San Luis Obispo, The happiest town in America. (Fortuna, Pismo Beach: place to live, beach)

[neptronix]

Originally Posted by allorberb

If you are a rich retiree, then San Luis Obispo is very nice.

If you are the average young person with goals, hopes, and dreams in life then you get out of there as quickly as possible. If you do not work for the government or work for yourself, then get used to making $9.50 an hour or digging ditches in construction.

It is beautiful there, but beauty does not pay the bills of a college graduate.

Finally someone agrees with me.
I've always been more vocal about it than everyone i know, but i was also the last of my dozen friends to leave when we were mid-20 somethings.

Everyone told me i was crazy for leaving. But i am so much more happy outside of the SLO area that i woefully regret spending any of my adult life there; it is literally like years wasted.

I live in Colorado Springs, CO currently and love it to pieces. Previously lived near Portland, OR and loved it as well other than the dreary weather.

On that note, if you appreciate the good parts of SLO but cannot afford it, you may want to consider Colorado Springs if you do not mind some snow nor miss the beach. Parts of the downtown area, IE rows of old funky Victorian homes remind me of SLO so much that it is creepy.. I feel like i am back in the old quintessential premiere college town without all the downfalls.

[bhaze]

Wow. I don't know what SLO you are referring to because most of what you are complaining about is not true.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by neptronix

LOL you think i'm on drugs? I haven't touched a drug in 8 years.

I guess you'd rather listen to some celebrities than someone who grew up in the area.

Weeellll.... Grandfather actually rolled in on the train in 1907, this is 2011, so that is a fair piece of time to know a place. Mom used to buy our school clothes at Pennys, we would stop for a soda at Woolworths.

Originally Posted by neptronix

1. Lack of jobs.

2. Demographic - great if you are in college or are retiree age, otherwise you belong in an outlying city because SLO is not for the working class.

A study was done some years ago where it was reported that the average IQ of the working class was the highest in California, has to do with college folk not wanting to leave. The working class is doing fine.

3. One of the highest sales taxes in the nation ( it was a little over 9% before i moved )

7.750%. about average.

4. The cops and highway patrol are there to make money and not police, and will not forgive the smallest infraction.

What laws would you like the people who enforce the laws to ignore?

5. Typical California attitude where if you aren't middle or upper class, you are a loser.

Do you carry a sign so people will know what class you are in?

6. Mountains are brown the rest of the year as soon as spring is over. And a lot of those mountains are private property.

We call that golden, it comes with having good summer weather, and lot of those mountains are public land, not enough, but, there are three National Forest Wilderness areas and one BLM wilderness area with over 300,000 acres of protected wilderness in the county. More than any state east of the 100th Meridian except for perhaps Maine. And, you can go camping in the summer without an umbrella!

7. I mentioned this before but employers are extremely picky and pay low because they know they can exploit local college students who mostly have silver spoons in their mouths and don't have to make living wage ( am speaking more of Cal Poly students here. ).

Wages are dictated by the market, not because employers have a grudge against students, and to think college students "mostly have silver spoons in their mouths" is to acknowledge that one is unfamiliar with the demographics of Cal Poly students.

8. Lack of culture - SLO was a bohemian place back in the day, with tons of interesting local businesses... now it's any ordinary corporate-capitalist Californian city with a few cute local businesses thrown in there to "keep the city's character".. the bohemian element has left for greener pastures - Portland, San Francisco, LA, Seattle, and eastward.

SLO Bohemian? When was that? SLO was a redneck cow/railroad/market town and now it isn't, there are more "cute local businesses" today than ever before.

9. Wear earplugs during summer because the college kids party with their windows open and if the cops do respond to a noise complaint, it will take them well over an hour to do so.

If one chooses to live near college students in any town in the nation, this may be a problem, I doubt it is peculiar to SLO.

10. If you have allergies, this place may be a big problem for you. The city has planted a lot of male trees in the area to keep the maintenance bill down. Most people don't have issues but it was one of the reasons i left.

This one is just plain weird.

11. Predominance of white, Christian/Mormon and conservative attitude amongst anyone outside of college and retirement age. Maybe that's a plus to you, but it wasn't to me.

There are so many types and subcultures of people one would have to go out of their way to find one that "predominates"

12. Difficult to drive through the city. Insane amount of stoplights per capita! I worked as a computer technician around town and it made life hell for me. They keep putting in more stoplights even though the population hasn't really increased. Great to get around as a bicyclist, but not as a car.

I have a great idea, remove all the stoplights, that will improve things!

Originally Posted by neptronix

Finally someone agrees with me.
I've always been more vocal about it than everyone i know, but i was also the last of my dozen friends to leave when we were mid-20 somethings.

Everyone told me i was crazy for leaving. But i am so much more happy outside of the SLO area that i woefully regret spending any of my adult life there; it is literally like years wasted.

People should leave their hometown, broadens the mind and life experiences, but to say that life in SLO was wasted, says much more about the person than the place, and that holds true for anyplace.

I live in Colorado Springs, CO currently and love it to pieces. Previously lived near Portland, OR and loved it as well other than the dreary weather.

