Love SoCal, Can't Afford a House Here, where to folks go? (San Diego: low income, for sale)

[RuggedAlpha]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Nice shot of Treasure Island.

Anyone who wants a house there better have 20m and up.

Thank you, oh and yikes!

[DougStark]

Re: other places mentioned. I've never been to Bend, OR but I checked out its climate. Thing I didn't like is how chilly the nights are--even in the summer.

The Prescott area is a good pic IMO. The area is growing fast. Same with Payson, AZ (also about a mile high.)

Some will laugh at this suggestion,
but northwest Arkansas metro area is beautiful, inexpensive, and growing like crazy. Beautiful lakes (reservoirs), mountainous terrain, moderate climate.

Yes, CA has prop 13, but that's not going to mean low prop taxes if you're in area with Mello-Roos taxes (those suck and aren't cheap.)

[RuggedAlpha]

Originally Posted by DougStark

Re: other places mentioned. I've never been to Bend, OR but I checked out its climate. Thing I didn't like is how chilly the nights are--even in the summer.

The Prescott area is a good pic IMO. The area is growing fast. Same with Payson, AZ (also about a mile high.)

Some will laugh at this suggestion,
but northwest Arkansas metro area is beautiful, inexpensive, and growing like crazy. Beautiful lakes (reservoirs), mountainous terrain, moderate climate.

Yes, CA has prop 13, but that's not going to mean low prop taxes if you're in area with Mello-Roos taxes (those suck and aren't cheap.)

As an aside, I think it's ridiculous that Hot Springs NP is even a National Park at all. I mean really. They're not even natural hot springs, but man-made bathhouses. Also, the park is only 5,550 acres!

Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Zion, Smoky Mountains, Sequoia, Yellowstone, Hot Springs.

Which one is out of place here?

Serious question. What the hell is there to do in Arkansas?

[k374]

I find it ridiculous that people think that California is the only livable place in the universe, must have a pretty inexperienced view of the world. I've been to 60+ countries and can tell you that it's nice but there are much nicer and cheaper places around. Weather is not the only single criteria to evaluate a place. The weather in New York is mostly terrible yet there are a ton of people who absolutely love living there.

And no, people living elsewhere are not suffering and wishing they could live in CA. They are doing just fine and are very happy with their situation.

[RuggedAlpha]

Originally Posted by k374

I find it ridiculous that people think that California is the only livable place in the universe, must have a pretty inexperienced view of the world. I've been to 60+ countries and can tell you that it's nice but there are much nicer and cheaper places around. Weather is not the only single criteria to evaluate a place. The weather in New York is mostly terrible yet there are a ton of people who absolutely love living there.

And no, people living elsewhere are not suffering and wishing they could live in CA. They are doing just fine and are very happy with their situation.

Who said on here that CA is the only livable place in the universe? Please provide a quote.

You literally just invented a straw man. If you haven't noticed, most of the comments on the CA forums are negative. Just check the first page, there is 2 "Hate CA" threads back to back.

You're just not used to reading positive comments about the state. All we said is that we love it here & wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I've heard some people say that about Maine, Arizona, Washington, etc. Don't get your panties all up in a bunch dude.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by RuggedAlpha

As an aside, I think it's ridiculous that Hot Springs NP is even a National Park at all. I mean really. They're not even natural hot springs, but man-made bathhouses. Also, the park is only 5,550 acres!

Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Zion, Smoky Mountains, Sequoia, Yellowstone, Hot Springs.

Which one is out of place here?

Serious question. What the hell is there to do in Arkansas?

You should go visit. There are some beautiful spots there.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by RuggedAlpha

Love reading your posts. Where are you from originally? What part of CA are you living now?

I'm like you. I could never live outside the state. The top 3 reasons why I love it here:

1. Biodiversity:CA has it all. Beaches, mountains, forests, deserts, lakes, rivers, islands, canyons, volcanoes, hot springs, etc.

2. Public Land:Approximately half the state is protected and set aside for public use. So many states prohibit their citizens from enjoying the land by privatizing the majority of it like Texas, Maine, Oklahoma, Ohio, etc.

3. Recreation: The sheer amount of cool things to do here is incredible. For example, last weekend I went to the San Diego Zoo. This weekend I'm going to Seaworld. In 2 weeks I"m going to Big Bear for a week. I'm most likely taking my wife to Laguna Beach for her birthday in August. I'm taking my son to Disneyland on his birthday in September.

