Would you ever leave LA to live in the Midwest? (San Diego: transfer, income)

[odannyboi]

I keep telling people... if you don't live in Chicago, there is not point living in the midwest. WI sucks, IA is ok if you are a college student, MI sucks, IN sucks, Missoura sucks, Ohio sucks and much of Illinois sucks.

LA is nice but Chicago overall is better in many catagories. Its only downfall (and the reason I am out here) is the weather. Take away the weather and LA wouldn't even be considered as a dream place of living. Although I only lived in LA for 2 weeks (long story), I liked what I experienced but it just doesn't feel like a real city. Its better than SD though, thats for sure.

And there aren't that many conservatives there... WI are filled with crazy libs, as is Minnesota and Illinois (along with the low skilled labor populaton of MI).

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

A fact for which we small town, rural Americans with values will be eternally grateful.

Hey, we city dwellers have values too, you know. We value not being surrounded by small town rural Americans with values.

[Marce30]

Originally Posted by fontucky

hey, we city dwellers have values too, you know. We value not being surrounded by small town rural americans with values.

lol !!!!!

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by odannyboi

And there aren't that many conservatives there... WI are filled with crazy libs, as is Minnesota and Illinois (along with the low skilled labor populaton of MI).

Yet, you hate the midwest...

Shall we investigate which area of the country is decidedly red?

[odannyboi]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Yet, you hate the midwest...

Shall we investigate which area of the country is decidedly red?

yes, its the south, the upper west side of the country and the SE part of the country.

I don't hate the midwest, i just think it sucks (except for chicago).

I'm not conservative, I'm a moderate republican and I prefer to live in big cities (which tend to be liberal). I actually don't get along with conservatives like I do with libs, but its funny because libs annoy me.

[hockfan86]

^^^ So basically you don't get a long with anyone? Or you are crazy? I am conservative, live in LA, but I am from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I had/have no problems in any of those places and no one had/has any problems with me.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I have a hard time imagining somebody from Los Angeles, or West Hollywood, Santa Monica, or one of those wealthier burbs in Orange County, even liking the Midwest. Unless, of course, it was Chicago, or maybe Cleveland, Minneapolis, or StL. And at that, Chicago, Cleveland and StL are still extremely blue collar at heart with a few "posh" burbs. One would miss the California weather in about two minutes when they land for the first time in a Chicago winter.

SoCal, in its entirety, is so different from the Midwest that the areas can be difficult to compare. I can see a resident in one of the outer lying areas (Ventura County, IE) having an easier adjustment to the Midwest, and, at that, some place like Indy, Cincy, Milwaukee, or KC, and not Springfield (either one), Evansville, or Des Moines.

I moved to the Bay Area from Greater Cincinnati. Two entirely different worlds.

Chicago is not any more or less blue collar than LA, that's why median family incomes are fairly similar. Chicago has quite a few posh areas in the city and suburbs. There is a very large concentration of wealth there. That's what makes it stand out from other midwest cities.

[RememberMee]

Ohio has harsh winters? ROFLMAO. I kinda like that "hip" and "cultured" (that's what they call exalted forms of the passive consumption and entertainment these days) people don't like Midwest (more for me). Something is seriously weird about the society where fertile, well watered, mild weathered, beautiful in their own ways regions are held in contempt while unsuitable for life deserts attract swarms of hip life seekers like mousetraps. Personally, I wouldn't trade central Ohio for LA if you paid me big $$. I have been all over California and it's just plainly depressing despite plenty of Sun. Dusty sprawling & sweltering anthip of LA area, monstrous & depressing mega Agribiz of Central Valley, dying forests of Sierra, stench of decaying fish around Salton Sea, Pacific shoreline without a square inch of public access for miles and miles and miles, hordes of mentally challenged packing I-15 towards Las Vegas every Friday/Holiday instead of enjoying that vibrant culture, gourmet food, and ocean access you all are touting here, dusty deserts in between, etc., etc., etc.. Not my cup of tea. I can entertain, feed, "culture" and occupy myself I don't need LA for that, thanks.

There is such a thing as physical feeling good about the area (it has nothing to do with consumption choices, job, dining, people...). It feels simply good in central Ohio, I don't know why. I lived around Knoxville, TN for a while (another magnet for former Midwesterns) and I just felt anxiety & uneasiness with my skin, especially around Brushy mountains, must be something in the water

[findy]

I lived in CA for 24 years (upstate though) and moved to Central Indiana during the height of the bubble. My observations:
--California has some of the most beautiful out of the way spots (Lassen, Redwoods, Yosemite) but for the most part, it is an ugly dusty desert. Indy itself is flat but I can get to the beautiful forested unadulterated hills in 20 minutes.
--Life here is slower. You have to find what you want, it won't be knocking on your door like CA.
--The weather is addictive. Having seasons, occasional chances to use a sled, and fall leaves completes me. In CA it was sunny or rain in the winter, and not even that further south.
--Life is soooo much cheaper here. I bought my house for 75K in 2005.
--The people here are pretty genuine. I think someone putting on airs of being something they are not would stick out here like good acting in a porno. However, people here are polite yet somewhat to themselves. Very family oriented.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

Chicago is not any more or less blue collar than LA, that's why median family incomes are fairly similar. Chicago has quite a few posh areas in the city and suburbs. There is a very large concentration of wealth there. That's what makes it stand out from other midwest cities.

