What is your favorite thing about California that makes you want to stay? (San Francisco: condo, schools)

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by NorCalMan

We'll be moving eventually, the only two things that are holding us in California are well paying jobs and kids in H.S. I suppose I would miss the ease of getting from the ocean to the mountains but the ocean is a once a year trip and there's mountains galore everywhere else, save for fly over country. I guess I could see myself missing the cuisine options, that said, I can cook just about anything at home with a good cookbook or YouTube.
I won't miss family, they can come and visit. I won't miss expensive everything. Traffic. Smog. Homeless. Liberal politics.
Yeah, so, once kids are done with H.S. and jobs are located in a different state I don't see us missing CA that much. Maybe I'll miss In-N-Out once we're gone. I'll probably miss our neighbors, they're good people on a good street, but none of these are enough to keep us in California forever.

Where are you thinking of moving?

[NorCalMan]

Originally Posted by V8 Vega

I was just in Oregon, it sure is a lot cleaner there.

We spent Christmas up in central Oregon.. Bend area. So much cleaner, friendlier, cheaper. Real estate isn't cheaper there but gas and groceries sure are. So much to do and see as well.

[NorCalMan]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Where are you thinking of moving?

Montana or Wyoming. I did a cost of living analysis for Sacramento and Billings and even with the reduced pay there we end up with far less expenses and more money at the end of the month. Wyoming would see an even greater savings as long as their taxes are kept low by mining. Montana's scenery is amazing though, whereas most of Wyoming is just brown. If we moved to Wyoming it would be for university for our kids, so that means Laramie, otherwise Sheridan and Cody are nice places with mountains that are protected from the Wyoming wind.

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Curious to hear people's answers... only pick one thing/reason even if you have 100 things or reasons.

I used to say surfing.

I considered saying weather, since we and the kids can spend all day outside be it January or July.

I also considered saying natural beauty, since we just got back from (too many days in) a place where we had to spend all our time indoors due to the weather, and the look of all that flat land filled with dead fields, strip-malls, and barrent trees was super-depressing.

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However, with the rest of the country turning into Gilead, and now that I've got kids whos' bright futures I want to protect: I'd say the culture. The fact we're allowed to live and let live here, unlike the ****hole state where I grew up.

[Radical347]

Any kind of food you want, at nearly any time in nearly any of the major metros. (Weather would be a very, very close second.)

[Slytrix]

Today....need I say more.

[citizensadvocate]

I written a city data tread on what legal rights keep people in California.
I mentioned:
-No Civil asset forfeiture allowed, amazingly there are many states including neighboring Arizona that do this allowing the state to seize your money or property for being suspected in use of a crime even if you are not convicted of a crime.
-Schools are not required to make up days lost due to force majeure provided the principal/superintendent done so in good faith according to the 1990 education code change. I am surprised not many states are like this thus the horror stories of students losing days of spring break, summer break, and even sometimes official holidays like Memorial Day and Saturdays due to school cancellations caused by force majeure events, sometimes they are even ordered by local or state governments. California schools do get canceled due to heavy rain, mudslides, fog, earthquakes, extended power outage, freak low elevation snowfall, and especially wildfires which can last for weeks too but students never have worry about school supervisors being made to return to school on scheduled non-school days down the year to make them up.
Unruh act, anti-discrimination I don't know if this is a good idea or not for most people.
Cooling off periods.
Referendum and ballot initiative opportunity or possibility for the normal citizen? I am guessing this is not the norm throughout the country at least not the federal government.

[04kL4nD]

1. Not having to live in Florida, Texas, or Arizona to experience warmth and sunshine on a regular basis
2. Not having to live anywhere where shoveling snow is a regular occurrence during winter
3. Not having to live anywhere were it rains 7-8 months out of the year

[kttam186290]

The comments here between two sets of posters are glaring:

The right-wingers talk about "top dollar" this, "value" that, "get it while you can", etc.

The moderates and liberals talk about their love of diversity, being close to family, geography.

[Natural510]

The thing I miss the most and would allow me to move back (if I could afford it) is the food...by far. Not only the nearly infinite options, but the quality and freshness of the ingredients (since so much is grown locally).