Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There are much more affordable options out west compared to California.
However, to a midwesterner, just about anything out west is absurdly overpriced.
Sure, we can pay 400-500k for mediocrity here, but really nice houses for less than 200k are still very common.
If a person is willing to give up the bigger mountains, leaving California is a no-brainer financially. Throw in the fact that the wage gap isn't nearly as large, well, there you go...
For some of us, mountains are just things to look at, not necessarily something that's otherwise useful in any way. As for water, I can walk a few blocks from where I'm typing this and look out onto Lake Michigan. In the summer, the beaches are quite nice. Not the ocean by any means, but close enough to it for me.
Drought in particular isn't something that register with people unless nothing comes out of the tap and we're not there yet.
Despite the eco-consciousness prevalent in the West, ironically living there is so unsustainable!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
He did say midsized Northeastern cities. So, the same would apply and you may even get walkability included in the equation for said Northeastern cities/areas.
Depends on your definition--Hartford and Providence are a little more pricey than Pittsburgh or Buffalo. East Coast is slightly more expensive than the West Coast. Bottom line, both coasts are going out of style with affordability issues.
Superior urban amenities vs SD: restaurants, nightlife, shopping, more bang for the buck real estate (more modern condos with more square footage for less), hub airport for legacy carrier with more direct/nonstop flights to more places, more pro sports teams (along with Formula 1 and very likely 2026 FIFA World Cup host), more annual adult world class events, and ocean not requiring use of a wetsuit 8+ months of the year, with less of the negatives (far less homeless, better maintained roads, no smash and grab lootings/boarded up stores/car break ins, no state income tax). I’m too lazy to link to the Kearney and GaWC global city rankings that agree with my assessment.
I did also live in SF (Marin—favorite place in CA) and OC (bland boring suburbia, requiring driving up to LA for excitement on weekends).
LMAO about needing to be Cuban or speaking Spanish—unless your educational attainment is a GED and you are a service worker…would be like my saying you need to be either homeless or worth at least $10M to enjoy CA.
That being said, cities go through boom and bust cycles….NYC, CA cities, Miami and more….Nothing good or bad lasts forever….when I left in late 2016 I saw more upside/upswing in Miami, have, and still do.
I guess if you're strictly comparing the things you listed with SD then that makes more sense, however this thread is about leaving CA not leaving SD. I was also comparing Miami more with Houston/Dallas than with SD. If I were to choose a place to live SD would be my least favorite major coastal CA city despite its weather because I also find it bland and too family oriented, but LA and the Bay Area are top notch in many of the things you listed.
It depends on what a person likes. For those who just love the California Dream, the Beach Life, yeah, pretty much everything else is a downgrade at any price. But it's arrogant to think EVERYONE wants what California has to offer.
I was born and raised on California's Central Coast. Beautiful place, and the ocean is nice. But it's not really my jam. I don't enjoy laying on the beach, and destroying my skin in the process. The ocean is okay, but honestly, I don't get why people make such a big deal about it. Give me real mountains and wilderness. I much prefer 4 seasons, snow sports, fly fishing, backpacking to crystal clear alpine lakes, mountain biking, and various forms of hunting. While I could get these things in the Sierras (I love the Sierras), it was a 4-7 drive, and traffic was a headache. So while I don't hate California, it never felt like a great fit.
Whereas almost everything I like to do is within 30-60 minutes from Boise, and within a 2-3 hrs the options are almost limitless. We live in the city and walk/bike most places, enjoying the great dining and other amenities it offers, and community we have here. The city is clean, safe, and well managed. And in about an hour I can be in the middle of nowhere fishing a wild river.
For us the move was a huge upgrade. The fact that COL is lower (we bought just before the pandemic) is icing on the cake.
This. The main issue i have with Californians is that they think everyone wants to live there & get arrogant & defensive when ppl say there are other places that appeal more. CA is amazing … to VISIT (& my family is there) … but i wouldnt live there if you paid me.
There are many plAces that have what CA has & not everyone wants that anyway.
For me, i have zero interest in living somewhere without 4 distinct seasons. Thats my number 1 reason for living in the Northeast
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
7,445 posts, read 6,610,691 times
Reputation: 6723
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkwensky
I guess if you're strictly comparing the things you listed with SD then that makes more sense, however this thread is about leaving CA not leaving SD. I was also comparing Miami more with Houston/Dallas than with SD. If I were to choose a place to live SD would be my least favorite major coastal CA city despite its weather because I also find it bland and too family oriented, but LA and the Bay Area are top notch in many of the things you listed.
Agree—higher quality and quantity of urban amenities in SF and LA that appeal to me but the negatives I described earlier were becoming more noticeable by the time I left and more pronounced (even more so in SF and LA—cousins live in a posh section of Santa Monica and had both cars stolen) after I left. I also would’ve gone nuts during Covid with all the excessive lockdowns and restrictions. 33 years combined living in Northern and Southern Cal was enough and was time to move on and try something different. My tastes and CA changed. Also, urbanity is more important to me than outdoors (mountains/desert) in which case one has options, including other cities—even one with an ocean and year round warm weather with big city amenities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawg8181
This. The main issue i have with Californians is that they think everyone wants to live there & get arrogant & defensive when ppl say there are other places that appeal more.
