Possibly moving from Texas to the Central Coast (Santa Maria, SLO) (Alpine: RV park, apartment)

[Shawn_Estrada]

Originally Posted by escapefromdixie

Is $1,000 to $1,200 a resonable budget for a 1 bedroom in SM or southern SLO county?

Very Reasonable, even enough to get you something really slick..ocean views or in San Luis if you choose

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by escapefromdixie

I have been here just over a year. Memorial and Allen, a very nice part of town. Love the parks, trees and bayou. I may be figuring it wrong, but when use the DMV calculator for new residents I come up with around $200, depending on how the DMV would value my car. I agree that salaries are higher in CA for a reason, the COL is higher, but also in my field salaries are higher in CA because my profession seems to be a higher priority in CA than TX. Texas is a nice state to live in, but for my lifestyle, personal and professional beliefs, I am not sure I am a good fit here. I have no doubt I need to make more money in CA than I do here to have a similiar lifestyle, I guess I just need some more concrete numbers from my potential employer before I make any decision.

Is $1,000 to $1,200 a reasonable budget for a 1 bedroom in SM or southern SLO county?

Yes that is a very nice part of Houston...I worked at the Texas Medical Center so it was the best location for me personally.

I also used the DMV calculator and got around 200$ but when I got here with my car it was another sticker shocker. I am trying to find the papers as I keep all records. I was completely blown away when they told me how much I needed to pay for the New Registration...that is what it is called.

I live in Northern CA and for that price you could get a crappy small place not in a good location. Not sure what you can get for that price where you are considering moving. I would check Craigslist for the areas you are considering. CL is widely used here. It can give you a good idea what you will get for that amount of money.

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by Shawn_Estrada

Very Reasonable, even enough to get you something really slick..ocean views or in San Luis if you choose

Wow that is great!

[Social Democrat]

[quote=.highnlite;26444188]
To tell you the truth, if I lived in Southern California, I would not complain, I would shoot myself in the head.
I do live in Socal and no complaining - I believe we will move before I do this!

[.highnlite]

my field salaries are higher in CA because my profession seems to be a higher priority in CA than TX.

Must be healthcare, or education or sewer treatment

Another thing you can provide that helps, is, what do you like to do when you are not working? Unlike many areas of the country, people here work to live, they don't live to work.

To help you with your planning, I am including some video, and links to images, the 7th Wave was all shot locally, and the song and spirit represented by the musicians, is very Central Coast


Love is the 7th Wave - Music Video - YouTube

The slides are from a Winter's day moto ride around the South San Luis Obispo County

These slides are from a horse ride in one of our local State Parks. Montana De Oro

And these were taken in our local mountains. Too hot to be in in the Summer but great in the Fall Winter and Spring, Garcia Wilderness, (much trail detail, but that is because of a proposed repair project I am doing)

Half of California is public land, for your recreation, far greater than Texas, which has about 1 percent public land.

[escapefromdixie]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

Must be healthcare, or education or sewer treatment

Another thing you can provide that helps, is, what do you like to do when you are not working? Unlike many areas of the country, people here work to live, they don't live to work.

To help you with your planning, I am including some video, and links to images, the 7th Wave was all shot locally, and the song and spirit represented by the musicians, is very Central Coast


Love is the 7th Wave - Music Video - YouTube

The slides are from a Winter's day moto ride around the South San Luis Obispo County

These slides are from a horse ride in one of our local State Parks. Montana De Oro

And these were taken in our local mountains. Too hot to be in in the Summer but great in the Fall Winter and Spring, Garcia Wilderness, (much trail detail, but that is because of a proposed repair project I am doing)

Half of California is public land, for your recreation, far greater than Texas, which has about 1 percent public land.

I work for municipal government hopefully making a difference one person at a time.

Thank you for the video and links, the scenery is absolutely stunning. I love the philosophy of working to live, not living to work. I love to be outside, even if just sitting on the patio enjoying dinner and a beer all the way to an afternoon walking on the beach or a hike in the hills. The oppressive heat makes it difficult to enjoy the outdoors here and if the heat doesn't get you, the bugs certainly will.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by escapefromdixie

I work for municipal government hopefully making a difference one person at a time.

Thank you for the video and links, the scenery is absolutely stunning. I love the philosophy of working to live, not living to work. I love to be outside, even if just sitting on the patio enjoying dinner and a beer all the way to an afternoon walking on the beach or a hike in the hills. The oppressive heat makes it difficult to enjoy the outdoors here and if the heat doesn't get you, the bugs certainly will.

You are welcome. We really have no bothersome bugs except moisture seeking flies inland in hot weather. In Santa Maria and the coast, de nada.

There is a quaint custom in Shell Beach, just before sunset, the villagers take their glasses of wine, and walk the block to the end of the street at the cliffs over the Pacific, and watch the sun go down, and toast it.

[the city]

You could live in Orcutt, south Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, Nipomo, or Grover Beach.

There is more going on for young people in Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande. Orcutt and Nipomo are pretty much commuter towns for Santa Maria. They are really suburban. South SLO County is pretty much very suburban too. South Santa Maria is similar to Orcutt.

Grover Beach is an affordable beach town, but I would stick to the Pismo Beach side.

Political wise-AG and Pismo and Nipomo are 50/50. Grover and Oceano lean left. Santa Maria and Orcutt lean right.

SLO, Cambria, Los Osos, and Morro Bay all lean way left.

[the city]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

California has a lot of complainers. I find their arguments bogus. Generally the complainers live in the endless suburbs of Southern California. People in the rest of the state are pretty happy campers.

To tell you the truth, if I lived in Southern California, I would not complain, I would shoot myself in the head.

I have a friend, actually a client who moved here from Dallas and was very concerned about the bad things he had heard about in CA. He was particularly concerned about the schools as his elementary age kids had gone to what he called one of the finest schools in the Dallas area. Three months into the school year his kids were in danger of flunking, they were so far behind our local kids.

Generally, as you have likely figured out by now, Happiness depends on you. Living in a happy place helps. Living here is, as my wife and kids will constantly tell anyone who slows down enough to hear, is just plain great.

Right now, the temperature is 75, crystal clear, a mild breeze. Now, that weather statement works without much change, most days of the year, summer and winter. The humidity on the coast is higher than I like, but, it is a long way from Houston's

You do realize that South County has alot of common in SoCal right?

AG, Nipomo, Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, and Grover Beach have tract housing. There are suburban shopping centers. There's the popular coffee shop Coffee Bean and grocery market Trader Joe's commonly found in suburban SoCal.

They are coastal.

There is traffic (almost gridlock) during holidays and Summer months.

Schools are just as crowded as they are in SoCal.

The culture is the same with same environmental conscious, health conscious, and liberal views here. Also ethnically they are similar as South County is mostly Caucasian, but has a present Hispanic population (more concentrated in Nipomo, Grover, Oceano, and some in AG).


On the bright side for the no growth people out there, I read AG has a population cap at about 18,000 population.

Grover Beach has a cap at about 16,000 population.

Pismo Beach has a cap at about 10,000 population.

AG and Pismo will get closer to their cap by 2020, and will probably not surpass it.

[.highnlite]

You do realize that South County has alot of common in SoCal right?

Darn, I had forgotten, they speak English there too. Are you turning into User? Arguing for the sake of arguing? Why don't you leave the internet alone, start dating young ladies, go for a hike with one, take her to supper, you know, do what other "young people" do.