Interesting, so what is different in "the Springs" than in SLO that makes you happy, aside from access to thousands of Cadets?

On that note, if you appreciate the good parts of SLO but cannot afford it, If you can't afford it, or afford whatever, you need to take a look at how you get and spend money. Our choices dictate our lives, not the place.

Originally Posted by bhaze

Wow. I don't know what SLO you are referring to because most of what you are complaining about is not true.

Exactly. Yesterday my wife and I drove out to a great trail that climbs high into the golden hills, then drops precipitously down to a fine isolated beach and cape. It was a warm tending to hot day, hawks gliding over the ridges, fat black cows grazing on the hills, a herd of horses ran across the far side of the canyon. We had stopped along the way to buy some barbecued chicken, garlic bread beans and salad from a road side barbecue, a church fund raiser for what ever church it was. We stopped along the way and ate our lunch looking out over the broad pacific and south many miles along empty beaches. That evening we drove into Santa Margarita, met friends and family and had one of the best suppers imaginable at "The Range". The day before I took my horse and new mule out for a test run in one of our local wilderness areas, lots of turkeys and deer. These are just two days in the SLO area. Not a bad place.

[neptronix]

That's great highnlite, we have the same features where i live minus the beach.. except much like California in the 60's-80's.. a couple making minimum wage can buy a house in an area with opportunities and real culture.

Hey, if you dig the middle class white picket fence churchy scene then great. If you dig cover bands and has beens rolling through town, great! stay in your little vacuum of culture.. i'll take my rich tapestry and variety of people from all walks of life, from all corners of the world, elsewhere, far far away from the snoozy central coast.

I only come here to let others know what the real deal is as a 20 something because i wasted my 20's away there and wish i could have been in a place that had more to offer. It wasn't until my mid 20's that i was able to save enough money to get the hell out.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by neptronix

That's great highnlite, we have the same features where i live minus the beach.. except much like California in the 60's-80's.. a couple making minimum wage can buy a house in an area with opportunities and real culture.

Hey, if you dig the middle class white picket fence churchy scene then great. If you dig cover bands and has beens rolling through town, great! stay in your little vacuum of culture.. i'll take my rich tapestry and variety of people from all walks of life, from all corners of the world, elsewhere, far far away from the snoozy central coast.

I only come here to let others know what the real deal is as a 20 something because i wasted my 20's away there and wish i could have been in a place that had more to offer. It wasn't until my mid 20's that i was able to save enough money to get the hell out.

Your perspective will change.

I'm glad u do, keep people away from the happiest place in America. Wouldn't ever describe Co Springs with a rich tapestry.....enjoy yourself. I cant stand cold and snow for more than a few days, doesn't sound great.

[neptronix]

Some of us like 4 seasons. I can afford to live in California now and i have job offers in that state but honestly i just can't tolerate the state as a whole.

If SLO is the happiest place in America, i wonder why all the people i encountered there were not very friendly, and was blown away at how nice and genuine people were outside of California.

Maybe if you're part of the clique you will have a different experience. I just had a hard time dating in my 20's, had a hard time finding people i could tolerate out there just to be friend with as well. I moved to Portland, OR and immediately met my wife and a large group of really interesting people that i miss dearly. Am already meeting interesting people in Colorado springs.

I would not call San Luis Obispo diverse unless you are talking about the surrounding towns..

I will bow out now as i've said my piece. I just wanted to warn those who are outside of San Luis Obispo's master planned demographic that it isn't what Oprah says it is

[.highnlite]

..

Originally Posted by neptronix

That's great highnlite, we have the same features where i live minus the beach.. except much like California in the 60's-80's.. a couple making minimum wage can buy a house in an area with opportunities and real culture.

When someone says culture, I check my wallet, and as usual it purtnear empty, so I don't pay much attention to culture.

Hey, if you dig the middle class white picket fence churchy scene then great.

I never figured SLO for that, we did just throw a jogger off the ranch, didn't even have to get the rifle out, I was indeed in a church two years ago for a funeral, other than that, I don't pay much attention to them.


If you dig cover bands and has beens rolling through town, great!

You must be talking about culture again. I did go to a concert recently, Dave Stamey, at an old adobe, guess that is my culture.


stay in your little vacuum of culture..

There is that culture thing again, is that something you have to stay up late for?


i'll take my rich tapestry and variety of people from all walks of life, from all corners of the world, elsewhere, far far away from the snoozy central coast.

Shoot, I thought you were going to say "snooty central coast" I get confused by that "rich tapestry and variety of people" thing. Heck, we got Mexican Americans working in the fields, Japanese Americans owning the fields, they do a great Obon festival. Portagee Americans fishing, farming, having great festivals. Italian Americans owning the ranches, and the fields we just had the Madonnari festival. Filipino Farmers getting more yield per acre than anyone else, And of course the old Vaquero tradition of Santa Maria Style Barbecue. Seems to be a pretty rich tapestry around here.

I only come here to let others know what the real deal is as a 20 something because i wasted my 20's away there and wish i could have been in a place that had more to offer. It wasn't until my mid 20's that i was able to save enough money to get the hell out.

