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I used to live in Florida and I remember so many days where I was bored out of my mind... There were things to do, but everything was a looooonnng drive away (at least 60 to 70 miles, if not 200) and the things were not that exciting. Florida has very little to offer in the way of culture. The few museums are far apart and pitiful. It's a great state to live in if you like watersports and the beach (and the watersports better be skiing and boating and not surfing!)
I agree! I really do love Florida to pieces, and lived there a few years before moving to L.A., but it really can't compare. We moved to Florida last May after being here for 4 years, thinking it would be cheaper, better, etc. We ended up with a bigger apt., and then a crappy rental house, but living expenses were the same. Sure, we had more room, but utilities were sky-high. Water/trash was about $80/month and electricity in the winter (no a/c) was almost $200 a month. Internet and cable were more. We now live in a 1 bedroom apt. in Long Beach and our expenses are the same as they were in Central Florida. I'll take less space in exchange for more to do. We're so happy to be back and don't want to move again.
I think the beaches in Florida are fantasic, but you are right - the cultural offerings aren't that great. I used to think Florida was IT while growing up in the Midwest, but then I experienced L.A. and am spoiled for life! I would still love to visit Florida often, though. It really is a fun, unique state.
we moved to CO, it sucks. were in the process of returning to CA. big home doesnt = happiness, air quality, traffic etc etc... every place has good and bad except for that place near nirvana CA has culture, diversity, character and charm.... ill rent an overpriced shack anyday over living in CO and owning my own home with acres of land. my advice to anyone thinking about leaving LA.... think long and hard about it cuz LA is pretty bad ass.
Agreed! I thought living in a house with a yard in Florida would be better than living in a 1 bedroom apt. in L.A. Not so. We missed L.A. everyday. Just be careful before making that move, everyone. For us, more living space didn't equal happiness.
Lake Conroe I have noticed that you seem to completely hate California. You lived here for many years and there must have been some good times! I have also moved away and love where I relocated. still love Cali and thats why I enter this forum! Is it the same for you? I hope you enjoyed your time in Cali and are enjoying Tx. Please show some Cali love once in awhile!
lol, this is funny to read. Truth be told many people move from Cali then continue to bash the state once there gone. As stated before I moved myself and things are going great but I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I did not miss the sun shine and easy access to the beach.
For the most part, and I think this goes for most people, we love CALIFORNIA, but what we hate specifically was the high cost to live, high crime areas, and I would say the traffic. If you could somehow mitigate these issues many of us would probably return.
To end my rant (and I will speak for myself) I post on CD to debrief and to allow myself the ability to vent pent up anger over California's multiple problems that were a huge deciding factor as to why I moved. I also come here because I have A LOT of knowledge of the state due to the fact that I ran different business as well as drove tow trucks so I have no problem sharing my knowledge to somebody who is considering to make the move to cali.
I too vent on the California forums at times as to the things I strongly dislike about the state, but I have to say the place is like a vortex that keeps drawing you back ,so sure it's not all bad...There is much to love (even now) about the Golden State.I just hope it can remedy a few hic ups and return to a better quality of life..that's all..Just frustrating to see it get so abused by negative policy and messed up politics, and bad land use planning...It's a great place to live..love the scenery,beaches and sunshine...
we moved to CO, it sucks. were in the process of returning to CA. big home doesnt = happiness, air quality, traffic etc etc... every place has good and bad except for that place near nirvana CA has culture, diversity, character and charm.... ill rent an overpriced shack anyday over living in CO and owning my own home with acres of land. my advice to anyone thinking about leaving LA.... think long and hard about it cuz LA is pretty bad ass.
We also moved to CO for the sames reasons everyone leaves LA and I am an LA native. While owning our own home with a view of the Rockies was nice there were too many other sacrifices that made it not worth it for us. I couldn't stand being land locked with no coastal access. And you really miss a lot of the culture when you are anywhere in the mid west. The authenticate Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Indian, etc... food was non existent not to mention many others things that one takes for granted when living in an international city.
So we moved back to CA and are in Monterey now. We are much happier here living in a smaller town = much less traffic! We also have wide open spaces which we enjoyed in CO. But we are only ~ 1 hour from the Bay, 15 minutes from Big Sur and 4 hours to Yosemite NP. Of course the cost of housing is higher. Places like CO, TX, FLA, etc... will always be cheaper. However the trade off is just not worth it for us compared to living in one of the most beautiful parts of the nation with the ocean and mtns. at our doorstep. And some of the best weather anywhere.
We had seriously looked at Portland before moving back to CA. But with family still here it made more sense for us.
Just remember CA is a 'Huge' state which for some really gets more interesting once you head north of LA.
