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2. California (especially SoCal) and Texas are top choices, followed by Washington state and North Carolina. Especially in the case of California, not only is much of the state breathtakingly beautiful, the job opportunities, career advancement and caliber of higher education out there are all great, even during these rough economic times.
For professional/job market (in the field) reasons, I'm willing to seriously consider Oklahoma, Virginia, Metro Detroit, Oregon, and Minnesota.
3. Read my dozens of previous posts...lol. Just tired of the state's culture and backward everything, really.
4. Family, Ale-8-1, views of Cincinnati skyline, beautiful drives around central Kentucky on a clear spring day
5. Only for a professional opportunity too good to pass up or to take care of very ailing parents (hopefully they live long, healthy lives).QUOTE]
Having lived ten minutes from the beach in Southern California all but 3 of my 60 years, I will tell you that you need to take your rose colored glasses off and do some research.
Politically and economically the state is almost beyond help - you really need to do your homework. There is major competition for decent paying jobs and not a lot of them - now if you want to flip burgers, then you may be in luck...people are leaving California in droves.
We sold our modest 1700 sf home on less than 1/4 of an acre almost 3 years ago for $600,000. The people who bought our house are paying around $11,000 in property taxes each year and they are paying higher utilities than we do here in KY. We did not have air conditioning in California - we only needed it about two weeks a year and most of our neighbors didn't have it either. We used fans in the summer when needed and the furnace in the winter....our utility bills were higher in So. California - keep in mind we had no air conditioning (which we run 24/7 here in Kentucky from Spring to Fall) and in the winter we run our furnace 24/7. Our utility bills are cheaper here in KY.
I would say that a family of 4 needs to make about $160,000 a year to live extrememly modestly and not in the nicest areas. You are taxed to death at every turn in California - there are taxes on everything - 5 or 6 taxes just on your utility bills each month. Sales tax is nearly 10% in some areas....remember that we pay 6% here in Kentucky - that makes a big difference over time. Nearly every single thing you consume or use in Caliornia will cost you more than it does in Kentucky.
California is the #1 worst state for retirees. The state gives alsbolutely no tax breaks to retirees. Kentucky allows us a $41,000 (about) deduction off our state taxes each year - that is a big help to most and means that many pay no state taxes at income tax time.
The whole state of California is most definitely not "breathtakingly beautiful." There are many, many run down areas - crime ridden junk towns. At least half of California is desert - and not pretty dessert. You have to water your lawn and garden almost daily in order to get half the green that is here in Kentucky naturally. The beaches and mountains are packed with people - if the weather is good, or there are bodies of water involved, then you better like crowds, traffic, noise and trash and really enjoy hunting and paying for parking spaces.
I spoke with a friend the other day who lives in our old neighborhood in California - she told me how lucky we were to have sold our home and gotten out. The houses that were for sale in our neighborhood three years ago are mostly the same houses that are for sale today.
Unless you move to Laguna Beach or Beverly Hills or a similar very expensive neighborhood, you will not find the pride of ownership that we see in the majority of Kentucky. Our old neighborhood had homes that ranged from $300,000 to $800,000 and half the people didn't plant flowers, keep their homes in good repair or mow their lawn often enough.
Now education - in the area where we live in Kentucky (Prospect), the number of high school graduates and those holding advanced degrees is much higher than where we lived in So. California. We have never met so many doctors, dentists, lawyers, CPA's and CEO's as we have since moving to Kentucky. We have also never met as many kind and funny people.
Be prepared for crime in So. California. Our crime rate in Prospect is miniscule compared to most areas in California. The air quality here is much better also.
I realize that not all of Kentucky is filled with educated people - if that bothers you, why not move to a place like Oldham or Henry County where you can live near educated people who take care of their homes and farms and where you will be near enough to the nice restaurants, culture and night life of the city and all the recreational activities of the River, biking, hiking, etc.?
We have taken day and weekend trips throughout much of Kentucky and we find people here generally the nicest of any state. What you call "backward" we call charming and refreshingingly different.
In our experience (we spent many vacations here visiting with friends before moving here), Kentucky is completely superior to California in everything but weather and beaches. We had a good life in California but it in no way compares to the quality of life we have here in Kentucky.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,701 posts, read 41,805,788 times
Reputation: 41398
Quote:
Originally Posted by EclecticEars
Update:
I have just accepted a new job offer in California. In the next few weeks, I will become a Golden State resident!
But don't worry, I will continue to stalk and comment on the Kentucky forum often, like it or not.
Many congrats!!!! While CA is not my cup of tea personally, I think it will work much better for you.
Well, I think it is fair to give an update on my situation. My current FT job is going away before 2013 and I have decided that I will likely relocate out of state. While I will move closer to work in Louisville in the next two months, ultimately I have much better long-term job prospects elsewhere. Areas I'm looking at in order are; Houston, Charlotte, Austin, and (reluctantly) Baltimore-Washington.
