California lifestyle?
03-08-2019, 07:08 PM
#16
I relocated from Central New Jersey to Southern California about 8 years ago now. I don't regret the decision at all, but I will agree with what everyone above said.
I live in the Irvine area (close to where the 5 and 405 freeways meet, which is *I think* southern Orange County?). I had some family here which made the move a little easier and I had a job waiting for me. Weather is great of course...so great that you probably look forward to a little rain here and there for some change in scenery. Depending on where you are, I can go to the beach and then go snowboarding in one day.
Taxes are higher and home values (on average) are much higher. I could be living in a giant house in NJ with multiple garages but I'm stuck in a townhouse with no real driveway/backyard for like a million bucks haha. But hey, in the end it is what makes you happy. I don't think I could go back to NJ, but I wouldn't be opposed to living somewhere else when I retire (somewhere cheaper).
I also have no kids (yet) so there's a lot of freedom for activities. Everything you can think of is within an hour's drive. I tracked my car in NJ a lot, but since I've moved here other priorities have taken over so I haven't experienced any tracks in CA.
I live in the Irvine area (close to where the 5 and 405 freeways meet, which is *I think* southern Orange County?). I had some family here which made the move a little easier and I had a job waiting for me. Weather is great of course...so great that you probably look forward to a little rain here and there for some change in scenery. Depending on where you are, I can go to the beach and then go snowboarding in one day.
Taxes are higher and home values (on average) are much higher. I could be living in a giant house in NJ with multiple garages but I'm stuck in a townhouse with no real driveway/backyard for like a million bucks haha. But hey, in the end it is what makes you happy. I don't think I could go back to NJ, but I wouldn't be opposed to living somewhere else when I retire (somewhere cheaper).
I also have no kids (yet) so there's a lot of freedom for activities. Everything you can think of is within an hour's drive. I tracked my car in NJ a lot, but since I've moved here other priorities have taken over so I haven't experienced any tracks in CA.
03-08-2019, 07:27 PM
#17
Rennlist Member
amazing weather, scenery, food quality, driving roads, outdoor activities, and meeting people from all over the world as your neighbors are all massive positives.. it's like a different country compared to the rest of the USA. However, Norcal and socal offer very different environments, with socal being very crowded and warm, and norcal being a lot less car-friendly, more about nature and tech. it's pay to play by a factor of 10x or 100x in some comparisons with certain areas around the US. also, don't confuse the coast with anything more than 20 miles inland. California the coast is about 20 miles thick, and is a super desirable compressed sliver of land... the inland towns of california are a wasteland which you absolutely don't want to set foot in. The central coast, SLO area is about as beautiful parts of the world as you could hope to see, but very quiet. SoCal is very car friendly but crowded. Norcal probably has more low-key hidden wealth and car collections, but everyone pretends they only drive a Prius. I'm here for the startup and tech environment, love every second of it.. either my company sells for many many millions or in a few years I'm out and will move to Seattle or Portland. Everyone should experience california, not everyone should necessarily spend their life here.
IMO, San Diego County still has that sleepy beach town feel, for as much as a big city can....AND, I believe it's the most affordable. The further north you go, through SF, it becomes exponentially more expensive. AND, we do have the best weather, compared to NorCal. Within SD County, there are a lot of nice areas, but I feel North County is the best, between Del Mar and Carlsbad, the beaches have less riff raff, cleaner, etc. Rancho Santa Fe has one of the best cars & coffee spots, with a healthy contingent of Porsche folks, you would love it.
Yes, Good Luck!
Yes, Good Luck!
But every time I go back to visit family and friends I just find CA getting shabbier- hell the freeways through LA have not changed since I was born and that's a long time!! Portland downtown is pretty much the same, so it's an inner city thing, but fewer people, beautiful countryside, with oceans and mountains makes it easy to escape. Give the NW a peak, if you can't stand rain and a little cold then it's not for you, but snow sports take the edge off and summers are like forever spring....