I'm surprised no one mentioned New Mexico (it's that big state between Arizona and Texas!). We moved to the mountains east of Albuquerque last summer after 20 years in LA, and have no regrets. We had equity in a house in LA, and cashed out. We bought a great southwest home here (3600 sq ft) that was half again as big at less than half the price as the house we sold in LA. And it was half its age, on an acre of land. We're fortunate that we work at home so our income hasn't changed, so now we can actually start saving again for retirement and relax a bit. We get a little snow here in the mountains, but nothing we can't handle.
New Mexico is very blue; it now has two Democratic Senators and all three Congressmen are Dems as well. Albuquerque also seems quite liberal to us, and they welcome Californians (unlike Colorado).
The sun shines 300 days a year. The weather is as close to Southern CA as you can get, with the addition of some altitude (Abq is at 6500 ft). The film industry is bringing in a lot of business due to the 25% Rebate offered by the State. I can predict post production companies moving here next, now that so many films are shot here. Sony are in the process of moving a few hundred animators here.
The entire school system seems to be gearing up to turning out film technicians and computer artists, from what I can tell. Gov. Richardson really believes in having digital knowledge. There are a number of good colleges, and I believe that kids that finish high school get a free instate college education. (We don't have kids so schools were not an issue for us.)
NM have a budget deficient this year, but had a surplus last year (it has oil fields), so it's not in bad shape. The housing bubble didn't hit here so hard, so prices are slipping less (0-5% year over year). Unemployment is rising, but again, it's below the national average.
If you like wide open scenery, tons of stars and sunshine, then you might give it a look. The people here are so friendly too, and it's an absolute haven for artists. Santa Fe (one hour to the north) is expensive, but the cost of living outside of SF is fine. We've cut down on all our expenses for utilities, esp. water and power. Landline phone was actually pricier (less populated state = more overhead they said). But Blue Shield health care was less (and we're self-employed so have always paid a lot for even a high deductible plan). Our property taxes are half what they were in LA too. I think because it's a relatively poor state, eating out also seems more affordable to us. There are tons of great mexican restaurants of course, but also decent Indian and Chinese.
We've nothing against LA, and still love California and its wonderful scenery. Our prime motivation was getting to slow down a bit. But the LA traffic was starting to get on my nerves the past few years...we started going out less and not wanting to drive as much. Lucky for us we're don't care too much for the beaches; just as soon spend time in the mountains!
As for airports: SouthWest fly in and out of Sunport airport in Abq. It's a nice size airport - bit like Burbank in size but without the crowds. Parking is also really cheap for a lot right outside the terminal. I just flew in last night and there is art all over the airport; NM are really proud of their local artists. I really dig that. The LA Times would never feature local art groups - they weren't "good enough" for their snobby reviewers. LAT only featured exhibits in posh galleries or museums; they would never cover a group of amateurs. Here in NM you can be an amateur and be featured in the Sunday paper. And of course, the native american art is phenomenal.
The state has a heavy Catholic influence, and the large hispanic population is a mix of Mexicans and the descendents of the Spaniards. Makes for a very interesting history.
10 Great Cities for Salary Growth (http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/salary-articles-10_great_cities_for_salary_growth-27 - broken link)
I live in the Raleigh-Cary North Carolina area; I see it rated #3 in the top ten cities site you gave a link for. I work here as a nurse, and haven't missed a beat with job opportunity. The only reason I'm broke now, is because I went back to school last month to further my degree, and had to cut back to half time hours and get a roommate. Before that, I worked for the Veteran's Administration Medical Center; best pay I ever made, and it was a government job, and you know what means as far as security and benefits, boy do I miss it!! Anywhat, I'll be done with school next year, and money will be flowing again soon. I thank God everyday I'm in a field that has not suffered much during these difficult economic times.
I see people moving here all the time from California and New York too, if you want to know where everyone is going; here is certainly one of the places. The thing is, I lived in Sacramento in 2004, and have been dying to get back to Cali ever since. Only this time I want to go to Central Coast/Southern Cali; but wouldn't dare come there until I finish school and increase my income potential.
North Carolina is beautiful, and affordable, and full of opportunity, especially if you have a family. The beach is about 90 minutes from here, the mountains about 2 hours, I can be in Atlanta in 5 1/2 hrs by car, in DC in 5, Myrtle Beach in less, and that's just a few. But for a single 30-something, I don't know; I'm not feeling Raleigh itself, maybe I need to try Charlotte. I guess it depends on what you're looking for.
I second this about New Mexico in general and Albuquerque in particular. I don't live there but have visited there a few times and like it a lot. When I left LA, it was one of the places I considered.
I think it's way underrated and surprisingly cosmopolitan. Outside of Southern California, it may have the most pleasant weather in the continental US, with the mountain/desert beauty of Colorado and Arizona but fewer extremes. It's a phenomenal place if you like any outdoor activities.
