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I'm not the kind of person who thinks the grass is greener on the other side. I don't complain really about much honestly, and can be happy in most places, and indeed I am happy where I am . . .
However, despite all the negative images and things people have to say about LA and southern California, I am just absolutely amazed by the area. I just got back from spending a few days there on vacation. And yes one can't judge an area by a vacation, I always do serious research about places.
I live in Oak Park, a progressive, integrated, historic suburb right outside Chicago, and grew up about 1/3 the distance to Milwaukee from downtown Chicago. And its among the few areas within this region, that I really enjoy.
Like I said, I'm happy where I am, got friends and family, however I just never, and I've tried numerous times, to understand what people see in Chicago.
I mean I do know what people like (dense centralized downtown, with carless living opportunities, etc.), and I don't outwardly strongly dislike it, but I can help but to feel a little left out, when people absolutely love an areas, and I have more average feelings about it.
Therefore I see Chicago basically as being just a larger version of a smaller midwestern city. My attitude toward Chicago when natives or tourists visit the city, is that I reply "Yeah, its a good thing Chicago evolved with the financial district and had good mayors, otherwise it would have ended up just like Detroit" or "Chicagos cool, but less than 2 hours away is Milwaukee which has a lot of similar attrations, just on a smaller scale." And they look at you like you are on crack.
I guess I just don't care how big and grandiose a downtown area of a city is. I'm more of a metropolitan regional person than a true city person, someone who armed with a car, guide books, road maps (I use GIS software professionally, academically, although I insist on using road maps, rather than GPS) can conquer an area in terms of what it has to offer.
For example: I love the fact that the art museums are scattered. The Getty, the Huntington, the main art museum. It makes it feel "bigger" (which it is. LA CSA is 17 million, versus Chicago is 9.5 million) And ChicagoLAND does sprawl more, its suburbs are much lower density, and look EXACTLY like what you see in the suburbs of metro Detroit, etc.
Being a midwestern I don't mind cold winters, and I can make do with outdoor stuff around the Great Lakes (not shell collecting) and the bluffs, ravines, in the state parks. So, that stuffs ok, but I love how the mountains, canynons are totally iterwoven in the metropolitan complex. Even in Denver you have to travel to the mountains. The Santa Monica Mtns, San Gabriels, make you feel like you are totally not in a metro area. Laguna Beach was awesome!! The state parks around there, totally felt like you weren't a huge city!
And what you save in heating bills, wear and tear on cars (salt, rust) it can balance out some of the higher costs of living.
Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, west Hollywood, the Valley, Orange County, etc., etc. are all unique and truly look different. Chicago is just a flat, big gridded city with diagonal streets, and yes although there are many vibrant neighborhoods, they are NOT all different, other than a slight change in businesses/retail they are all feel the same.
Chicago was such an industrial, blue collared, that the upscale, yuppie componenets just don't feel believable.
I don't worship celebrities, but to me any upscale, pretensious area makes sense. And you know what, there are still lots of affordable places to eat and have a coffee in Beverly Hill, etc. An area like that is just so much more believable than Chicagos Lincoln Park.
(Lincoln Park was working class 30 years ago, and is almost entirely midwestern college graduates). Although people can take it too far with botox and plastic surgery, I don't see whats so wrong about people trying to look younger, look good. I love a woman with the intelligence and life experiences when they are 40, yet follows the fashions of women in their 20s. I don't see whats wrong with that. I'm a 30 year old guy, and I've lately been dressing slightly younger lately. Why be stodgy, stuffy. I know So Cal style is like that, and I don't mind.
In Chicago its based on strange things like living in a former warehouse loft, and going to the Cubs games instead of the White socks. Or going to the more upscale steakhouse. I just don't get it. Its a weird hybrid between working class values mixed with yuppie pretension. They won't go on the south side, (even though there are safe, quiet more affordable, neighborhoods), Milwaukee (Oh, theres nothing to do but drink beer and east sausage, as the north siders eat beer and sausage), and will say rediculous thinks like Chicago has just about everything New York does, but so much more affordable, or taht LA is not a real city and is the land of the fruits and nuts. Its such a strange provinicialism, that NO ONE else around here recognizes. And if I bring it up, people don't discuss, they look at you like you are crazy and suggest you move.
I'm sorry for rambling. Bottom line: Do you that I would like living in southern California. Is there something I am missing? That I haven't considered. I'm not idealizing the areas Its just an area that truly feels like a place worth fully experiencing for at least a few years. However, I will admit I many of the Chicago suburbs, many of them have a quaint, mayberry feel that might be better places to raise kids. (actual snow around Christmas, fall colors/orange maple leaves for kids to experience October).
I know the smog (after it rains it clears up), traffic (live close to work - go out of town on weekends), crime (avoid the bad areas. Chicagos bad areas truly are decayed, whereas I know in LA/SoCal things are bit more mixed, less physically decayed, etc.) Would you recommend relocated if you only feel "meh" about where you are, versus actually truly disliking it??
Most importantly, does anyone know what kind of opportunities (I know the states in a serious recession, but its particularly more severe in Californias smaller more inland cities, and the state/public sector from what I know.) are in terms of Geographic information systems, or teaching earth science/geography in community colleges?
You probably won't like it because you'll go see a Dodger/cubs game at Dodger Stadium and you'll root for the cubs and you'll go see an Angels/white sox game at Anaheim Stadium and you'll root for the white sox.
There are probably no jobs for you either as schools and community colleges are laying off teachers.
Now, if you would consider Needles or Barstow or somewhere like that, you might find a job.
You probably won't like it because you'll go see a Dodger/cubs game at Dodger Stadium and you'll root for the cubs and you'll go see an Angels/white sox game at Anaheim Stadium and you'll root for the white sox.
