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Well so many people are leaving now that word is out. You literally cannot go to many states without seeing CA people everywhere. When Orange county was cheap, boy did it make sense. You got a nice beach - albeit cold and the water not really usable for much. But you got your moneys worth.
When OC is a million for a starter home it's just not worth it. OC should be 300-500k for a house near the beach. After all you can't go 20 miles inland without being in poor, harsh conditions and the ocean water is not usable for much recreation. Therefore the gulf may be undervalued given a person could live right on the water for 150k. You might have crime issues and job issues at that price, like in Pensacola for example. Ft Myers was very cheap so it will be interesting to see in 50 years how this imbalance corrects. Coastal Cal is about doubly overvalued for what it offers.
The real reason MV, LN, Aliso, Laguna Beach, even Newport Beach are so pricey is something no one has brought up yet.
The "bad parts" of California are many, many miles from them.
To the north it's a very long way to things like Compton... to the south there's open space and Camp Pendleton serving as a firewall... to the east there's a national forest...
So basically the criminal elements are held at arms length by the particular form of land locking that's going on here.
That's why these cities may the "Safest Cities" lists almost every year.
So at that to the weather premium and you have the makings of astounding prices.
Prices aside, it was one of the main reasons I moved back here when I could.
It's basically a place that's likely to stay safe and low crime for the rest of our lives.
Just want to chime into this post! I am looking at moving from NYC to California or Colorado. Ideally I would love California's beautiful weather but I also do love mountains. Northern California isn't even a thought to me, wayyyy too expensive. I am curious if California is really outrageously expensive everywhere...it looks like they pay higher than Colorado would so I'm not sure if the ratio of the cost of living vs the salary is that different.
Depends on the spot.
Boulder CO for example has California home prices, but not the weather. And the jobs don't pay as much as CA.
Poke around on Zillow... home prices are the big killer in Ca. You'll find that even the prices in less desirable areas are high.
Just for grins, poke around in Compton on Zillow... you'd be amazed at what "the ghetto" costs.
Poke around on Google Maps and you'll also see that it's not the same "Ghetto" and northern and north eastern cities (i.e row homes and projects).
Compton is actually single family homes. Kinda calls into question the "street cred" of rappers from Compton IMHO, LOL!
Do you need to be relatively close to the ocean? Why most people can't leave Cali, the sun and the beach. If you don't, I'd leave the state entirely; a renter at the age of 55 looking to buy his first property in Cali....that's a tough road for sure.
Get on a plane and go to Denver, you might not come home. Every season here has an abundance of sunshine, it's sunnier here than So. Cal; I know, I lived in So. Cal. for 40 years. And you can still buy a big house in the burbs for less than $500k.
Denver is not for me. Lived for 5 years in Westminster CO, between Denver and Boulder.
Personally... I hate snow, LOL!
That said, if one were set up for it. Living in the mountains outside Boulder could have it's nice side.
But I do truly hate CO weather.
The car I drive now (It's 22 years old) says on the bumper sticker "Pollard Friendly Motors, Boulder, CO"...
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
But I agree, I met a lot of CA refugees while working in Boulder in those years.
The story I heard most about why they left was... "Was getting too crowded in CA". These were folks from around the San Jose area. Mostly Software Developers in my age bracket or older.
Hi All,
Came out to South OC about 12 years ago, love it here. But reality check says I'll never be able to own any sort of home here I'd like.
So where to folks that like CA, but want more house go?
I've heard things like "Prescott Az", "Bend Or" and others...
Anyone know where folks migrate to, that actually like SoCal, and they end up happy?
Forgot about owning a home and that problem will go away, that is if you are making enough money to afford the rent and desire to deal with renting?
I think home ownership is overhyped, in this day and age. That is if you rely on someone else for a paycheck and work in an industry that is very dynamic. The day's my parents and grandparents lived are gone, the market is too volatile and companies restructure more than ever. That dream house with the picket fence can be your ball & chain on the flipside if you have to stay or leave it during a major job loss or salary hit.
We owned a house in South Florida and sold it when we moved out here, made a profit because the market was good, if we did it 5 years earlier we would have lost a lot and probably would not have sold it so fast.
Paying taxes, insurance and the cost of owning a home in general, can be a burden as well, especially if you have a major salary hit, where as renting you can downsize fast and move around.
IF owning a home is a must, then I'd say move to a cheap rent district, that surely isnt' often where the job/jobs will be though. Been there and done that prior, also the hit on weather, culture and etc may not be worth it.
Lived in Westminster CO for 5 years. Drove up to Boulder for work every day. At that time, dreamed of going home to Fla. Hadn't lived in CA yet.
For me, S. Orange County is where I'd like to be, unless I can identify someplace that I'd like even better. (So far have failed at that... sure Maui or something... but I mean realistic destinations for me.)
But truth is, in order to stay here and be happy I need little more than a loft or 1/1, and it seems I've been priced out.
That's why the thread asks... "Where do folks that *like* CA but can't stay, go and also find happiness?"
I think everyone has lost sight of the original question... I.e. where do CA refugees go, and also be happy?
The answer to the original question is *generally* many, many states. Because we have literally millions of residents, they have quite a few different personal preferences. You can see that in part by some of the responses to this thread. For example, I know folks who moved from CA are happily living in OR, WA, HI, CO, NM, TX, AZ, ID, FL, SC, DC, & WI.
You could almost throw a dart at a map of the US and hit a state someone has moved to from CA and now enjoys. For you or me that state could sound terrible especially since we lived there already like CO or FL. But some people will swear they love living there *more* than CA. And for them it just works which is great for them. That's why my main point is it really boils down to your preferences more than anything else. Nothing else really matters in the end.
