Is California the best state to live in, in the United States? (transplants, mortgage)

[wac_432]

[quote=Beardown91737;39465195]

Originally Posted by wac_432

- The inland areas are not all flat and not all desert.

True, I love Mammoth, if not the drive out there. I was thinking of the SFV, actually. Shows how small my world is.

- There are three kinds of people:
1. People who can walk to the beach.
2. Those who can ride a bicycle to the beach.
3. Everyone else... the ones who drive to the beach (or maybe their chauffer brings them)

I am number 3. What are you? Beverly Hills is also #3 so no shame in that. Is Beverly Hills part of the Inland that "sucks"? If not, why not?

I pretty much moved to California because it was the one place where I could surf (consistently good waves) on my lunch break while also working in the industry I love. If not for the beach, I wouldn't live here. It would still be a good place to live, but it wouldn't draw me, personally. I'm #1, but I #2 it to optimize my water time. I can't fathom why anyone would pay the premium to live within a mile or two of the water if they don't surf at least a few times a week.

Yes, Beverly Hills sucks because the nearest beach is Santa Monica, which has basically no surf from Sunset on down to El Porto.

The other thing I disagree with is that California is not for the unmotivated. California is the absolute best place for the unmotivated, since those of us with jobs have to pay unmotivated Americans not to do the jobs that Americans allegedly won't do, but that Americans actually do in other states. It's also a great place for government employees, who are mostly motivated to spike their pensions.

LOL. Fo sho. But you can't really get by very well on what we pay them to not do the jobs Americans would do if they weren't getting paid to not do them.

[Dhult]

Originally Posted by 8to32characters

For those of you who hate on California from flyover country, just remember, tigers don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.

We live pretty much like everyone else. We raise a family, run errands, work and play.

I'm satisfied and both sides of my family have been Californians for generations. I've read a lot of posts in the California forum here over the years and this thread is typical.

For those that constantly defend California and for those that denigrate the state here are my observations.

Many of those that throw insults and are proliferate posters on the virtues of California in this forum are from other states that moved here and I guess are so happy about it they constantly go out of their way to tell people how where they use to live just can't compare and in general, worthless.

The same can be said of those that are always insulting the state. They came didn't like, or afford it for varing reasons and departed.

There is beauty in every state. There is wealth and success in every state. You can make a good life and be successful in every state.

You can find beauty and life in the dessert of AZ. A creek or river in many small towns across the U.S.. A old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. In downtown centers all across the nation, not just on the coasts. The mountains in Colorado and Tennessee to the bayous in Louisiana.

Half the people on here talking about "flyover country" are from flyover country. Many of the rest are from the opposite coast. Seems most wanted to run so far from where they were that can't phantom that others see the greatness in their areas of their birth.

While I'm from and live in coastal California the rest of the inland State is not barren rock. From Yosemite, Kings Canyon to Mt. Shasta there is so much life all over the back country that many call home.

I have been to almost every part of this country with the exception the New England area. I have found enjoyment and great people everywhere. The colors of the grand Canyon, fishing outside Yellowstone, playing as a kid in a summer rainstorm in the south. Never have I felt pity for people that lived different ways across this country. I truly believe I could find happiness and a fulfilling life in just about every state.

Actually, I feel sorry that someone who needs to be in a certain place to feel that they have actually achieved something in life. They have to live in a specific state to be somebody.

Work with the dirt under your feet and you can built anything you want.


We don't need people coming from Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, etc.. coming here then telling people how everyone back from where they ascended from or worthless and how great this State is because somehow you are now a better person. You sound like a bunch of elitist snobs. Most of us from here don't really care.

I guess you just have to keep reaffirming to yourself you made the right choice and now are superior for making it in California.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

Violent crime and serious drug abuse were astronomically higher in California cities and nationwide in the early '90s, however. Even San Diego had a murder rate in 1991/92 near that of Chicago's murder rate in 2014. The murder rate in Los Angeles County (not just the City of L.A. alone or Compton, Inglewood, or Long Beach--I mean cumulatively countywide) was not too far from the rate of the City of L.A. To shine some perspective, this means that the murder rates of L.A. City and County in 1991/92 were close to what the murder rate was for Baltimore in 2014.