This!!….can’t tell you the number of times I heard the infantile “if you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave” or the stunned look on their faces when I said I was considering and finally moved elsewhere….Californians are thin skinned if you dare say anything that doesn’t praise or tow their narrative. NY’ers are also very prideful and have an “only in NY” mentality but they don’t get bent out of shape when you get something off your chest or are considering living elsewhere. After a shot, everything is rosy again.
Last edited by elchevere; 03-13-2022 at 08:34 AM..
The bolded makes a big difference over time. What's the point in moving to no-income-tax, no-cap-gains-tax WA, when property valuation hikes over time can drive you out of your home? If you work and retire in CA, you won't have that worry. If you work and retire in many other states, you will, if you live near high-growth metro areas.
Yep. So a 600k home in California will cost you less than a 600k home in Texas if that were your only cost. Of course everything else is more expensive out gere
Quote:
Originally Posted by elchevere
I might be a homer but not once have I ever brought up affordability as an issue of mine in all my years posting here. Feel free to find one and prove me wrong.
If anything, I’ve done the opposite—dispelling the notion that only pool sweeping jobs exist here or that there’s only a few well off areas—which ties in with my more quantity and quality of urban amenities post above—along with a few other beauties (one must speak Spanish or be Cuban, it’s uninhabitable from April - November, we get hurricanes 3x every year, etc etc, lol). Then again, some on CD view Tijuana as the second coming of Dubai.
Yep. So a 600k home in California will cost you less than a 600k home in Texas if that were your only cost. Of course everything else is more expensive out gere
Uhh:
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1200RT
Property taxes are typically not reevaluated on existing properties YOY, however your point is not entirely missed. People 'getting driven from their homes' due to property taxes .... no. That said, the ridiculous property values in CA make overall property ownership an easy tradeoff for most.
Median Home Prices:
Los Angeles (city of): $950k
Seattle: $915k (pretty close)
Scottsdale, AZ: $849K
Boise, ID: $523,760
Nashville TN: $404,945
Add in (all way less than CA averages). And we all know there are no realistic, desirable $600k homes in most CA metros.
Agree—higher quality and quantity of urban amenities in SF and LA that appeal to me but the negatives I described earlier were becoming more noticeable by the time I left and more pronounced (even more so in SF and LA—cousins live in a posh section of Santa Monica and had both cars stolen) after I left. I also would’ve gone nuts during Covid with all the excessive lockdowns and restrictions. 33 years combined living in Northern and Southern Cal was enough and was time to move on and try something different. My tastes and CA changed. Also, urbanity is more important to me than outdoors (mountains/desert) in which case one has options, including other cities—even one with an ocean and year round warm weather with big city amenities.
This!!….can’t tell you the number of times I heard the infantile “if you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave” or the stunned look on their faces when I said I was considering and finally moved elsewhere….Californians are thin skinned if you dare say anything that doesn’t praise or tow their narrative. NY’ers are also very prideful and have an “only in NY” mentality but they don’t get bent out of shape when you get something off your chest or are considering living elsewhere. After a shot, everything is rosy again.
Im a NYer & i actually want ppl to leave. That way I can enjoy a less crowded place.
[quote=Jdawg8181;63072465]This. The main issue i have with Californians is that they think everyone wants to live there & get arrogant & defensive when ppl say there are other places that appeal more. CA is amazing … to VISIT (& my family is there) … but i wouldnt live there if you paid me.
There are many plAces that have what CA has & not everyone wants that anyway.
For me, i have zero interest in living somewhere without 4 distinct seasons. Thats my number 1 reason for living in the Northeast[/QUOTE]
For me, I have zero interest in living somewhere with a real winter. That's my number 2 reason for living in the Southwest, after COL. To each their own. The census numbers every 10 years seem to reveal that more folks tend to agree with me, but, then again, I used to live next door to a neighbor whose dog liked to eat its own waste.
This. The main issue i have with Californians is that they think everyone wants to live there & get arrogant & defensive when ppl say there are other places that appeal more. CA is amazing … to VISIT (& my family is there) … but i wouldnt live there if you paid me.
100% on the bolded. Californians get defensive when I bring up affordability. Dallas/Fort Worth is about as affordable as Bakersfield. I'd much rather live in Dallas than Bakersfield.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawg8181
There are many plAces that have what CA has & not everyone wants that anyway.
For me, i have zero interest in living somewhere without 4 distinct seasons. Thats my number 1 reason for living in the Northeast
For me, Economics and Taxes (both are one and the same) is priority #1. You go anywhere, the nice part of town is a great place to live. I also like nice things and travel, and both of those things cost money.
Oceans and weather are overrated anyway when I spend 99% of my day indoors.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
