Is California really worth the cost? (Los Angeles, Acton: condo, crime, buy)

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by floridadreamer

Yes, but what is it specifically that California offers that is so great besides weather and beaches?

I think Sassberto answered it best. But I want to add what makes CA so great for me. For me it's my family and lifelong friends in addition to all the great stuff Sassberto mentioned. Also CA has a much better freeway and road system than any place I've ever been to. I'm not talking about traffic - I'm talking about the way the freeways and roads were designed. Also, CA is where hubster and I make our scrilla.

[floridadreamer]

Originally Posted by Roma

YES!!!!!!!! I want to come back!

To my husband and I, it is worth it.

I wanted to add that I have lived in 3 different states. None of the other states come close to what California has to offer. So without a doubt it is worth it to us.

What is it that California offers that is so great besides weather and beaches?

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by floridadreamer

What is it that California offers that is so great besides weather and beaches?

It's been answered above.

[cw68]

Originally Posted by floridadreamer

What is it that California offers that is so great besides weather and beaches?

Yosemite. Lake Tahoe. Lassen. Shasta. Amadour County. Napa. Sonoma. Mendocino. Redwood State Forest. Palm Springs. Joshua Tree. Temecula. San Francisco. Los Angeles. San Diego. Carmel. Big Sur. Lava Beds. Kings Canyon. Sequoia Canyon. Catalina. Coronado. Surfing and snow skiing. Deserts and frozen mountaintops.

California offers endless entertainment of the natural kind. I've lived here seven years (moved from the Midwest, Madison & Chicago) and though we road-trip often, there are still tons of places I haven't yet hit. You do not have the geographical variety available that you have here.

[Roma]

Originally Posted by floridadreamer

What is it that California offers that is so great besides weather and beaches?

Well, That's not fair! I can't mention the beautiful weather and the beaches.

The reason I say that is because it can't be beat. We used to live oceanfront in Oxnard. We saved Dolphins, Seals, little baby Lobsters, Snowy Plovers and their eggs, Sea Gulls (all kinds of birds), Sand Dollars and even a baby Shark . You name it, we saved it.

We moved 2.5 years ago to Texas to retire on a lake. BIG mistake. LOL
We are ocean people. So we talked and decided last summer we are going to move back to the ocean. We checked out Galveston first because we are already in Texas and we have pets and moving far isn't fun. You can also get a nice looking "gulf front" home for around a million dollars. Well, we took a trip to Galveston last August. We had plans to stay for several days. We left after 1 1/2 days. It was horrid. So hot and humid, bugs everywhere, mosquitoes biting us to death (big welts from the bites). It stunk. So we cut our losses and left.
So we knew if was the Pacific Ocean for us. California is so expensive, I know. With the money we have to buy a home we can only now afford a ocean view home. But we would rather have a ocean view home in California then an oceanfront home where it is miserable.

I agree with all the others on this thread too. We used to do so much in Calif because there was so much to do. We used to do day or weekend trips a lot.
I miss that. We would go to Santa Barbara, Solvang at Christmas, San Diego, Catalina, Palm Springs, Carmel, Fly up to San Fransisco, Fly to Las Vegas (we used to drive when I was younger). Go to Big Bear and attempt to ski, gosh so much and that does not include everything else we did for fun.

I just mentioned on another thread that I even miss a particular commercial "Crazy Gideon". LOL.
So it is everything big and small and everything in between that California has to offer to my husband and I. We were not born in Calif but we both feel it is our home and I miss home.

[NewToCA]

California has a unique attribute called the Lanterman Act, which covers the state's obligations to assist the disabled:

http://www.dds.cahwnet.gov/statutes/LantermanAct_TOC.cfm (broken link)

When evaluating where to relocate from our old state, Ohio, we looked into the programs in over a dozen states, including Florida. By far, the best we found were in New York, California, Minnesota and Rhode Island. Florida's program was awful, and the parents of disabled adult children we spoke with confirmed what we had found during our research.

[midnightbirdgirl]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

California has a unique attribute called the Lanterman Act, which covers the state's obligations to assist the disabled:

http://www.dds.cahwnet.gov/statutes/LantermanAct_TOC.cfm (broken link)

When evaluating where to relocate from our old state, Ohio, we looked into the programs in over a dozen states, including Florida. By far, the best we found were in New York, California, Minnesota and Rhode Island. Florida's program was awful, and the parents of disabled adult children we spoke with confirmed what we had found during our research.

