Will Californians move after the fires? (not an anti-Cal thread) (Los Angeles: homes, top school)

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by ZeApelido

Are you controlling for the same size house / location / school quality as in the Bay Area?

I did that comparison with San Diego, looked San Diego houses cost about 1/2 controlling for those factors.

I haven't looked at Denver much but I think the costs are a bit less than San Diego controlling for the same factors.

No, why would I do that? If I relocate, I want a step up in lifestyle.

Although, I'd say I'm not looking for a mansion or anything. Our place now is ~2,600 sq ft, so we'd probably be looking around 3,500, given that we'd likely be indoors more. We are in a top school district in a desirable community in the East Bay, so we'd want schools of similar quality.

[ZeApelido]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

No, why would I do that? If I relocate, I want a step up in lifestyle.

Although, I'd say I'm not looking for a mansion or anything. Our place now is ~2,600 sq ft, so we'd probably be looking around 3,500, given that we'd likely be indoors more. We are in a top school district in a desirable community in the East Bay, so we'd want schools of similar quality.

Yeah under normal circumstances I definitely agree, would have to end out ahead financially to move.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by ZeApelido

Yeah under normal circumstances I definitely agree, would have to end out ahead financially to move.

Yeah, I mean we can afford it. We have a ton of equity tied up in our current home and a lot more in stocks/investments. The question for us is whether the remote work trend will be permanent vs the need to be close to a major metro area, like the Bay Area. I don't think we'll fully know the answer to this (aside from a few select companies) until after COVID is over. The other thing is whether we'd like the place. Its one thing to visit for a few days, but entirely another to live long-term.

We're taking a wait and see approach with how COVID plays out over the next 6 months. Another possibility is buying a vacation home elsewhere, or renting out our current place, so we could always move back if needed. Or we could use that to spend our summers there without fully relocating. Haven't determined the right answer yet.

[Tedster24]

The poor air quality has been unrelenting and it affects everyone's lungs.
I suspect some people will eventually put this fire season out of their minds until the next one approaches again.
The problem is that the fire season is no longer just a possibility, it's a likelihood.
Sorry for you up in Oroville. That kind of air is tough to chew.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Tedster24

The poor air quality has been unrelenting and it affects everyone's lungs.
I suspect some people will eventually put this fire season out of their minds until the next one approaches again.
The problem is that the fire season is no longer just a possibility, it's a likelihood.
Sorry for you up in Oroville. That kind of air is tough to chew.

From everything I read, this is going to get worse and worse, year after year. Sure, some years will be worse than others, but the long-term trend doesn't look good for CA and much of the West. We're looking at hotter, drier, longer fire seasons, punctuated by intense, brief rainy seasons, which will only create more dry fuel.

Unfortunately, CA is so dry for many months of the year, it is not well positioned to withstand the long-term global warming trends. Other parts of the country have their own problems (hurricanes on the gulf/east coast, tornadoes/derechos in the midwest/great plains, extreme heat in the southwest). The options for a livable climate are becoming more and more limited.

[ManApplet]

Moving if undertaken would not be about future fires. any area that is burnt out by a major wildfire is fire safe for many years to come. Possibly indefinitely with proper management.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by ManApplet

Moving if undertaken would not be about future fires. any area that is burnt out by a major wildfire is fire safe for many years to come. Possibly indefinitely with proper management.

My neighborhood doesn't have a huge fire risk, but its the smoke that's the bigger issue.

[WestGuest]

Denver is a fun place but people should know it has huge traffic and many summer days in the 90's. Some Californians are not used to that- well the traffic yes.


Colorado is also dry - very few places have over 20 inches of rain per year.


Boise is a friendly town but it also gets hot during the summer. Walking across the river park with my especially cute dog - just about every person during the course of 30-40 minutes had something nice to say or wanted to pet her. That doesn't happen everywhere.


Alaska had way too many aggressive mosquitoes.



My search for a summer place and one relatively fire proof ended up with two finalists- Nova Scotia and SW Washington. Nova Scotia is wet enough, friendly and not expensive -especially out of the cities. Many would ask "What do you think of your president?" When I replied with invectives, they were even friendlier. LOL IN Nova Scotia its not hard to find places with an ocean or bay view.


We finally settled on Skamokawa- Cathlamet Washington. Californians haven't discovered it yet LOL . These places are about 1 hr NW of Portland and are so scenic with especially clean air. The rainfall in Skamokawa is close to 100 inches a year so climate change will hit them last.


I just wanted to see what Californians are thinking. I lived in Cal for college and am so happy I picked the University of California Berkeley.


Thanks for all the responses so far.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by WestGuest

Denver is a fun place but people should know it has huge traffic and many summer days in the 90's. Some Californians are not used to that- well the traffic yes.


Colorado is also dry - very few places have over 20 inches of rain per year.


Boise is a friendly town but it also gets hot during the summer. Walking across the river park with my especially cute dog - just about every person during the course of 30-40 minutes had something nice to say or wanted to pet her. That doesn't happen everywhere.


Alaska had way too many aggressive mosquitoes.



My search for a summer place and one relatively fire proof ended up with two finalists- Nova Scotia and SW Washington. Nova Scotia is wet enough, friendly and not expensive -especially out of the cities. Many would ask "What do you think of your president?" When I replied with invectives, they were even friendlier. LOL IN Nova Scotia its not hard to find places with an ocean or bay view.


We finally settled on Skamokawa- Cathlamet Washington. Californians haven't discovered it yet LOL . These places are about 1 hr NW of Portland and are so scenic with especially clean air. The rainfall in Skamokawa is close to 100 inches a year so climate change will hit them last.


I just wanted to see what Californians are thinking. I lived in Cal for college and am so happy I picked the University of California Berkeley.


Thanks for all the responses so far.

Cathlamet Washington is a nice small town.

[Thaitea]

I hope some people will move. Please