Why do so many young people move to CA? (Costa Mesa: school, college)

[LDDiamondGirl]

Well, here is my opinion.

Young people move to California for the Thrill....dudes.

Does anyone on here NOT know how MOST of the people in the United States grow up and live? (referred to sometimes as "the masses" or "the red states")

California is heaven......and still the land of opportunity.... and it is plain exciting and fun and promising and vital!
Why wouldn't a young person want to try this on for size? Who wants to stay in Oklahoma at 21???

Since when do young people want to go somewhere because it's affordable?
That is not a priority for someone under 30. And besides, you get what you pay for...................young AND old.

So, that being said, I have one other thing to say about moving to California when young.

I'll say it in the form of a true story:

College grad in Psych moves to Santa Cruz at age 21. Works for surf shop. Gets his grad degree and sees patients on the side for a long time til he gets some credibility and a good patient base. Saves money and buys a small shop of his own in a couple years. Then buys the small place he's been living in when the landlord moves.

Cut to 25 years later...................

He's living in a property above the Santa Cruz mountains on about 3 acres worth about 3 million. He also bought the property the shop is on and it's worth about 2 million today and it's income producing property.

He's put 2 kids through college, has had an incredible life, travels, surfs, does his own thing, and has plenty of money for an excellent early retirement while the rest of us have to work til we're 65.

Does that answer your question? Do you think a psychologist with a master's degree and a surf board could have done this in Cleveland?

Where else, without any genius investing, 24/7 working, or enviable inheritance, could an average guy who just worked and saved his money be worth that kind of cash at the end of 25 years for doing nothing?

That's why they come.

(and don't tell me it used to be affordable to live in California 25 years ago.....that's BS...I was here....and it was ANYTHING but affordable compared to the rest of the country back then either.)

[transplant from tundra]

Originally Posted by vive2003

Hi everyone--

I moved to California (Costa Mesa to be exact) this summer, essentially to live with my now ex-boyfriend. Anyhow, I am now taking a journalism class for which I need to write a feature story, and the subject I selected is young California transplants. Basically, when I moved out here I was surprised at the number of young people (late teens through mid-twenties) who relocated to this state from all over the country. It intigued me to investigate the reasons as to why California is the go-to state when a young person is moving away from his or her home base...I'm really hoping someone will have some opinions, references, people to talk to, etc. that might help me out with this...
Thank you!!!!!
-Haley

I moved here for many of the reasons that have already been mentioned. I wanted to get into the Hollywood scene and become a publicist and work with the big shots and go to the hot parties. But I also came out here for an adventure, knowing that it would only be temporary. I lived my entire life in the midwest and felt really sheltered. To experience the world meant moving to a big city that would kick my ass a little. Seattle, New York and Miami were all atop the list, but in the end, I settled for Los Angeles because I knew that if I ended up hating this city, I would be ok leaving it and not ever coming back. Here I am, three years later getting ready to get married. My fiance and I both know we'll be leaving this city and state altogether because the cost of living is too ridiculously high. But I think young people overlook this fact because the draw of LA, its glitz and glamour, weather and beautiful people are all very enticing. At the same time, I think that people come out here, not necessarily knowing this, to learn about what is really important to them, and to just get it out of their system. Many of my transplant friends have already left this city knowing that they won't ever wonder "What if I had moved out to LA?"

[canibeyou]

I probably won't be any help for your paper. I am 3rd generation born and raised in So.California. My husband, however, is originally from Ohio. When he was 24/ 25 he packed up everything he wanted and rode out to California on his Harley (which promptly got stolen at the Glendale Galleria). He didn't know one single person when he got here.... a bold move on his part, IMO. The reason he moved out here? The weather. He'd had enough of the cold and snow. Didn't want to shovel another driveway. Had nothing to do with movies or anything. Just kept seeing palm trees on TV whenever they talked about California and decided this is where he wanted to be. That was 26 years ago.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by vive2003

It intigued me to investigate the reasons as to why California is the go-to state when a young person is moving away from his or her home base..

This may be true, but before we try to answer the question, we should know if the question is valid. Are there any census or demographic data to support this? Or, is this purely subjective observation? How do we know that young people aren't moving proportionately to other states too?

This article below somewhat contradicts the question's assumption:

"The researchers found that California would need to attract nearly 160,000 college graduates from other states and countries by 2025 to meet economic demands. But since 2000, more graduates have been leaving California than coming from other states..."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/education/ci_5975550 (http://www.labusinessjournal.com/article.asp?aid=113703 - broken link)

If it is true and young people are moving to LA or Southern California, I would bet the likelihood of a young person moving is directly related to the amount of television he or she watches.

[Twinkle Toes]

A lot of people move here because we have a lot of opportunities for college educated young people.

[CantWait2Bthere]

SOCKETZ....Yeah...great post. I usually don't read all through the LONG posts, but what you were saying captivated me. Your writing style is very interesting. You should consider writing a book. Seriously.

[breakaway]

Originally Posted by canibeyou

Just kept seeing palm trees on TV whenever they talked about California and decided this is where he wanted to be. That was 26 years ago.

So does your husband enjoy living in So Cal now 26 years later?

[socketz]

Originally Posted by CantWait2Bthere

SOCKETZ....Yeah...great post. I usually don't read all through the LONG posts, but what you were saying captivated me. Your writing style is very interesting. You should consider writing a book. Seriously.

Thanks CantWait2BThere.

[CantWait2Bthere]

For those of you who haven't done so already...fill out your public profile. That way when someone reads a post they especially like they can get a little more info and get an idea about the person behind the screen name. Don't be shy!

[biiiiitch]

LA sucks.
its only fun if you live by the beach or have lots of money