Any reasons not to move to California? (Huntington Beach, Orange: renting, condo)

[certsevtxert]

Originally Posted by ysr_racer

I am an ultra right-wing, conservative, gun owning, republican, Jew.

When I'm at the gun club, we NEVER talk about gay marriage, birth control or abortion. It's always fiscal conservancy, taxes, illegal immigration.

What does Jew have anything to do with anything?

[ysr_racer]

Same thing as ultra right-wing, conservative, gun owning, republican, it describes who I am.

[Pilotprincess]

Originally Posted by certsevtxert

Which is one reason for choosing OC over LA.

Yep!!!!

[Pilotprincess]

Originally Posted by certsevtxert

What does Jew have anything to do with anything?

Me too but Greek.

[Sondeera]

Move to Orange County. You'll fit right in. Just expect to be taxed to absolute death as a small business owner.

[Coldjensens]

A lot depends on you. Orange County has a lot of wonderful attributes, some not so good ones and a few terrible ones. It is pretty much like anyplace else. Whether the positive attributes outweigh the negative depends on your values, priorities and preferences.

For example the weather is hot and dry and does not change very much. Some love that some hate it, some miss changing seasons, or thunderstorms, or rain, even cool crisp winter days. Others live very happily forevermore with clear skies and temperatures pretty much always above 40 and usually above 60. Most of Orange County is paved, built on, or planted. There is not much open space, very little natural areas, very few trees and no real lakes or rivers (the few there are are dry most of the year, most "lakes" are just settling basins, ponds or man made mud puddles died green or blue). The buildings are mostly new, nice and clean. There is not much history and not much architecture of merit. It is crowded. There are a marvelous number of things to do and places to eat, but if waiting in line annoys you, you may have problems. There are lights at pretty much every major intersection and timed lights rarely work so you spend a huge mount of time going not very far in a car. Real estate is insanely expensive, because a huge percentage of the population of the US wants to live in OC - that should tell you something. The tax burden is pretty high and the government is somewhere between out of control and completely insane depending on your perspective. Small businesses get regulated heavily and get sued a lot. Pretty much everything is slightly more expensive than many places (I am not sure how Seattle compares having only been there once and only for a couple of days.) You need lots of lotion, or your skin dries out. You sunburn very easily. It is very trendy and very "keep up with the Jones(ish)" Morals and ethics are not generally very high - hedonism is king, but there are exceptions in the million or so range. there is no walking downtown area like you have in Seattle. Nothing even similar. There are a few smallish cities that have a sort of downtown, the rest is just suburbia. If you want to go for a walk, go to the beach, a park or a paved trail around a subdivision. There are some scattered parks with some nice trails some even have parts with dozens of trees. It is dry dry dry. There is no real green. Even the green stuff in the winter and spring is a greyish green int he spring and then turns grey or brown through the summer. Smog can be bad on a few days, but not horrible anymore. Many mornings are hazy (June gloom, but it lasts well beyond June), but it burns off by 11 or so most days. Some areas are in danger form wildfires and/or mudslides, tornadoes are rare, blizzards - never, hurricanes - not that i have ever heard of, earthquakes happen, but they are rarely dramatic anymore, buildings have adjusted to them as long as they are not too big. The scariest natural disaster thing to me is lack of water if something big ever happened. An additional good reason to have a swimming pool (nothing like 21,000 gallons of potable water in a pinch). If you do have a pool you cna use it year round. Not every day in the winter, but almost every month will have days you can use it.

On the plus side, the weather is almost always conducive to outdoor activity. The available outdoor activities are fabulous. You can play Frisbee on the beach in the morning and go skiing in the mountains in the late afternoon/evening. Pretty much every kind of imaginable restaurant store, shop, bar, you name it is within 10-20 miles of you, especially chains. In much of OC all the subdivisions and strip malls are newer, clean, well kept and conforming. For many that is beautiful. If you do not like the people you find, you can just go find people you like. There are plenty of every kind of people. You are in range of some fabulous weekend trip locations, and lots of day trips too. Theme parks and zoos are all over the place and easily reachable for a day trip. Despite California's overall poor school system, OC has some really good schools (usually in really expensive places). Crime is generally very low. Even the "bad" areas have very little real crime. Landscaping can be beautiful, flowers all over all year round, most fruit grows well in your yard. People take good care of their lawns (except when it is dry and water is running low in which case you must either let it turn brown or paint it, but that is pretty rare). No Mosquitoes!!!! In fact very few problem bugs (fleas are very plentiful and in some places roaches and tree rats are problems.) Oh did anyone mention beaches?

[certsevtxert]

Originally Posted by Sondeera

Move to Orange County. You'll fit right in. Just expect to be taxed to absolute death as a small business owner.

Sounds like a plan! I almost have a year's of rent saved up

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

A lot depends on you. Orange County has a lot of wonderful attributes, some not so good ones and a few terrible ones. It is pretty much like anyplace else. Whether the positive attributes outweigh the negative depends on your values, priorities and preferences.

