Love SoCal, Can't Afford a House Here, where to folks go? (Fresno: condos, crime rate)
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Do you need to be relatively close to the ocean? Why most people can't leave Cali, the sun and the beach. If you don't, I'd leave the state entirely; a renter at the age of 55 looking to buy his first property in Cali....that's a tough road for sure.
Get on a plane and go to Denver, you might not come home. Every season here has an abundance of sunshine, it's sunnier here than So. Cal; I know, I lived in So. Cal. for 40 years. And you can still buy a big house in the burbs for less than $500k.
Last edited by Stevedore; 07-24-2018 at 12:08 AM..
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RuggedAlpha
The OP is the one that loves OC. I don't believe he mentioned anything about Asian cuisine, that was another poster.
Personally, 85 degree beach water when it's hot & humid as hell outside is not appealing to me. It feels like I"m taking a bath, no thanks. I rather have colder water to refresh myself on a hot day.
Texas has that nasty Tex-Mex, fake Mexican food. California has real, authentic Mexican cuisine which is my favorite food of all time. TX excels in BBQ, no doubt. But California is a foodie paradise, especially if you want healthier, organic cuisine. In general, Texan food is not healthy which is why it is the 8th highest most obese state in the nation.
Also,the majority of Texas landscape is flat and unremarkable as hell. Parts of it are pretty, but most of it is not.
So you would trade the emerald waters of Laguna Beach for the brown waters of Galveston Beach? Cool beans. Not me.
California has cool history as well. Juan Cabrillo actually landed on the West Coast before the Pilgrims did on Plymoth Rock.
I think the op wants what he can't afford, a big house in mission viejo. He going to have to take a condo or move elsewhere.
Texas esp Houston has worse humidity than Atlanta. I agree that many parts of Texas are flat and not that attractive except foe some areas,
I will also say that while I like Galveston, the beaches aren't that attractive. I owned 4 beach homes there and Galveston to Houston is kind of like Santa Cruz to the Bay Area. The water though is quite brown. Fun watching the dolphins from the beach though.
It's funny about what you say about California Mexican food being authentic. I love the super burritos in California, the don't make them the same here in Atlanta.
When I ask my Mexican friend where can I get a super burrito like I did in California he tells me that's not real Mexican food.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,351 posts, read 8,572,211 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frikeww12
Hehe "emerald" California waters.
You know, because all the people who visit the Caribbean are like, wow if only we could be in Laguna beach. Next we might hear that the weather in Barstow is far superior because it's in California and a dry heat!
Wonder why the beachboys didn't sing later on about Point Reyes or Morro bay? You know why? Because they eventually traveled the world and said oh my Lord the beaches in the gulf/Florida/Caribbean are out of California league.
There's a bit of isolation out there CA in that folks don't really know what the rest of the country is like and why Bahamas and so forth are the preferred beach travel spots, not La jolla. Though we do love La Jolla.
He he, between you and me we are beating up on poor Barstow. Having passed through Barstow multiple times and driven through the town and residential sections looking at the housing, I can honestly say I would hate to live there.
Btw The Beach Boys actually did mention morro Bay once in their song "California saga"
Not to be there exactly though
"Have you ever been north of morro Bay...."
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,351 posts, read 8,572,211 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RuggedAlpha
Well let's see, I've actually been to Texas and was there for a month. It's wasn't like I was just passing through or only there for a weekend. Don't get mad just because I prefer CA over TX.
Lol Dude NOBODY thinks some ghetto area in CA like Stockton is better than a nice area in another place or state. Compare a ghetto area in CA to a ghetto area in TX. It's stupid to compare a poor place with a nice place.
It's so ridiculous that some people just can't accept that there are some folks that are happy as a clam living in California and have no desire to live in another state. If you prefer other places, that's fine. I feel very blessed to live here and is one of the major reasons why I'm happy in life.
Actually no one is arguing that some people can be happy in California. There are lots of people who love it.
It is you who keeps putting down other areas saying California is the best and sooooo much better than anywhere else that no one can be as happy living elsewhere.
The argument about how much public land is available gets weakened by the fact that other states with less public land don't get overcrowded with people getting turned away. How much is enough?