03-08-2019, 08:19 PM
#18
Race Car
I lived in Orange County for 30 years. The weather is possibly the best in the world. Lots of beautiful women from all over the world. Great food scene. Car scene is amongst the best in the states. Beaches are cool.
Having said all of that we left 10 years ago for Colorado and don’t miss it at all. Why? Soul crushing traffic. Astronomical cost of living. Politics are left of Hugo Chavez.
But really, it is the traffic. You can’t realiy enjoy going anywhere because the freeways are crowdwd at 2am. Parking is brutal. You end up staying home a lot because going anywhere is too much work. Cost of living is very very high, but that isn’t why we left.
California 40 years ago was awesome. It is nothing like that today, unfortunately. We saw her best years, but those days are over. The weather only takes you so far. But you will love it for a while until the above issues are too much to deal with.
Good luck!
Having said all of that we left 10 years ago for Colorado and don’t miss it at all. Why? Soul crushing traffic. Astronomical cost of living. Politics are left of Hugo Chavez.
But really, it is the traffic. You can’t realiy enjoy going anywhere because the freeways are crowdwd at 2am. Parking is brutal. You end up staying home a lot because going anywhere is too much work. Cost of living is very very high, but that isn’t why we left.
California 40 years ago was awesome. It is nothing like that today, unfortunately. We saw her best years, but those days are over. The weather only takes you so far. But you will love it for a while until the above issues are too much to deal with.
Good luck!
03-08-2019, 08:37 PM
#19
All good stuff here, in LA specifically you should like where you live neighborhood-wise. You'll spend a lot of time there, venturing out farther you could encounter otherworldly traffic and/or tough parking
Separately just want to emphasize how expensive it can be to live here. Especially pertaining to taxes... and cars... my oh my. Tough pill to swallow when you buy sell and/or trade if you are into doing that kind of thing frequently as I am learning
Separately just want to emphasize how expensive it can be to live here. Especially pertaining to taxes... and cars... my oh my. Tough pill to swallow when you buy sell and/or trade if you are into doing that kind of thing frequently as I am learning
03-08-2019, 08:46 PM
#20
All good stuff here, in LA specifically you should like where you live neighborhood-wise. You'll spend a lot of time there, venturing out farther you could encounter otherworldly traffic and/or tough parking
Separately just want to emphasize how expensive it can be to live here. Especially pertaining to taxes... and cars... my oh my. Tough pill to swallow when you buy sell and/or trade if you are into doing that kind of thing frequently as I am learning
Separately just want to emphasize how expensive it can be to live here. Especially pertaining to taxes... and cars... my oh my. Tough pill to swallow when you buy sell and/or trade if you are into doing that kind of thing frequently as I am learning
03-08-2019, 08:48 PM
#21
Miramar is a Marine Corps Air Station, not an Air Force Base. San Diego is probably still the most livable of the coastal cities. LA always kind of frightened me with its sprawl and vastness. I used to travel to SF quite a bit for work and I'm amazed at how it has deteriorated - everything you've heard about the streets is true, depending on where you are. I would be tempted to give Napa or Sonoma counties a look. The wildfires did a lot of damage there but it's still an interesting area. I won't repeat what others have said about taxes, politics, traffic, and the like. The best approach in my view, if you can afford it, is have a place on the California coast but maintain your primary residence elsewhere.
I think the Eagles said it best: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
I think the Eagles said it best: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
03-08-2019, 08:51 PM
#22
Pro
Miramar is a Marine Corps Air Station, not an Air Force Base. San Diego is probably still the most livable of the coastal cities. LA always kind of frightened me with its sprawl and vastness. I used to travel to SF quite a bit for work and I'm amazed at how it has deteriorated - everything you've heard about the streets is true, depending on where you are. I would be tempted to give Napa or Sonoma counties a look. The wildfires did a lot of damage there but it's still an interesting area. I won't repeat what others have said about taxes, politics, traffic, and the like. The best approach in my view, if you can afford it, is have a place on the California coast but maintain your primary residence elsewhere.