While its interesting to see where other CA's go, in a way I think you've already answered you own real question. For you OC is the best place to live. Honestly, I don't really care for OC. That's not to say its bad. But for the money I can think of many places I would rather live away from those crowds. But that's only my preference. Just like CO or FL is someone else's. We have relatives that retired to the panhandle of FL and think its the greatest. And its a heck of a lot cheaper than most of CA. So for them that's a wonderful place to live. See what I mean?
Based upon what you've said in the forum so far, I really don't think you're willing to compromise at all. Basically, you want OC but at affordable prices. Since reality collides with that fantasy, the only other real choice is to continue to rent or be willing to give 'something' up. That something will most likely be the weather. So is owning a home worth more to you than living in your perfect location? Maybe it is or maybe it isn't anymore? Also, doing nothing is actually making a decision like so many other Californians priced out of the market. They simply like it too much to leave, period.
While its interesting to see where other CA's go, in a way I think you've already answered you own real question. For you OC is the best place to live. Honestly, I don't really care for OC. That's not to say its bad. But for the money I can think of many places I would rather live away from those crowds. But that's only my preference. Just like CO or FL is someone else's. We have relatives that retired to the panhandle of FL and think its the greatest. And its a heck of a lot cheaper than most of CA. So for them that's a wonderful place to live. See what I mean?
Based upon what you've said in the forum so far, I really don't think you're willing to compromise at all. Basically, you want OC but at affordable prices. Since reality collides with that fantasy, the only other real choice is to continue to rent or be willing to give 'something' up. That something will most likely be the weather. So is owning a home worth more to you than living in your perfect location? Maybe it is or maybe it isn't anymore? Also, doing nothing is actually making a decision like so many other Californians priced out of the market. They simply like it too much to leave, period.
Derek
You are correct. My wife, a native Californian and born and raised in SoCal, loves certain areas there but sees many other areas a far better than SoCal. Each of us have different preferences and needs and balancing them with what we can afford is difficult if SoCal is a place a person wants to live. Many who can afford it also leave as I did. Love the State, but not a lot of what it has become. Will visit for sure and in fact will be there in Aug.
Very true, and I'm actually a degree'ed professional, working for a top Fort. 500 in "tech". (But making rather substandard earnings for a number of reasons. Some my fault, some just the market I'm in, offshoring, flat revenues, etc.)
First job I had in CA they actually offered me *more* than I asked for to start the job... they explained that at the national average-ish number I had asked... I wouldn't live here very long.... they gave me $10K / year *more* than I asked for when the offer letter finally came through.
And they were right. The sticker shock was amazing, in a very bad way.
I recall the manager said, "Because it's OC", and he was from Frisco....
I was clueless, having never really looked here or been here before.
Now I fully understand...
I have never felt like such a failure in my entire life to be honest... because I can look at a hillside and see 100 homes I could never afford... and yet someone else can.
Somehow I missed the boat! LOL!
I am an electrical engineering major, graduating from UC Davis next year. What do you mean that some reasons were "your own fault?" I'm sure even the most successful human makes big mistakes sometimes, but I'd like to hear some of your career advice, i.e. what you would do if you could start over again.
P.S. I read your previous post about the Inland Empire. Actually Temecula, Murrieta, and Eastvale in the Inland Empire are very safe, affluent, well-planned, with great potential, as well as being affordable. All these communities are much better than what most people think when they think "The Inland Empire." The Inland Empire does have brutal summers (I know, I've spent 10 weeks during the summer in New Orleans, and New Orleans has milder summers than the Inland Empire!) BUT Temecula, Murrieta, and Eastvale are on the Western fringe of the Inland Empire and should be the mildest, heat-wise, of the Inland Empire.
You are correct. My wife, a native Californian and born and raised in SoCal, loves certain areas there but sees many other areas a far better than SoCal. Each of us have different preferences and needs and balancing them with what we can afford is difficult if SoCal is a place a person wants to live. Many who can afford it also leave as I did. Love the State, but not a lot of what it has become. Will visit for sure and in fact will be there in Aug.
Exactly, its a complex, multi-dimensional problem with no single perfect answer. Let's take the OP's case, or anyone's who loves an expensive area of CA, mine included! Basically, you decide to stay and rent indefinitely. Or you accept some concessions and compromise to live in an area you can afford to buy a home in. Both choices come with certain pros/cons.
The upside of staying is you continue enjoying what you like the most of the highly overpriced area.The downside is all your rent goes to creating wealth and equity for someone else. As one approaches retirement, this becomes more clearly a potential problem.
The upside of moving and getting into a home is that one can finally start paying off a piece of property which has the potential to gain equity as well. The downside is the market is volatile and does fluctuate. Possibly the biggest downside is 'what if I end up hating living there and want to return, then what!?'
With risk comes the potential for reward? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If we leave CA or even our area of CA it will be knowing full well nothing will beat what we've discovered and love in Monterey. However, we may find a place we can both afford and enjoy while saving more for retirement which includes home ownership. That logic is becoming more and more the best financial choice for us. That could even include a more affordable area within the state itself like the Sierra Foothills, for example.
We have relatives that retired to the panhandle of FL and think its the greatest. And its a heck of a lot cheaper than most of CA. So for them that's a wonderful place to live. See what I mean?
That part of FL is cheap and the people are friendly, not overly crowded yet, cheap place to retire, still Hurricane prone but not for someone who is looking for similar work options like exist in the Bay Area or other locations where there is work and opportunity. That's the dilemma for many, lower COL often doesn't equal higher level of opportunity or where it's at for jobs, depends on what you do and where it can take you.
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