Northern California vs Southern California (Los Angeles, San Diego: sale, house, neighborhood)

[LRobbins]

I've lived in Northern California all my life and I love it. However I;ve always wondered what life would be like in Southern. I hear northern ca is better in Quility and friendly people. Anyone fron Southern Ca that lives in Northern now, can tell me the difference?

[Majin]

SoCal is a collection of suburbs. Norcal is a collection of cities.

[Archan]

People in Southern California always add THE before the name of freeways, the 405 to the 101. People in Northern California do not, take 680 to 80.

You can always tell someone from Southern California by the way they give directions.

[moonsky]

I used to live in Socal(Los Angeles and Irvine). Housing price is double for the same house you can get in Sacramento. The weather is very nice in the area closed to the beach.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by LRobbins

I've lived in Northern California all my life and I love it. However I;ve always wondered what life would be like in Southern. I hear northern ca is better in Quility and friendly people. Anyone fron Southern Ca that lives in Northern now, can tell me the difference?

Well let's see, it has been years, but we moved from So Ca to the bay area and couldn't wait to get back to the L.A. area. Eventually we moved to Sac and we loved it. We also lived in the very northern part of Ca (Eureka) Other than Sac we would take So Ca anyday. Well, compared to San Francisco area that is. Again, just a personal opinion. There is no right or wrong, it depends on the individaul and what is important to you. We find people in Sac and So Ca friendlier and not as affected that in the bay area.

Nita

[sacramento916]

Having lived in both regions, I much prefer Norcal.

Here are the advantages to Norcal
1. More culture/intellectual
2. More high tech industries (Though this is more the case with the Bay rather than Sac)
3. Cities with more character
4. People more down to earth
5. Greenery. REAL FORESTS and REAL RIVERS!

Advantages to Southern Ca
1. Much more physically attractive people
2. More dynamic business environment
3. Warm all year round
4. Better beaches

[LuLuBleen]

I was born and raised in Sacramento and moved to Southern California right after college. There isn't enough money in the world to bribe me to even visit Sacramento ever again. I absolutely loathed living there.

For me, Sacramento had all the disadvantages of a small town (backward, small minds, limited economic opportunity, very little culture or entertainment) with all the disadvantages of a large city (too much smog, traffic, crime). Southern California has plenty of problems, believe me, but the good outweighs the bad for me.

I think it's interesting that so many here think the people are nicer in No Cal. I've found the exact opposite to be true. Perhaps it's because I'm happier here that I see everything more positively?

If you love Northern California, why move? It must agree with you.

[CityGirl72]

I think it depends on where in SO Cal you are comparing to where in Nor Cal. And then also what stage of life you are in.

I'm from So Cal, born in Santa Monica, childhood in Marina Del Rey/Los Angeles, then high school years in Lake Arrowhead (Inland Empire)

BOTH my sister and I left So Cal and moved to Nor Cal as soon as we got out of high school. We hated it down there. Very claustrophobic, dirty, congested, yucko! But I came ot Sac for college and LOVED IT. Lived in Midtown, had a ton of friends and tons of things to do. Loved the weather. Loved the people.

Moved to Seattle. Hated it.

Moved back but this time my stage of life was Mid 30s and with kids, so we're in Fair Oaks/suburbs. It's different and I still wish I was in Midtown, but am loving the weather, and happy that my kids are happy.

I WOULD NOT raise my children in the Inland Empire like some of my friends are. Disgusting. My husband tried convincing me to go there when we were moving from Seattle, and I seriously was hysterical. NO WAY!!

So it will depend - everyone is different

[Damnitjanet]

Instead of Northern California vs Southern California, I think it might be more useful to look at it as Inland California versus Coastal California.

On the Coast, the the climate is a lot more temperate. It doesn't get as cold in the winter time and it doesn't get as hot in the summer time.

But the trade off is that your money goes a lot further in the inland areas. In Coastal California, very few people can afford when they are starting out to buy a home in an area isn't dangerous or fairly sketchy. The median price of a home in Sacramento County is $175k whereas the median price of a home in LA County is almost twice as much $329k. But incomes are higher in Sacramento ($66,812) than LA ($61,859).


DQNews - California Home Sale Price Medians by County and City
Sacramento County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder
Los Angeles County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

There are a few careers that pay a premium to work in LA vs Sacramento, but for most people when they move here their wages stay the same but the cost of living is generally about half what you were paying before.

For some people moving to Sacramento means suddenly you can afford to buy a home and start a family in a neighborhood you would feel safe living in. For others it just means that its a lot easier to pay for housing and save money for retirement or putting your kids through college.

If you have enough money, I think its tough to beat Coastal California. I understand why rock stars and investment bankers live in Malibu, Beverly Hills, La Jolla, Del Mar etc. But for most people that type of lifestyle is just out of reach. Roseville is about as nice as Thousand Oaks, but is about as expensive as Pico Rivera.

Now if you go inland in Southern California, there are places where the cost of living is similiar to Sacramento. The cost of housing in Temecula is about the same as in Sacramento, but incomes are a little lower and you may have to commute into San Diego County or Orange County to find work.

There are also a few places on the Coast where housing is cheap like Crescent City, but the local economy structurally there is quite weak. (wages are low and there just isn't much industry there). But what I am really distinguishing between is urban regions of both Coastal and inland California.

[Yvetta]

Grew up in San Diego.

Have lived in the bay area ( Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland) ever since.


Will never, ever move back to SoCal.