Moving from Cleveland, OH to Los Angeles/OC area - questions/help... please (Long Beach: crime, new home)

[JTJC]

Well, it's been a month and so far - so good. Love the area we chose in Belmont Shore. Friendly and active neighborhood, great neighbors, fun little place!

The only thing that sucked so far was the registration fee for my car... though to be fair I planned/budgeted for it... still, it stinks at how much it costs!

Anyway, job is good and my g/f and dog seem to love it here. It beats Ohio so far. I'm sure once i'm acclimated it'll be like anywhere else, but with way more tolerable weather. So far the best perk, meeting my friends in Vegas next week. Their airfare from Ohio = $528.00. My airfair from LB Airport = $90.00. I win.

[nurserosie]

Hi you guys.....

so glad to hear you arrived...and both love Ca...

also glad to hear GF was able to get at least 6 months extra at home employment

now time for her to find a kidney/transplant doc to get her on the Ca transplant list...unfortunately our list can be a big long..due I guess to larger population...if she gets some names,,,and locations that fit your insurance...send me an email and I might be able to help you make the choice...obviously not all coverages cover all locations..

again..she needs to get on a Ca transplant list...not knowing of course how soon she might need a new kidney...but not unlikely to wait in the YEARS list..

so glad you are happy..and welcome to the land of fruits,,nuts..and sunshine 300 days a year

rosie

[Rick440]

JTJC,

Sorry this is a little late. But we live in the Cleveland area and have been visiting relatives in Los Angeles about once or twice a year for the past two decades. Impressions of the LA area are that there are a lot more people, cars, noise, and concrete than you will see in Cleveland. And a much more varied economy with services, manufacturing, etc. A very exciting (and expensive) place overall compared to NE Ohio.

In particular, the locals call the highways "The ---" as in "The 10", "The 5," and "The 405." Don't recall anyone in Cleveland calling I-71 or I-480 "The 71" or "The 480". And if you leave the proper assured cleared distance between your car and the one in front of you, like you learned in driver's education classes, it will be filled.

Glad you are adjusting well. Long Beach has a beautiful airport terminal that you might recognize from some period films. If you ever fly out of there, check out the nice exhibit on Douglas Aircraft upstairs.

[HDShootsPhotos]

glad to hear that your in the Long Beach area. I am also looking to relocate in the area from Houston with my fiance/wife...

I still have to go through all of the previous posts but i figure ill be going through some of the things you had to as well..

[JTJC]

Better late than never... a bit of any update...

It's been almost a year since I started this thread. We've been here now just about 9 months.
I way overestimated on worrying... pretty much about everything.
Basically, we love it. I worked at the job that I relocated with for 6 of the last 9 months. I was offered a better position with better pay in December and I accepted. So, the first part of my plan worked: Operation "have the company pay for my move and find a better paying job". DONE!
Secondly, my fiance has managed to keep the job she had in Ohio and work remotely. In addition, she got a p/t job at a great little women's fashion/botique store literally right up the street on 2nd (in Belmont Shore) just for extra income but more to socialize and meet friends (which she has). Thirdly, she has a fairly major health issue and that was a big concern. She has since applied for and recieved PCIP, which was part of Obama Care (I think) for people with a pre-existing condition. We have found a great doctor, and though it does cost more than a regular "typical" healthcare plan - it definitely does help.

All in all, living quality - Miles better than I imagined. A lot is still new to us, but we absolutely love it here.

No regrets

[JTJC]

Not that anyone is still reading this thread - but for someone who's thinking about moving and sees the thread, i'm going to periodically update it

So, going on 2 years living here (Just about 2 months shy at this point). Still in the Belmont Shore area and still not regretting the move at all!

I miss friends and family terribly, but they have a cool place to visit now.
Work is going well, and I've been where I'm at for almost a year and a half.
My girlfriend has gotten a new job locally, and still has a p/t boutique job (mostly because she just likes it). Still continuing with her Dr. we found out here at Keck Medical Ctr. of USC and her Dr. is absolutely great.

