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The Austin forum probably has the worst attitudes because it's had a huge influx of people, especially from Silicon Valley, who expect Austin to be like NorCal and try to change it... and succeed.
Occassionally I read the Austin forums. It has such great marketing from the media.
I've never lived there, but I visited Austin, and it didn't have much to offer. Seems typical American city with a very car-oriented existance. The celebrated Sixth Street with live music all the time, didn't strike me as all that interesting (mostly hype, it's more interesting to be in Manhattan with live music). But somehow Austin has marketed itself well.
However, what was once a medium-size capital, is now quickly becoming a very large city filled with tons of parking lots, pavement, and everything else that people don't like about other places. Plus higher cost of living and low paying wages (outside of IT, because of it's popularity).
Whenever I read that forum, there is an element that is disillusioned that it doesn't meet it's media darling image. However, half of the time, they look back to popular media to try to find the next hip spot to move to - Portland, Boulder, etc. In short, people can really do a lot of running in circles trying to follow media hype.
I think on 'trendy' cities, with masses trying to move there. It's only fair to try to describe the reality. When you view non-trendy cities, you'll find them very encouraging of others who become interested in their cities. I'm thinking of almost every Midwestern city in particular.
The Austin forum probably has the worst attitudes because it's had a huge influx of people, especially from Silicon Valley, who expect Austin to be like NorCal and try to change it... and succeed.
There was one post I saw on there by someone with California license plates. Somebody left a note on his car "Keep Texas beautiful, go back to California"
Similar to those FEW about new folks coming to Charleston, many working at the Boeing "Dreamliner" plant, or the cruise ships. Guess some prefer a lack of "change", but most by far, are exceptionally open armed and hospitable. A super area and not congested. Better than Florida for sure.
LOL if I read the San Diego forum before moving out here I would never have moved from the midwest. But I've been loving every minute of it since my move a few years ago. My experience has been nothing at all like the negative garbage you read in the these forums.
so I'm thinking the same will be true for my possible move to Maui.
Life is what you make it.
I think the GENERAL RULE is....if people are trying to relocate their entire family, buy and sell a large house, rent the largest U-Haul, and find all new schools for the kids, WITHOUT a job lined up....than discouraging a person from moving into San Diego (or other high cost housing, few jobs market) is probably a good idea.
But, if a person is single, no kids, renting, no need to sell a house with no plan to buy another one...than they're basically free to move around anywhere they want.
A lot of people giving advice on the forums, are often the 'established' and 'rooted' types....and they don't always realize that others are early 20s with nothing accumulated yet. On the other hand, you have 'established' and 'rooted' types who have a lot to lose by uprooting poorly. In short, it's difficult to know who is who on a message board, and difficult for people to accurately give advice, or for others to accurately read the advice properly.
If I took a 50 different people I personally knew quite well. If ALL of them wanted to move to Japan/Hawaii/San Diego tomorrow and wanted my advice, I'd probably give them 50 different answers, based on what I know of each one personally. In short, there is no one answer I'd give to all 50 people, as each one has such a different unique sets of pros and cons that I'd see for them.
Just wondered how many read this forum and decide it is insanity even to relocate, to exorbitant housing lease costs for a walk in closet, food costs, and all else shipped and expensive, and obvious finite land for denser living and driving.
Beautiful is wonderful, but, living with a cranky "princess" gets pretty old, quick. Great day !!
I think 2 types read the forum and take away from it what they came for.
The forst group is looking for information. What they get is something they lay out on the table and see where , if or could it be something they need to look into more. At time the info may cause more questions they didnt ask or didn'y know to ask and they continue to research. This is probably the smaller group.
The second group are those hell bent on relocating because they know everything already. They have a vision and idea of what life will be like and all they want is someoe to agree with them so they can say they did the right thing. Coming with $100 in their pockets and plans to sell seashells on the beach and buy a beachfront house within a week is already a given in their minds and nothing anyone can say will change their own version of what is reality. This probably the most and when they read all the things about cost, isolation, economy, well it applies to others not them, or its people trying to keep them away.
I belive that you can find tons of information to say Hawaii is this great magical paradise and seeking that is really meaningless. To me the important things are anything that busrt the bubble because thats the things most are not looking for so they have no idea it exist.
