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Old 08-25-2015, 04:15 PM
 
2 posts, read 2,819 times
Reputation: 10

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I have been going back and forth on whether I want to live in Cali or Florida. I currently live with my folks in NH, and want to move to either FL or Cali. I've seen pros and cons on both, and I'm working on gathering information on both states. I know cali is wicked expensive, which might be the deciding factor in my search on where to live. Which really sucks, because it seems like the perfect place otherwise. I want to study dietetics in the future in the state that i decide to live, so this will be a temp place

Some of the things I'd like to have where I live

* Cheaper apartment/housing options. (Cheaper is relative, as cali is so expensive)
* Live in a rural area, I absolutely love nature (I can't live in highly populated city areas, drives me nuts, but I'm very social and I'd like to socialize with people from the city)
* Less than an hour away from the beach (If not closer, I wanna surf/swim, snorkel, collect shells)
* Low crime rates
* Nice warm weather year round (S'why I'm looking at Southern cali)
* I want to live close to a town/city that has a hippy/vegan/health conscious population.
* Younger crowd (I'm 22)


Please comment below even if it's a short piece of input. I want to make this next chapter of my life as smooth and enjoyable as I can. So where should I live?
Thanks!
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Old 08-25-2015, 04:52 PM
 
8,390 posts, read 7,646,246 times
Reputation: 11020
First, most people in California don't call our state "Cali." We call it California, Calif. or d**mned CA when we're feeling short-tempered.

This is a great place to ask for advice. But, first, please answer a few questions to help us give you better advice:

* Have you ever visited Southern California? If so, what areas did you visit, and which of those areas did you like most? How long did you visit, and when?

* Do you already have a college degree? If so, what was your major?

* Do you have work experience? If so, in what industry or profession?

* What industry or profession are you hoping to work in until you start studying dietetics?

* What is your idea of "cheaper" for rent, including utilities? $500 a month? $1000 a month? $1500 a month? $2000?

* Finally, do you have money saved up to finance your move and to carry you as you get established in a new place and job?

It also would be helpful to know if you are male or female, because some areas might be OK for a man, but more iffy for a female living alone. But telling us your sex is optional.

We'll be happy to share ideas about places for you to consider in Southern California, but without your answers to these questions, people will only be guessing at where in California you should consider, or perhaps whether Florida or staying in the Northeast for the time being might make more sense.

Last edited by RosieSD; 08-25-2015 at 05:34 PM..
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Old 08-25-2015, 05:37 PM
 
14,311 posts, read 11,702,283 times
Reputation: 39122
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonilla View Post
I have been going back and forth on whether I want to live in Cali or Florida. I currently live with my folks in NH, and want to move to either FL or Cali. I've seen pros and cons on both, and I'm working on gathering information on both states. I know cali is wicked expensive, which might be the deciding factor in my search on where to live. Which really sucks, because it seems like the perfect place otherwise. I want to study dietetics in the future in the state that i decide to live, so this will be a temp place

Some of the things I'd like to have where I live

* Cheaper apartment/housing options. (Cheaper is relative, as cali is so expensive)
* Live in a rural area, I absolutely love nature (I can't live in highly populated city areas, drives me nuts, but I'm very social and I'd like to socialize with people from the city)
* Less than an hour away from the beach (If not closer, I wanna surf/swim, snorkel, collect shells)
* Low crime rates
* Nice warm weather year round (S'why I'm looking at Southern cali)
* I want to live close to a town/city that has a hippy/vegan/health conscious population.
* Younger crowd (I'm 22)


Please comment below even if it's a short piece of input. I want to make this next chapter of my life as smooth and enjoyable as I can. So where should I live?
Thanks!
Just a thought. SoCal is by no means nice and warm all year round in the way that Florida is. In particular, the ocean water is downright cold in the winter and still chilly most of the summer. We're talking a wetsuit if you want to surf or snorkel any time but July-September. If your desire is year-round warm beach weather, I think you should be concentrating on Florida (or maybe Hawaii, haha).

And yes, California is very expensive. Beautiful, but expensive. The nice, safe, inexpensive semi-rural town close to the beach with year-round warm weather is sadly nonexistent.
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Old 08-25-2015, 06:51 PM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,398,084 times
Reputation: 9328
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonilla View Post
I have been going back and forth on whether I want to live in Cali or Florida. I currently live with my folks in NH, and want to move to either FL or Cali. I've seen pros and cons on both, and I'm working on gathering information on both states. I know cali is wicked expensive, which might be the deciding factor in my search on where to live. Which really sucks, because it seems like the perfect place otherwise. I want to study dietetics in the future in the state that i decide to live, so this will be a temp place

Some of the things I'd like to have where I live

* Cheaper apartment/housing options. (Cheaper is relative, as cali is so expensive)
CA is VERY expensive near the beach.