If you had a hundred million dollars is life so much better for you with 200 million? For most people it's pretty much the same except for Bragging rights.
Actually no one is arguing that some people can be happy in California. There are lots of people who love it.
It is you who keeps putting down other areas saying California is the best and sooooo much better than anywhere else that no one can be as happy living elsewhere.
The argument about how much public land is available gets weakened by the fact that other states with less public land don't get overcrowded with people getting turned away. How much is enough?
If you had a hundred million dollars is life so much better for you with 200 million? For most people it's pretty much the same except for Bragging rights.
Fair enough. If my message is coming across like CA is the only place to live then I'll clear that up and say that is simply not the case. There's a lot of great states in the US to call home.
It's just that the overwhelming majority of comments are negative and bashing CA in general. In fact, I've received private messages from other posters thanking me for standing up and defending CA. They are afraid of saying anything positive due to the fear of being ridiculed.
A couple days ago, there was a back-to-back "Hate CA" threads on the front page of the forums. To make matters worse, most of the people that are anti-CA are not even living in the state.
California does have its problems, but for some reason a lot of posters take issue when I point out all the great stuff we have.
As to your last point, lots of places that I go to are definitely not overcrowded at all. For example, I love to go to Anza-Borrego State Park and it always feels like I have the place all to myself, even during the cool months. I would argue that a 50/50 split of public & private land is ideal and pretty balanced. It's not about bragging rights, but about quality of life. Being cut off from nature has had some serious health consequences to us as humans. We didn't evolve to be separated from our natural surroundings. That is why having public land and access is so important.
Last edited by RuggedAlpha; 07-24-2018 at 11:33 AM..
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,351 posts, read 8,572,211 times
Reputation: 16698
Quote:
Originally Posted by RuggedAlpha
Fair enough. If my message is coming across like CA is the only place to live then I'll clear that up and say that is simply not the case. There's a lot of great states in the US to call home.
It's just that the overwhelming majority of comments are negative and bashing CA in general. In fact, I've received private messages from other posters thanking me for standing up and defending CA. They are afraid of saying anything positive due to the fear of being ridiculed.
A couple days ago, there was a back-to-back "Hate CA" threads on the front page of the forums. To make matters worse, most of the people that are anti-CA are not even living in the state.
California does have its problems, but for some reason a lot of posters take issue when I point out all the great stuff we have.
As to your last point, lots of places that I go to are definitely not overcrowded at all. For example, I love to go to Anza-Borrego State Park and it always feels like I have the place all to myself, even during the cool months. I would argue that a 50/50 split of public & private land is ideal and pretty balanced. It's not about bragging rights, but about quality of life. Being cut off from nature has had some serious health consequences to us as humans. We didn't evolve to be separated from our natural surroundings. That is why having public land and access is so important.
I won't argue these points, I too have gotten rep points and messages from this thread.
A few things.
Bear in mind California is an economic and political powerhouse. It also has a large diverse population.As such it is going to get lots of attention good and bad. It comes with the territory.
Compare it to my team the warriors. For a long time the team was basically insignificant and there was no discussion about it. Now that they have clawed their way up and are a powerhouse the amount of haters that have appeared is absolutely amazing. It just comes with the territory. You might also notice that honest criticism of the state is often considered hate of the state. A fact is a fact, take it for what it is. Not to mention some of those posters are residents of California. But even if they aren't a resident, who cares? Did they bring up a legitimate point? I saw a California poster complaining about out of state posters talking about how sick they are of them bashing California with topics like taxes or homelessness. Are these legitimate issues or just bashing?
California is not the only state that that has negative posters. Other state forums have them too.
The bottom line is if anonymous posters say things that upset you, just log off and go enjoy the outdoors. In the end what they say doesn't affect your life in any way unless you let it.
As far as the amount of public land you are missing my point . I didn't say the California public land was overcrowded, so I'm not sure what the comment about being alone in anza borrego was about
Many states do not have as much public land, yet when you go there they are not overcrowded, so what is the advantage of having even more public land when all the land hasn't been used close to max?
On the other hand Yosemite gets so crowded people get turned away. What's the point of having all that extra land if people want Yosemite and not someplace else?
