Largest California city by population that you've never been to... (Los Angeles: college, live in)

[RMESMH]

I feel bad for people who are young now and increasingly, it seems, have to factor traffic/traffic jams into an unabashed desire to explore. Those of us who were privileged to be able to explore California without having to give traffic much consideration were lucky.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by RMESMH

I feel bad for people who are young now and increasingly, it seems, have to factor traffic/traffic jams into an unabashed desire to explore. Those of us who were privileged to be able to explore California without having to give traffic much consideration were lucky.

True and a time long gone.

[ajams22]

I've been to all Top 12 except:

• Fresno
• Oakland
• Sacramento

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by expatCA

True and a time long gone.

Yeah, I agree. I was trying to tread lightly to avoid pointless arguments .

I can think of at least one person who lives in a self described 'not crowded' part of California who might want to argue the point just to argue .

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There was a post on (IIRC) either the California forum or the San Diego forum earlier in 2018 that mentioned LA. That poster mentioned that he/she is a resident of the San Diego metro area. The part of the post that I found to be unusual, almost astounding even, was that the person had never been to LA and had no desire to ever go there.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by RMESMH

I feel bad for people who are young now and increasingly, it seems, have to factor traffic/traffic jams into an unabashed desire to explore. Those of us who were privileged to be able to explore California without having to give traffic much consideration were lucky.

Young people who want to explore now have it much much easier. Online traffic info allows one to reroute and avoid major jams. For example, the last time I was in LA I was driving on the 605 south. Google traffic showed a big delay at the 605/91 interchange. I easily exited before the jam and took a surface parallel street around the traffic stoppage. In the 70's and 80's all one had was the traffic reports on the radio.

Also the way to avoid traffic on trips is to either leave very early in the morning or travel late at night. There is not much traffic around 5am or at 11pm.

In addition modern cars are much more reliable and people do not have to worry about the random breakdowns of late 1970's and 1980's automobiles.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by capoeira

Young people who want to explore now have it much much easier. Online traffic info allows one to reroute and avoid major jams. For example, the last time I was in LA I was driving on the 605 south. Google traffic showed a big delay at the 605/91 interchange. I easily exited before the jam and took a surface parallel street around the traffic stoppage. In the 70's and 80's all one had was the traffic reports on the radio.

Also the way to avoid traffic on trips is to either leave very early in the morning or travel late at night. There is not much traffic around 5am or at 11pm.

Technology helps, but your above scenario doesn't always help.....depending on the circumstance, all routes might be slow. In the 70s and 80s, IME, having to think of using any route other than the one with the highest speed limits was rarely a concern.

In addition modern cars are much more reliable and people do not have to worry about the random breakdowns of late 1970's and 1980's automobiles.

That's true to a certain extent, but if you took really good care of your car in the 70s and 80s, it wasn't really an issue. More repairs, yes. Breakdowns with a well maintained car, not that much.

[Brandon Graves]

Alright, I'll play.

I was born and raised in #89 (Indio).

From the provided link to the list, I have lived in #12 (Riverside).

I have been (and actually set foot in, whether by stopping for a break or exploring, NOT just by driving through) to the following cities from that list: LA, SD, Anaheim, Riverside, Moreno Valley, Huntington Beach, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Oceanside, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Corona, Escondido, Torrance, Fullerton, El Monte, Costa Mesa, Temecula, Murrieta, Rialto, Santa Monica, San Marcos, Indio, Newport Beach, Hemet, and Buena Park.

I might have been to either Victorville or Hesperia (by stopping over, of course, on the way back home from Las Vegas), maybe only once or twice, but I can't recall currently.

The other incorporated cities in CA I have grew up/lived in (Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, and Perris) are all smaller than any of the top 100 largest cities mentioned on that list.

I have spent the night in Moreno Valley as a very young child. I have also spent a couple of nights (maybe about a week actually) in Costa Mesa, literally across the street from the OC Fair.

I have only been to five counties in CA (LA, SD, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino), and have only lived in one (Riverside) for almost my entire life.

I have (for the life of me) never been to anywhere north of San Bernardino County (specifically anywhere north of Baker).

[Brandon Graves]

Originally Posted by Peasy973

I also haven't been to the Coachella Valley either.

The Coachella Valley is not a city (well, it sort of feels like one big city, but still)...

The only Coachella Valley city on that list the OP provided is Indio, barely at the #89 spot.

You should visit the area sometime; you might not regret it.

[shooting4life]

Long Beach for me though I will be going at the end of April to tour the USS Iowa

[volosong]

Other than driving through, #3, San Jose is at the top of my "haven't visited" list. Also in the top ten that I haven't spent any time are Fresno and Oakland. I haven't spent any time in San Francisco or Sacramento since my Navy days in the very early 1970's. It is very different these days from what I remember. (Can you tell that I've spent my life in SoCal?)