Is California really all that? (Los Angeles, San Diego: condo, crime rate, house)

[Saphyre]

Well said gizmo!!

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by enlightenme

True words when you are in your 20's. I felt the same way until I was in my 30's and wanted different things out of life. CA is really all that depending on where you live, what stage of life you are in, your finances, when you bought your home, your career and how far you have to commute in traffic. Otherwise, CA can start to feel like you are spinning your wheels and you aren't getting anywhere. Although, that feeling is also pretty normal on any given day on the 405 or other horrible parts of the freeway I was a true CA snob and I thought no other state could possibly compare until I moved away this summer. I now realize it really is how you look at things and I have decided to start looking at all of NC's wonderful features instead of what makes it "not CA." So, it kind of goes both ways and I will be the first to admit, I was starting to get really negative about CA. I felt like CA was holding us back from being a successful, prosperous family. We were making around $90, 000 a year, but we were living in a rental and working like dogs. Yes, we could have left our beautiful, overpriced coastal town and moved somewhere cheaper in the desert or something, but to us that meant we were leaving the part of CA that we loved, so we might as well move to another state.

I'll keep that in mind...thanx

[Need_affordable_home]

I would love to live in CA but its terribly expensive. Northern CA in a medium city best suits me. I dont want LA because of crime and urban sprawl. Yuba city looks good but id still need half a million for a nice big house

[jmc]

Part of their California "withdrawal" is to bad mouth the place.

Wow, well said!!! We are leaving California within days, moving east for a job transfer. I love California and will miss it...it was my dream to move here, and at 28, I DID move here! One of the best decisions I've ever made. Excellent posts above...CA has it all but comes at a financial price. For those of you who call this place home, enjoy sunny CA for me as we relocate to the east coast.

[Need_affordable_home]

You can always vacation in CA. I cant even afford Florida much less CA but theres alot I dont like about FL, hurricanes being one of them! Ill be sure to visit FL often but live elsewhere

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by Caliguy29

California basically has every type of
Even though this state may have over 37 million people,you'll be surprised to still find many areas that are Sparsely Populated or Rural.

I read somewhere that the majority of California's population live within 90 miles of the coast. The rest of the land, along with the climate in those areas, is not considered "desirable", and would therefore be less expensive than the coastal areas. Bottom line--the population of this state is anything but evenly distributed!

[Roma]

If you can "afford" to live in California then it is the best place to live! We moved out to Texas 2 years ago to retire and are planning on moving back to California ASAP! If you cannot afford owning a home in a nice area in California then I can understand the people that do not like California. Like Fastfilm, If I lived in the gettos and could not afford to move out of it then I would not be happy either. I only lived in nice areas so that was never a issue for us. I love the weather, the coast, the mountains, and the people-diversity (people from all over the world live in California). It is not for everyone but boy how I do miss it.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by Roma

If you can "afford" to live in California then it is the best place to live! We moved out to Texas 2 years ago to retire and are planning on moving back to California ASAP! If you cannot afford owning a home in a nice area in California then I can understand the people that do not like California. Like Fastfilm, If I lived in the gettos and could not afford to move out of it then I would not be happy either. I only lived in nice areas so that was never a issue for us. I love the weather, the coast, the mountains, and the people-diversity (people from all over the world live in California). It is not for everyone but boy how I do miss it.

We lived in a nice area when we were there (providing there can be anything nice about Fresno ), however I still do not wish to ever live there again. Some of us prefer not to have wall to wall people, concrete jungles and brown skies.

You're right it's not for everyone. After being born and raised there, left as soon as possible and we've never regretted our choice.

There's no problem with folks liking it, it simply isn't my choice of the good life

[Guerilla]

Well if you want to escape the prices head out to Fresno or Modesto. Both cities are high in poverty and crime is rising, but it shouldn't be too bad. I have family you lived in North Hollywood. They wanted more house for their buck, so they moved out to Perris, California. It is a little more than an hours drive from Downtown, but they like it. I think a lot of people are moving farther and farther out, and more urban centers are popping up.

I like California a lot, though. My mom is from Los Angeles. I have a ton of family all over the Los Angeles area, and some in San Francisco. I have a few cousins in Fresno, too. California has beaches, plains, deserts, mountains, it is all there. I always like visiting the place and seeing all of the natural beauty. Everyone must drive on 210 in San Francisco. It will take your breath away.

[ExNYC]

Yes, it is 'all that'. We only left because of the costs associated with maintaining our pleasant, but not sybaritic, lifestyle. I'd have stayed forever in Ventura County. Every now and then my husband has to remind me of the expenses we would incur compared to living in Oregon and I return to earth.