Be careful, because rattling around in a big house in another state could lose its appeal if your heart is in CA.
I'm sure of that.
Made that mistake once before. Built inland in Florida, when maybe I should have bought the beach condo I was leasing at that time.
The real problem is I don't make a lot of money. Even condos here that I could stand are now out of reach. The last 2 years seem to have seen a huge run up in prices.
In other words it's looking like, for all practical purposes, I've been priced out.
I do have potential to earn more $$$, but every possible job to do that that has come along... is somewhere else. Like Los Angeles or San Jose.
For me the other sin/hell, is making good money but having to live somewhere you hate.
Within certain bounds I'll take less $$$ to live somewhere I like.
Just so happens that tradeoff may not be available in the current market.
Not really. When she was on her beach quest she was talking to her friend that lives in Jacksonville Fl. He couldn't believe it he said he just drives to his local beach parks puts down his towel and bliss! I think people that live here don't comprehend what it's like outside So cal.
Very true.
Back near my home town in S. Fla. they are talking about changing the rules and closing some of the beaches to the public.
Has been a small uproar about it.
Unlike Ca. A lot of S. Fla the beaches are public and there is no parking charge.
We're sort of in your same boat. We love CA and moved out from coastal SoCal once already. Bought a big, cheap house in CO with a view of the Rocky Mtns. It was awesome... until it wasn't anymore and we missed CA too much. So we returned home to an even better, nicer part of the state (for us) in Monterey. We've been living in Monterey for over 10 years now and it still feels like a dream, seriously. We literally couldn't wait to return home after about a week on vacation in Hawaii.
However, like you we are priced out of the market here. We've combed the state far and wide looking for the next best fit considering all the things *we* enjoy and hold dear. Basically, the greater Sacramento area was the next best (affordable) thing around the foothills - Auburn, Grass Valley, El Dorado Hills. We compared that to some out of state options in our next favorite states which are WA and OR. After more research and time spent there, we are leaning toward WA (Vancouver or Olympia). Both have many of the outdoor activities we enjoy, some more so (Columbia River Gorge, The Sound, lakes, rivers, Mt. Rainier NP, Olympic NP, rugged PNW coast, San Juan Islands, etc...) But no place will have weather as perfect as Monterey for us. My wife's family lives in San Diego and I'm from Manhattan/Hermosa Beach. So we've also lived in those SoCal coastal areas for a long time as well. I also did my undergrad in the Inland Empire and couldn't wait to get out of that place.
Basically, you have to take everyone's input with a Big grain of salt. Then really think carefully and honestly about what you enjoy most. That is what is most important. Next, think about what you are willing to give up if you want to own a home, like perfect weather. And start walking down that path. Ok, so if the weather wasn't perfect what could you live with vs. could not stand? For us, we're ok with a cooler climate and more rain vs. somewhere hotter all the time. So the PNW works for us more. However, for some others, they just have to have the heat and sun - max sunny days is their thing! Who needs rain, right? So maybe AZ is better or even inland CA (Central Valley, Inland Empire, Inland San Diego County) if you're ok with the added heat.
Finally, when you think you've clearly identified your own strong preferences vs. someone elses (our Colorado lesson) go visit, preferably multiple times. If all else sucks badly in comparison, just accept you will be renting in your preferred location for a very long time. Or wait out the next market crash if/when that ever happens. Hey, for some renting a lifetime is ok, seriously. In other cultures it is perfectly normal and actually for many Californias its an accepted thing to enjoy living in such a beautiful place.
As always, YMMV.
Derek
I know what you mean.
Lived in Westminster CO for 5 years. Drove up to Boulder for work every day. At that time, dreamed of going home to Fla. Hadn't lived in CA yet.
For me, S. Orange County is where I'd like to be, unless I can identify someplace that I'd like even better. (So far have failed at that... sure Maui or something... but I mean realistic destinations for me.)
But truth is, in order to stay here and be happy I need little more than a loft or 1/1, and it seems I've been priced out.
That's why the thread asks... "Where do folks that *like* CA but can't stay, go and also find happiness?"
I think everyone has lost sight of the original question... I.e. where do CA refugees go, and also be happy?
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