As far as money goes - there could always be more, but we're living the exact same as we were in Strongsville (probably a bit better actually) as far as quality of things we do, only we don't have to worry about the weather/rain/snow screwing it up

We've found that our utility bills are actually cheaper out here, especially if we're talking "winter".
Rent, Car Insurance, and yearly Lic. Plate Fees are the biggest difference, but as long as you're smart with your money and budget it in, it's not an issue.

So... dearest Cleveland, Ohio... I miss you, but I don't want to move back into you.

Hope all is well. Cheers everyone (or just me, if I'm the only one reading this still)

[Joe Van Fossen]

Congrats! It sounds like everything's been working out for you guys. Anything specific that you like about living in Long Beach/LA/Southern California compared to living back in Ohio (aside from the weather) that you could share for those interested in relocating?

[russlancea]

Congrats on the successful move. Too lazy to look it up now, but I believe PCIP has been around for a long time now. It's expensive, but for people with a pre-existing condition, it's a life-saver. I believe the program ends (end of this year) once Obamacare begins. I hope your girlfriend gets better soon and thanks for the updates. It's cool to see how things turn out and even better to see a happy ending.

[nick1218]

Originally Posted by greasycheeseburgers

As someone who has lived in both places, I would consider myself an expert.

If you use a cost of living comparison calculator online, 44k in Cleveland; for the same quality of life you need 66k in Carson California.

Here is the linkage Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Last time I lived in Cleveland was 05-07. I had a an apartment - 2 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage, with washer dryer in unit, in Strongsville. All for $800 a month. I think my car insurance was $600 for the whole year, and I carry full everything 250/500 coverage.

In Cali $800 will get you a studio in an undesirable area, with no parking and no w/d. Everything is more expensive, evvvvvvvverything. Gas, housing, car insurance is triple, and the commute is insane. It is not like Eastside/Westside traffic.

You can live in Cleveland on 44 a year. You cannot in California. Long term the job prospects are better in Southern Cali, there is way more opportunity. But it's all relative, if in 5 years you are making 70 in Cali, but you would be more comfortable with 55 in Cleveland.

Those online calculators are VASTLY inaccurate. I moved from New York City (Bronx, not downtown Manhattan) to Columbus Ohio and I did an exhaustive accounting of spending differences and living in Ohio vs NYC saves me a whopping $2,000 a year. This is a fact. This accounts for gas, insurance, rent, tax, everything. Those website are HEAVILY skewed by giving house purchase costs too much weight into their calculations.

[JTJC]

Joe Van Fossen: As far as comparatively looking at SoCal to Cleveland, Ohio area... Just way more opportunity with careers and advancement since a lot (or significantly more than in Ohio) of the corporate head quarters are located in the area. So if you want to move up with a company, I've found it's very much do-able here if you're motivated and capable. I'd also say the sheer number of things to do, both free and paid. If I couldn't afford vacations and skipping town for a week here and there to discover, there would be no problem finding activities around here for the price of FREE. Going to the beach, tons of cool places to bike ride, weird little festivals, parks to picnic at, beach bon fires at night, free movies on the beach - it seems there's always something at your disposal. We love the beach in our neighborhood; during the summer the free movies at the beach is so unbelievably cool, simple, and it doesn't cost a dime. It's still one of my favorite things since moving here. Lastly, the diversity and just meeting different sorts of people. One of the best things that came out of moving was realizing, that even though my move was significant for me, there are so many crazy stories from people who aren't native to the area. How they got here, and how they managed it. It makes my situation seem like a cake walk.

Russlancea: PCIP has definitely helped enormously. I don't know what we'd have done with out it. I wasn't sure how Obamacare was going to effect it, if at all. I will look into this for sure - I had no idea they were dissolving it?! If you have any more info - please share, though I'll be digging into it ASAP. Not sure if it'll be a good thing or bad, financially as opposed to medically. She has something that isn't going away, so she'll need medical care regardless. Thanks again.

Nick1218: Yes, before we moved I used countless online calculators. Most said I'd need much more than we were going to pull in, but after talking to people out here, it seemed WAY overstated. I got estimates on all of our mo. bills etc., and did the math and couldn't figure out why everything online was saying "NO" and mathematically everything was saying "YES". I've learned to take all of that with a grain of salt. I supposes it's a good starting point to really make you do your homework as opposed to a calculator saying "go for it", and then end up falling on your face

Glad people read my update.

Take care all!