I once had your attitude about Ca being the best and I could never live anywhere else.
Then I actually visited other places and then I realize that Ca was not that much better than some other places.

addressing your points
1. I agree, but Ca is a big state. If you live in Redding and want to go to the desert, you still need to go about 800 miles. The beaches are different. While you put down other beaches, at least you can go into the water there and not freeze. Some of the coast lines in Oregon and Washington as well as New England have spectacular scenery.

2. You do realize 7 states have a higher percentage of public land than Ca. How much public land do you need?

3. You need a better argument for the recreation since your choices are evident in many major cities. Zoos, aquariums, lakes, amusement parks are in many states.
Bear in mind your California is not the same Ca for everyone. Would you still be doing all those activities if you lives in Marysville or Alturas? Coastal metro areas do not equal all of Ca.

Ca has a lot, but it's not like other states don't have a lot.
I ran a calculation on another thread on the cost of living. For the sacrafice of living in a state that has 90% of what Ca has, it is possible to invest the difference and in 10 years have over 3 million. In 15 years it was 5 million. That's a lot of money to secure your kids future or your own retirement.

[RuggedAlpha]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

You should go visit. There are some beautiful spots there.

We live in a beautiful country. Every state has some scenic areas, some more than others. lol

I would love to rent an RV and travel all around the US. Spend at least a month or two. Hopefully I get a chance to do that within the next few years.

[V8 Vega]

Buy a starter house in Pacoima or other low house price area. Live there a few years as equity builds up, sell and get a better house in a better neighborhood. This is what people do.

[RuggedAlpha]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

I once had your attitude about Ca being the best and I could never live anywhere else.
Then I actually visited other places and then I realize that Ca was not that much better than some other places.

addressing your points
1. I agree, but Ca is a big state. If you live in Redding and want to go to the desert, you still need to go about 800 miles. The beaches are different. While you put down other beaches, at least you can go into the water there and not freeze. Some of the coast lines in Oregon and Washington as well as New England have spectacular scenery.

2. You do realize 7 states have a higher percentage of public land than Ca. How much public land do you need?

3. You need a better argument for the recreation since your choices are evident in many major cities. Zoos, aquariums, lakes, amusement parks are in many states.
Bear in mind your California is not the same Ca for everyone. Would you still be doing all those activities if you lives in Marysville or Alturas? Coastal metro areas do not equal all of Ca.

Ca has a lot, but it's not like other states don't have a lot.
I ran a calculation on another thread on the cost of living. For the sacrafice of living in a state that has 90% of what Ca has, it is possible to invest the difference and in 10 years have over 3 million. In 15 years it was 5 million. That's a lot of money to secure your kids future or your own retirement.

Rebuttal

1. I would argue that Northeastern CA has desert and is within a relatively short distance of 150 miles from Redding. Even if you want go with the 3 traditional deserts CA has, you are greatly exaggerating by saying it's 800 miles.

Death Valley National Park is approximately 500 miles away. Granted, it's still a drive, but it's 300 miles less than what you say. Also don't forget the beautiful desert of The Great Basin Desert with some spectacular scenery, such as the Alabama Hills which is right by the Sierras.

Also, I wasn't putting down other beaches. I was challenging the claim that Alabama beaches are much better than any beaches here. Sure, I pointed out that I'm not a fan of a flat coastline with lots of high-rises. Personal preference. Other states have great coastlines as well.

2. I never said CA had the most public land. AK & NV have the most. All I said was about half the state was set aside for public use. This is very important to me because I take full advantage as a citizen. For example, the state that you live in Georgia, only has 9.7% public land. No offence, but that's truly pathetic.

3. So please tell me where else I can have a beach vacation, mountain vacation, visit world-class theme parks (not you're typical amusement parks), go to multiple major cities (most states only have 1 major city) weekend after weekend all in 1 state? I'll wait. The amount of recreational opportunities here are unparalleled and frankly I don't know why you're trying to argue this point.

Northern California is a nature's lovers paradise so I would be very happy there as well.

4. Dude if I want to spend my hard-earned money to live in CA because I'm happy here, who are you to tell me I'm wrong. Why does it bother you that I'm truly enjoying my life here and have no interest to go live in the South like you? There are still plenty of affordable areas in CA.

I'm just tired of having an army of posters, many who don't even live here, tell me I'm wrong that I'm happy as a clam in CA and that I should live somewhere else. It's annoying.

PS Are you a millionaire now that you don't live in CA? Why are you even on these threads when you don't live in the state?