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Haven't taken part in this type of discussion in a while...
After getting back from a 12 day visit in NorCal last week (staying in the Bay Area, Monterey Peninsula, and Sacramento region) I can tell you it's much like I remember it to be - crowded, fast paced, fairly unfriendly, a little more run down, still amazingly expensive, and still very materialistic and flashy. And at the same time, the weather was very consistent and slightly cool for this time of year, the areas outside the urban landscapes were still gorgeous, plenty of great food and cultural influences from all over the world, we watched dolphins in Carmel, got a glimpse of the classic golden rolling hills with scattered oaks, found that 95% of my friends and family were still employed and 99% still enjoyed living in CA, and in the end, I wish I had more time to enjoy more of the areas I love in CA.
The problem we found with moving away from CA and going back to visit is that most all of our time is spent visiting friends and family, not visiting the places we loved to visit before we left (wine country, redwoods, different beaches and coastal regions, the Sierra foothills, Tahoe, etc). Not enough time in our trips to see everyone and all the great sights.
There are plenty of things not to like about CA, especially in the more populated and expensive areas. And even more so for the people who remember CA before it was so populated. Just like any area that has seen the type of growth CA's urban regions have seen, you'll find many who don't like the changes and wish for the "old times". But many don't know any different and still enjoy it for the positive aspects. I found that I still really don't care to live in the Bay Area again, at least not at this point of my life. We would have to compromise too much for it and it's becoming too crowded, a little more run down overall, and still extremely expensive. But we looked at some areas that I think we could be perfectly happy in outside of Sacramento, which will keep us close to family and friends in the Bay Area.
Different strokes for different folks. There will always be plenty of people who love, and would like to live in CA, no matter how many unhappy people you see in forums like this. Many can see past the negatives because they enjoy the positives so much more. I know this because I made sure to talk to as many of my friends and family as I could about this subject while I was there. Almost none of them wanted to leave the state. It seems that most of the people who are not unhappy in CA are not spending their time in forums like this talking about CA.
I've found that the CA forums are made up mostly of two groups - those looking to move to an area in CA and those who want to move away from, or have already moved away from CA. You don't find a huge number of people who live in CA and are content. I'm thinking that might be the same for many of the other state forums on this site. Curmudgeon is a good example of this. I just looked over his past 30 posts, only one of them being in the Arkansas forum, where the other 29 were in CA forums. It seems people that are content where they are don't spend much time in their home state/region forum, which is probably why you see the types of posts you do.
In any case, there is nothing wrong with CA. And then again, everything's wrong with it. Don't expect to get a completely balanced sampling of opinions in this forum though.
What I appreciate about your post is that you gave thorough examples for your opinion whether positive or negative observations. And clearly, the number of people who post on C-D don't in general reflect the overall opinion of Californians otherwise it would be a Republican state. I've poised the question to other posters who have left California but continually post on this forum with overwhelmingly negative comments. I actually like Curmudgeon but wonder if he actually has regrets for leaving California for the Ozarks and compensates by making negative comments about the very state he writes about abundantly each day.
On the other hand, many people seem to mourn how California has gotten so crowded. I don't have enough years to compare what it was like in California 50 years ago but have plenty of older relatives who did live in the state when the population was half of what it is today and it sounds like it was a real paradise.
A certain irony, the Americans took CA from Mexico, then complain when the Mexicans take it back... Fortunately I like my chile rellenos
We didn't "take it," we signed a treaty (Guadalupe Hidalgo) and paid $15 million for it. And the Mexicans are STILL stealing the things we've paid for...our cars, cells phones, government tax dollars, etc...
What I appreciate about your post is that you gave thorough examples for your opinion whether positive or negative observations. And clearly, the number of people who post on C-D don't in general reflect the overall opinion of Californians otherwise it would be a Republican state. I've poised the question to other posters who have left California but continually post on this forum with overwhelmingly negative comments. I actually like Curmudgeon but wonder if he actually has regrets for leaving California for the Ozarks and compensates by making negative comments about the very state he writes about abundantly each day.
