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Actually we are on the drier side...I guess we need more rain. However, you can have it.
So how do you like it up there I have been wondering if people are nicer, like they are in CO. I figure I will give my return a couple of years, and if not settled I may try PNW, that's why I ask.
Some things I miss about California as a San Francisco native:
1.) Year round mild to cool weather in San Francisco
2.) Beautiful natural scenery of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Rolling hills, beautiful homes, wild murals, the bridges, spectacular views.
3.) Diversity and integration on a urban level. Although San Francisco is somewhat segregated, its nothing compared to the much more complete segregation that is rampant in East Coast cities. Many East Coast cities are mainly black and white, rich and poor (i.e. DC and Baltimore). San Francisco's poorly publicized working class and lower middle class areas in the southern half of the city are much more racially integrated than most urban places in America. It is even more pronounced in the East Bay in towns like Oakland where swaths of the city are more or less equally demographically split between blacks, Asians and Latinos.
4.) High quality foliage, if you catch my drift. Nowhere in America, and maybe even the world, has the high quality herbal remedies that are home-grown in Northern California. The Bay Area has always had one of the the most laidback attitudes towards the natural medicine than anywhere in the country. The East Coast is not like this. NYC is statistically the marijuana arrest capital of the world. You won't smell weed while out and about anywhere in DC as most people who live and work their are uptight stiffs who'd rather destroy their livers and other organs by getting obliterated at crappy overpriced divebars every other night of the week.
5.) Laidback friendly people. Where I'm from in the Bay Area, people are generally much friendlier than back East. It is much easier to make friends with people of all walks of life in the Bay Area for someone like me. Many people in the Bay are much less hung up on dumb things like race, materialism and status compared to many, many urban and suburban areas on the East Coast. In DC, people are cold, antisocial and status-obsessed. It is very hard to make connections with people in DC because many people there are socially-inept workaholics and status whores who only know how to talk about work or refuse to talk to anybody who isn't a trustfund baby from old money. Ghetto black people in DC hate outsiders as well. DC is also very, very socially stratified along racial and economic lines. Black people and white people of all income brackets generally do not get along in DC. People are aggressive and tough in Philly. People are just plain rude and impatient in NYC. In NYC, people will get out of their cars, cuss you out and get all racist trying to fight you in the middle of the street for a traffic jam you aren't even causing.
6.) Beautiful women. Everybody knows that California is filled with beautiful women of all races. The Bay Area is full of gorgeous women. Particularly, San Francisco is full of beautiful Asian women. California girls are more laidback than here on the East Coast. L.A. girls play a lot of games from my experience, but at least they will still talk to you. DC and Baltimore are horrible cities for a single male. All the girls in DC are average looking at best, but expect to be treated like models and expect you to have a very high paying prestigious white collar job, a degree from an Ivy League school, a six pack and have ambitions to take over the world through politics or business. Insatiably high standards among decidedly average looking to plain ugly grotesquely unstylish and uninteresting people has made DC a horrible place for dating and relationships:
SF might be even worse in terms of dating, but much of CA makes up for it. NYC is the best city on the East Coast in terms of women, hands down. But NYC is like 4 hours away from where I live. California also has much diversity in terms of women. No matter what you like, you can find it in the Golden State. If you like something like ghetto Asian women with big butts, look no further than East Oakland. If you like gorgeous tan blondes, go to SoCal. If you like grungy dreadlocked white women who have deep conversations go to the Bay Area. Many black women from L.A. and some parts of Northern CA are incredible. California has higher percentages of all types of mixed race women as well. L.A. has unbelievable Latina women, but so does every other metro area in California. Most of all, more women are statistically more open to interracial relationships in many parts of California compared to the East. Out here in DC, interracial couples are nearly nonexistent.
