Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Orlando
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 11-12-2014, 04:50 PM
 
6 posts, read 8,259 times
Reputation: 12

Advertisements

OK, I am going to make this very short and simple (I think)

Ever since I was 16 years old, I have always wanted to live in California (this is without me ever visiting). I always knew this would be the place for me to live for the rest of my life. Well long story short, when I graduated, I was 24 and so confused as in what my next step in life would be. So I lived with my parents for a year and eventually moved to Orlando, FL on my own. I loved it here, but now it is time to stay true to my dreams. I have never visited California, but WILL move there.

As of right now, I am doing research on the different cities and the crazy, high cost of living there. I used to want to love in SoCal, but have changed my mind to NoCal. I like the city feel, but want a slower and less shallow place to live.

I am a single female, aged 31, with no kids. My top priority is safety since I'll be living alone. I have a bachelors in Criminal Justice and Psychology and a masters in Counseling. I've seen many counseling positions, but am not really interested in the long hours for little pay. I teach right now, but will take an early retirement from teaching after this year (yaaay me :)). I plan on doing consulting work until I am able to open up my own consulting company in a few years. and no, I do not plan on moving without first landing a job (yes, I know it's hard, but not impossible).

I need advice on the cheapest, safest, and most city- like places to live in California. I hate nature and critters... so wooded areas/under developed areas are not for me :hamd:

Thank you in advance and please excuse all the spelling and grammar errors! :)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 11-12-2014, 05:16 PM
 
3,951 posts, read 5,077,888 times
Reputation: 4162
It's time to move on from Orlando, and move on to a different forum if your questions are about that State and it's cities and not this one.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-12-2014, 05:22 PM
 
Location: Windermere, FL
782 posts, read 1,369,281 times
Reputation: 601
Honestly, if I had to move to CA, I would personally go all the way south to San Diego, especially if I could afford to live in La Mesa. But if cheapest is a requirement, that's probably out. Most of the other places I visited over the years or worked at were either more expensive, less safe, or both.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-12-2014, 06:08 PM
 
24,409 posts, read 26,964,842 times
Reputation: 19987
Quote:
Originally Posted by oracle9 View Post
OK, I am going to make this very short and simple (I think)

Ever since I was 16 years old, I have always wanted to live in California (this is without me ever visiting). I always knew this would be the place for me to live for the rest of my life. Well long story short, when I graduated, I was 24 and so confused as in what my next step in life would be. So I lived with my parents for a year and eventually moved to Orlando, FL on my own. I loved it here, but now it is time to stay true to my dreams. I have never visited California, but WILL move there.

As of right now, I am doing research on the different cities and the crazy, high cost of living there. I used to want to love in SoCal, but have changed my mind to NoCal. I like the city feel, but want a slower and less shallow place to live.

I am a single female, aged 31, with no kids. My top priority is safety since I'll be living alone. I have a bachelors in Criminal Justice and Psychology and a masters in Counseling. I've seen many counseling positions, but am not really interested in the long hours for little pay. I teach right now, but will take an early retirement from teaching after this year (yaaay me ). I plan on doing consulting work until I am able to open up my own consulting company in a few years. and no, I do not plan on moving without first landing a job (yes, I know it's hard, but not impossible).

I need advice on the cheapest, safest, and most city- like places to live in California. I hate nature and critters... so wooded areas/under developed areas are not for me

Thank you in advance and please excuse all the spelling and grammar errors!
I'm a bit confused... you are asking where to live in California in the Orlando forum? Let me know if I'm correct.

If so, you're lucky because I own a home in Orlando and San Francisco. I've been there and done that too.

First, I would choose South Florida over Southern California for a few reasons. Southern California is a lot more expensive than South Florida, but the jobs in Southern California don't pay that much more. The ocean is freezing year round, even during the summer, I still need to wear a wet-suit when I surf down there. There are urban areas of Southern California, but it is still a very car-centric culture like Florida. Bottom line, I don't think there are enough benefits to justify the high cost of living compared to say West Palm Beach to Miami Beach. If money wasn't an issue, than I'd say go for La Jolla (San Diego). It's absolutely beautiful, but you would need a lot of money.

Second, there is a enormous difference between Florida and San Francisco. If you want to experience urban living, than I would say go for it! San Francisco is a gorgeous city, you don't need a car, there is a great view from almost any block, there are tons of festivals, farmers markets and bizarre events throughout the year. It's night and day compared to Florida. Jobs in the Bay Area also pay a lot more than Florida and Southern California. I still believe you can live a more comfortable life in Florida, even on Florida wages, but hey if you want to experience something new, something different, you can definitely move to San Francisco.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or send me a direct message.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-13-2014, 04:16 AM
 
Location: Native of Any Beach/FL
35,704 posts, read 21,063,743 times
Reputation: 14254
take a week's vacation and see if you really want to go there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-13-2014, 05:40 PM
 
6 posts, read 8,259 times
Reputation: 12
Ok.....so I might have posted this in the wrong forum, don't kill me!! Lol! Thanks for the replies so far! But no one has given me the names of a few places I could put on my list. To be honest, I have avoided visiting because I'd be so devasted if I visited and didn't like it. I know moving there sight unseen is probably not the best choice, but I'm young and single, what do I have to lose???
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-13-2014, 05:51 PM
 
24,409 posts, read 26,964,842 times
Reputation: 19987
Quote:
Originally Posted by oracle9 View Post
Ok.....so I might have posted this in the wrong forum, don't kill me!! Lol! Thanks for the replies so far! But no one has given me the names of a few places I could put on my list. To be honest, I have avoided visiting because I'd be so devasted if I visited and didn't like it. I know moving there sight unseen is probably not the best choice, but I'm young and single, what do I have to lose???
I mentioned San Diego and San Francisco.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-13-2014, 05:55 PM
 
6 posts, read 8,259 times
Reputation: 12
You did and thank you!

What are some high crime areas to avoid at all costs??
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-13-2014, 06:29 PM
 
24,409 posts, read 26,964,842 times
Reputation: 19987
I didn't see your direct message, we can chat there
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-13-2014, 06:41 PM
 
102 posts, read 150,758 times
Reputation: 92
I can tell you that similar positions to what I have now pay only a little more in San Diego. I would also be paying 400 more a month in San Diego for the same living conditions. Not trying to discourage you, just letting you know.

You don't like nature which is the draw for a lot of people, so just pick a city based on size to be honest. None are cheap though, and all have bad pockets. All of the cities are really different so it depends on what you're looking for. North of San Francisco would be great if you were into nature. LA is big for advertising. San Diego is more laid back.

Sight unseen, and assuming I had enough saved to live comfortably for awhile, I'd go San Francisco at this point. When I was 21 I would have chosen San Diego.

Last edited by dpfj; 11-13-2014 at 06:51 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Orlando

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:50 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top