On the other hand, many people seem to mourn how California has gotten so crowded. I don't have enough years to compare what it was like in California 50 years ago but have plenty of older relatives who did live in the state when the population was half of what it is today and it sounds like it was a real paradise.
I don't think curmudgeon regrets leaving Ca. I think he's just living up to his screen name LOL
Dude, I remember when California's population was 20 million. That was in the mid 80's and I'm younger than Curmudgeon and others who have become disenchanted with the state. The population seems to grow exponentially.
We didn't "take it," we signed a treaty (Guadalupe Hidalgo) and paid $15 million for it. And the Mexicans are STILL stealing the things we've paid for...our cars, cells phones, government tax dollars, etc...
We didn't "take it," we signed a treaty (Guadalupe Hidalgo) and paid $15 million for it. And the Mexicans are STILL stealing the things we've paid for...our cars, cells phones, government tax dollars, etc...
Let's just round up all the Mexicans, citizens or not, and send them all back to Mexico then. Seems like that's what many want. It's not just the illegals, they are unhappy with the "anchor babies", the Spanish language being spoken, and rarely is there ever a comment made against illegal immigration these days which targets only the illegals and not all those with Mexican heritage.
When I get home from work, I'll check with my wife to see how many cars, cell phones, and government tax dollars she was able to steal today.
Let's just round up all the Mexicans, citizens or not, and send them all back to Mexico then. Seems like that's what many want. It's not just the illegals, they are unhappy with the "anchor babies", the Spanish language being spoken, and rarely is there ever a comment made against illegal immigration these days which targets only the illegals and not all those with Mexican heritage.
When I get home from work, I'll check with my wife to see how many cars, cell phones, and government tax dollars she was able to steal today.
I'm glad you said this. This is likely the very reason why when we talk about illegal immigration, we get labeled racist if we take an even slightly harder stance on it.
It is true that the topic of illegal immigration has really become a veiled attack on Latinos in many ways. Rarely does the topic stay on just the immigration issue.
You don't find a huge number of people who live in CA and are content.
But sometimes being too content can lead to stagnation and a "head-in-the-sand" mentality. Then, you wake up one day and suddenly realize that everything has gone to hell. If humankind had remained content with living in caves we wouldn't have brilliant architechs, central heating and A/C or private bedrooms One a scale of 1 to 10 regarding personal contentment, with 10 being perfectly content, I would say I'm at 8. By October I will be at 9. I don't see 10 ever happening because there will always be something to prevent perfect contentment, like the driver in front of you keeping their right turn indicator on for the past 2 miles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludachris
In any case, there is nothing wrong with CA. And then again, everything's wrong with it.
Wow! I like that! On a more serious note...I hold nothing against Curmugeon or anyone else who feels that life is truly better somewhere else, and I find all reasons for leaving to be valid and worthy of respect. Six months ago my husband and I were considering moving to PA or AZ, but after thinking about it we realized that we've had a lifetime of uprooting and moving and we are ready to find our place and stick with it to the end. For us, that place is the town I was raised in...Simi Valley. At this point in life we just want to settle and get on with LIVING and take what comes with our choice. Simi Valley holds some sad memories for me, like the thought of passing by the church which I hold largely responsible for my dad's death in 2008. But on the flip side, Simi also holds many, many happy memories for me, which far outweigh the bad. It was a good place to grow up, and I think it will be a good place to die in as well.
And it is just as racist to claim that we TOOK California when we did NOT! I am finding it more and more distressing every day that those considered to be a minority are welcome and encouraged to talk rubbish about how "bad" Americans and whites treat them, but when we speak out against treatment towards ourselves we are racists.
Let's just round up all the Mexicans, citizens or not, and send them all back to Mexico then. Seems like that's what many want. It's not just the illegals, they are unhappy with the "anchor babies", the Spanish language being spoken, and rarely is there ever a comment made against illegal immigration these days which targets only the illegals and not all those with Mexican heritage.
When I get home from work, I'll check with my wife to see how many cars, cell phones, and government tax dollars she was able to steal today.
