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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.
If those that can "afford it" but leave and still complain about how expensive it is, then that's an oxymoron.
Plenty here who can afford that don't leave and never complain, I work with many and it's mind boggling it's that perfect and these are natives who either lived here or elsewhere and/or left and moved back.
Of all the places I lived, this being the 4th State now, the fact nobody seems to complain is like living in The Twilight Zone for me, because I'm not use to nor does it seem normal.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MtnSurfer
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.
Derek
California the COL can be a real hurdle to setting yourself up financially which can prove disastrous later on in life. Once you can get the process started be it higher income or move to a lower COL area, it gets easier and easier to accumulate wealth. It snowballs a bit. Sometimes you have to sacrafice now to get what you want later. Hmm sounds like a Dave Ramsey line.
When I moved to Atlanta everyone told me I'd be back. I wondered myself if I would hate it and come back with my tail between my legs. Money aside I like Ca a smidge more. Counting money and just my general daily mood of knowing I am financially set the rest of my life without working is in incredible feeling so while we have a warm summer, for me I'll take the tradeoff.
But that's me and I know others either don't have to make a financial sacrafice or don't mind it to stay in Ca.
OP, unless you think you would really hate the condo, I would take that over renting forever or getting a bigger house inland.
While I enjoy my 5200 sq ft house, my first few years I rented a house about 1500 sq feet here and I was happy. Pretty much just used the bedroom and bath, living room, and kitchen and I would have stayed but the landlord raised the rent then decide d to sell forcing me out.
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.
They were in the military at Eglin AFB in Ft. Walton Beach where they retired. The husband continued to work in the area after retirement on a part-time basis just to stay active. He was able to find all the work he wanted. Though he did sometimes travel. For the Fortune 500 tech company I work for there is so much work in FL that they actually have to fly engineers out weekly for a large project. Reason? These experts refuse to leave their homes in CA and relocate there. Though some do. I know another engineer who telecommutes from FL to Monterey where he was able to buy a nice home near the water. His whole loves it there after moving from Monterey.
My point is, one can find work in FL depending on their profession. But its more about where one will also be happy living given no place will be perfect. If you could find an equivalent job would it still be worth it? For some, absolutely! While for others not so much.
Derek
Last edited by MtnSurfer; 07-29-2018 at 10:10 PM..
They were in the military at Eglin AFB in Ft. Walton Beach where they retired. The husband continued to work in the area after retirement on a part-time basis just to stay active. He was able to find the all work he wanted. Though he did sometimes travel. For the Fortune 500 tech company I work for there is so much work in FL that they actually have to fly engineers out weekly for a large project. Reason? These experts refuse to leave their homes in CA and relocate there. Though some did. I know another engineer who telecommutes from FL to Monterey where he was able to buy a nice home near the water. His whole loves it there after moving from Monterey.
My point is, one can find work in FL depending on their profession. But its more about where one will also be happy living given no place will be perfect. If you could find an equivalent job would it still be worth it? For some, absolutely! While for others not so much.
Derek
Not sure where this work is in FL, likely you are talking Software or IT, because that is big now all over the place. Figure in other Tech related work and FL on a whole is severely lacking, it's a tourism/retiree state #1, Medical is typically the biggest demand there and pay's well.
There is a little here and there, some work in the Space Coast but it's not a mecca like the SF Bay Area, Boston or Austin for jobs. Where we use to live in South Florida, much of it left or was moved out, a few industries hanging on but way too specialized for many to get into and you often need to know somebody (Good'Ole Boy Club) and salaries are not inline with the very high cost of living often.
Motorola was a big employer in South Florida, now they are gone. One of the locations near us, was leveled and turned into a housing/shopping center, the remainder of the business park adjacent to it, never took off and was turned into a housing development around the same time. Jobs left and never came back, a few we knew who worked there moved out here.
Sure you can find work in your profession in FL, will it pay a liveable wage, probably not and it may not be a typical CA style place to work, with the perks, free lunches, gym, paternity leave and all the perks you get here.
Plenty here who can afford that don't leave and never complain, I work with many and it's mind boggling it's that perfect and these are natives who either lived here or elsewhere and/or left and moved back.
Of all the places I lived, this being the 4th State now, the fact nobody seems to complain is like living in The Twilight Zone for me, because I'm not use to nor does it seem normal.
Probably because this is a city relocation forum, we read more here about people who are unhappy with where they're living and want to relocate. IRL, few people I know want to leave southern California. Those who have left did so for job opportunities.
If those that can "afford it" but leave and still complain about how expensive it is, then that's an oxymoron.
Plenty here who can afford that don't leave and never complain, I work with many and it's mind boggling it's that perfect and these are natives who either lived here or elsewhere and/or left and moved back.
Of all the places I lived, this being the 4th State now, the fact nobody seems to complain is like living in The Twilight Zone for me, because I'm not use to nor does it seem normal.
Yes many do not complain, but many do. People are different and their circumstances are different. IF you were a long time resident sand bought way before the recession or right after, you would be in good shape with housing and money. Do many move back, yes, but more leave. More people leave CA for other States than move in from other States. The growth is birth and foreign immigration, not other Americans moving in. If you enjoy it there, good for you. Economic conditions of each person play a part but not for all. Many are tired of the crowding, traffic, rising taxes and fees, huge homeless problem and a one party State govt that does what it wants, not what it needs to do.
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.
Raleigh, Austin, Dallas, and Atlanta all have plenty of high tech sectors and are much cheaper than the Bay Area.
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.
Derek
Kind of surprising that the lion's share of San Jose emmigrants are headed to the Pacific Northwest. Sure, Seattle's got Amazon and a lot of other tech companies, but it's not that much cheaper than San Jose. Portland is cheaper than Seattle, but the entire tech industry there is really overhyped and tiny, centered around Hillsboro and its intel plant.
Washington state does have no state income tax and Seattle does have a growing economy; no surprise Washington state is growing faster than California in population. Oregon, despite having no sales tax, has an economy even more sluggish than California's. And still, Oregon's population is growing faster than California.
I guess its because Seattle and Portland are very similar to San Fran in culture, scenery, weather, and food, just colder in the winter. Oh well, Californians are definitely missing out on tech hubs like Austin, Raleigh, Huntsville, and every other city in The South. Pssst Pssst! Texas and Florida both have no state income tax and their major cities are cheaper than Seattle! And it's not all desert in Texas! Houston features Florida-like bayous, swamps, and forests!
Have gone broke about three times in life too, so at this point I just want to settle in somewhere for the duration and try to get to doing some of the things I want to do before I croak! LOL!
Although, if I croaked tonight, it might actually be a relief! LOL!
I wouldn't have to worry about this question.
OP if you're 55 years old, aren't there age restricted communities that you could live in? I've seen a couple of places for rent/sale that tend to be much cheaper than non-age restricted ones.
I've sure you've probably looked into this, but if you haven't, I would highly suggest it!
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