2. California (especially SoCal) and Texas are top choices, followed by Washington state and North Carolina. Especially in the case of California, not only is much of the state breathtakingly beautiful, the job opportunities, career advancement and caliber of higher education out there are all great, even during these rough economic times.
For professional/job market (in the field) reasons, I'm willing to seriously consider Oklahoma, Virginia, Metro Detroit, Oregon, and Minnesota.
3. Read my dozens of previous posts...lol. Just tired of the state's culture and backward everything, really.
4. Family, Ale-8-1, views of Cincinnati skyline, beautiful drives around central Kentucky on a clear spring day
5. Only for a professional opportunity too good to pass up or to take care of very ailing parents (hopefully they live long, healthy lives).QUOTE]
Having lived ten minutes from the beach in Southern California all but 3 of my 60 years, I will tell you that you need to take your rose colored glasses off and do some research.
Politically and economically the state is almost beyond help - you really need to do your homework. There is major competition for decent paying jobs and not a lot of them - now if you want to flip burgers, then you may be in luck...people are leaving California in droves.
We sold our modest 1700 sf home on less than 1/4 of an acre almost 3 years ago for $600,000. The people who bought our house are paying around $11,000 in property taxes each year and they are paying higher utilities than we do here in KY. We did not have air conditioning in California - we only needed it about two weeks a year and most of our neighbors didn't have it either. We used fans in the summer when needed and the furnace in the winter....our utility bills were higher in So. California - keep in mind we had no air conditioning (which we run 24/7 here in Kentucky from Spring to Fall) and in the winter we run our furnace 24/7. Our utility bills are cheaper here in KY.
I would say that a family of 4 needs to make about $160,000 a year to live extrememly modestly and not in the nicest areas. You are taxed to death at every turn in California - there are taxes on everything - 5 or 6 taxes just on your utility bills each month. Sales tax is nearly 10% in some areas....remember that we pay 6% here in Kentucky - that makes a big difference over time. Nearly every single thing you consume or use in Caliornia will cost you more than it does in Kentucky.
California is the #1 worst state for retirees. The state gives alsbolutely no tax breaks to retirees. Kentucky allows us a $41,000 (about) deduction off our state taxes each year - that is a big help to most and means that many pay no state taxes at income tax time.
The whole state of California is most definitely not "breathtakingly beautiful." There are many, many run down areas - crime ridden junk towns. At least half of California is desert - and not pretty dessert. You have to water your lawn and garden almost daily in order to get half the green that is here in Kentucky naturally. The beaches and mountains are packed with people - if the weather is good, or there are bodies of water involved, then you better like crowds, traffic, noise and trash and really enjoy hunting and paying for parking spaces.
I spoke with a friend the other day who lives in our old neighborhood in California - she told me how lucky we were to have sold our home and gotten out. The houses that were for sale in our neighborhood three years ago are mostly the same houses that are for sale today.
Unless you move to Laguna Beach or Beverly Hills or a similar very expensive neighborhood, you will not find the pride of ownership that we see in the majority of Kentucky. Our old neighborhood had homes that ranged from $300,000 to $800,000 and half the people didn't plant flowers, keep their homes in good repair or mow their lawn often enough.
Now education - in the area where we live in Kentucky (Prospect), the number of high school graduates and those holding advanced degrees is much higher than where we lived in So. California. We have never met so many doctors, dentists, lawyers, CPA's and CEO's as we have since moving to Kentucky. We have also never met as many kind and funny people.
Be prepared for crime in So. California. Our crime rate in Prospect is miniscule compared to most areas in California. The air quality here is much better also.
I realize that not all of Kentucky is filled with educated people - if that bothers you, why not move to a place like Oldham or Henry County where you can live near educated people who take care of their homes and farms and where you will be near enough to the nice restaurants, culture and night life of the city and all the recreational activities of the River, biking, hiking, etc.?
We have taken day and weekend trips throughout much of Kentucky and we find people here generally the nicest of any state. What you call "backward" we call charming and refreshingingly different.
In our experience (we spent many vacations here visiting with friends before moving here), Kentucky is completely superior to California in everything but weather and beaches. We had a good life in California but it in no way compares to the quality of life we have here in Kentucky.
someone else has rose colored glasses! to act as if prospect is in any way, shape or form representative of kentucky is nothing short of delusional! lol. prospect is an island of affluence in a sea of white trash.
of course you've met more doctors in kentucky. they all live in prospect,and i'm quite sure that the majority of them are paying people to keep the house looking nice. i'm not saying that it's wrong to do so. just easier when you're loaded.
I work in interventional radiology with seven different md's and guess where every one of them lives! prospect! it's almost laughable that i can ask any doctor where he lives and then tell him before he answers.not all can afford to live in candy land, nor are willing to commute that far. I'm happy that your family likes it here, but try driving around my side of town and see how "nice" it is and how "friendly" the people are.
