golfnut
Full time employment: Posting here.
I’ve lived in several states. You get what you pay for.
Not the case living in Illinois, imho.
I’ve lived in several states. You get what you pay for.
If I were paying Prop 13 taxes only, my property tax would be 65 percent of what it is. Fees, parcel taxes, new bonds (the proceeds of which are largely drained off for other purposes) account for over a third of my property taxes.
My state income tax is not that high because Social Security is not taxed and I work the depreciation on the rental real estate to the maximum. The sales tax and property tax together are probably four to five times what I pay in income tax.
What do I get for my money? Overcrowding everywhere, high crime, drug addicts, alcoholics and mentally ill people living on the streets, polluted air, impossible traffic and so on. California, particularly the Bay Area, was a good place to live until the mid or late 80's. Not today.
Our definitions of quality of life differ. I don't go to local parks any longer because the homeless have made them unsafe. To go to Napa would likely mean four hours in traffic, especially on a weekend. I would not go to the Oakland zoo because of the crime in the area. I'm not sure there is any ideal place today, but my choice would be a cleaner, less crowded, and safer place to live.
If you look at a crime map, Oakland has some sketch parts and also some very nice areas. The average home price in Piedmont is over $2M. The zoo gets a 4.5 out of 5 on tripadvisor and seems very safe.
Hiking and walking groups and exploring all the parks and hiking trails are a big activity for most of the senior clubs in our area.
What do you do for fun?
I'm in California...
I suppose the politics are bad, but recognizing that there just isn't much of anything I can do about it but turn it off and not play their game has minimized that angst.
Nope. High property and sales taxes.
And snakes and fireants...
Thus far the snakes, fire ants, and even scorpions are not taxed, but you can bet it's on the drawing board...
Reviews on Trip Advisor are written by people that are in and out of the area in a few hours. People I know that have gone to to events at the zoo said they were not likely to go back and certainly not after dark.
There isn't anything "fun" to do here if safety and convenience are important to you. The Bay Area is overcrowded, dirty, and in many areas a dangerous place to live.
Have you ever been there? My mom's play groups used to go there regularly and now our friends now take their grandkids there. It is interesting you know so many people who wouldn't go back when I don't know a single person who has actually been there over decades of living here ever saying anything about safety.
You probably would be happier moving and you could sell your house to someone who really wants to live here, since housing is in such short supply.
Not the case living in Illinois, imho.
I grew up in that area. Worked in Oakland for 11 years before I retired in 2007. Every professional in my office lived east of the hills or in southern Alameda County. And most of them grew up in the area. I still go up there for various reasons. I would not live there.
I will not sell because I have to pay an outrageous price in capital gains tax. I will spend less time in California and may eventually rent this house, keeping another property as a second home. If the attack on Prop 58 transfers on properties that are rented succeeds in 2020, I will definitely move into that property before it takes effect.
I don't know how old you are or how long you have lived here. I'm old enough to remember the football parades on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley in the 1950's and the Key system trains on the bottom deck of the Bay Bridge. My parents took me to Fairyland in Oakland when I was little. Been there recently? If you went to San Francisco, you dressed up. The 60's were the beginning of the changes that led us to where we are today. The deterioration started to accelerate in the late 1980's and things have become really unpleasant over the last 15 years or so.
YMMV.
I grew up in that area. Worked in Oakland for 11 years before I retired in 2007. Every professional in my office lived east of the hills or in southern Alameda County. And most of them grew up in the area. I still go up there for various reasons. I would not live there.
I will not sell because I have to pay an outrageous price in capital gains tax. I will spend less time in California and may eventually rent this house, keeping another property as a second home. If the attack on Prop 58 transfers on properties that are rented succeeds in 2020, I will definitely move into that property before it takes effect.
I don't know how old you are or how long you have lived here. I'm old enough to remember the football parades on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley in the 1950's and the Key system trains on the bottom deck of the Bay Bridge. My parents took me to Fairyland in Oakland when I was little. Been there recently? If you went to San Francisco, you dressed up. The 60's were the beginning of the changes that led us to where we are today. The deterioration started to accelerate in the late 1980's and things have become really unpleasant over the last 15 years or so.
YMMV.
We are only 3 1/2 hours from San Francisco and used to go every year. 2 years ago was the last time because it was so dirty with garbage everywhere and the smell of urine. I read that they now pay people to pick up human poop daily. Ugh! Placerville is a beautiful place and we go every October for 5 days.
Not the case living in Illinois, imho.
We are only 3 1/2 hours from San Francisco and used to go every year. 2 years ago was the last time because it was so dirty with garbage everywhere and the smell of urine. I read that they now pay people to pick up human poop daily. Ugh! Placerville is a beautiful place and we go every October for 5 days.
There have been numerous reports posted on this at this site in the last year. Every study has different criteria and thus different results. All the factors listed so far on this thread are much superior to any of the published studies I have seen. I do recall there was a study that had some county in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia or Kentucky that was the totally cheapest county to live in the USA. But I can't find the study right now.
Depends... no complaints here...
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/sweet-spot-living-where-low-taxes-93721.html#post2107909
And snakes and fireants...
Anyone on here from Wyoming?
I like the Tetons and Medicine Bow areas. How does Wyoming 'get ya'?
We live in the Placerville area and it's become nuts every fall during 'Apple Hill' season. When our kids were young, their soccer games were on weekends and it was impossible to get through the bay area traffic coming to experience the country livin'. Many games were forfeited when a team could not be assembled to take the field. That was 20 years ago. It's steadily gotten worse after a brief reprieve during the recession. Being retired, I go up to High Hill Ranch mid week in the morning for my apple fritter and a cup of coffee.
The town government won't stand for a bypass of Hwy50, the major interstate that runs through town with 3 stop lights. This is a huge part of the problem. If there was a by-pass, wouldn't be nearly so bad, but the merchants on Main St. will never allow that to happen. Sunday afternoon/evenings are worst as the bay area crowd returns from Tahoe. The area is also growing fast in the wine industry, which I actually live closer to; Shenandoah Valley in the south county area of El Dorado. Steady traffic on Hwy 49 all weekend long with most of it loud Harley motorcycles and weekend wanna-be bikers.