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I remember when California was the land of opportunity. When we moved in 1980 from Cleveland to Orange County moving meant we could find good jobs, get affordable education, and buy reasonably affordable homes. I put myself through college, bought my first home 2 miles from the ocean in HB, and started my software development company. Fast foreward to 2010. My daughter is starting high school. She cannot get any AP courses as they are all full, and she doesn’t have a 4.2 GPA. What does that mean? Most likely she is going to end up going to a community college for the first 2 years, or possibly Long Beach State or Cal State Fullerton. Keep in mind that actually graduating in 4 years is next to impossible, because the classes are full (impacted).
The wife and i decide to sell up and move. We pick Colorado. She goes to the 3rd ranked high school in the state. She signs up for several AP classes. No problem whatsoever. She graduates from high school and gets accepted to a bunch of unversities in and outside Colorado. She picks The University of Colorado at Boulder (aka The University of Colorado). To say that Boulder puts almost every university in California to shame is an understatement. This is a beautiful campus with the full experience. Gorgeous campus. Solid programs. Her sorority house was a mansion. This is college! All for $20k per year. She graduates from college in 4 years and gets hired by Google. She now works in Mountain View.
Where would she be now if she went to a Cal State school? Moving out of California was a life-changing decision for her. I remember when moving to California provided this. Those days are long gone.
I remember when California was the land of opportunity. When we moved in 1980 from Cleveland to Orange County moving meant we could find good jobs, get affordable education, and buy reasonably affordable homes. I put myself through college, bought my first home 2 miles from the ocean in HB, and started my software development company. Fast foreward to 2010. My daughter is starting high school. She cannot get any AP courses as they are all full, and she doesn’t have a 4.2 GPA. What does that mean? Most likely she is going to end up going to a community college for the first 2 years, or possibly Long Beach State or Cal State Fullerton. Keep in mind that actually graduating in 4 years is next to impossible, because the classes are full (impacted).
The wife and i decide to sell up and move. We pick Colorado. She goes to the 3rd ranked high school in the state. She signs up for several AP classes. No problem whatsoever. She graduates from high school and gets accepted to a bunch of unversities in and outside Colorado. She picks The University of Colorado at Boulder (aka The University of Colorado). To say that Boulder puts almost every university in California to shame is an understatement. This is a beautiful campus with the full experience. Gorgeous campus. Solid programs. Her sorority house was a mansion. This is college! All for $20k per year. She graduates from college in 4 years and gets hired by Google. She now works in Mountain View.
Where would she be now if she went to a Cal State school? Moving out of California was a life-changing decision for her. I remember when moving to California provided this. Those days are long gone.
That is a great argument to leave CA if you have school age kids. Or you can send them to private hs, $15K/yr, and private college, LMU at $70K/yr of undergrad
Let's see, I spent junior HS, HS, college, and 6 of my 10 post college years of training in CA. Plus another 3 years working there. I was more of a Bay Area, northern CA guy. I would visit southern CA frequently, but that part of the state never really clicked for me.
No question though, CA was home. The weather IS perfect. I could go over the hill to Santa Cruz, drive into the mountains to snow board at several different resorts etc. There were endless things to do, cool restaurants , gorgeous/smart/cool AF females, etc. For me though, as I got older, got married, and had a family, my priorities changed. I could make a lot more working in another state, cost of living was night and day. I made good money in CA, but still found myself thinking about finances which was annoying. I got tired of fighting crowds and standing in line for everything.
The politics seemed to become more and more extreme and oppressive. It felt like there was a tax, a rule, a regulation, or a requirement for everything I did. Sure you can close your eyes and ignore it, or maybe you honestly support it, that's great. I couldn't do that and I sure couldn't finance it, so I voted with my wallet. Obviously, the state of CA could care less whether I am paying taxes there or not, but I feel better, except in the winter :-(
Who knows maybe someday I'll go back, but to be honest, I would imagine the governor would probably meet me at the border if I tried...
The politics seemed to become more and more extreme and oppressive. It felt like there was a tax, a rule, a regulation, or a requirement for everything I did. Sure you can close your eyes and ignore it, or maybe you honestly support it, that's great. I couldn't do that and I sure couldn't finance it, so I voted with my wallet. Obviously, the state of CA could care less whether I am paying taxes there or not, but I feel better, except in the winter :-(
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To the OP. Santa Monica and the Montana Street area seem to be getting a lot of votes. And I agree the area is stunning with perfect weather. Be prepared to pay$$$ for that beauty. Here's a sample of the houses for sale according to Zillow. Most are multi million dollars. I see a couple are in the one million range but I think those are where the homeless live :-) If you move to Santa Monica be sure to ask about the homeless population and their rights. I'm not joking. One last thing. The 405 freeway is the main freeway. A few years ago on Christmas day the California dept of transportation counted 500,000 cars traveling on the 405 in that area. I bet Oklahoma doesn't even have 500,000 in the entire state. A little joke: do you know why they call it the 405 freeway? Because it takes 4 or 5 hours to get anywhere. The sad part is that it is the truth.
Anything in that area under 3 million would likely be a teardown or townhome... Its big boy territory
I really appreciate all the great responses and insight here! It has given us a lot to think about. We do really love our life in OKC and because of the low cost of living are able to take more time off, travel, drive Porsches, etc. Things that would have to diminish to a certain extent if we were to really do CA the way we would want to do it. We routinely host concerts at our home in downtown OKC and had 75 people over last night for one. Nights like that would be hard for us to replicate in a place like LA. Keeping OKC as home base for at least 51% of the time and having a second home/condo somewhere in CA is probably the way to go. If we do that, we would probably be looking at SLO or Palm Springs. Our search for a small place in SLO hasn't been very fruitful.