But, in exchange, wages tend to be low and you have to give up a lot of the good things about LA's big-city vibe (the latest indie/foreign films, major-league sports, touring bands, etc.) which you get a bit more of in, say, a Phoenix, Dallas or Denver. And the Rio Grande doesn't quite make up for the Pacific.
Still, major cities are only 60-90 minutes away by plane and you can afford to take trips with the money you might save.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaddyMac
I'm surprised no one mentioned New Mexico (it's that big state between Arizona and Texas!). We moved to the mountains east of Albuquerque last summer after 20 years in LA, and have no regrets. We had equity in a house in LA, and cashed out. We bought a great southwest home here (3600 sq ft) that was half again as big at less than half the price as the house we sold in LA. And it was half its age, on an acre of land. We're fortunate that we work at home so our income hasn't changed, so now we can actually start saving again for retirement and relax a bit. We get a little snow here in the mountains, but nothing we can't handle.
New Mexico is very blue; it now has two Democratic Senators and all three Congressmen are Dems as well. Albuquerque also seems quite liberal to us, and they welcome Californians (unlike Colorado).
The sun shines 300 days a year. The weather is as close to Southern CA as you can get, with the addition of some altitude (Abq is at 6500 ft). The film industry is bringing in a lot of business due to the 25% Rebate offered by the State. I can predict post production companies moving here next, now that so many films are shot here. Sony are in the process of moving a few hundred animators here.
The entire school system seems to be gearing up to turning out film technicians and computer artists, from what I can tell. Gov. Richardson really believes in having digital knowledge. There are a number of good colleges, and I believe that kids that finish high school get a free instate college education. (We don't have kids so schools were not an issue for us.)
NM have a budget deficient this year, but had a surplus last year (it has oil fields), so it's not in bad shape. The housing bubble didn't hit here so hard, so prices are slipping less (0-5% year over year). Unemployment is rising, but again, it's below the national average.
If you like wide open scenery, tons of stars and sunshine, then you might give it a look. The people here are so friendly too, and it's an absolute haven for artists. Santa Fe (one hour to the north) is expensive, but the cost of living outside of SF is fine. We've cut down on all our expenses for utilities, esp. water and power. Landline phone was actually pricier (less populated state = more overhead they said). But Blue Shield health care was less (and we're self-employed so have always paid a lot for even a high deductible plan). Our property taxes are half what they were in LA too. I think because it's a relatively poor state, eating out also seems more affordable to us. There are tons of great mexican restaurants of course, but also decent Indian and Chinese.
We've nothing against LA, and still love California and its wonderful scenery. Our prime motivation was getting to slow down a bit. But the LA traffic was starting to get on my nerves the past few years...we started going out less and not wanting to drive as much. Lucky for us we're don't care too much for the beaches; just as soon spend time in the mountains!
As for airports: SouthWest fly in and out of Sunport airport in Abq. It's a nice size airport - bit like Burbank in size but without the crowds. Parking is also really cheap for a lot right outside the terminal. I just flew in last night and there is art all over the airport; NM are really proud of their local artists. I really dig that. The LA Times would never feature local art groups - they weren't "good enough" for their snobby reviewers. LAT only featured exhibits in posh galleries or museums; they would never cover a group of amateurs. Here in NM you can be an amateur and be featured in the Sunday paper. And of course, the native american art is phenomenal.
The state has a heavy Catholic influence, and the large hispanic population is a mix of Mexicans and the descendents of the Spaniards. Makes for a very interesting history.
What's funny is the increase we're seeing in people from the L.A. area moving into metro Atlanta. There's been a noticeable increase in the last year or so.
They say they want to escape the traffic and smog, but get here and realize that Atlanta is second to L.A. in traffic congestion, sprawl, and smog days. LOL. Can you say "whooooops!" with that decision?
Really it's "this for that" when you move here, aside from those above similarities though. You lose the earthquakes, but gain tornadoes. Gain "real" Winters (rare for snow), but get more humidity in the Summers. Fewer gangs here (so far). You can get homes for about one-third the price of what many similar homes would cost in greater L.A.
The job market isn't any better here than there, but it seems that some who are relocating are taking advantage of being able to transfer with existing jobs they have out West. The two biggest "culture shocks" I think folks from L.A. have when they come here is being separated from the Ocean, and if they move to certain burbs, the religious-conservative nature of some of the folks freak them out.
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CA has culture, diversity, character and charm.... ill rent an overpriced shack anyday over living in CO and owning my own home with acres of land. my advice to anyone thinking about leaving LA.... think long and hard about it cuz LA is pretty bad ass.
I hope you enjoyed your time in Cali and are enjoying Tx. Please show some Cali love once in awhile
