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View Poll Results: What state is MOST like California?
Texas 15 15.96%
Florida 11 11.70%
North Carolina 5 5.32%
Colorado 6 6.38%
Arizona 16 17.02%
South Carolina 1 1.06%
Tennessee 0 0%
Washington 14 14.89%
Oregon 18 19.15%
Georgia 0 0%
Other 8 8.51%
Voters: 94. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 01-05-2018, 01:20 PM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,187,045 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulemutt View Post
Highest income / sales taxes: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut (California only has the highest bracket rate for top earners over $1/2 million per year)

Highest gas prices: Hawaii

Highest cost of car ownership / registration: Georgia

Highest car insurance rates: New Jersey

Highest sales taxes: Tennessee (CA rates 8th)

Highest number of childish whiners who never grow up: California
but remember when you put Tn is there you have to remember they have no SIT I don't think. that makes a huge difference.
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Old 01-05-2018, 04:42 PM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,402 posts, read 8,231,932 times
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I think a lot of people that voted haven't actually been to all the states on the list. Before I ever moved to CA, I figured SoCal would be like Florida, and NorCal would be like Colorado or something. There's really no fair comparison to CA, given it's size and diversity (cultural, political, geographical, etc).

On this list, I'd say Oregon/Washington would be tied for first, and Arizona would be a very distant third and would only really apply to SoCal. Nevada should actually be on this list ahead of AZ, since it has a very similar Northern/Southern divide, culturally and geographically, that directly mirrors what we have in CA.

I do wonder why so many people think CA and Texas are comparable. To me, they are very, very different, other than having a border with Mexico (huge Mexican influence), lots and lots of land, and lots of people. You could make the case for West Texas being similar to SoCal, but Houston? Not really seeing it, aside from the traffic and sprawl, which reminds me way more of Atlanta than LA (ie. Southern, not Western).

Tennessee and South Carolina make absolutely ZERO sense though.
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Old 01-06-2018, 06:24 PM
 
Location: Fullerton, California, USA
6 posts, read 13,381 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Californiaguy2007 View Post
Yup I agree...California is like a mish-mash of other states rolled into one...I also can't figure any other state that's a twin to California
Absolutely. And that's one of its strengths. I'd compare the Southern California coast to Hawaii, although some parts more than others. For instance, Huntington Beach resembles Honolulu, "Surf City," outdoor malls near the (very wide) beach, surf competitions, huge vacation resorts, Duke Kahanamoku even lived in Huntington Beach for years and brought surfing to Southern California, speaking of which, he taught surfing in Malibu (in the 1910's), which looks and feels a lot like Maui; people mention the sky-high real estate in Malibu, and this is true but Hawaii has more expensive real estate than anywhere in California, and plus, even though there are mansions in the hills, there are also beachfront shacks in Malibu, and a lot of architecture that resembles tiki and Polynesian (a lot of it due to the Chumash influence in Malibu going way back), and pleasantly-humid-microclimate, giant fiery sunsets, dolphins, lush hills and mountains with rising mist, etcetera. Also Malibu residents have the Aloha/"Hang Loose" mentality unlike the stereotype people have about it who have never set foot there in there in the first place. Ventura also resembles Hawaii a lot with sugar cane growing near the sea and wooden houses beneath lush hills. There's a reason this aspect of California is legendary and goes back to the 1800's in fame for that. I was very surprised not to see Hawaii on that poll! I'd compare Catalina and Santa Barbara to the Caribbean, especially with the Bohemian-vibe and the old Spanish architecture (Santa Barbara even has an annual parade called Old Spanish Days).

But then some beaches resemble New England with their old architecture and vibe, such as Balboa (Peninsula and Island) in Newport Beach -- even with harbor and fisherman tradition and cannery culture, although that also has a mix of Hawaii-like laid-back surf-culture and Miami-like party-vibe by night with crowded beach bars included, or The Pike in Long Beach including its lighthouse, or a lot of coastal Oxnard architecture, or the lighthouse on the cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Santa Monica just feels quintessentially, well, Santa Monica. It fits West LA in general except with a beach and that famous pier. Ditto for Venice, which amplifies Hollywood-style kookiness.

