Your choice? Florida or California (buy, living, restaurant)

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by tmg4me

It's nice to meet someone going through the same thing as I am. It is a big decision. Working remotely is wonderful, just knowing I can pick up and live anywhere but I would still have to work Eastern hours of
8-4:30. So if i moved to Cali my hours would be 5am - 1:30pm.

My reasons for wanting to live in California is the weather, more educated residents (as I read there is alot of low income rednecks and transients in Florida) . I love the landscapes of California.
The only thing keeping me from moving to California is the cost.

My reason for wanting to live in Florida is the beautiful beaches and a better chance of being able to live on or very close to the beach. Cheaper cost of living without having income tax being taken out of my paycheck.

What worries me about Florida is the high crime rate. I'm single so that is important to me. Florida tends to draw transients, which leads to a higher crime rate.
The humidity in Florida can really get bad and I would miss the 4 seasons. I don't mind it if it's warm in Winter without snow but to have the high heat and humidity for 9-10 months is a very long time without getting a reprieve from the heat.

So i'm thinking California would be better to move if only I can find a nice affordable place within driving distance, less than 45 min, to the beach.

What are your pros and cons to moving to each state

Bug jokes aside, this thread has gone on at such length I probably missed your position on degree of urbanity. Refresh me. City or country? And degree of each - ie big city (San Diego / LA /Miami) or smaller city or small towns? If country-ish, how isolated do you like to be? If urbanity, how lively? ie: entertainment nightlife restaurant intense. If country, what kinds of outdoor activities? Hiking, bicycling, kayaking, sailing, skiing, camping.

What I do read from you when I browse back to this thread from time to time somehow leaves me thinking you are likely more oriented toward California than Florida. And more southerly in CA than the Bay area or north of it.

Your income, to me, is very substantial even within range of California in some places I consider very nice spots. I live very comfortably on about 2/3rds of what you are earning. And have plenty left over for traveling about in my retirement. But I live really inexpensively on a boat which isn't likely to work at all for you so I understand your expenses will be much higher. Still, there are great places in the Central Coast well within your budget, near the coast / beaches and very nice, sophisticated, but small, cities. But they are a long way to the Big Cities.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by tmg4me

It's nice to meet someone going through the same thing as I am. It is a big decision. Working remotely is wonderful, just knowing I can pick up and live anywhere but I would still have to work Eastern hours of
8-4:30. So if i moved to Cali my hours would be 5am - 1:30pm.

My reasons for wanting to live in California is the weather, more educated residents (as I read there is alot of low income rednecks and transients in Florida) . I love the landscapes of California.
The only thing keeping me from moving to California is the cost.

My reason for wanting to live in Florida is the beautiful beaches and a better chance of being able to live on or very close to the beach. Cheaper cost of living without having income tax being taken out of my paycheck.

What worries me about Florida is the high crime rate. I'm single so that is important to me. Florida tends to draw transients, which leads to a higher crime rate.
The humidity in Florida can really get bad and I would miss the 4 seasons. I don't mind it if it's warm in Winter without snow but to have the high heat and humidity for 9-10 months is a very long time without getting a reprieve from the heat.

So i'm thinking California would be better to move if only I can find a nice affordable place within driving distance, less than 45 min, to the beach.

What are your pros and cons to moving to each state

Really the only cost of significance is housing. If you can understand that difference, whether that is $500 or $1000/month then thats the bulk of it. Other things there will be pluses and minuses.

Where in California are you looking at?

[tmg4me]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Bug jokes aside, this thread has gone on at such length I probably missed your position on degree of urbanity. Refresh me. City or country? And degree of each - ie big city (San Diego / LA /Miami) or smaller city or small towns? If country-ish, how isolated do you like to be? If urbanity, how lively? ie: entertainment nightlife restaurant intense. If country, what kinds of outdoor activities? Hiking, bicycling, kayaking, sailing, skiing, camping.

What I do read from you when I browse back to this thread from time to time somehow leaves me thinking you are likely more oriented toward California than Florida. And more southerly in CA than the Bay area or north of it.

Your income, to me, is very substantial even within range of California in some places I consider very nice spots. I live very comfortably on about 2/3rds of what you are earning. And have plenty left over for traveling about in my retirement. But I live really inexpensively on a boat which isn't likely to work at all for you so I understand your expenses will be much higher. Still, there are great places in the Central Coast well within your budget, near the coast / beaches and very nice, sophisticated, but small, cities. But they are a long way to the Big Cities.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts to see what I'm looking for. I kind of got lost in this thread.
I'm 48, not into partying. I enjoy the beautiful outdoors on mountain range and beach. I want to be close enough to go to nice shopping areas and good restaurants, I don't want a place that only has Big box stores.
I tend to notice it's more affordable in the central coast but don't know anything about the towns.
I would like to live in an area where people are educated and take care of their properties, I don't want to have to worry if I go for a walk anywhere that a crime will be commited.
I have 2 dogs that I enjoy taking for walks.