Shoot, I used to have a couple of boats, a couple of motorcycles, horses, road bikes and mountain bikes, that sat half the year in the snow. Here I can do what ever I wish, no matter the month. Pretty tough to figure out what this place doesn't offer aside from skiing.

[.highnlite]

Oh goody, another negatron.

Originally Posted by neptronix

Some of us like 4 seasons. I can afford to live in California now and i have job offers in that state but honestly i just can't tolerate the state as a whole.

Shoot, California has 43 million acres of public land, Colorado has less than 25 million acres, makes it a no brainer for me. I can go for a horse ride on one of our trails, ride in one direction for 300 miles without crossing a road, can't do that in Colorado.

If SLO is the happiest place in America, i wonder why all the people i encountered there were not very friendly, and was blown away at how nice and genuine people were outside of California.

That would be up to you I reckon, pretty hard to find a non friendly person just about anywhere on the planet, and I reckon it is easy to find a non friendly person just about anywhere on the planet, the difference is in you.

Maybe if you're part of the clique you will have a different experience. I just had a hard time dating in my 20's, had a hard time finding people i could tolerate out there just to be friend with as well.

I betcha that was vice versa too. You sure there is just one clique? You sure there are any cliques?


I moved to Portland, OR and immediately met my wife and a large group of really interesting people that i miss dearly. Am already meeting interesting people in Colorado springs.

What ever the change was, was in you, not the town.

I would not call San Luis Obispo diverse unless you are talking about the surrounding towns..

Whatever the hell diverse is, or why it is desirable.

I will bow out now as i've said my piece. I just wanted to warn those who are outside of San Luis Obispo's master planned demographic that it isn't what Oprah says it is

Generally people are people, they don't some how change because the landscape changes. If someone is unhappy, it is due to them, not to the people around them. Some people won't like SLO, heck some people don't like a good red oak barbecued Spencer steak. It takes all kinds.

[neptronix]

Originally Posted by slo1318

Your perspective will change.

I'm glad u do, keep people away from the happiest place in America. Wouldn't ever describe Co Springs with a rich tapestry.....enjoy yourself. I cant stand cold and snow for more than a few days, doesn't sound great.

My perspective has not changed. Every once and a while i do miss the beach, then i talk to someone from the area and the reason i left comes rushing back very fast, lol.

I grew up in Los Osos, spent 5 years in San Luis Obispo, and left at the age of 27.. ( i'm 30 now ) i never felt like i fit in to this place. My peers agreed with me, though have been less vocal - they voted with their feet. we have scattered to LA, SF, Sebastapol, Portland, Denver, Austin, Seattle, and now I am in Salt Lake City, Utah.

It was hard adapting to non-perfect weather but with the right clothes and change in lifestyle, it's far less of a problem than you think. It certainly separates the wheat from the chaff.. and imho, there's a lot of chaff out there. A lot of people living off inheritance. A lot of people from out of state that made their money elsewhere. If you were born in the state without parents that had money, it is really really hard. That describes my situation.

All i want as a young person is the ability to buy a home and get a job at this point, and that's what i found elsewhere. In San Luis Obispo, the steady stream of migratory cal poly kids whose parents pay their rent, for their cars, for their schools etc. keep the wages very low in the area and the educational requirements very high. I have lived in Oregon, Colorado, and Utah for the last 4 years and things have been a hell of a lot easier for me in the job market even considering the recession.

SLO was a nightmare, and it took me many years to claw my way out. For every yin, there's a yang.. i guess i am the yang on this thread.. oh well, what's new

[ralphkramden]

Originally Posted by neptronix

My perspective has not changed. Every once and a while i do miss the beach, then i talk to someone from the area and the reason i left comes rushing back very fast, lol.

I grew up in Los Osos, spent 5 years in San Luis Obispo, and left at the age of 27.. ( i'm 30 now ) i never felt like i fit in to this place. My peers agreed with me, though have been less vocal - they voted with their feet. we have scattered to LA, SF, Sebastapol, Portland, Denver, Austin, Seattle, and now I am in Salt Lake City, Utah.

It was hard adapting to non-perfect weather but with the right clothes and change in lifestyle, it's far less of a problem than you think. It certainly separates the wheat from the chaff.. and imho, there's a lot of chaff out there. A lot of people living off inheritance. A lot of people from out of state that made their money elsewhere. If you were born in the state without parents that had money, it is really really hard. That describes my situation.

All i want as a young person is the ability to buy a home and get a job at this point, and that's what i found elsewhere. In San Luis Obispo, the steady stream of migratory cal poly kids whose parents pay their rent, for their cars, for their schools etc. keep the wages very low in the area and the educational requirements very high. I have lived in Oregon, Colorado, and Utah for the last 4 years and things have been a hell of a lot easier for me in the job market even considering the recession.

SLO was a nightmare, and it took me many years to claw my way out. For every yin, there's a yang.. i guess i am the yang on this thread.. oh well, what's new

Well, when you get somewhat older you'll be more wanting to pee only once a night, and stay regular. And SLO is as good as anyplace to do that.