Then there's Downtown LA which I'd definitely compare to New York City. There's Pasadena which feels Midwestern, architecture, trees, and all, feels like a midsized city in Ohio, including its pride in the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game (I grew up in Pasadena). South Pasadena looks and feels like (inland) New England and its historic architecture fits that, too, and the fact that its (old) neighborhoods are so heavily wooded. Then there are rural areas that I'd compare to Texas -- except for the politics -- like San Dimas and Calabasas. San Jacinto in the Inland Empire is like Oklahoma, and in that case, politics included. Next-door Perris looks and feels like Texas. No, really, they do -- you need to spend time in these places to believe me. Perris, for instance, has a lot of agriculture and dairy farms, Old-West buildings still in use, a Downtown that feels like you've gone back in time at least 50 years, and a diverse landscape, part legit desert, part chaparral, endless prairies, and part wooded mountains and hills. The people in these rural parts are the absolute opposite of the phony-stereotype of LA. This friendliness and sincerity also applies to Fullerton where I live, which resembles the South. No, really -- architecture (very old and still in use, including bungalows with front porches throughout), nature with humid microclimate, lots of magnolias and orleanders, lots of willows and pines, lots of interesting wildlife including wild frogs and Egrets that live in bogs, farms, horse ranches, the people in general. (Yeah, there's the college-town influence but it's more of a hipster-college-influence that includes spending weekends in Downtown Fullerton at [old] bars and tattoo parlors and shopping at the thrift stores, doesn't feel contradictory to the Southern-like-overall-vibe at all and IS very different from the LA stereotype.) A lot of (non-coastal) South Orange County feels very Southern, and this DOES extend to politics. Although Orange, like Fullerton, is in Northern Orange County and feels reminiscent of the South. (Costa Mesa in Central-OC is like Beverly Hills.)

The Mojave desert does resemble Arizona, including with ghost towns. The presence of old Spanish missions in Southern California and Spanish and Mexican architecture and influence resemble Texas, although California (for the most part) celebrates that more than Texas (for the most part).

Then you have mountain towns like Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead that resemble, well, more Northern California like Yosemite than anywhere else, but also maybe Colorado. Then there are a lot of cities in LA County (and Northern-OC) that seem like they could be Anytown-USA except with quintessentially-LA touches. The heavy East-Asian influence in many San Gabriel Valley cities could, in a sense, be compared to that in Hawaii, though not exactly. The casinos and their accompanying (often lavish) hotel-resorts, some Indian-Gaming but others not, are reminiscent of Nevada.

Aside from the things that are just found in LA and no where else in the States, there are indeed the things that make it like a bunch of other states rolled into one, so you hit the nail on the head; and this is just for Greater LA, I can't even speak for Central California or Northern California or even parts of Southern California I haven't been to including Kern County (though I understand it happens to emphasize the country-western aspect)!

Almost forgot, since California WAS, after all, part of the Wild West, aside from cities that retained the flavor including in buildings -- I'm here drawing a comparison to Texas again -- there's also Knott's Berry Farm (just 6 miles from Disneyland), which having been the first themed amusement park in the US with its Ghost Town opening in 1941, since it had been a farm since 1920 but with a booming restaurant inclusion since 1934 and the birthplace of the boysenberry in 1932, its owner wanted to build up the culture of its rural surroundings for the amusement of nearby city-slickers (drawn there by word-of-mouth about its amazing fried chicken dinner meals that were very cheap too during the Depression), so it's full of (aside from buildings built there on property in the 1920s and 1930s in California Marketplace, and, within Ghost Town, from 1940 to about 1960) there are lots and lots of very Wild West buildings there relocated from nearby rural towns during the 1940s to about 1960 -- buildings spanning from the mid-1800's to mid-20th century, so this is a continued celebration of the Wild West component/history in California. (Of course the park kept growing more and more and there was mutual influence between itself and Disneyland which opened in 1955 and the owners were great friends, Walter Knott and Walt Disney. Both were innovative amusement-park-pioneers taking the amusement-park concept to the next level constantly, ride-technology and all.)

