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But his post is the real picture, That's much the way it is..
If it really were like that CA would be cheap and nobody but the types of people in Charles' pictures would be living there! Just admit it - CA isn't for you and leave it at that.
A more accurate assessment would be Charles' photos depict what life is like for those of us who are not rich, who can't afford to live in safe neighborhoods. Without the give and take of observations on this forum, many misguided relocators would be clinging to their illusions of L.A. from the entertainment business. If you don't believe this, imagine your average Midwestern family, any race or creed, who dreams of moving to So. Cal, is not well off, and ends up in Pacoima. They would not be able to converse with anyone in English, and their children would be in danger at the schools.
I grew up in the El Sereno neighborhood of East Los Angeles and now live in Portland. After traveling around and living in a variety of cities (NYC, San Francisco), my wife (who is white) and I decided to start our life together in our home city of L.A. We are both University grads, Fight On SC, and teachers. We looked around and decided that being close to my family in El Sereno had a lot of positives. So, in 2003 we bought a great home in the "nice" area of El Sereno adjacent to Alhambra and South Pasadena. For a while, it was great. The location was close to Downtown, Hollywood, Pasadena, and many other great areas. Then, we found out we were having a baby and everything changed.
While El Sereno was fine for us as single 20-somethings it turned out to be a terrible place to raise our family. Once our son was born, we soon realized we had to move. My wife wanted to take walks in our neighborhood only to have to deal with stray dogs, speeding cars, and some seriously unfriendly people going so far as to make racial comments towards her. Then there was that time the SWAT team shut down our street in search of someone.
So, we decided to pull all of our savings, which I think were considerable, and move to a better area of L.A. Well, of course we were priced out of everywhere we looked. We finally made a bid 20K over asking for a 1500 sq foot home in South Pasadena only to see it go for 80K over asking ($890,000K). Now, we find ourselves living our American dream up here in Portland. While not a perfect city by any means, our quality of life has grown dramatically, especially for my wife and now two year old son.
Overall, L.A. is exactly as the previous poster mentioned. It's a great city if you can afford it. Most of my friends from SC have already left the city as they too were unable to afford to raise their families in the way they had hoped. Stay and pay a million for a 1400 sq foot home, or move. Portland, The East Bay, South OC, Austin, Seattle, Phoenix, etc... I do miss many aspects of life in L.A., but then I visit and remember why I left. From fruit vendors setting up shop in front of my mom's house, to rampant problems of homelessness, to an overall flight of the young educated middle class.
It saddens me to see L.A. becoming a city of have's and have nots. There is a lot of positive gentrification occuring which I am hopeful will change the city for the better. But that whole topic is best left for another thread.
A more accurate assessment would be Charles' photos depict what life is like for those of us who are not rich, who can't afford to live in safe neighborhoods. Without the give and take of observations on this forum, many misguided relocators would be clinging to their illusions of L.A. from the entertainment business. If you don't believe this, imagine your average Midwestern family, any race or creed, who dreams of moving to So. Cal, is not well off, and ends up in Pacoima. They would not be able to converse with anyone in English, and their children would be in danger at the schools.
Not all places in CA are like Los Angeles. Everyone seems to think only of LA when they think of CA. There is a LOT more to CA than LA.
Yes, Years ago, I always used to listen to KROQ. That was my favorite station. Gosh, It's been about 13 years or so since I listened to them. Thanks for the heads up.
I remember there was a real good looking guy on there. He had an english accent and blond hair? He was hot, well back then. LOL
Even though this thread is titled, "What do you miss about Your New Place Compared to California," (I am sure you could easily include a list, as it is clear you did all you could to stay here.), I am very happy you did share your heart breaking experience about living in LA and trying to continue on here. I must agree with you and FastFilm that unless someone has a considerable amount of money and gaining quickly in that area, the negatives, can far outweight the positives (especially if one has a child!!) in Los Angeles. Charles pretty much summed that up if not quite accurately for all, darn close. I may add that I think any LA person or California person should do all they can to fight back, but that is for another thread and specifically for the Illegal Immigration thread that has been moved to its own forum away from California.
But I also look at Twink's post that many people define LA as California, and that life is not like this in places that are not LA. People do have a tendency (I included at times) to do this. Is this true? Do the drawbacks outweigh the great positives of our beautiful state elsewhere other then LA for the people who have either a middle income or below?
I think this question relates to the content of our thread as it puts into context the positives asked for weighed against the negatives for those planning on moving here.
I would however love to hear of the positives too that people miss inspite of the negatives. For instance, I have no doubt that there are great positives, especially for a middle class family in the NW. Yet, I have lived in the NW and I can assure you California far outshines that area in many ways. So I would love to hear about their negatives too in comparison to California, along with the positives.
In someways this list shows what has been lost because of an issue that is not to be discussed in this California forum. But it doesn mean we can't write about the amazing parts--past and present--of our great state, even from those who have understandably moved on (and especially so, as hopefully they have been in the new place long enough to see the new negatives and to understand the positives of California that they have left behind. It doesn't mean they should move back here or even that they want to). Let's have the stuff on other states in comparison!! :-) There will be many others in the future comparing and contemplating a move to another state versus moving in or out of California. Let's give them stuff to consider and chew on. Come on guys I know there are things that annoy you in your new place!