I still can't see myself being able to live on my salary in California. I think living on a boat is cheaper but has to be exciting. Not for me but glad you are enjoying it.

If you could give me name of some towns that would fit my criteria and salary so I can research, that would help alot.

Thank you
Theresa

[Majami]

Originally Posted by aewan68

Of course you are not going to have bugs living in a high rise, but I heard of ants, crazy and white footed in some high rises. Biggest issues I faces in SoFla when I lived there was Roaches and Ants, I did pest control and still had roaches get into the house and garage, no matter how clean it was and how well food was sealed in zip lock bags, I would see ants as well. Never had a roach infestation but ants a few times.

Cockroaches are a problem all over the USA including Southern California. I'm not sure why I'm being lectured on what bugs I'm supposed to see, I live here. No issue with bugs be they mosquitoes, ants, roaches, spiders, you name it.

[aewan68]

Originally Posted by Majami

Cockroaches are a problem all over the USA including Southern California. I'm not sure why I'm being lectured on what bugs I'm supposed to see, I live here. No issue with bugs be they mosquitoes, ants, roaches, spiders, you name it.

I am from PA originally, I never even seen a roach till I moved to the South. I have yet to see one here, though they are all over the place SoFla takes the prize for roaches and PA is a very buggy state. I use to live in SoFla and lived there for a long time, so my experienced differ but I didn't live in a high rise downtown.

[aewan68]

Originally Posted by slo1318

Really the only cost of significance is housing. If you can understand that difference, whether that is $500 or $1000/month then thats the bulk of it. Other things there will be pluses and minuses.

Where in California are you looking at?

Housing is not the only thing, depending where in FL there are more variables that can make or break it for you in making a go of it. That is if you are looking at the popular metro areas of either state or can make enough money to survive in the remote or less populated areas.

[aewan68]

Originally Posted by tmg4me

It's nice to meet someone going through the same thing as I am. It is a big decision. Working remotely is wonderful, just knowing I can pick up and live anywhere but I would still have to work Eastern hours of
8-4:30. So if i moved to Cali my hours would be 5am - 1:30pm.

My reasons for wanting to live in California is the weather, more educated residents (as I read there is alot of low income rednecks and transients in Florida) . I love the landscapes of California.
The only thing keeping me from moving to California is the cost.

My reason for wanting to live in Florida is the beautiful beaches and a better chance of being able to live on or very close to the beach. Cheaper cost of living without having income tax being taken out of my paycheck.

What worries me about Florida is the high crime rate. I'm single so that is important to me. Florida tends to draw transients, which leads to a higher crime rate.
The humidity in Florida can really get bad and I would miss the 4 seasons. I don't mind it if it's warm in Winter without snow but to have the high heat and humidity for 9-10 months is a very long time without getting a reprieve from the heat.

So i'm thinking California would be better to move if only I can find a nice affordable place within driving distance, less than 45 min, to the beach.

What are your pros and cons to moving to each state

The low income rednecks and transients exist in CA as well, FL is much more transient, a lot of people move there without jobs and then leave when they run out of money, suppose the said could stated about CA with all the dreamers.

Number of educated residents, well that depends where in CA and where in FL, in my line of work I worked with people equally educated as me, some not so much but they were not people you will see on COPs either.

Not sure where you are looking at for beach living, but it's not cheap living on the water in SoFla, rentals are priced comparable to here in some areas if not more.

Also salaries are typically higher if one moves to CA to offset the increased COL, I never would have moved here if my salary did not go up substantially, every job offer I got was $30 to $50K over what I made in SoFla and even with the change in expenses, I'm still making out better here than SoFla.

45 min from the beach, what is your monthly budget?

[Majami]

Originally Posted by aewan68

I am from PA originally, I never even seen a roach till I moved to the South. I have yet to see one here, though they are all over the place SoFla takes the prize for roaches and PA is a very buggy state. I use to live in SoFla and lived there for a long time, so my experienced differ but I didn't live in a high rise downtown.

When it comes to cockroaches I don't think there is a difference at all between SoCal and SoFla, they are nuisance everywhere in high population dense areas. I've definitely known friends and businesses with roach infestations in LA.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by Majami

When it comes to cockroaches I don't think there is a difference at all between SoCal and SoFla, they are nuisance everywhere in high population dense areas. I've definitely known friends and businesses with roach infestations in LA.

Florida and New York top list of state

Two Florida cities rank as worst in U.S. for mosquitoes - Orlando Sentinel

The 10 Worst States for Mosquitoes | Terminix Pest Control

#1 Florida

[Trigger-f]

Interesting..

Los Angeles and Bakersfield top list of worst air pollution in the nation

Los Angeles and Bakersfield top list of worst air pollution in the nation - LA Times

Eight out of 10 Californians — 32 million people — live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution some time during the year, says the report, using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data for three years ending in 2014.