Every negative bit of information is just information that may or may not affect a person, but knowing it is the difffrenece between hitting a roadblock and not being prepared for it and your dream comes smashing down on you, or hitting it but you have a plan to get around it because you were aware it may happen and the dream lives on!
I think the GENERAL RULE is....if people are trying to relocate their entire family, buy and sell a large house, rent the largest U-Haul, and find all new schools for the kids, WITHOUT a job lined up....than discouraging a person from moving into San Diego (or other high cost housing, few jobs market) is probably a good idea.
But, if a person is single, no kids, renting, no need to sell a house with no plan to buy another one...than they're basically free to move around anywhere they want.
A lot of people giving advice on the forums, are often the 'established' and 'rooted' types....and they don't always realize that others are early 20s with nothing accumulated yet. On the other hand, you have 'established' and 'rooted' types who have a lot to lose by uprooting poorly. In short, it's difficult to know who is who on a message board, and difficult for people to accurately give advice, or for others to accurately read the advice properly.
If I took a 50 different people I personally knew quite well. If ALL of them wanted to move to Japan/Hawaii/San Diego tomorrow and wanted my advice, I'd probably give them 50 different answers, based on what I know of each one personally. In short, there is no one answer I'd give to all 50 people, as each one has such a different unique sets of pros and cons that I'd see for them.
I'd place bets a family with a large house relocating to Hawaii has a much better shot at making it than someone in their early 20's with no money, no skills, no life experience, no contacts. When you are in your early 20's - that is time to get work experience and not be starving and then repeatedly telling us how awful the move was like Winkosmosis - that is the poster child of someone young, no money, and no life experience.
Life is short - have fun in your 20's - coming to Hawaii in your early 20's with no money, no job, no reality check, is not living a dream, it is living a nightmare.
I dunno, moving to Hawaii in your late teens, early twenties is a great time to move to Hawaii. You're still out in the discover the world mode and haven't concretized your opinions on how things should be. It's easier to make friends at that age as well as adapt to different lifestyles. It takes a lot less to support one single person than a whole family unless everyone in the family is out making money to support the group. Also, folks are much more likely to help one single person get a step up whereas someone with a family is sort of seen as someone who should take better care and there's more shame to them if they need help.
I have to say the worst attitudes are on the Austin, TX forum!
I decided to check out the Austin forum and found some VERY interesting reading like, "...I saw PLENTY of non-poisonous snakes in both places. Lots of great stories about them that I will always cherish. LOL. One dropped into my neighbor's car windshield from a tree as she was picking the kids...".
I decided to check out the Austin forum and found some VERY interesting reading like, "...I saw PLENTY of non-poisonous snakes in both places. Lots of great stories about them that I will always cherish. LOL. One dropped into my neighbor's car windshield from a tree as she was picking the kids...".
I really love Southern California. Best move I could have made. But I really want to try Hawaii while I'm single with no kids. But it'll be a tough sell
That's why I am doing the move. Single, no kids, and job that somehow I got due to a higher power (a job when I had my screening interview for that the recruiter said I would never, ever get so forget about it). This will be an adventure for me with bumps on the road, but I'm going to try to enjoy my time as best as I can. I mean I'm in Hawaii!
But Socal (San Diego and LA) will always be home to move despite the cons about both places. They were just such comfortable places for me with different neighborhoods, different kinds of people, events always going on, a thriving Jewish community, and film festivals always happening.
In any case I don't think many people will feel bad for me with spending most of my life in SOCAL and now sometime in Hawaii!
I dunno, moving to Hawaii in your late teens, early twenties is a great time to move to Hawaii. You're still out in the discover the world mode and haven't concretized your opinions on how things should be. It's easier to make friends at that age as well as adapt to different lifestyles. It takes a lot less to support one single person than a whole family unless everyone in the family is out making money to support the group. Also, folks are much more likely to help one single person get a step up whereas someone with a family is sort of seen as someone who should take better care and there's more shame to them if they need help.
That's my feeling as well. I don't think there is any shame in spending a year or two somewhere for the experience of it.
The general pattern I've noticed is that people in their 20s make the big move to places like New York City, Los Angeles, etc. Once they get married, start a family, try to get a house, they usually start looking at all the many 'second-rate' cities and towns nearby or back where they came from.
It's not too late when you're 45 with a few kids and house payments...but it's significantly more problematic on every level.
Usually, I notice that once people retire and their kids grow up, they go back to that 'experimenting' level again.
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