7.) Culture. California is full of so many cultures. Where I'm from in SF is home to many, many different cultures. The slang we used in my old neighborhood in SF back in the 90's (i.e. "hella", "fetti", "scrilla") is just now being appropriated by mainstream rappers on TV. My old block in SF produced independent rappers that are well-respected throughout the Bay Area and California as well as being influential to independent rappers throughout the country (i.e. Rap mogul No Limit Records founder Master P got his start by making albums featuring nothing but SF rappers back in the early 90's). But in SF, one block can have a completely different culture from the next. For example, in SF, one block you could be in Japantown, the next you can be in the Fillmore, which was known as the "Harlem of the West". Unlike the East, there are interspersions and overlaps of culture in these places. Thats the reason why you have the integrated phenomena of blacks, Latinos, Asians, Polynesians, whites etc. getting along in much of the Bay Area and Northern California. The East is not like this. Gentrification brings whites born and raised in upper middle class areas closer to blacks and Latinos in gentrifying inner city areas in East Coast cities like DC and NYC. But it feels very colonial as white yuppies and hipsters gentrifying traditionally black and or Latino areas in these cities do not associate with the local minority population on any level other than living in renovated rowhouses and lofts right next to the lifelong inner city residents of poor people of color. SF has tons of gentrification as well, but the point is that segregation was always much more complete on the East Coast whereas people of different backgrounds grew up in close proximity in the urban Bay Area.
Last edited by LunaticVillage; 03-03-2014 at 10:09 AM..
So how do you like it up there I have been wondering if people are nicer, like they are in CO. I figure I will give my return a couple of years, and if not settled I may try PNW, that's why I ask.
I love it. But then again, it's always felt like home to me. I've only been here since July '13, so clue if the weather will start to affect me. As for people, everyone seems really nice here. They say natives hate CA, but I haven't met too many. Almost everyone is a transplant. Those that aren't, are still nic to me.
People here do keep to themselves more. So, it's not like I've met people at my apt complex or what not. However, I also tend to keep to myself cuz I'm more of shy introvert, so it's hard for me to make friends.
So, how I lived in CA I exactly the same here. Same with people at apt complexes. There's just a lot less "trying to impress" up here and people seem way more laid back.
We have Trader Joe's here in Maryland.
Yes indeed I had one near me too but couldn't get European Village yogurt like I can in California.
Some things I miss about California as a San Francisco native:
1.) Year round mild to cool weather in San Francisco
OC is warmer but pretty cool on the coast. Check.
2.) Beautiful natural scenery of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Rolling hills, beautiful homes, wild murals, the bridges, spectacular views.
Agreed. I hated that DC had no hills.
3.) Diversity and integration on a urban level. Although San Francisco is somewhat segregated, its nothing compared to the much more complete segregation that is rampant in East Coast cities. Many East Coast cities are mainly black and white, rich and poor (i.e. DC and Baltimore). San Francisco's poorly publicized working class and lower middle class areas in the southern half of the city are much more racially integrated than most urban places in America. It is even more pronounced in the East Bay in towns like Oakland where swaths of the city are more or less equally demographically split between blacks, Asians and Latinos.
Exactly, yet they lecture on how supposedly diverse it is there. When people are clones of one camp, be it white or black, or another.
4.) High quality foliage, if you catch my drift. Nowhere in America, and maybe even the world, has the high quality herbal remedies that are home-grown in Northern California. The Bay Area has always had one of the the most laidback attitudes towards the natural medicine than anywhere in the country. The East Coast is not like this. NYC is statistically the marijuana arrest capital of the world. You won't smell weed while out and about anywhere in DC as most people who live and work their are uptight stiffs who'd rather destroy their livers and other organs by getting obliterated at crappy overpriced divebars every other night of the week.
Spot on, though this should not be interepreted an an endorsement as I do not partake but am libertarian in my views on your foliage!
5.) Laidback friendly people. Where I'm from in the Bay Area, people are generally much friendlier than back East. It is much easier to make friends with people of all walks of life in the Bay Area for someone like me. Many people in the Bay are much less hung up on dumb things like race, materialism and status compared to many, many urban and suburban areas on the East Coast. In DC, people are cold, antisocial and status-obsessed. It is very hard to make connections with people in DC because many people there are socially-inept workaholics and status whores who only know how to talk about work or refuse to talk to anybody who isn't a trustfund baby from old money. Ghetto black people in DC hate outsiders as well. DC is also very, very socially stratified along racial and economic lines. Black people and white people of all income brackets generally do not get along in DC. People are aggressive and tough in Philly. People are just plain rude and impatient in NYC. In NYC, people will get out of their cars, cuss you out and get all racist trying to fight you in the middle of the street for a traffic jam you aren't even causing.
Exactly. But you left out how awful Baltimore is.
