A good rule of thumb as to whether it'll be worthwhile for you to leave California. (Sacramento: how much, new home)

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

Here's a list of common reasons why people like CA and alternative places that offer these and a lower COL:

Sunshine and mild to warm weather year round : Arizona, southern Nevada, Texas, Florida.

West Coast culture : Pacific Northwest

Multiculturalism : Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta

Marijuana : Pacific Northwest, Colorado

Mountains : Colorado, Idaho, PNW, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico

Beaches: Gulf Coast, Florida, PNW (if you don't swim or surf)

This is an interesting thread. Like most generalizations I can see 'some' truth to it. By that I mean for some it probably holds more true than for others. However, when you consider all of these attributes combined (and more) California is truly greater than the sum of it's parts. Its like a fully functioning body working in unison (sometimes taken for granted) vs. living with a bad left shoulder which may not be used as much. But still, when needed its a problem.

We actually learned this the hard way leaving CA and buying a home in a more affordable region of the country. It wasn't until after leaving that we realized all of the intangibles that one takes takes for granted while living in CA. We really enjoyed the mountains and figured CO would be a good fit. Yet eventually we came to realize we missed too many things simply not available there like the ability to drive the coast when we wanted to, to hike in the mountains year round or more of a true multi-cultural experience, etc... There were also new cons we had never experienced before and really didn't like that came with living a mile high+. Totally unpredictable weather with lighting storms that injure people every year, bad hale storms that crack windshields, driving on ice more than expected, 5 degrees and sunny out, blizzards in Spring and Fall and so forth.

This is not to say some shouldn't move from CA to these places. Sometimes other states like CO, AZ, TX, FL, et al can be a good fit for certain folks in spite of their cons. I actually encourage people to go out and experience other locations because I think it helps them learn about other ways of life. In fact, it really helps one discover what is truly important 'to them.' In addition, with all the people flooding into CA its probably a good thing that some leave as well.

We're at a bit of a crossroads now ourselves considering leaving CA again. Its time for a new adventure for us. While going in with eyes wide open, we realize even more there certain aspects we'll miss. There's always the possibility of returning if we decide to some day. So that makes the move a bit more fun when looking at it as new experience vs. the last time one will ever set foot in CA again or anything like that.

Derek

[DeanoSF]

Originally Posted by Californiaguy2007

Californians are not moving to Texas in droves,though it's a yearly news headline which gains clicks/views.

I moved from Texas to California...and I drove.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by DeanoSF

I moved from Texas to California...and I drove.

Drove in reverse ...

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by DeanoSF

I moved from Texas to California...and I drove.

Costs more in CA now to drive anywhere.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Costs more in CA now to drive anywhere.

Yes, but less than to fly then drive which we'll be doing when we move. Flying back to visit friends/family will be a part of the new deal.

Derek

[kpl1228]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

If you're struggling to make ends meet despite trying your best, the answer is Yes, you should leave.

But if you have a career that pays well outside of CA and a family receptive to the idea, then this is what you need to consider:

What makes California so great in your mind? Reflect on that. If it's just one or two of the common reasons below, you're probably better off somewhere else. If you got 2 strong reasons or several of the below are dealbreakers, then moving away might not be worth it even if you get a lower cost of living elsewhere.

Here's a list of common reasons why people like CA and alternative places that offer these and a lower COL:

Sunshine and mild to warm weather year round : Arizona, southern Nevada, Texas, Florida.

West Coast culture : Pacific Northwest

Multiculturalism : Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta

Marijuana : Pacific Northwest, Colorado

Mountains : Colorado, Idaho, PNW, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico

Beaches: Gulf Coast, Florida, PNW (if you don't swim or surf)

Truly never understood why "marijuana" is listed on the same level as sunshine, beaches, and mountains. Really? Why not say "beer?" or "Really good coffee?" If it is SO crucial to a positive quality of life, what does that say about a person seeking it out as a must for living?
I mean, I love Blake's Lottaburger, but it's not a key reason I stay in New Mexico. Nor would I move here from out of state for it.

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by TacoSoup

And how many of that 39,109 were originally from there or the region? I know of at least 4 that were. I’ve always wondered what the breakdown is of all these “Californians” leaving? With the exception of some retirees my mom knows and just a couple of people I know, everyone that has moved out of state that hasn’t come back wasn’t originally from here, or spent a significant amount of their life here. Most that I know that left either came here for college or in their 20-30’s.