Also maybe if people were reminded of the benefits past or present that they are staying for, they will see how they have to fight to keep, defend or change in our state and not just hand our state over to squaters (spelling?) or policies that taint.
I will list some of my positives . . .
I love the sunshine in southern California. I love getting up, everyday pretty much, never having to change my plans because of weather. I love that everyday I can hike, bike, jog, walk, bask in the sun all day or for a few minutes. I love the year round flowers and scents. I love the desert sand and how the sun bounces off it on to the palm trees that sway and toss in the wind. I love the blue of swimming pools in the sun and the white in the crests of the ocean waves as they crawl and splash on the sand in the sun. I love all the golf courses in the desert. I love the heat in Palm Springs and how it mellows everything out, slowing it down, including me.
I love the beauty of the fog in the mountains in central California and the sun mixed in. In Northern California I love the energy and the shopping. I love the rain and the fog and the hippies (even though I am conservative), they are California hippies (which are different then NW hippies--way different). I love the higher education available across the great state of California and the beaches up and down the coast in their variety and beauty. I love the ME ness of California, crazy as it is at times, that includes ME MEness, and if I have children I will do as I please in raising them, not what everyone else is doing (which is what I have found in other states is great imitation of each other), to do otherwise is so judged elsewhere as wierd or whatever. Californians do dismiss variation of lifestyle and get back to their own lives fairly quickly.
In comparison to the NW:
smoking indoors, because I get drenched when I go out for exercise. Smoking or having to drink mass coffee because I am so cold and need and upper to counter the downer of the gray, overcast, misting, or rainy weather. Listening constantly to filthy grimey kids tell me I should not eat meat and that business is evil. People that look at you funny if you dress up, or look normal. People that hate you because you have a sunny outlook on life. These are some of the negatives in the NW I found. The short list. I don't smoke by the way, but I started once I moved to the NW and when I quit, I had to get out to stay stopped. Now I meditate, exercise in the nice weather instead of in the constant drench of rain and gray and I LOVE it. Depression is overrated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lucero32
I grew up in the El Sereno neighborhood of East Los Angeles and now live in Portland. After traveling around and living in a variety of cities (NYC, San Francisco), my wife (who is white) and I decided to start our life together in our home city of L.A. We are both University grads, Fight On SC, and teachers. We looked around and decided that being close to my family in El Sereno had a lot of positives. So, in 2003 we bought a great home in the "nice" area of El Sereno adjacent to Alhambra and South Pasadena. For a while, it was great. The location was close to Downtown, Hollywood, Pasadena, and many other great areas. Then, we found out we were having a baby and everything changed.
While El Sereno was fine for us as single 20-somethings it turned out to be a terrible place to raise our family. Once our son was born, we soon realized we had to move. My wife wanted to take walks in our neighborhood only to have to deal with stray dogs, speeding cars, and some seriously unfriendly people going so far as to make racial comments towards her. Then there was that time the SWAT team shut down our street in search of someone.
So, we decided to pull all of our savings, which I think were considerable, and move to a better area of L.A. Well, of course we were priced out of everywhere we looked. We finally made a bid 20K over asking for a 1500 sq foot home in South Pasadena only to see it go for 80K over asking ($890,000K). Now, we find ourselves living our American dream up here in Portland. While not a perfect city by any means, our quality of life has grown dramatically, especially for my wife and now two year old son.
Overall, L.A. is exactly as the previous poster mentioned. It's a great city if you can afford it. Most of my friends from SC have already left the city as they too were unable to afford to raise their families in the way they had hoped. Stay and pay a million for a 1400 sq foot home, or move. Portland, The East Bay, South OC, Austin, Seattle, Phoenix, etc... I do miss many aspects of life in L.A., but then I visit and remember why I left. From fruit vendors setting up shop in front of my mom's house, to rampant problems of homelessness, to an overall flight of the young educated middle class.
It saddens me to see L.A. becoming a city of have's and have nots. There is a lot of positive gentrification occuring which I am hopeful will change the city for the better. But that whole topic is best left for another thread.
Last edited by fairweathergolfer; 05-20-2007 at 02:17 PM..
Reason: added content (comparison)
A more accurate assessment would be Charles' photos depict what life is like for those of us who are not rich, who can't afford to live in safe neighborhoods. Without the give and take of observations on this forum, many misguided relocators would be clinging to their illusions of L.A. from the entertainment business. If you don't believe this, imagine your average Midwestern family, any race or creed, who dreams of moving to So. Cal, is not well off, and ends up in Pacoima. They would not be able to converse with anyone in English, and their children would be in danger at the schools.
fastfilm, I've enjoyed reading your various posts. Your 50 years of LA experience makes the posts that much more interesting. Just curious, what part of the Valley do you live?
I miss Disneyland, Old Town, the beach, the fact that there was so much to do all the time.....
But most of all I miss my job and my friends.
I worked in LAUSD for 16 years. Most of my friends, even in SoCal, thought I was NUTS to work where I did. But I loved it.
We lived in Pasadena.
Dawn
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