wlongman

Hi Patsy -

You are NOT going to like my response, (let me preface this by saying we are a bit conservative, same age as you when we lived in CA, very strong work ethic and strong family ties) but as an East Coaster and an Englishman moving to San Fran I battled - and I battled BIG TIME! I had huge difficulty with the culture shock and was depressed for months. My husband was ready to move us back to Maine just to make me stop crying every day but I was insistent I would make it through!

We met a lovely couple from Missouri who had moved there only a couple month prior to us and we commisserated with our "We're not in Kansas anymore Toto" stories.

I could not handle SF for the "How does that make your feel" crap they always laid on me (How does that make you feel if I whack you up side your head, huh??!!) I digress - it just was not my cup of tea nor my husband's.

We then moved to LA - which was marginally better - at least I didn't cry every day and people stopped the "How does that make you feel" bolony. The problem with LA - it was difficult to find "real" friends - I always felt like their attitude was "What can you do for me if I allow you in my life?"

We lasted in California for 2 years and the main reason we left is because we KNEW we would never own a home neighborhood or have the lifestyle we had always been accustomed to. (Do I sound like a snoot - fine! We like to be safe, we love having block parties with our neighbors, and it's always a pleasure when the 88 year old man down the street comes knocking on my door because once again he's screwed up his computer - once I've fixed it - there's a dozen roses for me! awwwww)

I digress again!

Patsy, I would also like to note that my professional credentials allowed me to work either in Social Services or School Districts - both of which I did (a director position in Social Services in SF and School District in LA).

I was utterly appalled! Mostly at the school system or lack thereof. Again, the "liberalness" of the entire state just went against every fibre of my being.

Allrighty - the GOOD things about California (I do have to be fair!)
Some of the most considerate drivers I have ever encountered (we have lived all over the country in major cities and 5 countries) I LOVE and MISS California drivers - BUT NOT THE TRAFFIC!

ummm.... Oh yeah - I miss our friends from Missouri - thank goodness for email!


ummm... ahhh yes, the best thing about California was getting out of there!

For those of you I have just offended I do extend my sincerest apologies.

How does that make you feel?

SeaUrchin

Hi wlongman, I don't get the "how does that make you feel" question. In what context was it asked?

BarbaraS

Quinty - we lived near the mountains in what use to be Alta Loma and no I never remember smelling a foul smell.

Spike

Might not like my reply either. wlongwoman, if you were crying every day while living in California, perhaps that is why people asked you about your feelings? I've lived in different parts of California my whole life and honestly don't know what you are talking about.

In regard to all that is wrong with California, I assert that it is largely a result of the constant influx of population the state endures. Traffic, high cost of living, housing shortage, struggling school systems, pollution -- these are all caused by the steep population growth and the struggle to adapt infrastructure to the ever-increasing numbers of people who must be served. If you move to California and then complain about any of this I can only say, "if you aren't part of the solution you are part of the problem." Personally, I welcomed the dot bomb and the brief exodus of residents in the bay area. Even with the loss of jobs in the area, real estate continues to increase in value. I'm not particularly motivated to convince anyone to move here. But if you do please don't cry and complain.

wlongman

Hi Spike - it was a cultural difference -that's all it boils down to. For us, CA was a different country in which it was truly wonderful to get a glimpse of the way they live, see their government and social structure - but to live there - I would not want to live in CA as much as I would want not live in former communist USSR- does that prevent me from visiting - no.

All I am saying, (Patsy) -> expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised by the best. Expect the BEST and be prepared for the brick wall.

Perhaps, in an extremely convoluted way, that was the message -> GO!! Experience it. And then, only once you have been there done that, does one believe they have a right to voice - negatively or positively.

janis

One thing it is important to remember - there is no single "California". The Bay area and LA are 100000% different (or would be if there was such a number) than the Sacramento area or Lake Tahoe or the far north part of the state.

The super-liberal, "beautiful people" culture of west LA is as foreign to someone from Shasta county as it would be to someone from Iowa.

Do not measure all of California based upon San Jose, or pan handlers in SF, or property millionaires in Orange County.

The state is 1,000 miles long, has 58 counties (some larger than many east coast states) and hundreds of school districts. You simply cannot generalize about the schools, politics, traffic, or housing costs.

tahoe

I can not tell you how true Janis’ statements are. There is something for everyone in California. You just have to find your nitch.

And for wlongman, Yes, I usually cry incessantly while doing my Christmas shopping in SHORTS!

lahainaluna

Janis is right on the money.