I know I sound like a tourist information book, but it's just that this is all so true!

Last edited by FunkyDucky; 01-06-2018 at 06:35 PM..
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Old 01-11-2018, 04:38 PM
 
36 posts, read 42,534 times
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Desert, mountains and ocean. None lol
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Old 01-12-2018, 09:34 AM
 
32,877 posts, read 12,147,766 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
but remember when you put Tn is there you have to remember they have no SIT I don't think. that makes a huge difference.
TN has no SIT for wages, but they do have a SIT (the Hall tax) for non wage income. However, the Hall tax is being eliminated and by 2022 (IIRC re the date) TN will be a full no SIT state, joining TX, NV, AK, WA, WY, SD, and FL.
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Old 01-12-2018, 09:54 AM
 
Location: On the water.
21,609 posts, read 16,105,012 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kiboca View Post
Desert, mountains and ocean. None lol
.??? All three contiguous west coast states have deserts, mountains and ocean. Andof them, Washington State's mountains are easily as spectacular as California's ... in many peoples' opinions more so. Beaches there are not comparable, however.
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Old 01-12-2018, 10:21 AM
 
3,431 posts, read 5,210,341 times
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This poll is really impossible to answer accurately. California is like a patchwork of a dozen different types of places, much more complex than a single stereotype or even a dual Northern / Southern stereotype. I live in San Diego and have access to beautiful beaches, wineries, Foothills that look like the Central Coast, mountains with forests and occasional winter snow, and deserts with sand dunes or date palms. Just within 90 minutes, that's like being in four completely different continents.
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Old 01-15-2018, 03:26 PM
 
Location: Pleasanton, CA
2,406 posts, read 6,010,439 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tstieber View Post
This poll is really impossible to answer accurately. California is like a patchwork of a dozen different types of places, much more complex than a single stereotype or even a dual Northern / Southern stereotype. I live in San Diego and have access to beautiful beaches, wineries, Foothills that look like the Central Coast, mountains with forests and occasional winter snow, and deserts with sand dunes or date palms. Just within 90 minutes, that's like being in four completely different continents.

This ^^^


I think most people who aren't from CA have no clue just how big and diverse the state is on many different levels. We have more people than the entire country of Canada, yet most of our land area is still undeveloped and rural. When people stereotype CA, I can only assume they have no personal knowledge. People like that irk me to no end. I wonder how many people think that SF and LA are just a couple hours' drive away from each other.
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Old 01-15-2018, 10:27 PM
 
Location: Earth
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulemutt View Post
.??? All three contiguous west coast states have deserts, mountains and ocean. Andof them, Washington State's mountains are easily as spectacular as California's ... in many peoples' opinions more so. Beaches there are not comparable, however.
Oregon's beaches are comparable - in some ways better because they're cleaner and less crowded - and has spectacular mountains
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Old 01-15-2018, 10:38 PM
 
Location: On the water.
21,609 posts, read 16,105,012 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by majoun View Post
Oregon's beaches are comparable - in some ways better because they're cleaner and less crowded - and has spectacular mountains
Oregon's beaches certainly are as good as it gets ... if you can handle the wind and rain and cold that go with most of the year. Spectacular mountains? Well, certainly very nice. Indeed. But can't match Washington's. For quality desert, California takes the prize.

So, all three states have all three features. And each of the three contiguous Pacific states has its specialty. I propose the whole coast secede and invite British Columbia and Hawaii to hitch up with.
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