Love/Hate for California (San Francisco, Sacramento: sales, assessor, house)

[elllen]

Mt Surfer, very good rebutal. I lived in Orange, San Diego, and San Bernadino County. Montery is completely different and I also cannot speak for Northern California. If I had the big bucks, I would love to move to Montery, Santa Barbara, etc. Beautiful location.

You are correct with other communities suffering from urban sprawl with traffic problems, etc. It will never be like it was in the 70's, there is no going back. Where did all these people suddenly come from that all these cities are so populated now?

Enjoy your wonderful weather for me, as I'm suffering in Wisconsin at zero degrees.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by elllen

Mt Surfer, very good rebutal. I lived in Orange, San Diego, and San Bernadino County. Montery is completely different and I also cannot speak for Northern California. If I had the big bucks, I would love to move to Montery, Santa Barbara, etc. Beautiful location.

You are correct with other communities suffering from urban sprawl with traffic problems, etc. It will never be like it was in the 70's, there is no going back. Where did all these people suddenly come from that all these cities are so populated now?

That is an issue beyond the scope of this board but in many ways California was a victim of its own success - it was just TOO attractive and thus got flooded (not just by immigrants either) and in the process lost much (but not all) of what made it great.

[Fiddlehead]

I would have to say the majority of negative posts on California can be linked to the housing bubble. California drew a generation of boomer poseurs, many of whom were self-selected to think they were too enlightened and cool to live in Kansas, Wisconsin, etc. mixed with a bunch of sun chasers who left the Northeast and hippies who left wealth families to move here mixed with immigrants from Mexico and everywhere. The resultant culture that has developed in coastal California has been pretty self-satisfied (we could never live in fly over country, they have a TERRIBLE climate, boorish, Neanderthal culture, politics,etc.). Now when the bubbles hit, these folks who already felt fundamentally superior and had rejected the rest of the country struck it rich, and many rolled into town with a boatload of cash for doing nothing, marginalizing local people in desirable towns from Asheville, NC to Ashland, OR to Bozeman, MT to Santa Fe, NM. In many cases, the new Californian immigrants had so much money they could pay cash for a home and buy two more as investments. Now, the Californians are not bad people, of course, but their superior financial position, ignorance or indifference to most of the regional subcultures of the US, and obsession with talking about the state they left can be annoying.

Now, back in California, the dot.com and housing bubbles truly screwed things up for anyone who was not loaded with bogus stock options in 1995 or a homeowner by 2000. It has become a state of haves and have nots. Add to this the insistent push of immigrants, the rise of gang violence, and white flight, disenvestment in public schools,Prop. 13, etc. and you have quite a few things to gripe about.

Bottomline, California has changed a lot, not all for the good, and as the largest state in the union, its fate has affected many other areas around the country. I think people have plenty of reasons for complaining about Californians and California, but I think it would be silly to act like they are any worse than anyone else. Truth is, Californians are innovative and have led the world many times, and most likely will again. But it would help their perception across the country if they did not seem so arrogant and sure that their state and culture are better than everything elsewhere. A bit of humble pie will be a good thing in the long-term, IMO.

As an aside, when did we start saying we "hate on" people? Is this Ebonics? We either hate them or not. I would find it very distasteful if someone truly "hated" Californians. That is an awful mindset. Being annoyed is quite another thing as hating. As for me, I promise, out of respect to my high school English teacher, to never "hate on" anyone!

[Lycanmaster]

Big-time California hater here, and I certainly have not hidden it. But that's just my personal opinion, since I did not grow up here. Therefore I do not have any sentimental attachment or memories living here.

[Lycanmaster]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

...But it would help their perception across the country if they did not seem so arrogant and sure that their state and culture are better than everything elsewhere. A bit of humble pie will be a good thing in the long-term, IMO.

A-freakin'-men. This attitude annoying as hell (and often unwarranted) alot of the times...

[Everest209]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

I love California so much that I left and I'm never going back!

One less person fighting for a job, thanks.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Everest209

One less person fighting for a job, thanks.

So when will you be headed back to where you came from?

[Clarks]

Big-time California hater here, and I certainly have not hidden it. But that's just my personal opinion, since I did not grow up here. Therefore I do not have any sentimental attachment or memories living here.

An odd statement. Do you hate San Luis Bay? Tulare Lake? Mt Whitney? Anza Borrego? Death Valley? the San Francisco Bay? Mt Shasta?

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Now, back in California, the dot.com and housing bubbles truly screwed things up for anyone who was not loaded with bogus stock options in 1995 or a homeowner by 2000. It has become a state of haves and have nots. Add to this the insistent push of immigrants, the rise of gang violence, and white flight, disenvestment in public schools,Prop. 13, etc. and you have quite a few things to gripe about.

Prop 13 is one of the only protections property owners have over the last 30 years... and even then the taxes are plenty.

Prop 13 requires a 2/3 or in the case of school bonds... 55% vote in favor to raise taxes and this is a good thing.

[Clarks]

Now, back in California, the dot.com and housing bubbles truly screwed things up for anyone who was not loaded with bogus stock options in 1995 or a homeowner by 2000. It has become a state of haves and have nots. Add to this the insistent push of immigrants, the rise of gang violence, and white flight, disenvestment in public schools,Prop. 13, etc. and you have quite a few things to gripe about.

I hear southern Missouri calling you.