I'm Canadian and California's always looked good in the movies. Now I have the opportunity to live there, but where?! (Los Angeles: layoffs, school)

[larhondas]

galaxy119,

First and foremost, forget about the California you see in the movies and on television. it isn't real! California is an agricultural state. We're farmers. Before Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, and Disneyland, there were cattle, vineyards, orchards, and oilfields. Having said that...

I live in San Luis Obispo County, CA. I've lived here for 25 years. I really like that I am right between L.A. and San Francisco (about 4 hours to either), close to Santa Barbara and Monterey, and just a few minutes' drive to the beach. I also LOVE the weather! I've lived in the cities of SLO, Pismo Beach, the town of Oceano, Arroyo Grande, and Grover Beach. All have their positives and their negatives, and I've never had a negative experience living in any of those places.

Regarding the city of SLO...

1). It IS expensive, especially if you are a student. Maybe not as expensive as L.A., and definitely not as expensive as San Francisco (although I've never lived in either place, myself), but expensive.
2). The job market has never been great, and it is even more difficult with the economy being the way it is. That includes minimum wage jobs and part-time jobs. Wages here are low also.
3). Not much cultural diversity.
4). If you live right in the city of San Luis Obispo, you will not need a car, as you can walk or bicycle everywhere you need to go in town. The bus system is o.k., but nothing like you will find in a large city, and I don't believe that there is service to anywhere after 9PM.
5). It is a little difficult meeting people here, at first, but if you are very social and outgoing, you should have no problem making friends and finding fun things to do.
6). As far as crime and safety, there IS crime in SLO - it's a college town (theft, burglary, and sexual assault are the 3 most common, I believe), but If you exercise common sense, are aware, and don't stumble home drunk for the bars, you will be fine.

I recommend that you and your parents come and visit for a week (or at least you and your dad, since he's "subsidizing" you), if you can. While that is really not enough time to know about a place, it will give you some idea of the atmosphere. If you want to be closer to where your father lives, I would suggest Northern California, or even Oregon. I have heard that there are some really good schools in Oregon. Less expensive to live too, from what I understand.

Best of luck in your search, and hope you choose a GREAT school!

...One more thing, there's nothing wrong with going to school in WA, if you find a great school. Staying close to home has it's benefits. California will still be here when you're finished

[gone down south]

Originally Posted by Mr.Kurtz

Dude -

With respect, you´re 19

When I was 19, I was being abused by my Father, living in a mosquito infested swamp, in Central Florida ... and at 29, I was living in the back of my VW Rabbit surviving off Tuna and bottled water. Only the last few years has my life panned out for the better and I´m almost 50.

You young Bucks have it way too good

wtf?

[sadie123]

UC Davis is a good school. Davis is a small town with many public parks. Many people use bicycles. There is good public transit in town, plus a train station to get other places and Sacramento Airport is not far when you need to fly. I would be looking a schools that will offer the best education for the career you have in mind rather than focusing too much on the location. Davis is hot in the summer and can be cold in the winter with rain, but no snow.

[scootad]

Originally Posted by sadie123

UC Davis is a good school. Davis is a small town with many public parks. Many people use bicycles. There is good public transit in town, plus a train station to get other places and Sacramento Airport is not far when you need to fly. I would be looking a schools that will offer the best education for the career you have in mind rather than focusing too much on the location. Davis is hot in the summer and can be cold in the winter with rain, but no snow.

Agree with the above, except the "cold" part. For a Canadian, Davis CA (and probably 90% of CA) will be positively tropical yes, even in the winter. Average highs in the mid to upper 50s in December and January. Granted it does get into the 30s at night, but compared to Canada, that's nothing. Even LA/San Diego often gets into the upper 30s at night in winter months.

