Transplants who love California (Empire: to live in, stats, move)

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by Eli34

I'm a transplant from Canada which is pretty similar lifestyle to the U.S. And honestly I love it here in California...so much so that I'm struggling to make it work for me and my family. Many times I have thought about leaving to another state where housing is cheaper, but then my pay would go down as well, plus there is something special about California. It's really a love hate relationship in many respects....you have to deal with crowds, forest fires, high cost of living, but then with all that you get great weather, food, beaches, nature, parks, bountiful amenities...and that bright California sun shining on your smiling face. It truly has been the most conflicting and interesting chapter of my life and I'm doing my best to make it work.

You are correct about the struggle and why it is a struggle for many. Make more and you still have to deal with crowding and traffic, but on the other hand no other State has the amenities CA does.

[NORTY FLATZ]

If it were that bad, there'd be a mass exodus. I mean millions...

[Mr. Zero]

I’m a NYC-native, but my wife grew up in LA and we ended up moving here to start our family. It’s been pretty amazing and I love it here, although when the kids are grown up and we’re both retired, I think I’d like to spend half the year in LA and half the year in NYC.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

If it were that bad, there'd be a mass exodus. I mean millions...

Maybe. But moving takes money, a job in the new location, etc. Do I feel a huge number want to move? Don't know. Are there perhaps many who want to stay but feel they can't, but can't find a way to leave yet? The State in many ways is definitely not "bad", yet in a few others it is as no State is perfect. As long as you can afford it, the "bad" is something people can handle, once you can't ...? CA is my favorite State and I have lived in others. With my income it isn't a problem.

[92greenyj]

Originally Posted by ykcawtsrif

I'm no Gavin Newsom cheerleader. I thought he was an arrogant SOB way back when he was the mayor of SF. But, I can safely assure you that Fox News, OANN, Breitbart, and Newsmax aren't your friend!

Just don't come to Utah, please. Our conservatives are more (relatively) reasonable and pragmatic than in most other states, such as those in the South and Midwest and the Karen crybabies in California. The rest of us are gradually striving to turn Utah purple (not blue, but purple) sometime before the year 2040.

Overwhelming one-party control is disastrous; look at California and Alabama, and even Utah when it comes to some matters. Sure, I don't want some Berkeley-esque, hyper-PC, blame-the-rich-for-everything culture shoved down my throat. But, just as much, I dislike the anti-democratic, anti-freedom, quasi-fascistic, insurrectionist, treasonous scum that Republican leadership and many of their voters have become.

I can safely say this because I left the Republican Party, because of what they were rapidly becoming in the mid-to-late 2010s.

I don’t watch Fox News or any of the others for that matter. There really is NO unbiased news source anymore. I form my own opinions thanks.

We did look at Utah briefly. Our original list of states we were considering was Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Kentucky, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Maine. We did heavy research on each and looked at houses and such and slowly but surely chewed the list down. Maine won out and that is where we are heading. Utah was dropped because too many California liberals have taken up residence there and are slowly turning it into another blue hell hole like California. Iirc the school ratings in Utah were pretty crappy as well.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by 92greenyj

I don’t watch Fox News or any of the others for that matter. There really is NO unbiased news source anymore. I form my own opinions thanks.

Ok I’ll bite. Where do you get the information that feed your opinions?

[Bonezman765]

I am a right winger and as much as I can't stand most of the locals in the major metro areas here in California, I am comfortable being in the outer suburbs away from the types who I don’t get along with.

Also, the weather is very good for most of the year (try living in Seattle; hated that place and will live anywhere in the PNW ever again). The food scene is pretty good compared to most places in the US and it's a lot easier to eat civilized/healthy here.

The only issue I have with living in the Bay Area is dating as a heterosexual male (I miss being in Southern California for this) but I can handle being alone as at least I make great bank here and can do my once in a every few month holidays down to San Diego.

[TheseGoTo11]

I love the innovation and the weather, especially away from the fog this side of the Caldecott. The West in general makes the East and Midwest look bland. The politics here are a special kind of awful, but that's also true in NY and Illinois and they have to shovel snow.

[DKM]

Visited 5 years ago, I liked it but the wife made sure to let me know this is where we NEED to live. So I checked it out, there happens to be a good job market here for my profession so it worked out well. No more cold winters for me. The weather lends itself to more interaction with your neighbors and outdoor exercise. The downside is the price of admission is very steep.

[malcorub16]

I'm from San Antonio, moved to San Diego 17 years ago at age 23. Love San Antonio, I go back often and now own my parents land there, but in no way want move back to South Texas full time even with a free place to build. I love SD too much and have lived most of my adult life here, plus summers in SA are miserable.

If we were looking to purchase a house in SD today, I might be singing a different story, but we bought the right size house (3K square feet) on the right size plot of land at the right time and right price. There are plenty of reasons to dislike CA, but they haven't directly affected me. Perhaps if I had chosen LA over SD I would be singing a different tune and ready to head back to Texas.