You know, based on my unscientific observations, I've noticed this similarity between Chicago and L.A. +1

Originally Posted by RememberMee

Ohio has harsh winters? ROFLMAO.

Personally, I wouldn't trade central Ohio for LA if you paid me big $$. I have been all over California and it's just plainly depressing despite plenty of Sun.

There is such a thing as physical feeling good about the area (it has nothing to do with consumption choices, job, dining, people...). It feels simply good in central Ohio, I don't know why.

I lived around Knoxville, TN for a while (another magnet for former Midwesterns) and I just felt anxiety & uneasiness with my skin, especially around Brushy mountains, must be something in the water

Ohio winters are not Michigan UP, Wisconsin, or upstate New York winters. But, with very little vegetation in any bloom, snow that is pretty initially but looks dirty and slushy in two days, and whipping winds across cold, depressing fields without crops, December through April are crazy depressing in Ohio. I've lived near Cincinnati and in Louisville and been to Dayton and Columbus on numerous occasions. The physical feeling of the entire Ohio Valley is quite depressing from late fall through early spring, but can be quite beautiful otherwise.

I've already become a Bay Area "winter" wuss: it was 52 degrees F outside at 6pm tonight as I was driving to In-N-Out. And guess what? I was shivering. I had on an undershirt, a sweater and blue jeans and I was still chilly.

Something else: In terms of the people factor, there's not a huge factor between rural and urban Ohio versus rural and urban California. The rural areas have some very friendly people. The urban areas, not as much; I found Daytonians, in particular, to be some of the grouchiest people I've ever met in the U.S. Cincinnatians weren't much friendlier, but Columbus seemed to slightly have the edge in friendliness among Ohio cities. Granted, I've not been north of I-70; for what it's worth, I'll also point out that the most condescending human being I've ever met was from Cleveland. However, smaller, outlying towns, like Oxford, Brookville and some of the tiny farm towns east of Cincinnati have some of the friendliest people I've met in the U.S. Same comparison can be said for, say, L.A. and S.F. versus Avila Beach and Stinson Beach here in California.

I agree with you about Knoxville, TN. Not the greatest place in the world. However, Townsend, TN is a lovely, less visited gateway into the Smokies! Downtown Gatlinburg is cool, too.

Originally Posted by findy

I lived in CA for 24 years (upstate though) and moved to Central Indiana during the height of the bubble. My observations:
--California has some of the most beautiful out of the way spots (Lassen, Redwoods, Yosemite) but for the most part, it is an ugly dusty desert. Indy itself is flat but I can get to the beautiful forested unadulterated hills in 20 minutes.
--Life here is slower. You have to find what you want, it won't be knocking on your door like CA.
--The weather is addictive. Having seasons, occasional chances to use a sled, and fall leaves completes me. In CA it was sunny or rain in the winter, and not even that further south.
--Life is soooo much cheaper here. I bought my house for 75K in 2005.
--The people here are pretty genuine. I think someone putting on airs of being something they are not would stick out here like good acting in a porno. However, people here are polite yet somewhat to themselves. Very family oriented.

California is extremely diverse geographically and not so much desert, as you claim. As for desert, well, one man's junk is another man's treasure. I love my green here in the Bay Area; in fact, it's easy to become spoiled on it. But I also enjoy the subtle treasures and vast expanses of the desert. In some ways, it's more neat and surprising than looking at a bunch of redwoods.

Life is slower in the Ohio Valley. Sometimes I feel like Californians need to slow the hell down and actually breath the air (sans smog for our SoCal and Central Valley friends).

Ohio Valley weather SUCKS! I make it a point to remind my friends in Kentucky and Ohio of that every time I talk to them. Coastal California weather is some of the most ideal on the planet. IMO.

Indiana has hills? Well, yes, Southern Indiana does, and the Hoosier National Forest can be quite beautiful. But I like the Santa Cruz Mountains here in NorCal or San Gabriel Mountains in SoCal better.

COL is cheaper. Much cheaper. The middle class actually still can live anywhere in Indiana. In California, you have to go about 60 miles inland to, for the most part, find truly middle class communities.

Honestly, Hoosiers are some of the least friendly people I've met in the Midwest. Just my experience. There are some wonderful Hoosiers that would give you the shirts off their backs, but plenty that also are insular and cold to the point of rudeness. I find Kentuckians (sans Louisville and Northern KY), Buckeyes (rural) and West Virginians to be friendlier (even though KY and WV aren't really Midwestern).

Now, would I leave California to live in the Midwest? I would live in Chicago. I don't mind rural areas and smaller states as I grew up in such, but the only way I could live in parts of MN, WI, MI, IA, and SD would be if I were willing to be "hearty." All I have to say is...the job better pay well!