I know from what I have dealt with for our son, it is an uphill battle from hell...He has a DX but we have still after years of fighting, have NO services...nothing, ZIP!! I know a child who in the 6 grade who is autistic was put in a hold for 4 hours, strapped down, not allowed to urinate, after acting out in an Acton middle school, and the parents were not contacted right away...it was horrid.
Maybe for adults it is better, but they are greatly lacking with children, unless you are on public aid then it is a bit better.
MBG

[Angel Bear]

I haven't lived in many states...only Michigan and Virginia But, I've visited many and well, California is so beautiful. It has wonderful weather and to me, the people are so amazing--friendly, down-to-earth, and polite, as well as open-minded.

As a vegan, metaphysical cruncy granola (self-described lol), I feel I fit right in. There's not as much energy of judgment in CA I've found when I've been there. People are more accepting of spiritual, artsy people with different values than the Midwest's work 16-18 hours per day in Corporate America type of job ethic or values. I don't fault those from the Midwest and if that is what makes them happiest, I fully support them.

But, I'm looking to live where I'm accepted and where there are people like me, as well as a place that has a better economy and more opportunities. My husband is an engineer and well, there are many more jobs available in all of CA in his fields.

I'd have to say it really depends on your values. What is important to you? For us, it's being by the ocean. We are simple people who are happy with simple joys of life such as walking on the beach and catching good waves Also, we enjoy riding our mountain bikes off road and well, you can do that more portions of the year in CA than in most places

I also like the idea of being able to do weekend trips to places in CA that I have never seen. It will be fun to do that. We'll probably end up moving to Hawaii when we retire though

We're not having kids so it will be easy for us to have a small place to live and to enjoy the lifestyle there

Life is short so I believe it's important to live where you'll be the happiest and where it resonates most with you

Hugz,
AB

[fairweathergolfer]

I would like to add that the hiking here is fantastic. Having grown up in the NW, I practically took long, intense hikes in the Bob Marshall Wilderness before I learned how to talk! I despised it pretty quickly, as beautiful as it all was, it got old with not a whole lot of variety. Then I moved close to the ocean and got excited for awhile about the evergreen hikes in the that part of the NW, then once again bored with the same ole' same ole.

California has fantastic hiking. I can literally go to the top of my Los Angeles block and spend the whole day hiking, or only the morning hiking, with views of just the mountains, or the city, or the ocean, or the island south of here or all at the same time. And this is just what is up the block. There are amazing an variable hikes here up and down California state. You'll have views that people pay millions to see everyday without the price. No need to buy--it is accessible to all.

People have no idea that do not live here, this place has it all! Even peace, quiet, and isolation within a few miles many times within the cities. Come on down from a hike and shop till you drop, go to a world class museum for free, eat amazing food, go to a yoga class, see the opera, a play, a musical, or hit a spa, take in a movie, take a class from an amazing university, listen to the ocean, study the palm trees' sway and luxuriate in the moderate temperatures, the fog, the sun, the snow. Take your pick we have it all here--city or town. Oh yeah, and then there are the beaches. See? I didn't even think of them until last as an after thought.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by Roma

Well, That's not fair! I can't mention the beautiful weather and the beaches.

The reason I say that is because it can't be beat. We used to live oceanfront in Oxnard. We saved Dolphins, Seals, little baby Lobsters, Snowy Plovers and their eggs, Sea Gulls (all kinds of birds), Sand Dollars and even a baby Shark . You name it, we saved it.

We moved 2.5 years ago to Texas to retire on a lake. BIG mistake. LOL
We are ocean people. So we talked and decided last summer we are going to move back to the ocean. We checked out Galveston first because we are already in Texas and we have pets and moving far isn't fun. You can also get a nice looking "gulf front" home for around a million dollars. Well, we took a trip to Galveston last August. We had plans to stay for several days. We left after 1 1/2 days. It was horrid. So hot and humid, bugs everywhere, mosquitoes biting us to death (big welts from the bites). It stunk. So we cut our losses and left.
So we knew if was the Pacific Ocean for us. California is so expensive, I know. With the money we have to buy a home we can only now afford a ocean view home. But we would rather have a ocean view home in California then an oceanfront home where it is miserable.

I agree with all the others on this thread too. We used to do so much in Calif because there was so much to do. We used to do day or weekend trips a lot.
I miss that. We would go to Santa Barbara, Solvang at Christmas, San Diego, Catalina, Palm Springs, Carmel, Fly up to San Fransisco, Fly to Las Vegas (we used to drive when I was younger). Go to Big Bear and attempt to ski, gosh so much and that does not include everything else we did for fun.

I just mentioned on another thread that I even miss a particular commercial "Crazy Gideon". LOL.
So it is everything big and small and everything in between that California has to offer to my husband and I. We were not born in Calif but we both feel it is our home and I miss home.

Roma - don't you be moving to Galveston. You'd best be moving back to CALI with me!!! If I hear about you moving to Galveston I'm gonna hunt you down and drag you back to CA with me!!!