[galaxy119]

Don't worry, all. The title was just meant to be eye-catching. I don't doubt my naivete' in regards to California but I also don't expect it to be exactly like the Motley Crue videos or anything. (;

As for areas of study I'm rather interested in journalism..which was why Humboldt state appealed to me if nothing else. On top of that I've always wanted beauty school but one can attend that anywhere; I've been collecting scholarship applications for beauty schools in the San Fran Bay area (around Oakland etc...) and if I can get a free or close to free ride through that it would be swell. I come from a family of doctors who don't very much support my ventures with art. I'd be repeating the struggling to put food on the table I am experiencing here in Vancouver but, oh well, you have to make sacrifices for what you want, right?

It's very true that the sunnier, beachier parts of movie-esque Cali will still be there for the summers and after I graduate as well, so I'm not enraged or anything at the concept of living in a smaller area. It's so frustrating how transit isn't really valuable in the states though! One of my worst fears is to be stuck at home, day after day, waiting for my life to end as I was doing in Vancouver WA when I didn't have a car simply because everyone is too rich and awesome to take the bus. Sigh. I really don't want to have to buy a car, they're so expensive, and I could be using that money for food. :x

[galaxy119]

Yeah I use the word "subsidize" with a heavy dose of skepticism because I have always known the idea of a parent paying for my food, clothes, phone bills, etc to be completely unrealistic. I've been working since I was 14 and the motivation for this was purely out of the grumbling of my own stomach and holes in my shoes. I consider not being held responsible for rent money until I graduated high school as nothing short of a gift! To be quite honest that's why I'm looking into scholarships and the like, I never know when he'll flake out on me. It's always been that I have to follow exactly what he says to a T or risk his disappearance.

[jaijai]

There's also Cabrillo College in Aptos (Santa Cruz county) and the entire county is very bike friendly and with an excellent bus system and all of the bus's (busses? buss's?) are equipped with easy on / easy off bike racks.
As long as you're on or within biking distance of a bus stop (and they're everywhere in the county) you won't be stuck at home.
Aptos is one of two of my favorite towns in S.C. county and Cabrillo College has grown / expanded and improved over the years.
Cabrillo College Home Page
And Aptos would probably feel and be o.k. with your dad.
Though it's close to Santa Cruz proper it, like all of the other towns in the county, is not chaotic and crazy in the way that Santa Cruz is.
I don't mind the craziness and chaos but you're dad might.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by orangeapple

Eureka does not fit this list. It's mostly overcast & chilly, & it rains a lot.
It has some charm in its little downtown area, but it's a rather isolated & boring town besides that. The isolated location makes it hard to visit other areas.

Outside of SF, I don't know where you'll find good public transit (maybe others know). CA is know for being a car culture. Public transit just sucks or is practically non-existent in many areas.

Davis is a university town, home of UC Davis and is very bike oriented and is a good, but not top notch school.

Santa Cruz, also a unveristy town, has a pretty good mass transit system and is also somewhat bike oriented (at least small enough that you can get most places by bike). It has the best weather in Northern California (less fog and overcast, warmer afternoons), but housing is overpriced.

San Luis Obispo, another university town, is supposedly the happiest town in America. Very bike oriented. Not a top notch university but a decent one, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo...but i think their majors tilt toward technical stuff more than the liberal arts, although I think they have liberal arts stuff, too. It is also very expensive. It is generally very safe. It's not right on the coast, but the ocean isn't far and the weather is almost ideal year 'round. It is a pretty expensive town and doesn't have a reputation for having a lot of good paying jobs, but a great place to live if you can do it without going in debt over your eyeballs.

I agree with what the other poster said about Humboldt State. I don't think the school has all that great a reputation, either.

[T. Damon]

Chico. Classic college town and beautiful to boot. A bit isolated (but so are the others mentioned) but better weather than Humboldt that's for sure. Party school reputation notwithstanding it actually has a pretty good academic reputation.

California State University, Chico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[BayAreaHillbilly]

RE: the title of the thread

The people in the movies are mostly from places besides CA, and have a little bit of "help" achieving their looks.