Quote:
* Live in a rural area, I absolutely love nature (I can't live in highly populated city areas, drives me nuts, but I'm very social and I'd like to socialize with people from the city)
Maybe Northern California, but not likely in Southern near any decent sized city with what you want.
Quote:
* Less than an hour away from the beach (If not closer, I wanna surf/swim, snorkel, collect shells)
Beaches are cold most of the year, but with a wet suit you could be OK.
Note 1 hour drive in OC as an example to the beach, can be from 20 miles away.
Quote:
* Low crime rates
Most areas of So Cal outside of LA County, though all places have crime.
Quote:
* Nice warm weather year round (S'why I'm looking at Southern cali)
* I want to live close to a town/city that has a hippy/vegan/health conscious population.
* Younger crowd (I'm 22)
That lets out most of California and your best option would be San Diego County. The Crowd you are looking for is found in most of California in or near any major city.


Quote:
Please comment below even if it's a short piece of input. I want to make this next chapter of my life as smooth and enjoyable as I can. So where should I live?
Thanks!
Better have money and a VERY good job.

Oh don"t call it Cali. It can be So Cal or Cal like "Cal State ... (City name)" but not Cali.

I think Southern FL would be best for you and near Melbourne or Tampa could work. Melbourne is closer to a less populated area and still easily under an hour to the beach. I am looking around there next month and I am a native Californian born and raised in So Cal.
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Old 08-25-2015, 10:25 PM
 
Location: Sacramento
1,231 posts, read 1,663,523 times
Reputation: 1821
Based on your criteria for a prospective move, I would say Florida would be your best bet. Many of the coastal areas in Southern California are highly urbanized and expensive as heck to live. As was mentioned in the other posts, the cold off shore California current necessitates a wetsuit for much of the year if you're into water sports.

If you do consider California, perhaps you should look into the central coast. San Luis Obispo is a smaller city of about 47,000 located just 10 miles inland from the coast. SLO, as it's known, is home to the California Polytechnic University (Cal Poly) and Cuesta College (a 2-year community college). You may find that hippy/vegan/health conscious demographic there as well as a number of college-aged folks. There are a number of other smaller communities in San Luis Obispo County such as Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Avila Beach and Paso Robles. The cost of living is not as high as in Southern California, but it may still pose a challenge.

Also, during the months of May and June, the California coast is subject to the "June Gloom", which means it's cool, cloudy and overcast into the early afternoon. A marine layer forms overnight when warmer air interacts with the cooler ocean waters. You may find while it's sunny and 80+ degrees 10 miles or so inland, it's in the 60s and cloudy at the beach.

Last edited by sacreole; 08-25-2015 at 10:41 PM..
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Old 08-26-2015, 12:40 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles
2,436 posts, read 2,794,827 times
Reputation: 2284
So much "Cali" in one post... My eye twitched every time it popped up.

Back to the point of this thread, based on what you want, sounds like Florida is for you. It seems you're not ready to pay those premium prices in Southern California. You didn't mention a budget, by the way.

Last edited by theraven24; 08-26-2015 at 12:53 AM..
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Old 08-26-2015, 12:42 AM
 
Location: LBC
4,156 posts, read 5,563,422 times
Reputation: 3594
Flori.
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Old 08-26-2015, 04:48 AM
 
Location: Ca2Mo2Ga2Va!
2,735 posts, read 6,736,435 times
Reputation: 1813
Quote:
Originally Posted by nslander View Post
Flori.
oh my gosh, love this!
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Old 08-26-2015, 05:42 AM
 
Location: Minnesota
110 posts, read 153,973 times
Reputation: 331
Florida Keys
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Old 08-26-2015, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Verona, WI
1,201 posts, read 2,415,796 times
Reputation: 830
OP, other posters on there have given you some good advice. I will add that if you plan to study dietetics, you may wish to complete your degree prior to moving to CA, FL or someplace else. You'll need to complete a (typically) unpaid clinical nutrition internship after your four-year degree, and that could be in an entirely different state. I'd be hesitant to take on out-of-state tuition in either CA or FL. Your best option may be to save money where you are, complete your degree in your home state and then move for your internship and/or your first job. Otherwise, you could consider moving to a new state to establish residency before enrolling in an in-state college there.

You'll make more money as a dietician in CA than FL, but the cost of living in CA will be brutal for a starting dietician's income, and you'll probably also need to know Spanish to be competitive in the CA marketplace.

There are a lot of unlicensed "dietetics" programs out there, but I'd encourage you to go the American Dietetic Association (ADA) "Registered Dietician" (RD) route as that will give you the best training grounded in foundational research and practice. You can then explore all of the alternative food and metabolism theories out there once you have a firm basis of understanding of how the physiological and sociological human systems work. The unlicensed programs will be much cheaper, but attending them typically makes your career focus too narrow and unmarketable, unless you want to sell their products.

I majored in Nutrition a long time ago and went through this whole RD process, but never made it out to CA on that career track (I'm doing something completely different now career-wise that I enjoy much more).

Whatever you decide to do career-wise, save at least 6 months of living expenses before you move - more would be better if you're planning to move without a job lined up, no family in the area, and no clear career trajectory.

Hope you find the perfect place (and career) for you!
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