I think the Eagles said it best: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
I think the Eagles said it best: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
03-08-2019, 09:00 PM
#23
Rennlist Member
Miramar is a Marine Corps Air Station, not an Air Force Base. San Diego is probably still the most livable of the coastal cities. LA always kind of frightened me with its sprawl and vastness. I used to travel to SF quite a bit for work and I'm amazed at how it has deteriorated - everything you've heard about the streets is true, depending on where you are. I would be tempted to give Napa or Sonoma counties a look. The wildfires did a lot of damage there but it's still an interesting area. I won't repeat what others have said about taxes, politics, traffic, and the like. The best approach in my view, if you can afford it, is have a place on the California coast but maintain your primary residence elsewhere.
I think the Eagles said it best: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
I think the Eagles said it best: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
03-08-2019, 09:03 PM
#24
Three Wheelin'
Hey everyone. My wife and I are considering relocating from OK/TX to California for multiple reasons, but largely due to weather. We are considering LA, Palm Springs and the central coast area. I thought I'd ask for some advice on here as there seems to be a lot of guys from California on the board, and obviously we have some common interests. We don't have kids and aren't tied down. We really enjoy weekend traveling, good food/wine/beer, live music, great drives, and nearby tracks for either DE's or a membership. If you have any recommendations on why you love or don't love your spot in California, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
If you have questions about Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New York, and New Jersey we've owned houses in all those states too. Our main home is in the beautiful state of Colorado. Best driving roads in America. There's a waiting list to get in :-)
03-08-2019, 09:14 PM
#25
Race Director
I live in Oc and work in Oc. Traffic is not any worse than other metros I lived in. If you have to commute to LA or SD I agree with you it’s just about as bad as it gets. Weekend trips to LA and Sd is still doable. Yes it’s getting very crowded here compared to even 10 years ago , must be nice in Colorado with a lot of open spaces. How is traffic in Denver ?
03-08-2019, 09:32 PM
#26
Race Director
I'll throw a little humor into the equation. Of course you want to relocate. You live in a HELL HOLE :-) I can say that because we still have family in OK (Lawton) and TX (Houston). We never visit. They always want to come to our house. We keep a house in Palos Verdes Estates, CA. Best place to live in the entire state of CA according to USA TODAY ( https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...life/38833209/ ) No one wanted to live there when we built our house in 1976 for $74K. House is now worth $2.5M. It's our retirement fund when we decide to retire. My long time neighbor is never happy. Always complained the waves breaking on the shore kept him awake at night. Geez. I would skip Palm Springs. Too hot. We bought a second home there in 1980s. Traffic was not an issue then. We could drive there in 90 minutes. Then it became 2,3, and 4 hours. Our electric bill ran $1000 a month in the summer. We sold it. Bottom line, we would never go back to CA for all the reasons other people have said here.
If you have questions about Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New York, and New Jersey we've owned houses in all those states too. Our main home is in the beautiful state of Colorado. Best driving roads in America. There's a waiting list to get in :-)
If you have questions about Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New York, and New Jersey we've owned houses in all those states too. Our main home is in the beautiful state of Colorado. Best driving roads in America. There's a waiting list to get in :-)
03-08-2019, 10:28 PM
#28
Rennlist Member
This thread is timely. Currently in Chicago and looking to make a move. Any thoughts on New Mexico?
03-08-2019, 10:35 PM
#29
Palm Springs would be a huge mistake imo, unless you are turning 80. Anywhere seriously inland (more than 5 miles from the coast in California) would be a no go for me. Too hot. Nothing to offer. Of course you are right about Colorado. The low humidity means the cold isn’t as cold, and the hot isn’t as hot. We went to big bear one year in California. It was 35 degrees out and it felt like 20 below in Colorado. Then again, you will have DRY skin. The driving roads are amazing, and if off roading is your thing, it is next level. And...all within easy access. It is a different life here. A better life imo. But 15 years ago i would have thought anyone leaving Cali was crazy.
03-08-2019, 11:00 PM
#30
