West Coast vs. East Coast (San Francisco, Seal Beach: appointed, homes, job market)

[westcoastbabe]

With the state of the economy the way it is with high unemployment everywhere, Does anyone regret moving from the East Coast to the West Coast. I personally would love to live somewhere on the west coast... I hear the vibe is just totally different. (Laid back). I am a born and bred east coaster looking to make a move in the latter of part of 2010. Just curious..would you ever move back to the East coast.?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by dscott2009

With the state of the economy the way it is with high unemployment everywhere, Does anyone regret moving from the East Coast to the West Coast. I personally would love to live somewhere on the west coast... I hear the vibe is just totally different. (Laid back). I am a born and bred east coaster looking to make a move in the latter of part of 2010. Just curious..would you ever move back to the East coast.?

I think the laid back thing is a myth or something from the 1960s or 1970s.

Does anybody honestly think people in California are, in general, more relaxed, less medicated, less stressed, less tense than people elsewhere? (I guarantee they aren't compared to Alabamians.)

Your time frame may be good as housing may be at or near the bottom. Plus (hopefully), the economy will works its way of of the rut.

The unemployment rate isn't as critical as the demand for your services. Are you more likely to get and hold a job in CA than in the east coast? Are there more "Plan B"s for you in CA? If so, then the comparative employment rates are irrelevant.

[timelesschild]

We moved from the East Coast to the West Coast last year. I personally am very glad we did. The economy is the same everywhere - if anything it seems to be slightly better in CA than anywhere I've looked back East.

Listen to Charles - he is making good sense.

[uptown_urbanist]

Don't move to California because you think it is more laid back. We lived on the east coast (DE, VA, and DC) before moving to California, and while there are some differences, I agree that the laid back thing, at least in my experience, is a myth. Maybe it would be if you moved from a demanding career in NYC or DC and took a less stressful job, maybe in a smaller town, in CA, for example, but that's a lifestyle thing, not a regional difference. Not to say that there aren't differences - I think there are - but overall I think you can find the same sorts of vibes on both coasts, depending on where you look.

I love both coasts and could be happy living on either, but if you want a change of pace and can find a job (or can take the financial risk of looking for work at that time) then by all means go for it. I should also note that we moved for a job transfer, and while I thought I'd like some parts of California, I didn't think I would like LA (where we first lived). I bought into a lot of the more negative stereotypes and just thought it wasn't for me. Turned out I absolutely loved it. On the other hand, a lot of people have unrealistically high expectations about the state, and they sometimes are really disappointed when it turns out that CA is like any other place, at least in the sense that it has its positives and its negatives, same as anywhere else.

[hsw]

Silicon Valley has lots of people who started their career in Manhattan and/or went to college in Northeast

Much of myth/reality of "laid back" CA life is a combination of near-perfect weather (in coastal SF or LA; puts most people in a better mood than cold/slush or heat/humidity of non-CA); stunning local topography (even nr many people's homes and offices); very short (relative to NYC) drives to office in own new performance car on brisk city streets or fwys; and damn good grub (much better daily casual and formal grub than available in Midtown Manhattan b/c of CA's local produce, but delivered in a more civilized setting, again stuff like valet parking, spacious public spaces, etc)

All that said, most who live the charmed SF/LA life arguably work harder (and just as many hrs) vs their NYC counterparts, but on Blkberries and laptops in more scenic, pleasant settings...sometimes while their NYC counterparts are "busy" escaping NYC for Hamptons on Summ wkends or FL on Winter wkends...the inefficiencies and laziness of crappy weather

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Charles

I think the laid back thing is a myth or something from the 1960s or 1970s.

Does anybody honestly think people in California are, in general, more relaxed, less medicated, less stressed, less tense than people elsewhere? (I guarantee they aren't compared to Alabamans.)

I second what Charles is saying here. I think maybe it was true when CA reached it's zenith for the middle class in the 1970s when wages were high and living costs were high, but not outrageous; but now life here is a grind like everywhere else, often more so. The job market here is either high end or low end, but the cost of living is still sky high. And people at the high end of the job market work their butts off to get those salaries.

So compared with NYC, yes it's laid back, but that's true of almost anywhere.

[bhcompy]

It's not that California is laid back. It's that people aren't as uptight in that urban east coast "it's my right to be a dick" kind of way.

And if you go to a beach town, it will be laid back. Seal Beach is, in general, more relaxed, less stressed, less tense, etc than the majority of towns I've been to

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

It's not that California is laid back. It's that people aren't as uptight in that urban east coast "it's my right to be a dick" kind of way.

Yes, that part is true. Californians aren't so in your face obnoxious like many Easterners are. Although sometimes people mistake us for being friendly, when we're really just (somewhat) more polite. There's a difference between the two that's lost on some.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

It's not that California is laid back. It's that people aren't as uptight in that urban east coast "it's my right to be a dick" kind of way.

You hit the nail on the head.

People here are no less busy. Our pace is no less hectic. In fact, LA and the Bay Area are in fact, less laid back than most places back east imo.

Its just that people here arent uptight. So true bhcompy. +1 rep point for you!

[uptown_urbanist]

I've met a lot of uptight people in San Francisco. It may just be my luck of the draw, but on the uptight issue I find it to be on-par with my experiences living in DC, and way more uptight than my time in Virginia or in Delaware.

And yeah, the beach towns will be more laid back, but so are beach towns on the east coast.

I guess it will depend on where you're coming from, and where specifically you're going. It could be a lot more laid back than where you live now, but not necessarily.