Would you ever leave LA to live in the Midwest? (Anaheim: movers, hotel)

[jackie100]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

California is better when you are young and single, in your twenties and thirties. You meet enough single midwestern transplants in greater LA, but when it comes to settling down, buying a house and raising a family. Then yes, Ohio, etc. is better to return to.

But LA is great to live for a few years, especially if you have some investments/savings that you draw from if needed.

Not everyone wants to have a family or kids. I'm a woman in my almost mid thirties who never wants kids... ever. L.A is the place for me. It's 2012 now and believe it or not, many folks don't want a family.

Also, I still see nothing wrong with raising a family in L.A I'm not into the whole traditional Midwestern Values thing. L.A is fine for raising a family in my opinion. I don't think the Midwest is necessarily better for raising a family at all.

[Mighty Bleistift]

Originally Posted by jackie100

Not everyone wants to have a family or kids. I'm a woman in my almost mid thirties who never wants kids... ever. L.A is the place for me. It's 2012 now and believe it or not, many folks don't want a family.

Also, I still see nothing wrong with raising a family in L.A I'm not into the whole traditional Midwestern Values thing. L.A is fine for raising a family in my opinion. I don't think the Midwest is necessarily better for raising a family at all.

I'm not trying to be condescending, but you're saying this from the perspective of someone who, by her own admission, doesn't have kids and "never wants kids... ever". That's kind of like a trust-fund baby saying that he doesn't see why someone would need a job to live in LA.

I've been here 26 years. 4 years was spent as a student in the Manhattan Beach school system. We left in 1984, but I came back in 1990 and currently live in Pasadena with my family. I've lived all over LA - Marina Del Rey, Sunset Plaza, Silverlake, Beach Cities and now SGV. Some of my family are teachers in the Torrance and Manhattan Beach school districts.

There are lots of reasons why many of us with kids think LA is not the best place to raise kids. To me and I'm sure most, the biggest issue is the schools. I have a 4th-grader and a 1st-grader. Pasadena is a beautiful, wealthy city that has a dirty little secret: it's schools are awful. So, if you care about your kids' education, that means you have to apply for the ultra-competitive private schools. We do well and our private school's tuition is relatively small compared to other LA schools like Crossroads, Harvard-Westlake, Lawrence or Campbell Hall, but it's still almost $20k per year, per student. Believe me, that takes it's toll after a while. Add to that the fact that private schools require annual monetary donations on top of tuition, and the cost really goes up. Including property tax, we spend probably $55k per year on elementary education!

Unless you are wealthy and can afford private school, or you can afford to live in an area that has a solid public school system, like Manhattan Beach, PV, BH, La Cañada, or South Pasadena, you are faced with a dilemma if you take your kids' educations at all seriously. Class sizes in many area public schools are huge - 30+ students in many areas, over 40 in places like Glendale! Then there is the social element, meaning the kids who aren't really there to learn but are there to socialize and/or cause trouble. That also leads to safety issues. My cousin in Torrance says he spends more of his time babysitting than actually teaching, and that's in a relatively decent public school. This problem is widely known to be true throughout the area.

[yamota]

Well, I think the problem of too many kids from low income households choking the public school system is not just an LA problem but nationwide

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by jackie100

I'm a woman in my almost mid thirties who never wants kids... ever. L.A is the place for me.

Bravo. Too many people on the planet, and the kids have little to look forward to, anyway. And it appears one saves around $55K per year not having to send the kids to elementary school. That's a lot of good play money.

[yowps3]

Both have thir positives '& negatives

[topospace]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

So running away from "Kalifornia" back to the snuggly wuggly arms of the Bible Belt transforms one back to immaturity? OK, we'll buy that.

I'm sure he got himself a bible, a double-wide trailer, and a meth lab. Probably feels like a king.

[yowps3]

Originally Posted by yamota

Well, I think the problem of too many kids from low income households choking the public school system is not just an LA problem but nationwide

So your saying kids from low income households should not go to school?

[jtamay3]

To me, it's about where you come from and if you're the type of person who wants or needs change in your life. I certainly think you can raise a family in CA just as you could in OH. The thing is, if you have been at one place your whole life, do you want to change it, or do you want to stay in the place you know. For me, I've grown sick of Chicago's winters, and I cannot wait to move to Southern California. There's also a ton of SCers who are sick with only one season, the materialism, and the people in SC who would gladly welcome moving to a place like Chicago or elsewhere. Really depends on the type of person you are and the place you are in life.

[Marce30]

NEVER EVER !
I don't want to be surrounded by stupid conservatives.

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by jtamay3

To me, it's about where you come from and if you're the type of person who wants or needs change in your life. I certainly think you can raise a family in CA just as you could in OH. The thing is, if you have been at one place your whole life, do you want to change it, or do you want to stay in the place you know. For me, I've grown sick of Chicago's winters, and I cannot wait to move to Southern California. There's also a ton of SCers who are sick with only one season, the materialism, and the people in SC who would gladly welcome moving to a place like Chicago or elsewhere. Really depends on the type of person you are and the place you are in life.

At my last job, I worked with a lady who is a native Californian from Anaheim. At one point, she surprised us by giving her notice of resignation. The reason was that she had purchased a house in Minnesota and was moving there. She told us that she grew tired of how crowded and expensive California is. The reason she chose Minnesota was that her older daughter (who is married and has 2 or 3 kids) was already living there and she talked my co-worker into moving there. Last I hear, my former co-worker has adapted to life in the Midwest and is thoroughly enjoying it.