If Not California, Where? (Long Beach, Newport Beach: house, schools, taxes)

[jbunniii]

If cost was irrelevant and I didn't need to work AND I had to leave California, I would probably move to the northwest: either Portland or Seattle, or maybe the Oregon coast. Outside the U.S., maybe Vancouver or somewhere in New Zealand.

Within California, if cost/work were not an issue... hmm, that's hard. There are a lot of good choices. Central coast, San Francisco, Marin, Santa Cruz, central coast, Santa Barbara, LA, maybe up in the mountains somewhere... I could be happy in any of these places.

"Practical" choice is right where I am for now, California. However, I am aiming to buy a house in about 3 years, and if prices haven't corrected here by at least 30-40% from their current levels, I will move elsewhere. Houses simply are not worth what they cost here.

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by Snort

1. Name your state of choice, if you could go anywhere...
2. Name a practical choice for a state you'd consider.
3. Different country, perhaps?

My answers:
1. Hawaii - beautiful, warm, but you need serious cash to live well there.
2. Oregon- amazing coastline and natural beauty, but a bit cold and gray in winter.
3. Portugal

Well, if I only had to think about what I'd want, it would be Ohio, likely the area to the west of Cleveland, near the lake.

[EclecticEars]

1. Name your state of choice, if you could go anywhere...
2. Name a practical choice for a state you'd consider.
3. Different country, perhaps?

I'm going the reverse route here. I currently live in Kentucky and can honestly say that it is a state that I feel has NOT been very good to me. No, it has nothing to do with it being Southern or rural, although a great percentage of its people are quite narrow-minded, undereducated and not just ignorant, but plain dumb.

1. California
2. California, Texas
3. Hmmmm...perhaps Italy or Japan

I would definitely love to move to California some day b/c it has a very strong market for city and regional planners and all things related. Some of the best planning schools in America, as well as ESRI, the company that brought us ArcGIS, are based in California. Yes, the cost of living is expensive out there, but I do believe that with the housing crash in California that even if rent is more in demand, things will plateau and become much more reasonable in the coming years (reasonable as CA goes; I will have to rent first.) Believe it or not, the amount of personal taxation as a percentage of per capita income is not drastically more in California than Kentucky, so it wouldn't be a huge shock. Furthermore, if I were to ever raise a family out there, even though California public schools are in dire straits, I can only imagine that many of the wealthier districts in and around San Diego, Orange County, the Central Coast, and the Bay Area are far better equipped technologically and with better teachers, as well as better curricula, than anything Kentucky has to offer.

My plan? Quit my current job in KY in a few months, enlist in the military, then move to CA after active duty and start drawing from my Montgomery GI funds while attending graduate school.

[Snort]

Good luck to you, EclecticEars. You have a plan and a vision for your future. California is still a great place to live, in my opinion.

[jc76]

IF NOT is turning into a reality for me as the California dream slowly burns to ash these states are looking more in my favor:

1. Portland Oregon- Yeah it rains alot, but at least I wont be covered in snow for 6 months at a time. Life still exists in rainy climates, not so much in the rust belt from Nov-May.

2. Albuquerque New Mexico- Mild winters and good outdoor activity year round. Not so sure though because it seems a bit boring. Been doing the boring thing in Indiana for 33 years it's time for a change and I'm not sure ABQ would bring the change I'm seeking.

3. Phoenix Arizona- I'm a heat lover. I was there in July and it was 112 degrees and it felt better than it feels at 80 degrees here in humid country. Nice scenery and afew palm trees.

That's it really for me. California is still in my dreams but the reality is that I could probably never afford it.

In a perfect fantasy world (won lottery or something) and I could move anywhere but CA.... Probably head to Europe. Maybe Amsterdam, or somewhere far from the politics of America.

[blauskies]

I think about moving to California all the time because the job market for my field is plentiful way more so then here in South Florida where it there isn't much to choose or fall back on. Only problem is the dilemma of moving to another more expensive area. I tend to overlook all the negatives because plenty of that exists here as well. Home prices are dropping but for how long, I never bought and really don't care at this time because I feel insecure.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by blauskies

I think about moving to California all the time because the job market for my field is plentiful way more so then here in South Florida where it there isn't much to choose or fall back on. Only problem is the dilemma of moving to another more expensive area. I tend to overlook all the negatives because plenty of that exists here as well. Home prices are dropping but for how long, I never bought and really don't care at this time because I feel insecure.

I have no idea what business you are in, but there is nothing in California job wise that is plentiful right now. If you know of something and can get a better job, go for it...

Nita

[eightiesfan]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I have no idea what business you are in, but there is nothing in California job wise that is plentiful right now. If you know of something and can get a better job, go for it...

Nita

There isn't much that's plentiful anywhere, but it's all relative to your current location. So Fl has always sucked for jobs. An example would be the tech sector, even in a horrible economy there is more to choose from in CA than So Fl any day. People tend to downplay it quite a bit, but the fact remains that CA is still the best place for certain opportunities.

[blauskies]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I have no idea what business you are in, but there is nothing in California job wise that is plentiful right now. If you know of something and can get a better job, go for it...

Nita

I'm in the high tech/engineering sector. Tesla, Apple and many others have ton's of jobs listed more then any employer in South Florida or Florida period.

This is the list of jobs at Tesla's San Carlos location alone:

Tesla Motors - about Tesla Motors

[blauskies]

Originally Posted by eightiesfan

There isn't much that's plentiful anywhere, but it's all relative to your current location. So Fl has always sucked for jobs. An example would be the tech sector, even in a horrible economy there is more to choose from in CA than So Fl any day. People tend to downplay it quite a bit, but the fact remains that CA is still the best place for certain opportunities.

You can say that again, Motorola downsized big time and IBM is no longer a player here. I look at Indeed all the time and I can't believe the quantity of jobs in my related field in CA, even in a down economy.