Any other long-term CA residents reconsidering their “forever home”?

[RobbieB]

No problem, happy to oblige -

 

[Music Lover]

One thing I've noticed about those who love California...the weather is almost always their favourite thing about it, and sometimes it's their top 3 favourite things.

As I've said before, there are a lot of great and inexpensive places to live if you don't make 24/7/365 weather or an ocean view a priority. Millions of people live where weather isn't ideal and just go somewhere else for a while or work on non-outside activities.

 

[Major Tom]

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However I do need to say that removing “the” from in front of the freeway number is a Southern California thing. Until they started migrating up this way. [emoji38]

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...fornia-stereotype-11438280.php#photo-10173916

I lived in LA for around 21 years, and never removed the word "the" from in front of the freeway number. Neither did any of the LA natives I knew. They would say things like, "You take the 405 North to the 10 East to the 110 North." Were they supposed to say, "You take 405 North to 10 East to 110 North?" I don't get it. I never heard that the whole time I was there. I seem to remember we've had this conversation before in another thread, so I must have forgotten what the upshot of that discussion was.

Either way, the whole idea of saying things a certain way in order to prove you are a "real" Californian/San Franciscan/Los Angeleno etc. etc. seems rather silly to me, and somewhat tribal. It's a bit like the arguments between so-called New Yorkers and Los Angelenos (or San Franciscans) as to which city is better. I think it's all a bit daft and unnecessary, but I suppose it's like supporting your favorite sports team. Your team is the best, and everyone else sucks. My perspective is that everywhere has something to offer. Each place is different.

I have never called San Francisco "Frisco", and the native San Franciscans I know don't call it that either. I have heard of some natives who do call it that though - perhaps just to be frivolous, or because well, why shouldn't they call it that if they want to? If you were born in a place and have lived there your whole life, you can call it whatever you want, because you have nothing to prove. Come to think of it, I grew up in a small village in England, and have lived in several places that I wasn't from, but I have nothing to prove either. I have never felt the need to prove that I was a "real" citizen of the place I lived in. I'm just Tom, and I like it here.

I'm not trying to be argumentative but, for some reason, this subject irks me.

PS - regarding the screenshot. The first time I saw the sign for Duboce, I was on the phone with a friend (a Bay Area native) and told her where I was. "I'm at Church and Doo-bo-chay!" I said. She had no idea what I was talking about!

 

[Winemaker]

DW and I love to visit California, much beauty, hiking trails and the wines. Aunt and Uncle lived there in Santa Barbara/Goleta area. We had our rental car broken into on Day 2 of a vacation; really upset our applecart. All articles I have read the past few years said "Stay away from Kalifornia", because of new legislation. Makes my heart sink, what a beautiful place. We still go back.

 

[RobbieB]

The weather, the food, the activities, the location, ease of travel.

Mountains, central valley, seashores and deserts both high and low.

People from all around the world. From high tech billionaires to stoop labor migrant workers.

Diversity.

 

[ElizabethT]

The weather, the food, the activities, the location, ease of travel.

Mountains, central valley, seashores and deserts both high and low.

People from all around the world. From high tech billionaires to stoop labor migrant workers.

Diversity.

Amen to that. Today while out on a nine mile beach walk in very breezy weather (!) we had views of gorgeous snow capped mountains to our east, and both San Clemente and Catalina Islands to our direct west.

Lunch after was at a local joint listening to a local fishing charter boat crew talk about the crazy winds and how it was whipping up the white caps, thus no one was going out. Our careers were spent inside in offices, so we enjoy immensely these glimpses into other ways of making a life.

 

[JackJester]

... Millions of people live where weather isn't ideal and just go somewhere else for a while or work on non-outside activities.

That's really what it's all about. No place is perfect 24/7/365. Move around throughout the year. We love WA state, but the winters are wet and dreary so we head up to BC and ski a lot, and then we head south to San Diego or Phoenix or Mexico for sun for a week or 2. Then we spend most of the summer in WA ... but then we take our camper to MT or ID or OR or CO or NM for fly fishing and hiking in the fall. Rinse and Repeat, but try a little different shampoo each time. Variety is the spice of life.

 

[RunningBum]

One thing I've noticed about those who love California...the weather is almost always their favourite thing about it, and sometimes it's their top 3 favourite things.

As I've said before, there are a lot of great and inexpensive places to live if you don't make 24/7/365 weather or an ocean view a priority. Millions of people live where weather isn't ideal and just go somewhere else for a while or work on non-outside activities.

Most of what I'm reading here is people saying their life is there (in California). Perfectly understandable that they don't want to pick up and leave their life behind.

 

[Major Tom]

Most of what I'm reading here is people saying their life is there (in California). Perfectly understandable that they don't want to pick up and leave their life behind.

