Cons of living in Southern California (Los Angeles, Fresno: neighborhoods, schools, taxes)

[MrJester]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

Cost aside, I think the vast majority of people would choose coastal California's mild summers over Florida's tropical summers.

Maybe coastal California. BUT hurricanes aside, the vast majority of people would definitely choose Florida's summers over INLAND California's desert-like heat waves.

What if Florida and the Gulf Coast didn't have hurricanes or tornadoes?

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Maybe coastal California. BUT hurricanes aside, the vast majority of people would definitely choose Florida's summers over INLAND California's desert-like heat waves.

What if Florida and the Gulf Coast didn't have hurricanes or tornadoes?

Still trying to spread that propaganda?

[saibot]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Maybe coastal California. BUT hurricanes aside, the vast majority of people would definitely choose Florida's summers over INLAND California's desert-like heat waves.

What if Florida and the Gulf Coast didn't have hurricanes or tornadoes?

I also think you're wrong, and I'd say make a poll and find out, but unfortunately you can't eliminate the possibility of hurricanes from the Gulf Coast.

[Mr_Geek]

Originally Posted by saibot

I also think you're wrong, and I'd say make a poll and find out, but unfortunately you can't eliminate the possibility of hurricanes from the Gulf Coast.

Agreed.

While were at it why don't we just say, if Florida didn't have humidity, hurricanes, and tornadoes and the IE didn't have 100+ degree heat and no rain then they'd be equal lol

[Veritas Vincit]

People always say the rain cools you off in those humid, summer rain climates. In reality, the rain does that for about 5 minutes then it actually gets worse than before the rain. This, after all, isn't a cold front moving through that's going to bring in cool, breezy weather for a few days. No, the rain just briefly depresses temperatures into the 70s. But once the cell has passed, the temperatures will climb again rapidly..and the rain water will evaporate and increase the humidity level in the air even more. It's literally steam coming from the ground like you're in a sauna. Maximum stickiness.



I think there's a lot of reasons to be skeptical about the inland desert climate in California and the Southwest. The wind and sand, the often extreme night/day differences, the chillier winters with snow a distinct possibility especially in higher elevations, the extreme triple digit heat as a reality of life in summer, the fire hazard. It's certainly not as optimal as the coastal climate in Southern California. But given that the inland Southwest is attracting newcomers at very high rates as well (see the growth of the Phoenix and Las Vegas regions) it doesn't seem to deter people any more than Florida's climate.

[DKM]

This week is looking pretty bad but it will be back to 70 by Saturday. That ain't happening in DC

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Maybe coastal California. BUT hurricanes aside, the vast majority of people would definitely choose Florida's summers over INLAND California's desert-like heat waves.

What if Florida and the Gulf Coast didn't have hurricanes or tornadoes?

Have you ever lived in Florida? Or the east coast in general? Thee's a reason "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" is a proverbial expression.

[cutiger79]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

Cost aside, I think the vast majority of people would choose coastal California's mild summers over Florida's tropical summers.

Having moved from Miami this past April that's not all true. I definitely prefer California's climate to that hot and humid Florida whether (well southeast USA in general although FL is definitely the worst offender). I maybe an anomaly though.

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by nairbdes

My wife and I are millennials here in the east side of Lakewood, CA and I think making life comfortable here requires career-driven mentality, and making sure both of us work full-time. I work in tech and she works in nursing so we are doing well for our age - we were able to get our first condo here about 4 years ago when it was a bit cheaper than today. Still priced out of a single family detached house, but that's OK... we don't have kids yet so we don't need all the space - yet.

Weather is usually great, we can play tennis most of the year but less during winter when the days are short and kind of cold (but certainly not THAT cold, just cold for native californians like me who are only used to hot weather.)

I can definitely say if you don't work in a good field, you may struggle with the high rents. Another thing that sort of annoys me is that even in the 'good' areas, you're not far at all from a bad one. (Hawaiian Gardens isn't too far from us, even if our current area is pretty decent, and HG is pretty unsafe at night)

So I would say if you have a good job, you can find a lot of pros here. That's really what it comes down to.

Cons include traffic (I take the metro early in the morning, which helps me get into DTLA), lots of homeless people, some areas with really terrible quality roads that can destroy your car's shocks over time, and kind of absurd prices for single family detached homes. I still think condos can be attainable for younger people, with time and dedication.

Hawaiian Gardens has improved a lot over the years, what with the increased city revenue generated by the casino and bingo club in addition to major law enforcement crackdowns that have eradicated much of the Gang element that has been so firmly entrenched in the city for decades. Moreover, the city is becoming somewhat gentrified, as evidenced by various new construction as well as a more ethnically diverse population: while the city is still majority latino, more and more Asians are beginning to move in. I’ve lived in Cerritos my whole life, and Hawaiian Gardens has always been known to locals as a rough area with gang problems (and it still has elements of that). But the city has improved markedly and is much cleaner and safer than it was even a decade ago.
The one-ways in Norwalk are likely a more dangerous area.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Maybe coastal California. BUT hurricanes aside, the vast majority of people would definitely choose Florida's summers over INLAND California's desert-like heat waves.

What if Florida and the Gulf Coast didn't have hurricanes or tornadoes?

You can't be serious. I've experienced Virginia in August doing heavy physical activity and that was bad enough. Couldn't sleep at night either due to the humidity. I would imagine Florida to be far worse.