Granted, using the term "Mexican" was an ill-chosen one. What I should have said is SOME Mexicans, because it cannot be denied that in the San Fernando Valley the majority of crimes are being committed by Hispanics who are illegal aliens, gang members or both. To have limited my statement to only ILLEGAL Hispanics would have been inaccurate. This is fact. Then there are those in the Hispanic community (plus some in the white community) who have not been properly educated in the facts regarding how California came to be part of the United States, so they make fools of themselves by declaring that they are going to take California back because it was stolen from them. What *******s! I am 1/8 Native American and I don't go around making such claims about my ancestral tribal lands.
No, I do not believe that LEGAL immigrants of ANY country should be rounded up and sent back to where they came from. Like my husband, a LEGAL immigrant, they also saved the money, paid the fees, passed the qualifications and jumped through all the governmental hoops to EARN the right to be here. As a consequence they also had to agree to NOT become a burden to the public purse and are not allowed to collect welfare benefits, free medical, etc... What offends me is that many are coming here illegally and being allowed to claim what LEGAL immigrants are barred from.
Hispanics have enriched California with many aspects of their culture and their part in the history and building of our state should be honored and respected. But many are coming over the border who do NOT respect us, white & Mexican Americans alike, and they need to be removed from our society. Either you are an American or you are not, no matter what your race, color, creed or religion. I personally dislike terms like African-American and Mexican-American. It is divisive and segregationist. If you love the United States so much that you are willing to leave your homeland, then respect its people, customs, language and flag. Don't move to my shores and then start waving around the Mexican flag or the Iraqi flag and yell for the downfall of America.
But sometimes being too content can lead to stagnation and a "head-in-the-sand" mentality. Then, you wake up one day and suddenly realize that everything has gone to hell. If humankind had remained content with living in caves we wouldn't have brilliant architechs, central heating and A/C or private bedrooms One a scale of 1 to 10 regarding personal contentment, with 10 being perfectly content, I would say I'm at 8. By October I will be at 9. I don't see 10 ever happening because there will always be something to prevent perfect contentment, like the driver in front of you keeping their right turn indicator on for the past 2 miles.
Wow! I like that! On a more serious note...I hold nothing against Curmugeon or anyone else who feels that life is truly better somewhere else, and I find all reasons for leaving to be valid and worthy of respect. Six months ago my husband and I were considering moving to PA or AZ, but after thinking about it we realized that we've had a lifetime of uprooting and moving and we are ready to find our place and stick with it to the end. For us, that place is the town I was raised in...Simi Valley. At this point in life we just want to settle and get on with LIVING and take what comes with our choice. Simi Valley holds some sad memories for me, like the thought of passing by the church which I hold largely responsible for my dad's death in 2008. But on the flip side, Simi also holds many, many happy memories for me, which far outweigh the bad. It was a good place to grow up, and I think it will be a good place to die in as well.
I don't think any of my friends or family think CA is perfect, or that the state doesn't have problems. They just like living there anyway. I'd only consider a few of them to have their head in the sand.
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One a scale of 1 to 10 regarding personal contentment, with 10 being perfectly content, I would say I'm at 8. By October I will be at 9. I don't see 10 ever happening because there will always be something to prevent perfect contentment, like the driver in front of you keeping their right turn indicator on for the past 2 miles.
On a more serious note...I hold nothing against Curmugeon or anyone else who feels that life is truly better somewhere else, and I find all reasons for leaving to be valid and worthy of respect. Six months ago my husband and I were considering moving to PA or AZ, but after thinking about it we realized that we've had a lifetime of uprooting and moving and we are ready to find our place and stick with it to the end. For us, that place is the town I was raised in...Simi Valley. At this point in life we just want to settle and get on with LIVING and take what comes with our choice. Simi Valley holds some sad memories for me, like the thought of passing by the church which I hold largely responsible for my dad's death in 2008. But on the flip side, Simi also holds many, many happy memories for me, which far outweigh the bad. It was a good place to grow up, and I think it will be a good place to die in as well.