I’m with Tulemutt, don’t discourage those that want to leave

I agree, on both accounts.

We had neighbors who were originally from a state which shall remain nameless (and toothless, judging from the looks of their teeth after they moved back to X), whose father couldn't wait to get back to a very low COL state, which was, by the way, his birthplace.

[Veritas Vincit]

Originally Posted by Californiaguy2007

Californians are not moving to Texas in droves,though it's a yearly news headline which gains clicks/views.

There's good reason to believe that since 2000 over a million Californians have moved to Texas. (It was 600,000 between 2004 and 2013 according to the Sacramento Bee).



Of course in the same time span a good number of Texans have also moved to California, but according to the California state legislature itself the period between 2007 and 2016 saw a net loss of nearly 300,000 between California and Texas i.e. 300,000 more Californians moved to Texas than vice versa.


Naturally, California continues to draw a whole lot of people from the Northeast and Upper Midwest as well. And the Northeast and Midwest continues to generally 'leak' people to the South and West. But those are trends that have gone on for many decades and there's pretty good explanations for them.


The reason California's 'people drain' to other states - not just Texas of course - is something people talk about is that it seems to go against the grain. California is the lone "sunny" state among the losers in the domestic migration sweepstakes. No-one needs to look or think too hard to explain why people move to L.A. from Rochester, NY or Scranton, PA. It's also not that hard to see why a new college grad from Ann Arbor, Princeton or Cambridge may want to head to California to get their career started.



But California was always seen as a destination state. And at face value, it's tough to understand why you'd leave. Texas, Florida, NC..none of those places have anything on California in terms of natural environment, the atmosphere, the lifestyle possibilities. And yet since the early 90s recession - when a lot of the aerospace and oil/gas industry in California suffered badly - there's been a steady flow of people leaving for other states. It stands to reason that this is a result of economic factors rather than a sudden rise in earthquake awareness or a newly discovered distaste for 70 degree days in January.



To me, California as a whole is basically like a macro version of a gentrifying city. You have an influx of younger people with hopes for a career in both high skill and high prestige jobs, some of them make it and love it, others don't make it and either slum it or leave again. Among those already there, the people with industrial and other 'old economy' jobs are a dying breed and will either retire/die off or leave. Their kids will try to stick, but if they don't get a high value job, they'll consider leaving as life on a low-level white collar job might be better elsewhere. If they don't do well enough even for that, they'll join the ranks of the service underclass on the periphery..and may also leave to look for a better lot elsewhere. As a result the California 'crisis' is really a crisis felt only by particular segments of society, and it's not surprising that those on the 'winning' side don't feel it or understand it.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

But California was always seen as a destination state. And at face value, it's tough to understand why you'd leave. Texas, Florida, NC..none of those places have anything on California in terms of natural environment, the atmosphere, the lifestyle possibilities. And yet since the early 90s recession - when a lot of the aerospace and oil/gas industry in California suffered badly - there's been a steady flow of people leaving for other states. It stands to reason that this is a result of economic factors rather than a sudden rise in earthquake awareness or a newly discovered distaste for 70 degree days in January.


.

Nope. More people move out of CA than move in from other States.


The growth is birth and foreign migration into CA.

[Veritas Vincit]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Nope. More people move out of CA than move in from other States.


The growth is birth and foreign migration into CA.

What you say does not contradict anything I say. My post mentioned that California drains people to other states and has done so for a couple of decades, note that I say "was always seen" not "is seen". And I did not mention immigrants from other countries as that's not really the topic here.



But obviously this was not always the case. California had less than 1.5 million people in 1900. By 1950 it was 10.7 million, by 1990 it was 30 million. Some of that growth came via immigrants, but a whole lot of it came from people out of state moving there.



Almost every "anglo" (i.e. white or black) person born in the state of California has a story of at least a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent who came to California from elsewhere in the country...which makes sense given there weren't all that many Anglos in California before the 1920s.



California was one of the main domestic destinations for people elsewhere in the U.S. for much of the 20th century. The idea of 'going to California' is deeply embedded in modern American culture. The fact that this trend reversed in the 90s has only slowly entered the public consciousness if at all. There's still a whole lot of portrayals in movies and TV of people who moved to California to 'make it' and very few portrayals of "ex-Californians". And of course, thats because for a certain, well-educated and well-connected part of the population the dream of moving to California is still very much a thing while the population groups that are leaving California tend to be not very interesting to the media.