Yes, smog has improved. As for local and state government incompetence and fiscal stresses, not much has changed. I'd say the overall disposition of California has improved greatly since the early '90s. L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, Anaheim, Fresno, Santa Ana, Long Beach, and even Oakland (to an extent) are all healthier cities now than back then. San Jose might be the only city in the state now with a rising crime rate (someone correct me if I'm wrong), and it is still considered very safe overall, and it has evolved and exploded as the capital of Silicon Valley.

All of this is accurate, except the part about San Jose's crime rate. It has started to tick down again.

Violent Crime Drops in San Jose, Yet Residents Feel Less Safe | San Jose Inside

[Nema98]

Lot if things to do and find, unlike many states.

[Berrie143]

No, it is not the best state to live in. I am a CA native and while there IS a lot of beauty in CA and things to do, for the most part, you need MONEY to enjoy all of it. LOTS of money. The COL of living in CA is ridiculously high and the middle class is being eliminated.

[Cruithne]

Originally Posted by Berrie143

No, it is not the best state to live in. I am a CA native and while there IS a lot of beauty in CA and things to do, for the most part, you need MONEY to enjoy all of it. LOTS of money. The COL of living in CA is ridiculously high and the middle class is being eliminated.

I'm not so sure I even agree with the 'beauty' part, especially since the 3 year drought has left everything looking parched. I had a friend visit from Oakland this weekend who said she forgot what green looked like. I lived in the Bay Area and always thought any beauty was obliterated by freeways and industry, especially around the Bay itself - there's nowhere that's truly beautiful. I visited the Hayward regional shoreline with my kids a few times, where the docents would wax lyrical to the school children about not taking any small pebbles home as souvineers, meanwhile you walk along the trail, passing 'danger' warning signs about toxic water which appears to flow from visible nearby factories. The noise from nearby highways spoils any sense of peace. Last year I visited an exhibition at Oakland Museum - about the waste and dumping that has gone on in the Bay - not pleasant.
When left to its own devices, the Bay Area must once have been spectacularly beautiful. Not since humans moved in. Half Moon Bay and Marin County are still lovely but there are plenty of places in America equally or more beautiful and more unspoilt, so CA does not win the beauty award IMO.

[Tyler_Jolie-Pitt]

California is beautiful, and the people generally seem very friendly, but I prefer to live in a place with seasonal change. It's very expensive, as well.

[Westbound and Down]

California is a very tough place to live for anyone who doesn't make a lot of money. Even a young doctor just starting out would need to think twice about living there, and that is a pretty damning statement about the economics of anyone living in California with less than a 6 figure income - that starts with a "3" at a minimum - versus most of the people who are contemplating moving there with a far lower income, at least low for what it takes to live and thrive in California.

Unless you have an income stream that you can reasonably project will grow exponentially with a move to California, to move there even for a good white collar job is foolish...

[kent_moore]

I'm thinking of moving to Cali someday, specifically in the Bay Area.

However, it is not as simple as packing my bags, jumping to my car and drive to Cali (I'm currently in Phoenix). I need to have a plan.

Cali's biggest con is the high cost of living. So the question as to whether Cali is the best state or not, depends to person's financial situation. For me, despite being high in COL, Cali remains my number 1 choice.

Here's my 5 year plan:
1. Finish a master degree online.
2. Reach the managerial post. (I'm currently a senior executive)
3. Find a job in CA that will pay me double of what I'm paid right now.
4. Since I'm not holding US passport, I should get atleast a green card to keep my status here more stable.
5. Buy a property and pay atleast 50% of the total contract price. That would reduce the burden of monthly payment.
6. Wait until all my kids (I have 4 little ones) grew up, cos child care cost is killing my finances right now.
7. Wait until my wife gets a job. This is related to number 5.
8. Settle some investments that could me a passive income.

So for those people wanting to live in Cali or any place that has high quality of living but discouraged by high COL, don't lose hope. Plan an attack on how to achieve it.

[abrandnewme18]

Yes, IF you are rich. If not, it's not worth it imo. Too expensive.