6.) Beautiful women. Everybody knows that California is filled with beautiful women of all races. The Bay Area is full of gorgeous women. Particularly, San Francisco is full of beautiful Asian women. California girls are more laidback than here on the East Coast. L.A. girls play a lot of games from my experience, but at least they will still talk to you. DC and Baltimore are horrible cities for a single male. All the girls in DC are average looking at best, but expect to be treated like models and expect you to have a very high paying prestigious white collar job, a degree from an Ivy League school, a six pack and have ambitions to take over the world through politics or business. Insatiably high standards among decidedly average looking to plain ugly grotesquely unstylish and uninteresting people has made DC a horrible place for dating and relationships:
SF might be even worse in terms of dating, but much of CA makes up for it. NYC is the best city on the East Coast in terms of women, hands down. But NYC is like 4 hours away from where I live. California also has much diversity in terms of women. No matter what you like, you can find it in the Golden State. If you like something like ghetto Asian women with big butts, look no further than East Oakland. If you like gorgeous tan blondes, go to SoCal. If you like grungy dreadlocked white women who have deep conversations go to the Bay Area. Many black women from L.A. and some parts of Northern CA are incredible. California has higher percentages of all types of mixed race women as well. L.A. has unbelievable Latina women, but so does every other metro area in California. Most of all, more women are statistically more open to interracial relationships in many parts of California compared to the East. Out here in DC, interracial couples are nearly nonexistent.
Oh my. lol
7.) Culture. California is full of so many cultures. Where I'm from in SF is home to many, many different cultures. The slang we used in my old neighborhood in SF back in the 90's (i.e. "hella", "fetti", "scrilla") is just now being appropriated by mainstream rappers on TV. My old block in SF produced independent rappers that are well-respected throughout the Bay Area and California as well as being influential to independent rappers throughout the country (i.e. Rap mogul No Limit Records founder Master P got his start by making albums featuring nothing but SF rappers back in the early 90's). But in SF, one block can have a completely different culture from the next. For example, in SF, one block you could be in Japantown, the next you can be in the Fillmore, which was known as the "Harlem of the West". Unlike the East, there are interspersions and overlaps of culture in these places. Thats the reason why you have the integrated phenomena of blacks, Latinos, Asians, Polynesians, whites etc. getting along in much of the Bay Area and Northern California. The East is not like this. Gentrification brings whites born and raised in upper middle class areas closer to blacks and Latinos in gentrifying inner city areas in East Coast cities like DC and NYC. But it feels very colonial as white yuppies and hipsters gentrifying traditionally black and or Latino areas in these cities do not associate with the local minority population on any level other than living in renovated rowhouses and lofts right next to the lifelong inner city residents of poor people of color. SF has tons of gentrification as well, but the point is that segregation was always much more complete on the East Coast whereas people of different backgrounds grew up in close proximity in the urban Bay Area.
Exactly. I lived in the Bay Area in the early 90s and remember the slang well. I'm surprised you didn't mention Mc Hammer and the loss of his mansion in, Fremont was it?
I love it. But then again, it's always felt like home to me. I've only been here since July '13, so clue if the weather will start to affect me. As for people, everyone seems really nice here. They say natives hate CA, but I haven't met too many. Almost everyone is a transplant. Those that aren't, are still nic to me.
People here do keep to themselves more. So, it's not like I've met people at my apt complex or what not. However, I also tend to keep to myself cuz I'm more of shy introvert, so it's hard for me to make friends.
So, how I lived in CA I exactly the same here. Same with people at apt complexes. There's just a lot less "trying to impress" up here and people seem way more laid back.
Yeah but I think moving from CA to Oregon is not as shocking a change as many other places would be. Sure it's wetter, but it still has somewhat similar weather, and doesn't get too cold. It is also very scenic in Oregon and people have a similar live-and-let-live vibe. My only criticism of the area is that a good percentage of the people seemed pretty provincial. Maybe I got the wrong impression? And I wonder if the Mexican food is decent. Is it?
Yeah but I think moving from CA to Oregon is not as shocking a change as many other places would be. Sure it's wetter, but it still has somewhat similar weather, and doesn't get too cold. It is also very scenic in Oregon and people have a similar live-and-let-live vibe. My only criticism of the area is that a good percentage of the people seemed pretty provincial. Maybe I got the wrong impression? And I wonder if the Mexican food is decent. Is it?
I lived in Portland OR and also traveled all over the state. I certainly don't see many similarities with Southern California. This biggest downer for me was the long dreary winters.
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When people are clones of one camp, be it white or black, or another. 