For example the weather is hot and dry and does not change very much. Some love that some hate it, some miss changing seasons, or thunderstorms, or rain, even cool crisp winter days. Others live very happily forevermore with clear skies and temperatures pretty much always above 40 and usually above 60. Most of Orange County is paved, built on, or planted. There is not much open space, very little natural areas, very few trees and no real lakes or rivers (the few there are are dry most of the year, most "lakes" are just settling basins, ponds or man made mud puddles died green or blue). The buildings are mostly new, nice and clean. There is not much history and not much architecture of merit. It is crowded. There are a marvelous number of things to do and places to eat, but if waiting in line annoys you, you may have problems. There are lights at pretty much every major intersection and timed lights rarely work so you spend a huge mount of time going not very far in a car. Real estate is insanely expensive, because a huge percentage of the population of the US wants to live in OC - that should tell you something. The tax burden is pretty high and the government is somewhere between out of control and completely insane depending on your perspective. Small businesses get regulated heavily and get sued a lot. Pretty much everything is slightly more expensive than many places (I am not sure how Seattle compares having only been there once and only for a couple of days.) You need lots of lotion, or your skin dries out. You sunburn very easily. It is very trendy and very "keep up with the Jones(ish)" Morals and ethics are not generally very high - hedonism is king, but there are exceptions in the million or so range. there is no walking downtown area like you have in Seattle. Nothing even similar. There are a few smallish cities that have a sort of downtown, the rest is just suburbia. If you want to go for a walk, go to the beach, a park or a paved trail around a subdivision. There are some scattered parks with some nice trails some even have parts with dozens of trees. It is dry dry dry. There is no real green. Even the green stuff in the winter and spring is a greyish green int he spring and then turns grey or brown through the summer. Smog can be bad on a few days, but not horrible anymore. Many mornings are hazy (June gloom, but it lasts well beyond June), but it burns off by 11 or so most days. Some areas are in danger form wildfires and/or mudslides, tornadoes are rare, blizzards - never, hurricanes - not that i have ever heard of, earthquakes happen, but they are rarely dramatic anymore, buildings have adjusted to them as long as they are not too big. The scariest natural disaster thing to me is lack of water if something big ever happened. An additional good reason to have a swimming pool (nothing like 21,000 gallons of potable water in a pinch). If you do have a pool you cna use it year round. Not every day in the winter, but almost every month will have days you can use it.

On the plus side, the weather is almost always conducive to outdoor activity. The available outdoor activities are fabulous. You can play Frisbee on the beach in the morning and go skiing in the mountains in the late afternoon/evening. Pretty much every kind of imaginable restaurant store, shop, bar, you name it is within 10-20 miles of you, especially chains. In much of OC all the subdivisions and strip malls are newer, clean, well kept and conforming. For many that is beautiful. If you do not like the people you find, you can just go find people you like. There are plenty of every kind of people. You are in range of some fabulous weekend trip locations, and lots of day trips too. Theme parks and zoos are all over the place and easily reachable for a day trip. Despite California's overall poor school system, OC has some really good schools (usually in really expensive places). Crime is generally very low. Even the "bad" areas have very little real crime. Landscaping can be beautiful, flowers all over all year round, most fruit grows well in your yard. People take good care of their lawns (except when it is dry and water is running low in which case you must either let it turn brown or paint it, but that is pretty rare). No Mosquitoes!!!! In fact very few problem bugs. Oh did anyone mention beaches?

Hey, this is such a great post!! I think I will really like Orange County. And I did live in Long Beach for the month a few summers ago; granted it was a vacation but we were on the beach. As soon as I stepped out of the airport in LAX, I knew I loved the place. I just got that feeling, you know, that feeling you get when you know you are in the right place. Those three months did not let me down. Only downside of Long Beach of course is the ocean - no one goes in the water because it is stagnant due to being walled off as a port city. And I really think I am going to love OC! I'm so excited for the move! I plan to move at the end of summer or maybe a little later. It just depends on how long it takes to save up my target goal of money before moving, which is 1 year of living expenses and enough to buy a decent used car.

[lowry075]

If the climate is your focus, and you like sunny, warm to hot weather, it's fine here. Although is seems colder in the winter than it was twenty years ago. (Maybe it's just me).

Orange County has a mix of political beliefs, it's not extremist to me in either direction. You'll find a wide variety of beliefs. I don't own a business though, so I would definately recommend you follow the other business owner's advice and make sure we don't have jacked up taxes that will cripple your business. (THAT I would believe).

[Hawaii4evr]

Reasons not to move here:
-expensive
-sprawling
-few jobs, and the ones you can find have low pay
-pollution
-OC is not very diverse; San Diego could also have better diversity

Reasons to move here:
-SoCal is diverse (thanks to LA)
-nice weather
-BEAUTIFUL!
-great beaches
-nice people, although some materialism
-laid-back feel

[Mybellegirls]

Park yourself at Santa Monica for a long weekend. IMO it's the best of both OC & LA with a pinch of Portlandia. LOL ~ we call it Silicon Beach. California is not business friendly, so stay small, solo if possible. Co-working spaces rock, that's what I'm doing now. After a decade of working from home, the energy of like minds within a business environment AND your own schedule. What's sweeter? Oh...and then there's the beach :-)