Why did you leave California? (San Diego, San Jose: home, taxes, living)

[CousinMaynard]

if i ever left california, i wouldnt be on the california boards, i'd be on whatever my new homes forums was

call me pie in the sky but lifes too short rear view mirrors and all that

[easybay]

Looking forward in 1-2 years to reviving this thread and adding my experience of leaving CA

[nagleepark]

Originally Posted by easybay

Looking forward in 1-2 years to reviving this thread and adding my experience of leaving CA

Why do you want to leave California?

I ask because I'd like to know, not because I want to defend California or convince you to stay or argue about why your reasons are or are not legitimate/fair.

[cre8lite]

born & raised in california. grew up in what once was a small country bumpkin town. saw it transformed into an unrecognizable place. when it came time to purchase my 1st home, the prices were disgusting - my buddies purchased a new home with no yard for $600k+ & their mortgage was $3200/mo. Y U C K the homes that did have yards were pricey OR in serious need of repair OR they were in areas that would require a bit of a commute to get to work/stores/family. i had a very well paying job, but that just sounded horrid. i'd like to keep some $$$ in my pocket at the end of the month.

i moved to nevada & have never looked back. wanted something close enough that i could still visit family/friends, but far enough away that i didn't have those prices/taxes & somewhere with land. i visit california twice a year. it's always a nice reminder of why i left. i will never move back.

[ccm123]

I am a CA native, but have made peace with the issues in our state. I have been offered (with a past employer) a move to Texas (with my current Silicon Valley salary and benefits), but politely refused.

[smpliving]

I was raised in Thousand Oaks and went to San Jose State in the late 1970s. Several years later after starting a family, we got a good job offer in .... Iowa My first question was "where the **** is Iowa??" "You mean Ohio or Idaho?" I was ready for a change to experience a different part of the country, but I didn't really have this in mind. It's turned out to be a very good move, especially for my kids. There are things I miss about CA, mainly the weather, family, and variety of beautiful landscapes, but not the crowds, congestion, traffic, and pretentiousness that occurred over the years. At this point in my life, I hope to eventually find someplace further south again (at least part time) ... but with the high COL, it won't be California.

My younger brother who lives in Ventura County has turned down job offers/transfers to out of state ... there's no way he will ever leave California. My other brother left California for his job in the military and has now retired to Colorado for the skiing and mountain biking ... he's a permanent fixture there.

[ukiyo-e]

I lived in CA for 25 years (as an adult) but left for better weather, lower taxes (no state income tax, cheap property tax), cheaper and nicer housing, less traffic, ability to easily afford living next to the water and mountains, cleaner air, closer outdoor activities and gorgeous scenery, less fractious politics, a 95% funded state workers' retirement system, etc.

There are things I miss about California (mostly the longer fresh produce season!), but I'd rather vacation there and visit friends than live there at this point in my life. I can certainly see the appeal; it's just changed too much since I first moved there in '85 for me to love it like I used to. I'm sure that's true of many places, though.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Here's the thing. Most people who live here aren't doing glamorous jobs that require a world class education. That's a relatively small slice of the population. California has more variety, but many, and perhaps most people are paying through the nose just to keep roofs over their heads. Many find they don't have the time or money to do all the fun things here, yet they are paying a premium to live here. I think what keeps a lot of less well of people in CA is proximity to family and a familiar environment more than anything.

I think this is a really good point. Sure some people are highly paid executives in the tech field for example, but that is a really small portion. Or more appropriate to where I live in L.A, highly paid hollywood executives. I agree that most people are paying through the nose just to keep roofs over their heads..not too many people want to admit that though. I'd say for MOST people...what they do on a regular basis they can actually do in other cities/states at a lower cost.

[WeakandDizzy]

Originally Posted by CousinMaynard

if i ever left california, i wouldnt be on the california boards, i'd be on whatever my new homes forums was

call me pie in the sky but lifes too short rear view mirrors and all that

Left California in my mid 30's in 1994. Sold a business, changed careers. Have lived in the Midwest and now the Southeast. I left for better opportunities. Left family and friends because it was too much of a struggle to support my family in the Silly Valley and could not afford private schools for the kids. Only one child left in college, should finish next year. Have had thoughts of returning to the Central Coast ( Paso Robles/SLO area) to retire but still too expensive. Bought a small farm in the central Piedmont of North Carolina, 40 minutes from a good airport, 25 minutes from two world class tertiary care medical centers. Why do I return to the California Boards?, I don't know, maybe because I was born and raised there, my mother, sister, many nieces and nephews live there, my best friend from college lives there, my great grandparents and grandparents on my mother's side are buried there, my wife's relatives are still farming the Central Valley like they have been doing since 1869..... I am a U.C. graduate and still send them a bit of money, send money to several other California based charities ( as well as many in my adopted state). I don't need to frequent my adopted state's boards as often as the California boards as I live here and see what is going on day to day, but I only get back to my native state two or three times per year. I believe I am just as entitled to comment on California affairs as the rest of you even though I no longer pay California state income tax. I pump a fair amount of money in to the state economy every time I visit. Your welcome.

[JohnSoCal]

We moved from San Jose to Coral Springs Florida ( metro Ft. Lauderdale area ) in the late 70's. We lived in Florida for 8 years and then moved back to San Diego. We were very happy to be back in California and vowed we would never leave again. We also lived in Los Gatos, Sunnyvale, and Livermore from 1998-2006. I have also lived in Phoenix, Portland OR, Seattle, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela.

We far prefer living in California more than anywhere else we have lived or visited.