For those wanting to move out of California, or for those that already have (San Diego: transplants, sales)

[leavingcali]

In an effort to make my research on relocating a bit easier, and to help others do the same, which places are you considering moving to and why? Or, if you have already made the move, what prompted you to chose the place you did and how do you like it?

So far, for me, I am considering Colorado and Texas (namely Denver and Fort Collings in Co. and Austin and San Antonio in TX). The weather seems doable in both places, the people seem friendly (at least the people on these boards do). The towns appear to be pretty places with lots to do, and they are both cheaper than CA. Although, I am a bit concerned regarding the high property taxes in Texas.

Thanks for your responses in advance; I am looking forward to reading them.

[bkeast]

My husband and I are native Californians looking to relocate as well (same reasons as everyone else, I suppose). We, too, looked into both Texas and Colorado, as well as Tennessee. Colorado is beautiful (especially the scenic drive up from the 70), but we decided against it in the end due to the high elevation levels and cold winters. We think we've decided on Texas, but aren't sure where. We've heard a lot of great things about North Dallas, so we're going to start looking into that. Tennessee is very beautiful, but very far away, humid in the summers, snowy in the winters, and right on the Madrid fault line (the Eastern part, where we were looking); these were big deciding factors for us. Texas isn't perfect either, but it seems to be a nice alternative to where we're at now. Let me know what you decide on, and I'll do the same.

[SandyCo]

I'm checking into eastern Washington and Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. I can't tolerate really hot summers (115 in Phoenix, for example), intense humidity (anything east of the Rocky Mtns), or cloud cover for most of the winter (Seattle). Climate is key in my search!

[Mvn2nc]

I am an already "had". I left in June and relocated to North Carolina.
We were lucky we owned,sold, made money and now have a beautiful brand new home surrounded with trees on 3/4 of an acre. Also bought an investment property. We could'nt be happier.

[renngrrl]

NC was our first choice but it seems their economy is going to be as messed up as CA soon since everyone is going there.

The other places we considered were Oregon, TN, KY, and western VA. I scratched Or off the list for the same reason as NC. VA is getting expensive from economic pressure coming out of DC so we're down the TN and KY which I don't see as settling at all.

There are two considerations for us - economy/housing/jobs and quality of life. The locals in places like NC, OR, WA, NV, and even ID are really not happy with everyone flocking to their cities from CA driving the prices up. I'd feel really uncomfortable moving into a situation like that.

[movingoutofCA]

Tennessee doesn't have state tax.

[vfrpilot]

We moved from San Marcos to Monument,CO, 3 years ago. We have a 6 year old and the school situation was the main concern for us. It didn't hurt that we made out in the stupid crazy San Diego housing market. We are in a very nice neighborhood with large treed lots. Monument is on the north side of Colorado Springs that has all the shopping and services we want. Denver is 40 minutes to the north. I usually try to take in a couple of Rockies games whenever the Padres come to town .The weather is not nearly as nice as SoCal, but we have found it tolerable. Weighing all the pros and cons, we don't regret leaving CA. Our quality of life here is much better IMO.
Paul

[socketz]

"The locals in places like NC, OR, WA, NV, and even ID are really not happy with everyone flocking to their cities from CA driving the prices up. I'd feel really uncomfortable moving into a situation like that."

Who cares what they think. Move to the place that makes the most sense for you and your family. Seriously, NV ? Without transplants, the only thing there would be scorpions. I also have friends in WA and OR, and these areas are very open to transplants as well. Especially WA who has alot of high tech that has attracted alot of software talent from as far away as the middle east.

[jdavid93225]

Although I will not be leaving for good any time soon, I do plan to retire out of California. I am staying put because I am firmly planted in my career and am more than half way through, and have a very good retirement plan that I intend to take full advantage of. By the time I do leave, I should also be able to take a very favorable capital gain from the sale of my home here.

Financially, retiring out of California looks much more favorable than staying here. I already have property in Wyoming, which is one of several states that does not have any income tax. In addition, property taxes and sales taxes are much more favorable than California.

The main reason I am planning to leave California, is that it has become far too crowded for me, and is getting worse all the time. In areas where I used to be able to get across town in about twenty minutes, it now regularly takes forty five minutes. Some places it's even worse than that. In places where I used to be able to drive safely down the street, there are so many people living in apartments that both sides of the street are jammed full of parked cars, creating a hazard when people don't park close enough to the curb, or when the open the door or dodge out from between the parked cars. The parked cars also prevent people from pulling to the side of the street when stopping or preparing to turn, causing more congestion. The streets are really too narrow to allow for parking on both sides, and often leave too little room for two cars to pass each other safely in the remaining space. This condition is no longer the exception, but has become the norm in many areas.

The other major reason I am planning to leave is the political climate in California. It is a state where you are judged more harshly because you are a legal gun owner than if you are a criminal. The taxes are high, and continue to increase supposedly to pay for improvements to the infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, police and fire services, roads, and so on. The problem is many of these systems are failing miserably, and the politicians keep saying it's because they don't have enough money. It is a vicious cycle that has not been kept in check. There seems to be no accountability on the part of the various agencies to keep within their budgets and to provide the service they are supposed to provide. With all the money I've paid in gas taxes over the years, and knowing that there are about 35 million other people in California, many of which contribute gas taxes, our roads here are about the worst I've seen anywhere in the nation. Part of the reason is that some of the roads are so crowded that they become nearly impossible to shut down to allow resurfacing. Another part of the reason is that the gas taxes that are collected to provide highway maintenance funds have been redirected to the general fund, which has been used to finance many other things besides roads.

The freedoms of Californians have been in jeopardy for many years, and are continually being eroded in the name of "public safety," "biological diversity," "environmental sensitivity," or "ethnic diversity." While each of these causes has a noble and honorable intent at the core, each of them has been used, and continues to be used, to whittle away the freedoms that Californians used to enjoy. At the rate at which these changes are happening, it won't be long until everyone is told where to live and work, how many children they can have, what to think, and where and when they can go on vacation, and so on. People will not be able to think or act independently, because that would be contrary to the "public good." To me this sounds like a scary science fiction novel, but it is quickly becoming the reality here. If you don't conform to the mold, you are labeled intolerant, racist, supremacist, bigot, chauvinist, homophobe, anti-so-and-so, or something similar. In some instances, the label fits, but often it is just a slur that is thrown at someone to discredit them and keep them from voicing their opinion.

I have seen the wonderful state of California diminished from one of the greatest places to live to becoming one of the worst. For the reasons mentioned above, I will be glad to get out of here when I have the chance.

[notmeofficer]

Amen david.. eloquently said

We are looking at east texas.. arkansas,,, missouri

we want a alot more land than we have now.. (27 acres) we would like a build a nice home ,, small but nice,, solar.. have a larger garden.. more diverse native trees and bushes.. ) currently we have scrub oak and grasses,, and wildflowers in the spring) definately looking for cooler in the summer

We want a less oppressive tax structure.. lower property taxes..