crowded as it is. Just go, leave it to those who enjoy it, maybe there will be less angry people on the road.

There, you and I are on the same side of this one. Any true Californi knows that when the big one comes WALMARTISTAN will fall into the Ocean and California will be an island

[Pippi333]

I was born and raised in Ventura, CA. Later, I lived in Upper Ojai, and then Lawndale (near Torrance). We left CA in 2003 to "get out of the rat race", find a slower paced life, and raise our kids somewhere where crime rates were lower and English was actually the most common language, lol.

We first lived in AZ for 2 years. Then we moved to Boise, Idaho and have been here now for 4 years.

We did find a beautiful, clean, and relatively safe city to live in, that much is true. There are many positive things to be said about Boise.

But in both AZ and ID, it was so obvious what we had left behind.

I miss being surrounded by people who are intellectually evolved. I always took living in a liberal state for granted, never really knowing how desirable that environment is, because I'd had it all my life. I really don't mean to be offensive or insulting, I'm honestly just stating the truth...and that is, that in many other places outside California, people in general are tremendously closed-minded, and very VERY unwelcoming of "outsiders", particularly Californians. It's so apparent, and so ridiculous, I don't even know how to put it into words. Seriously.

So, yes...we've found cleaner air and a super safe city, affordable housing, and a city full of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.

But to be honest, when it comes to the people, it feels like living in the Twilight Zone. We have personally found most people here to be unfriendly, and overall pretty rude. It's a very "red" state (sometimes there are huge bilboards featuring Rush Limbaugh, LMAO!). There's this very pronounced Mormon influence (which affects public schools, businesses, even city and state government), which we were completely blindsided by (can you imagine being discriminated against for not being the same religion as somebody else? I never could, either - in Cali there is such a mix of faiths, and even non-faiths, that it never occured to me that people still discriminate in this country based on religion - But it definitely occurs here, and often).

I can understand not feeling that California is a good value. I homeschool now so we get by on one income and we couldn't afford to go back to Ventura right now even if we wanted to (and we often want to!). The main reasons we stay put is because it's a very, very safe place to raise kids, and aesthetically speaking, it's a very nice city. Affordable housing is a reason as well, and our oldest child is starting college next month and she can actually AFFORD to go because the tuition and cost of room and board here at BSU is very, very reasonable.

Before you decide where to go though, instead of only considering housing prices and "value"....think about those things that are really important to you socially. I've learned that a really good mix of cultures IS important to me (although I can't say that I miss entering businesses where nobody speaks English). As you said, you don't have the emotional attachment to CA that some of us natives do, so maybe the "California state of mind" isn't a big deal to you. To me, it is. And I miss it every day.

Best of luck to you! I hope you find the perfect place for you.

[Quatermass]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

I miss being surrounded by people who are intellectually evolved. I always took living in a liberal state for granted, never really knowing how desirable that environment is, because I'd had it all my life. I really don't mean to be offensive or insulting, I'm honestly just stating the truth...and that is, that in many other places outside California, people in general are tremendously closed-minded, and very VERY unwelcoming of "outsiders", particularly Californians. It's so apparent, and so ridiculous, I don't even know how to put it into words. Seriously.

Interesting. The more of this type of condescension I run into, the more I miss being surrounded by people who are so "closed-minded" and "unwelcoming" that they can actually see a world beyond the borders of their state. The singular arrogance of liberal Californians blinds them to any conception of life beyond the hermetically-sealed bubble they're afraid to leave. To the extent Americans' tolerance of Californians wears thin, attitudes like yours are the reason why.

I find the products of this Desirable Environment to be no more "intellectually evolved" than the people in the Red State I left. I do find they have a peculiar need to convince themselves of their own superiority, which truly evolved people do not need to do. But then, I took living in a state where people weren't self-absorbed jerks for granted.

The irony in your post is so apparent, and so ridiculous, I don't even know how to put it into words. Seriously. And hey, by the way, I don't mean to be offensive and insulting.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

There's this very pronounced Mormon influence (which affects public schools, businesses, even city and state government), which we were completely blindsided by (can you imagine being discriminated against for not being the same religion as somebody else? I never could, either - in Cali there is such a mix of faiths, and even non-faiths, that it never occured to me that people still discriminate in this country based on religion - But it definitely occurs here, and often).

Yep. I understand this paragraph. I guess it depends on the trade offs. Nothing is perfect. In Huntsville there is this huge billboard (sponsored by some sort of fibromyalgia association of all things) which states:

"Big Bang Theory? You've Got To Be Kidding.

- God"

I see this BS every day on my way to work. A lot of people out here are that brainwashed and delusional to take all this stuff in.

[JetJockey]

Originally Posted by Quatermass

Interesting. The more of this type of condescension I run into, the more I miss being surrounded by people who are so "closed-minded" and "unwelcoming" that they can actually see a world beyond the borders of their state. The singular arrogance of liberal Californians blinds them to any conception of life beyond the hermetically-sealed bubble they're afraid to leave. To the extent Americans' tolerance of Californians wears thin, attitudes like yours are the reason why.

I find the products of this Desirable Environment to be no more "intellectually evolved" than the people in the Red State I left. I do find they have a peculiar need to convince themselves of their own superiority, which truly evolved people do not need to do. But then, I took living in a state where people weren't self-absorbed jerks for granted.

The irony in your post is so apparent, and so ridiculous, I don't even know how to put it into words. Seriously. And hey, by the way, I don't mean to be offensive and insulting.

I see you're in Orange County....so that partially explains your post.

I'm not seeing what you're seeing regarding the 'self-absorbed jerks' and the need to convince superiority in my area. In fact, the area where I live (in California ) is extremely welcoming, very well traveled and all in all very nice people. When I spent a summer in Louisiana, I experienced the opposite. When people found out I was from California, I got made fun of the entire time. People constantly cracked jokes at my expense based solely on the fact that I lived on the west coast. Maybe that's why I'm so bitter regarding southerners.

Regardless, I guess I can see where you're coming from, but Pippi333's post hits harder home for me than yours. You just sound arrogant and angry.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

I always took living in a liberal state for granted, never really knowing how desirable that environment is, because I'd had it all my life. I really don't mean to be offensive or insulting, I'm honestly just stating the truth...and that is, that in many other places outside California, people in general are tremendously closed-minded, and very VERY unwelcoming of "outsiders", particularly Californians. It's so apparent, and so ridiculous, I don't even know how to put it into words. Seriously.

It's a very "red" state (sometimes there are huge bilboards featuring Rush Limbaugh, LMAO!). There's this very pronounced Mormon influence (which affects public schools, businesses, even city and state government), which we were completely blindsided by (can you imagine being discriminated against for not being the same religion as somebody else? I never could, either - in Cali there is such a mix of faiths, and even non-faiths, that it never occured to me that people still discriminate in this country based on religion - But it definitely occurs here, and often).

OMG! Rush billboards! Mormons! ... lions, tigers, and bears!

/sarc

[Ceece]

I understand what people here are saying. The few times I've spent time out of state there is a "difference" in the way people act and think that throws me off balance a bit. And there is especially some very strong feelings about people from California. I'm a 3rd generation native Californian and my kids, who are both now young adults, have started noticing thing when they travel as well. It's not condecending, it's just a factual different mindset.