Recent Transplants from NC/SC (renter, car insurance, how much)

[westcoastbabe]

Looking for any recent transplants from North/South Carolina area. As a single late 30something/no kids possibly looking to relocate. Lived in 1 state my whole life and almost 40, I need a change of scenery, like yesterday... I think that if I moved,I could salage a little bit of a life . Been there done that to everything in NC/SC....which is not saying much at all...With all the doom and gloom that I read in the forum, a little hesitant about taking the leap. All feedback is welcomed.

[Oogax3Girl]

I'm interested in seeing what anyone else has to say about moving from the Carolina's as well, though I'm in a completely different situation than you. =)

[westcoastbabe]

Ok.. Looking for transplants that relocated from the east coast to the westcoast...Looking to hear how the moving experience was..how long it to you to secure employment....How is the vibe/lifestyle different from the east coast? Do you have any regrets?

[westcoastbabe]

Need some insight here people....Would not be posting if I didnt need some feedback/direction.

[westcoastbabe]

ok...let me hear from anyone that relocated to LA from the vicinity of the Carolinas.

[Inter441]

well i am moving soon from South Florida to LA

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by westcoastbabe

ok...let me hear from anyone that relocated to LA from the vicinity of the Carolinas.

Are there specific questions that you have?

[PeppermintChapstick]

Originally Posted by westcoastbabe

Need some insight here people....Would not be posting if I didnt need some feedback/direction.

westcoastbabe, I keep seeing your post here, and feel I should respond, but I'm not sure how much help I can be. I'm older than you, and I'm self-employed.

That said, I'll try since you're not getting any other feedback. I grew up in VA and have lived all over the South including NC. I moved here a little over 4 years ago for my business. I didn't come out here first. I wouldn't advise that to less adaptable people OR for anyone who does not have a job lined up or lots of money or very generous friends here.

I did the u-haul thing (downsized before the move) and had a blast driving across the country. At present, though, there are many people without a job here that are leaving the state. They are selling their things cheaply, so you might consider selling everything you don't have an attachment to and simply replacing things when you get here.

As far as costs, I'm sure you know that LA is generally more expensive than NC. There are costs that you might not think about like much higher car insurance. Another example of something you might not thing of: I have to valet park at my doctor's office--parking in general can bite you so you must be aware. Don't rent a place that doesn't have parking either.

On the other hand, I pay much less for utilities than I did in VA or NC because of the weather here. I'm having to strongly consider going back to VA next spring (I really need to but not sure I want to) because of family reasons, and I'm appalled at the price of rentals in VA. When I add in what I'll have to pay for heat, I'll be paying more in rent+utilities to live in VA. Remember, I'm a renter and thinking in those terms. If you want to buy a house, you had better do some long and hard research about buying here before you come.

As for the "vibe" there are lots of different neighborhoods that make up LA. I've lived in four different neighborhoods (yeah, I like to change the scenery from my windows) and each was different. If you come out here, you need to take some time and look around to see what fits you. Or post more info on what you like to do, etc., and maybe we can help.

Now as to the Southern thing versus the west coast. There's just too much to say about this. If you have a specific question, ask. Maybe you don't care much for the Southern culture and that's why you want to leave. I personally love lots of aspects of Southern life, others not so much. As for the west coast (and I've not explored all of it) I wouldn't live anywhere but LA.

So, a chatty, long message for someone who claimed not to know how to be of help. But that's just the Southern in me, I guess.

[nighthouse66]

well, i can give you the perspective of someone who lived in greenville south carolina for five years, a native georgian who lived in the atlanta area and then moved to california- first to carmel, then to los angeles (which is where i am writing this).
i find the east to be much more business like. alot of people will tell you that there is a hollywood attitude here, but i have never, ever found that. i lived in venice, i have lived in east LA, in santa monica, in silverlake- and i have never dealt with any sort of attitude. yeah, you meet lots of artists who are fashion victims and who care about how they look, but on the whole people are very nice. it pays to be nice here. alot of entertainment and industry jobs are about who you know. there are thirty million makeup artists in the world- and most don't have any special talent apart from the other. your personality goes along a way here.
here is another tidbit, which i paraphrase, but really does illustrate something that i have found to be true.
in the sixties, when certain well known hippies were wanting to raise the pentagon off its foundations and get the evil spirits out (hahah) there was something of a summit meeting of the east and west heads to decide how to go about it. the eastern, new york guys were playing it off as a metaphor, to raise awareness of the military's wrongdoings, while the western guys had been consulting medicine men in an actual effort to raise the pentagon off the ground. i found that pretty hilarious, frankly, and so typical of the western mindset. people will not bat an eyelash at whatever weird trip you are on. in fact, being here, you just find out how weird you AREN't, because there is someone out there way, way weirder than you.
no one even discusses race, gender, or your sexuality. while in atlanta, the whole race thing is forever on the table. always. always was and probably always will be. that being said the south is very overrated as a hotbed of racism. we have gone a long, long way out of that mess, believe me, and with the advent of hip hop and practically every young person being a fan, that is even further being pushed out of the picture.
as a whole, los angeles is whatever you want it to be. there are so many people actually making it who don't have time to clean their house that even people on normal, lower-middle class incomes pay others to clean their houses for them. in fact, i am shocked at how many people do this- mostly because if you are here you will have to hustle.
what is your background? where do you expect to work?

[westcoastbabe]

Right now..I am an Executive Asst. for a nat'l bank...but I have a BA in Mass Communications and worked for almost 10 yrs in TV for local news as a Broadcast Technician before I got burnt out. I figure no better time to do it...No kids holding me back, plus Im just sick of NC...When you have lived in one place your whole life...it gets old and fast!!!!...Not getting much of positive feedback from family right now..because they think the whole idea is crazy....but Im determined to show them..