There are probably no jobs for you either as schools and community colleges are laying off teachers.
Now, if you would consider Needles or Barstow or somewhere like that, you might find a job.
I assume this is a joke. Isn't it the remote inland towns in general that have been hit hardest, as the only thing going for them were cheap housing for people willing to commute long distances to the bigger cities.
In regards to sports, like I said, I don't understand the obession over the cubs. I root for whatever team that is in whatever geographic area that I really like.
I assume this is a joke. Isn't it the remote inland towns in general that have been hit hardest, as the only thing going for them were cheap housing for people willing to commute long distances to the bigger cities.
In regards to sports, like I said, I don't understand the obession over the cubs. I root for whatever team that is in whatever geographic area that I really like.
Nope no joke. It's places like that that have trouble recruiting people.
I did not run into any traffic jams when I was on vacation. And I drove all over the place. I'm sure its really bad, but same goes for any major meto area.
I do admit that the roads were maybe not as well kept up.
But maybe because they only do road construction when it is really needed??
In Chicagoland they are constantly doing road construction when it really doesn't need. And they close off unnecessarily big chunks of lanes, I think to keep I-DOT people employed. And being the transportation hub, there are freight trains and a million semis that clog up the roads.
I think the difference between Chicagoland/Orange County is that
LA/Orange County for so long was looked upon as paradise/glamorous, and not it lets everyone down.
Whereas back in the 80s, Chicago was looked upon as a rustbelt has-been, on the very of becoming another Detroit, so since it had nowhere to go but up back then, people are just dazzled. Especially because the good areas of Chicago offere more insulation from urban problems, (traffic, crime) than do the nice areas of LA/Orange county.
The only regions of the country that are doing "well" are the major metro areas of the south. Particularly Texas (Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth). Companies, etc. have been heading down there for a while.
I did not run into any traffic jams when I was on vacation. And I drove all over the place. I'm sure its really bad, but same goes for any major meto area.
I do admit that the roads were maybe not as well kept up.
But maybe because they only do road construction when it is really needed??
In Chicagoland they are constantly doing road construction when it really doesn't need. And they close off unnecessarily big chunks of lanes, I think to keep I-DOT people employed. And being the transportation hub, there are freight trains and a million semis that clog up the roads.
I think the difference between Chicagoland/Orange County is that
LA/Orange County for so long was looked upon as paradise/glamorous, and not it lets everyone down.
Whereas back in the 80s, Chicago was looked upon as a rustbelt has-been, on the very of becoming another Detroit, so since it had nowhere to go but up back then, people are just dazzled. Especially because the good areas of Chicago offere more insulation from urban problems, (traffic, crime) than do the nice areas of LA/Orange county.
The only regions of the country that are doing "well" are the major metro areas of the south. Particularly Texas (Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth). Companies, etc. have been heading down there for a while.
Because Southern California doesn't get the rain and freezing, it's roads are in pretty decent shape most of the time.
Most importantly, does anyone know what kind of opportunities (I know the states in a serious recession, but its particularly more severe in Californias smaller more inland cities, and the state/public sector from what I know.) are in terms of Geographic information systems, or teaching earth science/geography in community colleges?
You are the only one who could possibly decide if a move to California would be best for you. That said, the only real stumbling block, and it’s a huge one, is employment. It’s hard for most people to find a suitable job in California and unemployment is high.
Still, opening do occur in the community colleges since people take other more suitable jobs, retire, move away, or die.
Try this: California Community Colleges Registry
Are You on the List?
The California Community Colleges Registry is a large scale database containing the names, qualifications and desired position(s) of potential California Community College faculty, support staff and management job applicants. The database is utilized by the 72 Human Resources offices, representing the 110 California Community Colleges. This web site provides a number of services for individuals seeking employment as a faculty, support staff or manager at a California Community College. Currently, there are 943 open jobs in the CCC Registry.
The California Community Colleges is the largest higher education system in the nation. It is comprised of 72 districts, 110 colleges and enrolls more than 2.9 million students. Community colleges provide basic skills education, workforce training and courses that prepare students for transfer to four-year universities. The colleges also offer opportunities for personal enrichment and lifelong learning.
Click HERE to get on the list for the California Community Colleges Registry https://www.cccregistry.org/jobs/index.aspx
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
...openings do occur in the community colleges since people take other more suitable jobs, retire, move away, or die.
I know three community college instructors who have been laid off in the past two years. And although the CA community college system is the largest in the nation, the budget cuts in the past four years have been astronomical. If someone retires, dies, etc, the most recently laid off instructor would probably be next in line. A neighbor who's a student recently mentioned that his instructor told him he had to cut back on office hours because he had to teach at two community colleges to make up for hours he'd lost due to budget cuts (although he kept his job). OP, maybe you could try a job in another field?
I disagree with all the negativity on this thread about CA. The state has a lot going for it, and you are right that there is much about the state that attracts others. Many of our relatives are from the Chicago area and they say the same thing.
Quote:
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
While true, I believe that right now, one should not move to California without a job already lined up.
"While true, I believe that right now, one should not move to California without a job already lined up."
We are in agreement on this because I would never advise anyone to come here without first lining-up a job:
That said, the only real stumbling block, and it’s a huge one, is employment.
Also, the suggestion that someone venture is not meant as a recommendation for recklessness. "Venturing" includes thoroughly exploring possibilitiesinstead of automatically assuming the worst.
Most importantly, does anyone know what kind of opportunities (I know the states in a serious recession, but its particularly more severe in Californias smaller more inland cities, and the state/public sector from what I know.) are in terms of Geographic information systems, or teaching earth science/geography in community colleges?
I know that Cypress College brags(claims) that they have the largest Geography dept in the state, and I know that the professors take it very seriously. May be one place to check for work
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