Tampa or Los Angeles? (Long Beach, Santa Monica: house, purchase, school)

[eweidner]

I'm 22 I'm in my first job. I am from Tampa, but then started a 6 month training programin L.A with the option of staying in L.A, or moving back to Tampa (with the job). What do you think?

[UB50]

I grew up in Florida and went to college in Orlando. I'd pick LA!!!!

Seriously, you can make more money out here than you can in Florida. There are also great things to do and places to go and all the other stuff. Far more opportunities in California than there are in Florida.

The only thing you are probably going to have to forget about is the "hot weather beach scene" that Florida has. (The water out here is cold, the beaches aren't that nice.) If you can get over that (and some folks can't) you'll find California has a lot to offer. A lot more variety for one thing.

At one time, I knew somewhere between 5 and 10 people who had moved from Florida to California. Some remained terminally unhappy, some loved it. I guess it all depends on what you want.

[JesusisLord]

Originally Posted by UB50

(The water out here is cold, the beaches aren't that nice.).

I agreed with most of your post, but I don't believe your an avid beach goer. It's true Florida has very warm beach water, and warm, humid temps. My cousin who is a Tampa native said the beach water is to warm to stay in for too long. A huge negative is Tampa has absolutely no waves because of the Gulf of Mexico and my cousin has told me there there is no cool ocean breeze closer to the ocean, it's a hot and humid breeze off the Gulf of Mexico. We have a cool, dry breeze off the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. Our water is 66-68 degrees in the summer in SoCal, and it only takes a few minutes to get used to. One huge plus may be if Florida has warm water all year around, we certainly do not, you have to purchase a wetsuit in Southern California for Spring, Fall, and Winter! By the way, Hermosa, Manhattan, Huntington, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Redondo Beach etc. are all great beaches. Florida may have white sand and greenish blue water, and cool marine life, so that could be a major plus!

[UB50]

Originally Posted by JesusisLord

I agreed with most of your post, but I don't believe your an avid beach goer. It's true Florida has very warm beach water, and warm, humid temps. My cousin who is a Tampa native said the beach water is to warm to stay in for too long. A huge negative is Tampa has absolutely no waves because of the Gulf of Mexico and my cousin has told me there there is no cool ocean breeze closer to the ocean, it's a hot and humid breeze off the Gulf of Mexico. We have a cool, dry breeze off the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. Our water is 66-68 degrees in the summer in SoCal, and it only takes a few minutes to get used to. One huge plus may be if Florida has warm water all year around, we certainly do not, you have to purchase a wetsuit in Southern California for Spring, Fall, and Winter! By the way, Hermosa, Manhattan, Huntington, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Redondo Beach etc. are all great beaches. Florida may have white sand and greenish blue water, and cool marine life, so that could be a major plus!

Florida is hot most of the year. There are beaches *everywhere* so you can go to a crowded beach or one that is almost deserted. Parking used to be easy to find. (You can almost forget about going to Santa Monica beach on a really hot day around here -- there's no parking.) People in Florida live for "getting a tan" -- which takes about 15 minutes a day for a week! There are tons of people with swimming pools and boats. Lots of homes on canals. Tons of people go diving, fishing, all of that kind of thing. It's really a different sort of lifestyle.

California is better for surfing. Florida doesn't get the waves we get here unless there is a tropical storm or a hurricane approaching. There are lots of boats here too, but hardly anyone lives in a place where you can park the boat behind the house (on the canal).

Unfortunately, the "beachy lifestyle" is about all Florida has to offer. Well, that and the theme parks.

Here you can take up snow skiing. (That's a plane flight away in Florida, here it's a couple hour drive.) Celebrities, even super-minor ones, are a big deal out there. Here, you're surrounded by them and no one cares. The wealth in California is staggering, seriously. When I first moved here (in my early 20's), I met students in college who were driving Rolls Royces to school.

Anyway, there are some major differences but I would choose California over Florida anyday. California has a lot more variety.

[jessemh431]

My mom used to live in Tampa. She visited LA and never went back to Tampa. She stayed in LA and had her belongings shipped to LA that week. She doesn't regret the move one bit. Nowhere can you live withing driving distance of beaches (not all are crowded, just certain ones), mountains, a fun party scene, Vegas, Mexico, farming, desert, etc. The best beach is in Long Beach. The water gets into the 70s there and temps can be extremely good for swimming (LB reached 103 this summer, but it feels great since the water is right there and there is no darn humidity to make it miserable.)

Definitely LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!