I have just accepted a new job offer in California. In the next few weeks, I will become a Golden State resident!
But don't worry, I will continue to stalk and comment on the Kentucky forum often, like it or not.
congratulations on making it out alive! i have friends in benecia and they love it. best of luck with yuor move and your job. only thing i ask is that you don't become a niners fan! GO RAIDERS!!
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,701 posts, read 41,805,788 times
Reputation: 41398
Quote:
Originally Posted by kytoaz
congratulations on making it out alive! i have friends in benecia and they love it. best of luck with yuor move and your job. only thing i ask is that you don't become a niners fan! GO RAIDERS!!
Ditto, also please do not become a USC fan. I can't stand them.
[Kytoaz - You seemd to have limited experience with Kentucky as a whole.
You can zero in on Prospect but I notice you said nothing about all the negative comparisons that I, a native Californian, posted about California.
Prospect is by far not the only affluent area in Kentucky - we see gorgeous farms, homes and great little towns all over Kentucky. We have spent many days and weekends exploring the hinterlands of Kentucky, have you?
Besides there are many areas throughout Kentucky with humble abodes that are charming, clean and kept in good repair. Things don't have to be "affluent" to be nice or appealing, well at least not for me and some of the wisest people I know do not have a college education - some of them speak with a Southern accent and imperfect grammar.
Many of our friends, who are well educated and successful don't live in Prospect....they live in La Grange, Crestwood, Louisville, Shelbyville, Bardstown and Lebanon.
[Kytoaz - You seemd to have limited experience with Kentucky as a whole.
You can zero in on Prospect but I notice you said nothing about all the negative comparisons that I, a native Californian, posted about California.
Prospect is by far not the only affluent area in Kentucky - we see gorgeous farms, homes and great little towns all over Kentucky. We have spent many days and weekends exploring the hinterlands of Kentucky, have you?
Besides there are many areas throughout Kentucky with humble abodes that are charming, clean and kept in good repair. Things don't have to be "affluent" to be nice or appealing, well at least not for me.
Many of our friends, who are well educated and successful don't live in Prospect....they live in La Grange, Crestwood, Louisville, Shelbyville, Bardstown and Lebanon.
I have actually lived in kentucky for 20 plus years, and find myself to be quite familiar with it's positive and negative attributes. I didn't mention your negatives about california because i don't entirely disagree with you. it's over-crowded, the economy is in shambles and the tax structure is ridiculous. I just found it to be kind of comical saying kentucky has a higher level of educated people and that california was a dirty, dreadful ugly place. this coming from someone who has lived here for three years and lives in one of the two most affluent zip codes in the state. I am in no way attacking your success or anyone who lives in prospect or crestwood. i just think your point of comparison is not based in the reality that is this state. take a drive to ashland or hazard or anywhere in appalachia where the illiteracy rate is well over forty percent and then give me an area in california with the same numbers. you can't. it doesn't exist.
and while i agree with you that kentucky is a beautiful place, it in no way compares with the natural beauty of california. the sierra nevada is one of the most stunning things i have ever seen. big sur is breathtaking. and i love palm desert and joshua tree. debating the beauty of one place to another is, of course, all opinion and pretty much meaningless. however, holding kentucky up to the light as a land of the highly educated with great high paying jobs is just not a practice based in reality.
I have actually lived in kentucky for 20 plus years, and find myself to be quite familiar with it's positive and negative attributes. I didn't mention your negatives about california because i don't entirely disagree with you. it's over-crowded, the economy is in shambles and the tax structure is ridiculous. I just found it to be kind of comical saying kentucky has a higher level of educated people and that california was a dirty, dreadful ugly place. this coming from someone who has lived here for three years and lives in one of the two most affluent zip codes in the state. I am in no way attacking your success or anyone who lives in prospect or crestwood. i just think your point of comparison is not based in the reality that is this state. take a drive to ashland or hazard or anywhere in appalachia where the illiteracy rate is well over forty percent and then give me an area in california with the same numbers. you can't. it doesn't exist.
and while i agree with you that kentucky is a beautiful place, it in no way compares with the natural beauty of california. the sierra nevada is one of the most stunning things i have ever seen. big sur is breathtaking. and i love palm desert and joshua tree. debating the beauty of one place to another is, of course, all opinion and pretty much meaningless. however, holding kentucky up to the light as a land of the highly educated with great high paying jobs is just not a practice based in reality.
You have completely misquoted me - so I guess to make your point you have to lie....I'm understanding you more than I care to.
and while i agree with you that kentucky is a beautiful place, it in no way compares with the natural beauty of california.
I really shouldn't reply to you and give you my time but if your idea of "natural beauty" is a bunch of dead trees and brown grass or dirt then California is the place for you. I've never understood the appeal of that place.
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