I grew up in Newhall just north of LA, it is now Santa Clarita. I have watched it turn from a small town into a cookie cutter suburb. I now has every national chain store that exists in every other American town. That is made worse by the fact that it is 300% more expensive than the rest of the country.

I have relocated to Modesto and it is still fairly expensive to live but the recreational benifits are outstanding. I agree with most posts that Sacramento has it all: an airport, mountains, city life, etc.

After reading all these posts, I agree with most of them but still love California and would not live anywhere else. There is a reason why so many people live here. I cannot put my finger on why, but is has a special something. Come on out and join us!

lynlor

California is such a huge, diverse state...liberal, conservative. If you have conservative values and life style, you will probably feel more comfortble in Southern California (except L.A.) Prices have gone through the roof. It is unbelievable. I am a native Californian and if my parents hadn't moved here long ago, I don't think I would be living here now.

There are places in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties that have nice reasonably priced homes and I have heard that the neighbors are friendly.

You will find the coastal communities to be the most expensive. The inland communities are better bargains.

Having the whole state to choose from seems like a daunting task. When you are able to choose from Northern California and Southern California that will make it easier to make a decision.

I might be fun for you to learn some spanish, but it is definately not necessary.

malvado

I'm surprised at how many 'welcome' messages on this thread, especially from a lot of the natives. I'm so used to people doing a lot of complaining about my state, yet wanting to live here. Problem is, not enough people are leaving(except for us natives who are forced to either relocate to another part of the state, or out of state altogether to afford a decent life).

It's too bad that apparently most of this country is so darned undesirable to live in, because I certainly wouldn't mind making room for the endless line of midwesterners and easterners who come here and don't leave. Especially here in SDiego where it's a dumping ground for the Navy and Marines. Not enough of them want to go back to Kansas after their enlistment is up.

Oh well, I'll stop my rant. I sound too much like my father and grandfather. Now I know what they were complaining about.

S_F_E

Well in my experience there is a reason some things - including places to live - are more expensive than others: the law of supply and demand. The reason it is more expensive to live in California than in Arkansas (for example) is that more people "want" to live in Calif. They may want to live here for jobs (well there used to be jobs here), or the weather, or the cultural diversity, or the beaches, or the mountains, or whatever. But obviously a great many people want to live here - and the huge influx of people from all over the world is quite a challenge to the infrastructure - both a problem and a blessing.

I grew up as an Air Force kid and have lived in 12 states and been to every state in the country. As an adult I have chosen to live in California because of the cultural diversity and sophistication (in some places anyway) and the physical beauty and geographic variety. Which is not to say it is for everyone.

Frankly I'm tired of people (not necessarily anyone here, so don't take this personally, I'm just ranting) from less diverse states taking all the money that is redistributed to them from places like California and then biting the hand that feeds them. California, as an earlier poster pointed out, is the fifth largest economy in the world - and we have achieved that feat because of such "liberal" values as cultural variety, tolerance, willingness to try new things, etc. (Everyone I know who has gotten sick of the high cost of living here and moved away has moved back! Sometimes you get what you pay for ;-> )

I think Calif. is to the U.S. as the U.S. is to the rest of the world - a flawed place that is easy to criticize but still a provider of hope and progress to many.

Patsy I hope you find a place that suits your family.

rjw_lgb_ca

S_F_E: You said it! If California is such an unlivable hellhole, why did the LA-Long Beach metro area have the highest rate of population growth in 2001 (the last year cited)? Chicago was number 2, I will hasten to add (cuz I love Chicago!). Since Miami had the higest rate of immigration from outside the US in that year, that must mean that most of the growth is migration from other parts of the country. Or the state (Bay Area dot-bomb victims?).

CA is the last bastion of those values that supposedly made America great: optimism, energy, an embrace of differences and diversity. People come here because they sense that something NEW awaits them. Innovation, invigoration, creativity, happy tolerance (well, in MY neighborhood)-- those are some of the qualities new citizens find here. And I might add, my particular neighborhood is quite friendly-- I know neighbors pretty well, we DO socialize. And I live in gritty ol' Long Beach-- "Iowa by the Sea" (so named for all the Iowans who have settled here continuously since WWII)! BTW, housing values are high here, but roughly HALF those of other coastal cities such as Santa Monica.

And in defense of our schools: The level of HS grads I'm seeing is no worse than anywhere else in the US. I saw a recent post from an Education major from the Midwest (undergrad, I assume) on this board-- and the misspellings and grammatical errors were pretty appalling. It's universal-- people don't put importance in their education until grad school, it seems. So don't blame California schools, darn it!!!

rjw_lgb_ca

OK, OK, glass house time-- I see my typo!!! It should be "highest".... And there are probably more. Sorry, peeps!