Maryland/DC area VS El Dorado Hills for Family

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by CMgyms

Thanks for all of the replies. I will not have to commute as I work from home which is why I can go to either area. For all of the transplants from the East Coast, any regrets or is like better with the great weather year round?

Depends on what you mean better . It doesn't rain from ~May to ~October, so everything dies. It's really hot, usually it stays above 90 for the entire months of July, August, and September.

We got one day of snow last year, the first in the 5 I've been here lol. It rains a bit in the winter. But what locals think of as heavy rain is not much more than a drizzle. People can't drive in the rain either.

So you get green grass with leaf-less trees in the winter, and green trees with brown grass in the summer.

Last year was a very wet winter, and a nice cool summer this year though. There was still a tonne of snow in the mountains through July.
This was my 4th of July:

[Mossy]

I am from the east coast (PA) and miss it back there terribly. I am not a CA fan. The weather is great but that is it to me. I have lived out here since 2000.

[victoriaR]

Moved here from Silver Spring, MD and do not regret it at ALL. Moved as a singleton with no children, now married with 3. Love the area for raising children. There aren't as many indoor-centered things to do here, but thats the point of being in CA!! I love the weather, are you kidding?! The summers can get hot (upwards of 100*) but yes, it's a dry heat and completely fine if you drink plenty of water. In MD, I stayed inside basically all summer because it was so stinkin' humid. Gross. The people are nicer here, more friendly, a little more casual and nosey, but that's okay, I'll take it over going to the store, buying groceries and people basically punching you in the face for daring to distract them from their gossip.
Drivers and traffic are better here. Infrastructure is better here. I love EDH and if it weren't for the commute I'd live there and shop at Nugget market everyday. The only thing I miss is the character of old houses, old areas, beautifully long fall weather, and the museums. I also miss the diversity. It isn't too diverse here but it's getting better. Farmers markets, better produce, etc. all better here! Downside is way way lower child tax credit, way higher state income taxes, higher sales tax, higher energy bills, higher higher higher. If you can swing getting a solar home, do it. It's worth it.