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Santa Barbara is in Santa Barbara County and LA is in LA County. They are not very close to each other. I'm estimating that from the northern part of the LA area it is about a hundred miles along Highway 101 to SB. Santa Barbara is near the water and the University of California at Santa Barbara is supposed to be incredibly beautiful. I know LA somewhat, but not much about Santa Barbara. SB is supposed to be very pricey. In any event, any place in SoCal is going to have a much higher cost of living than Dallas. Nashville will be much cheaper. The costs of car ownership in SoCal is a killer because gas prices and auto insurance are significantly higher and all that extra emissions stuff is expensive too. You will really need to visit both areas because just as the regional accents of Nashville and SoCal are so different from each other, so are the atmospheres. Speaking of atmosphere, don't move to SoCal, if you have any kind of chronic respitory problem. Also, you mentioned you liked the ocean. Be aware that the water temperature in SoCal can be on the chilly side, even in the summer. Most beaches are better for surfing (with wetsuits) than swimming. It's nothing like the Gulf. Then again, there are no palm trees in Nashville.
Speaking of atmosphere, don't move to SoCal, if you have any kind of chronic respiratory problem.
haha - Actually I have a friend in SoCal and she loves it but she gets asthma and allergies from the air - pollution i guess - she downplays it bc she wants me to move there....
I'm born and raised in L.A. and I'm moving to Nashville in January/February. So...my vote goes to Nashville! I am happy to answer any questions you have about L.A.
I'm born and raised in L.A. and I'm moving to Nashville in January/February. So...my vote goes to Nashville! I am happy to answer any questions you have about L.A.
Hello. Is it Cantwait2leave, LA? My main worry is the pollution in LA, and then what about the financial mess? I mean most states are in the red but do you think they will just keep raising taxes to pay for the debt? Would you recommend San Diego? It seems nice but maybe a bit sleepy? Thanks a lot!
If heat and humidity bother you, you will have BIG problems with Nashville summers.
If you want to be near the ocean (which you emphasized a lot in your original post), well...you're about an 8-hour drive from the nearest ocean in Nashville whereas you could live right on the ocean in Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, etc.
On the peaceful front, Nashville wins by a mile. Less traffic = less road rage. Although someone did nearly rear end me at a red light last week. Must have been a transplanted Californian
I have no idea what you mean by hick chicks. Sounds like a troll comment.
As for healthiness, I'm thinking Los Angeles and So Cal in general are much more obsessed with health and fitness. I think beach cities in general are much more obsessed with bikini bodies. There are plenty of fit and healthy people in Nashville, but this is a region where BBQ and meat-and-three are the primary food groups, whereas in So Cal people are more likely to eat tofu, veggies and seafood.
Like others have said, Nashville seems like a very live-and-let-live sort of place. Churches are packed on Sundays, but I've never had anyone try to coerce me to visit his or her place or worship.
I will admit that during the heat wave of the past 4-5 weeks when the temperature was like 95 degrees with 100% humidity EVERY DAY that I occasionally dreamed of living in coastal Southern California's cool 70-degree days. But hey, all that easy living makes you soft. There's gotta be some value to sweating through the entire month of June, right?
I think both areas can be great. It just depends what you are seeking. Nobody knows that except for you. All we can do is describe what we know from where we live.
Good luck in making your decision. I hope you are happy wherever you end up...
Here is the best way I can describe Nashville in terms of LA.
Nashville is like a LA suburb without the beach, weather, or world class city. Actually, the mindset here is closer to a San Diego suburb sans beach/weather/large city. Still, if the materialism and bimboism of the OC bothers you, then put simply, you'll hate Nashville.
OTOH, if you think I'm a jerk for saying OC is materialistic, then you'll like Nashville.
I've known people who moved from LA to Nashville and loved it. But they were typically looking for a cheap, conservative place to live. And none of them had much going on upstairs.
Yes, you will run into hick chicks down here. They tend to be higher maintenance and have more hangups than Southern Cal girls. If you're really into the SEC mindset or think Cheesecake Factories and stripmalls are signs of culture, then you will like the girls here.
Given your recent comments here and on the Franklin vs. Chapel Hill thread, it's clear you're unhappy with Nashville as a whole to the point where you're unable (or unwilling) to give a unbiased answers to these questions.
You make such broad statements about large groups of people that you are no longer credible.
Hope you find (or have found) a place to live where you will be happier.
If you are a writer/artist, I would say the best place for you is East Nashville--if you decide to move to Nashville. It has a hipper vibe than the rest of Nashville so you won't have trouble fitting in.
I've been to LA and lived in big cities and Nashville is a much smaller pool and it doesn't have the cutting edge of the bigger cities. But there are good things here: it's not dirt cheap but certainly cheaper than LA or NY and there are artists and musicians and other creative people here. I will say though that you won't find the diversity of people that you'll find in L.A., and I've found that it's easier to meet and click with creative people on both coasts--in Nashville it seems to take longer. It's a car culture here just as it is in LA.
If I had tons of money, I'd prefer Santa Barbara....it depends on what you can afford.. you won't find an ocean here....just lots of humidity in the summer vs. the smog in LA.
There's no way around it--Most of LA has smog--Nashville has humidity. It's your choice.
Thanks a lot for all of the comments. I have heard Santa Barbara is not so great in terms of beach/ water quality? Any thoughts on San Diego instead of LA? Less traffic and smog but it seems to maybe lack the artistic/creative vibe LA and surrounding areas have. I was there short term a few months ago. Thanks!
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My main worry is the pollution in LA, and then what about the financial mess? I mean most states are in the red but do you think they will just keep raising taxes to pay for the debt? Would you recommend San Diego? It seems nice but maybe a bit sleepy? Thanks a lot!
If you can't take the heat, live by the ocean
