If you moved out of California, where and why did you go? (San Francisco: live in, vs.)

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

That is disheartening to read, because I would like to relocate there.

You can. There are affordable places to live in California's interior, especially now. You just have to be careful in picking and have either a job or retirement money coming in.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

You can. There are affordable places to live in California's interior, especially now. You just have to be careful in picking and have either a job or retirement money coming in.

Or one can be simply fabulous.

[CarawayDJ]

Originally Posted by mac n cheese

Just curious.

I moved to New York, then Hoboken, NJ until I could figure out where to settle (still looking for that laid back northeastern city that emulates the California lifestyle).

Moved out because I hate hot weather (and that was in norcal), and I wanted to get as far away from the parents as possible.

You?

Must be every parents dream to read this on the Internet.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by CarawayDJ

Must be every parents dream to read this on the Internet.

Depending on the kid, it might be exactly that

[Nozzle]

I've lived in Arroyo Grande most of my life. My wife is from the L.A. area and never wants to go back. We both attended Cal Poly SLO and really love the area. However, we're beginning to look outside of CA to move our family (we have 3 younger kids).

There are 2 main reasons:
1. We want to buy a house. The median multiple (median home price / median household income) in San Luis Obispo County is over 9, making it one of the least affordable housing areas in the state.
2. We're tired of CA politics: never ending budget battles, over legislation, constant education cuts, and extreme tax burden.

We plan on traveling to various places where we have family such as Eagle, ID along with a couple spots in TX where several friends have already moved. We're just trying to determine whether we'd want to move back once we moved away. That's become the hardest decision of all!

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Nozzle

We plan on traveling to various places where we have family such as Eagle, ID along with a couple spots in TX where several friends have already moved. We're just trying to determine whether we'd want to move back once we moved away. That's become the hardest decision of all!

If you're questioning whether or not you might want to move back, why move in the first place? Just guts it out.

[Nozzle]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

If you're questioning whether or not you might want to move back, why move in the first place? Just guts it out.

For the reasons I listed

Anyone can expect to miss where they came from once they've left. The question we're mulling is can we really live without all the positives that coming with living here? In essence we need to decide how important owning a home is and whether we can deal with this state's declining financial status (which affects education and other things that are important to us).

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Nozzle

For the reasons I listed

Anyone can expect to miss where they came from once they've left. The question we're mulling is can we really live without all the positives that coming with living here? In essence we need to decide how important owning a home is and whether we can deal with this state's declining financial status (which affects education and other things that are important to us).

OK! My point was, figure it out first. Saves a lot of time, trouble and expense. If you have more than enough for or of all of those, have at it.

Good luck.

[LittleDolphin]

California--the SF area--was the perfect place for us to spend our young and middle adult years--it was paradise for us as we loved the outdoors. SF was close enough to go to Tahoe, Lassen, Shasta, Yosemite or Bodega or Tomales Bay for a long weekend or just to Oakland to hike in Redwood Park or the other great East Bay parks. Once I met a cougar while hiking, and often came across coyotes.

But time changes us all and I, especially, grew tired the Bay area density, concrete, rising crime, noise, traffic and pollution. The population had grown so much over the years. I longed for serenity and peace.

We left for the other coast in 2003 and now live in a small North Carolina coastal community. It's very, very different than the Bay area in more ways than I can list. But you know something? I've made closer friends here than I ever made in the Bay area--friends who are locals and friends who have moved here from "off."

I wrote a book here--there was enough quietude to do so. But I set my book (Falling Through Time) in the wilds of Siskiyou County in a real little town called Happy Camp. And the heroine is an advertising executive from SF!

My life is more peaceful now..I ride my bike along quiet lanes daily. But I will always miss California. In many ways it is my spiritual home. There is no place like Yosemite or the Sierra Range of Light. Skiing in Tahoe on newly fallen snow with Lake Tahoe gleaming at your feet like a blue jewel is a vision of beauty beyond description. But I had that in my backyard for 30 years and I can conjure the memory at will.

These days I awake to birdsong and not a jet thundering overhead or the racket of a helicopter tracking some miscreant.

Life's always a trade-off, isn't it? I'm calmer now, blooming where I'm planted.

[katnip kid]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Or one can be simply fabulous.

And by wearing a pink feather boa, that right there goes a long way to make one absolutely fabulous!

I couldn't resist!