The other thing too I think is to always keep your options open. I know a lot of people, family and friends, who are terrified at the thought of moving or leaving the state that they’re currently in. I’ve lived on the east coast, mid west, west coast it’s kind of fun moving around and trying different places. Who knows you may end up somewhere you didn’t think you were going to and really like it. Don’t be afraid to mix it up...
That is a great argument to leave CA if you have school age kids. Or you can send them to private hs, $15K/yr, and private college, LMU at $70K/yr of undergrad
This is because despite all the talk of battling “income inequality” coming from its politicians, CA actually has the most of it. Like many socialist or Latin American countries, you are either dirt poor or very wealthy in CA. There are two different tracks, and not much in the middle. Those on the higher track heavily and inefficiently subsidize the lower to such an extent that basic government services such as roads and infrastructure are neglected despite the literally the highest taxes in the country.
Originally Posted by cbrett
.......Keeping OKC as home base for at least 51% of the time and having a second home/condo somewhere in CA is probably the way to go. If we do that, we would probably be looking at SLO or Palm Springs. Our search for a small place in SLO hasn't been very fruitful.
SLO and Palm Springs are very different places! If you are committed to buying a place in CA, once you own there, you have to be very careful how much time you spend there each year and how many contacts you have there (doctor, dentist, country club membership, where you board your dogs, etc.). The franchise tax board (state tax collector) is famous for conducting residency audits and will actually go as far as to subpoena your travel records, cellphone records, etc. solely for the purpose of determining CA residence under CA rules. The stakes are 13+% of all your annual income worldwide (not just CA generated income).
If you want to have a little fun, go on any real estate website and look at high end Lake Tahoe homes on map view. Compare the prices on the CA side of the lake to the NV side of the lake. Here is everything over $4m around the lake:
Originally Posted by bigskyGT3
The other thing too I think is to always keep your options open. I know a lot of people, family and friends, who are terrified at the thought of moving or leaving the state that they’re currently in. I’ve lived on the east coast, mid west, west coast it’s kind of fun moving around and trying different places. Who knows you may end up somewhere you didn’t think you were going to and really like it. Don’t be afraid to mix it up...
+1 Agree 100% !!! Everywhere has its pluses and minuses. You never know till you try!
Great everything. If you need the ocean it's 4 hrs away in MX.
Best cars in the world. Like minded people that are friendly and easy to meet.
Housing and taxes are cheap. 6k sqft house $1.5 2 landscaped acres. Prop tax $4,300
Endless supply of perfect weather
I agree except I ended up in Gilbert instead of Scottsdale due to teenager reasons (no kids in Scottsdale). I do Jackson Hole WY area for my summertime though.
I really appreciate all the great responses and insight here! It has given us a lot to think about. We do really love our life in OKC and because of the low cost of living are able to take more time off, travel, drive Porsches, etc. Things that would have to diminish to a certain extent if we were to really do CA the way we would want to do it. We routinely host concerts at our home in downtown OKC and had 75 people over last night for one. Nights like that would be hard for us to replicate in a place like LA. Keeping OKC as home base for at least 51% of the time and having a second home/condo somewhere in CA is probably the way to go. If we do that, we would probably be looking at SLO or Palm Springs. Our search for a small place in SLO hasn't been very fruitful.
Regarding that 51% comment do not expect California to sit around and let you claim OK as your primary residence, and not take their share of state income taxes. That isn’t happening. Their residency test is far more complex, and all they need is one factor in their favor and welcome to tax hell.
I don’t mean to sound like a douche and I’m not claiming to know anything about your financial situation. The following statement is really just for anyone considering CA, specifically LA;
If 2-4M for a single family home is just not doable (lease or buy), don’t move to LA. That is what it costs to live in the more desirable areas where you will be surrounded by the things you would otherwise be constantly driving to. Could you do LA on a 1M or less housing budget? Sure. But the experience is going to be totally different and likely suck pretty bad. When I hear complaints from those that left LA, it’s usually a lot (not all) from people that just couldn’t afford to do LA right at this point in their lives. If they would have had a 3-4M housing budget and no lengthy required commute, most of them would have had a very different experience.
Personally, I knew I wanted to be here about 10 years ago and it was a big goal of mine when I started my first business. It took me 7 years to get to a place financially where I could move to CA and enjoy LA the way it is meant to be enjoyed.
I just wouldn’t recommend CA or LA as a place to try and do on a budget. I’m not saying this is your situation by any means. Again, I’m just speaking to anyone who might be reading this thread and considering making the move without the necessary budget to do it right.
Very true. California is the land of the haves and have nots. Lived there for 32 years in the San Fernando valley. North and south sides of the valley very high end and nice. The middle is like a 3rd world country in parts. We moved because of my company that I started got acquired and we are based out of Scottsdale and i got tired of commuting back and forth for work. Finally 8 years ago we relocated and left the high taxes, high cost of education (not a chance in hell I could send my kids to public school in my area) - 24k/child for elementary school, the insane traffic and all the other negatives others have said.
Best move of my life was to leave california and you could not pay me to go back even though we could well afford the lifestyle. However if you are looking to relocate and if its a part time home- and you need warm weather due to your wife condition- check out Scottsdale as others have said. All the benefits of california (except the ocean) without the whacky extreme left wing politics.
Amazing car culture - check out www.scuderiasouthwest.com - look at the photo gallery - this happens first saturday of every month. It's fun.
Great drives and open roads.
Home prices are as cheap as you want- 500k to as expensive as you want - 5 million +. And 5 million actually gives you an amazing home- not a tear down on a 5000 sq foot lot as you get in LA.
03-10-2019, 01:54 PM