I think that's the criteria the majority of people use to decide where to move or stay. For many (most?) people, factors such as cost of living, cultural activities, ease of transport, and others, all take second place to the value placed on connections with family and friends. It's very understandable and, for most people, I think that's the way it should be.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

One thing I've noticed about those who love California...the weather is almost always their favourite thing about it, and sometimes it's their top 3 favourite things.

As I've said before, there are a lot of great and inexpensive places to live if you don't make 24/7/365 weather or an ocean view a priority. Millions of people live where weather isn't ideal and just go somewhere else for a while or work on non-outside activities.

Great locations usually aren't inexpensive. Housing prices tend to be based on supply and demand, which is why they cost what they do here. For people who like it here and can afford it, why move?

 

[Music Lover]

Great locations usually aren't inexpensive. Housing prices tend to be based on supply and demand, which is why they cost what they do here. For people who like it here and can afford it, why move?

There's no reason to move if you like where you live.

 

[COcheesehead]

We were just in California for a couple weeks visiting family. We did Palm Springs/Palm Desert, LA, Santa Barbara and San Luis Opispo.

Impressions? Palm Springs has become bigger and not as unique as it once was. Downtown has some good restaurants, but it’s now just a tourist promenade with lots of tacky shops.
Palm Desert is the opposite - lots of money on display and still has a certain class to its main drag.
Santa Barbara still has some nice little neighborhood pockets and good food. The homeless are everywhere and the town just felt a little dirty.
San Luis Opispo was our favorite and if I had to leave Colorado, I would consider SLO. Good size, still a nice college town, close to mountains and water. Heart of wine country. Good people too. The central coast is classic California.

 

[irishgal]

California native, lived my entire life there, in Orange County.
It was paradise once.
Left about 4 years ago and bought 50 acres in middle Tennessee.
Do I miss California, yes. But I have sport and performance dogs who love the space, and I have built the needed course to hold a sanctioned AKC event here in May.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

We were just in California for a couple weeks visiting family. We did Palm Springs/Palm Desert, LA, Santa Barbara and San Luis Opispo.

Impressions? Palm Springs has become bigger and not as unique as it once was. Downtown has some good restaurants, but it’s now just a tourist promenade with lots of tacky shops.
Palm Desert is the opposite - lots of money on display and still has a certain class to its main drag.
Santa Barbara still has some nice little neighborhood pockets and good food. The homeless are everywhere and the town just felt a little dirty.
San Luis Opispo was our favorite and if I had to leave Colorado, I would consider SLO. Good size, still a nice college town, close to mountains and water. Heart of wine country. Good people too. The central coast is classic California.

We looked at the Central Coast and it was a strong contender but just a tad too far from the amenities we enjoy, so we just visit every so often, when we need to.

Mostly we don’t need to any more.

 

[MarieIG]

California native, lived my entire life there, in Orange County.
It was paradise once.
Left about 4 years ago and bought 50 acres in middle Tennessee.
Do I miss California, yes. But I have sport and performance dogs who love the space, and I have built the needed course to hold a sanctioned AKC event here in May.

I hope that you will post about the event.

 

[Lsbcal]

Here is what you run into in California. Another d*mned unemployed homeless dude:

 

[Another Reader]

Here is what you run into in California. Another d*mned unemployed homeless dude:

Now covered in six feet of snow...

 

[Lsbcal]

...and these homeless dudes are just terrible. Always coming to our door for handouts:

 

[Major Tom]

That is some mighty beautiful landscape Lsbcal.

 

[Lsbcal]

That is some mighty beautiful landscape Lsbcal.

This is a trail in the Saddlebag Lake region. My favourite nature place. At the 10,000 foot level

 

[Major Tom]

This is a trail in the Saddlebag Lake region. My favourite nature place. At the 10,000 foot level

The Eastern Sierras. I should have known. I've had some enjoyable trips up and down US 395. Standouts for me were Mono Lake early in the morning, which was quite surreal, and the Alabama Hills, further south. There's so much space and so many great landscapes in Eastern California.

Some folk like to contrast Northern and Southern California but, for me, there are 3 more distinctly different areas of California - coastal California in the west, the central valley, and the Eastern Sierras. Much greater contrasts than between the north and the south, IMO.

 

[MarieIG]

...and these homeless dudes are just terrible. Always coming to our door for handouts:

Love this one!

 

[Another Reader]

...and these homeless dudes are just terrible. Always coming to our door for handouts:

Note the burglar alarm sticker...

 

[irishgal]

I hope that you will post about the event.

Do you think it would best fit in the “other topics” thread?

 

[MarieIG]

Do you think it would best fit in the “other topics” thread?

Yes. It could go there or under life after ER. But I would hate for it to get lost in another thread.

(I would super-secretly love a pet/ animal lovers' forum.)