What can you tell me about California? Best cities? (Los Angeles: real estate, home)

[YoungProfessional9]

I'm a 26 yr old female living in Northeast Ohio and considering a move West. I've never been to Cali, but people tell me its fitting for me. Ive been working as a Graphic Designer for the past few years out of school... I'm very into health and wellness, and enjoy being active. I also breakdance in my free time. I am hoping to find an area with a lot of culture - As well as employment hopefully I'm looking for places to visit or apply for jobs in the future. Please let me know if you have any suggestions, advice, or...places not to go! So far I've had people suggest Oakland or SF. Thoughts? I apologize if my post sounds naive and inexperienced. I have not had the opportunity to do much traveling until now. I appreciate your time. Thank you!

[nullgeo]

As a visually oriented person - artistic - also into the outdoors and healthy lifestyles, coming from Ohio, you'd probably like many things about California. I can almost recommend the Bay area -- but I would suggest that as you research you consider the entire west coast to include Portland and Seattle. Many folks would balk at the infamously gray PNW weather of those two cities, but, coming from Cleveland -- not exactly famous for sunshine -- you'd have a chance at enjoying the mild temps and gorgeous summers of the NW in spite of the long gray drizzly seasons.

The reason I suggest expanding your research is that the Bay area is a tricky environment to maneuver with regard to expensive rents, and quality neighborhoods in relation to workplaces. Can do, but there are hurdles and roadblocks to learn your way around.

Portland is not so expensive and is a lively, delightful city. Seattle is notably more expensive than Portland but not so much as the Bay.

I am retired now but much of my career years were spent in graphic design and writing in Seattle. I have also lived in San Francisco and still spend part of each year in California, including time in SF. I have friendships since the 70's in Portland, go there often, and have done business there as well.

Good luck.

[WesternPilgrim]

Originally Posted by YoungProfessional9

I also breakdance in my free time ... So far I've had people suggest Oakland or SF. Thoughts?

That sounds about right. Or Berkeley.

[YoungProfessional9]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

As a visually oriented person - artistic - also into the outdoors and healthy lifestyles, coming from Ohio, you'd probably like many things about California. I can almost recommend the Bay area -- but I would suggest that as you research you consider the entire west coast to include Portland and Seattle. Many folks would balk at the infamously gray PNW weather of those two cities, but, coming from Cleveland -- not exactly famous for sunshine -- you'd have a chance at enjoying the mild temps and gorgeous summers of the NW in spite of the long gray drizzly seasons.

The reason I suggest expanding your research is that the Bay area is a tricky environment to maneuver with regard to expensive rents, and quality neighborhoods in relation to workplaces. Can do, but there are hurdles and roadblocks to learn your way around.

Portland is not so expensive and is a lively, delightful city. Seattle is notably more expensive than Portland but not so much as the Bay.

I am retired now but much of my career years were spent in graphic design and writing in Seattle. I have also lived in San Francisco and still spend part of each year in California, including time in SF. I have friendships since the 70's in Portland, go there often, and have done business there as well.

Good luck.

Awesome. Thanks for the advice. I know, I kind of cringe at the weather of Portland and Seattle... even though I'm from Ohio. :/ I have 0% body fat. But I really should suck it up and expand my search... I know the warm weather areas are going to be expensive, and I've already eliminated Florida.

[nullgeo]

Well, if you don't like the sound of the NW weather - then you don't like it and that's the way it is ... I'm also a 0-body-fat type and I did fine for many years, but now I need to escape half the year or more back to California (and Hawaii ), so I get it.

You can make California work. Graphics just isn't a real highly paid profession and there's lots of competition (part of the reason it doesn't pay so hot). If you aren't going to try and buy real estate, and if you are creatively alternative to a degree, you can find solutions to the rents. Other than real estate / rents the costs are close enough to anywhere else ... you'll hear a lot here on this forum about how expensive CA is, gas prices are highest in the lower 48, etc etc ... yeah, but not enough to kill your fun or sink your budget ... food, clothes, consumables and hard goods all cost the same.

There are a couple real neat tricks to getting by with an affordable place to live as well. But I won't divulge my trade secrets here

[YoungProfessional9]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Well, if you don't like the sound of the NW weather - then you don't like it and that's the way it is ... I'm also a 0-body-fat type and I did fine for many years, but now I need to escape half the year or more back to California (and Hawaii ), so I get it.

You can make California work. Graphics just isn't a real highly paid profession and there's lots of competition (part of the reason it doesn't pay so hot). If you aren't going to try and buy real estate, and if you are creatively alternative to a degree, you can find solutions to the rents. Other than real estate / rents the costs are close enough to anywhere else ... you'll hear a lot here on this forum about how expensive CA is, gas prices are highest in the lower 48, etc etc ... yeah, but not enough to kill your fun or sink your budget ... food, clothes, consumables and hard goods all cost the same.

There are a couple real neat tricks to getting by with an affordable place to live as well. But I won't divulge my trade secrets here

Thanks for the support! I'm pretty scrappy-And saving as much as I can while in Ohio.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by YoungProfessional9

I'm a 26 yr old female living in Northeast Ohio and considering a move West. I've never been to Cali, but people tell me its fitting for me. Ive been working as a Graphic Designer for the past few years out of school... I'm very into health and wellness, and enjoy being active. I also breakdance in my free time. I am hoping to find an area with a lot of culture - As well as employment hopefully I'm looking for places to visit or apply for jobs in the future. Please let me know if you have any suggestions, advice, or...places not to go! So far I've had people suggest Oakland or SF. Thoughts? I apologize if my post sounds naive and inexperienced. I have not had the opportunity to do much traveling until now. I appreciate your time. Thank you!

I think your biggest disadvantage is that graphic design doesn't pay all that well (as nullgeo said). Despite CA's much higher cost of living, you might get a job that only pays marginally more than what you make in OH. The rents are high in any of the popular CA metro areas (Los Angeles, the Bay Area, San Diego, anywhere within 20 miles of the coast) and landlords generally will jack up the rents to shake you down for every last dollar. There are exceptions, but not that many, and it may take you a year or two (or more) to find such landlords.

If you don't care about home ownership or kids, then CA is more doable, but even for single folks with half decent incomes, the financial pressure is ever present.

[YoungProfessional9]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I think your biggest disadvantage is that graphic design doesn't pay all that well (as nullgeo said). Despite CA's much higher cost of living, you might get a job that only pays marginally more than what you make in OH. The rents are high in any of the popular CA metro areas (Los Angeles, the Bay Area, San Diego, anywhere within 20 miles of the coast) and landlords generally will jack up the rents to shake you down for every last dollar. There are exceptions, but not that many, and it may take you a year or two (or more) to find such landlords.

If you don't care about home ownership or kids, then CA is more doable, but even for single folks with half decent incomes, the financial pressure is ever present.

Well said. Yeah I don't care about homeownership or kids. But I think you're right, I will have a hard time bringing in income there considering my field. I figure I may be better suited for Cali once I'm more established in my career. However I will keep my options open. Thanks for the input.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Instead of CA look at other up and coming artistic hubs, elsewhere in the country. Then thank me 20 years from now for telling you not to waste your efforts here, only to end up p____ poor.

[mayorhaggar]

Best place to live in CA is wherever you can get a job! Find a job first then everything else will fall into line. If you don't end up making much money you can live with roommates, plenty of people in CA do that. Pretty much anywhere in coastal California is nice but a lot of areas are pretty remote which means way less jobs. The Bay Area, LA and San Diego are the main population centers, otherwise it can be really remote. I'd look at those three areas and look for work there and see what nibbles you get, and travel to them to see if you like them as places to live.