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Move to California? Current Surly Residents


naija

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Didn't know whether to start this thread here or "Food & Travel"

I might have the opportunity to move to California in the upcoming year. Nothing is for certain, but while the thought of California weather would normally be a positive, the current issues with fires and blackouts does give me some pause.

Any words from Surly residents in California? In addition to the weather/power issues what's living there like. Locations would be Los Angeles or Palo Alto (the cost of living yikes).

If I were younger and didn't have a kid, would be less of a concern, but have to think bigger picture now.

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I really enjoyed my experience living in the Bay Area. California is just so freaking beautiful. I didn't love it so much that it felt "permanent" like it did with some friends and family. So after nearly a decade I moved back to home/Texas. 

In short. Fantastic place to live, especially if you can afford it. I mean just think of all the photography adventures you can have up and down the state and the PNW!

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46 minutes ago, naija said:

Didn't know whether to start this thread here or "Food & Travel"

I might have the opportunity to move to California in the upcoming year. Nothing is for certain, but while the thought of California weather would normally be a positive, the current issues with fires and blackouts does give me some pause.

Any words from Surly residents in California? In addition to the weather/power issues what's living there like. Locations would be Los Angeles or Palo Alto (the cost of living yikes).

If I were younger and didn't have a kid, would be less of a concern, but have to think bigger picture now.

what's your income?  I have to assume you will kiss 9.3% of your income goodbye.  Significantly made worse by the loss of the ability to deduct that tax from federal taxes.

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I used to live near Palo Alto. 

The basic perks are perfect weather, easy weekend getaways to wine country/big sur/yosemite, everyone you interact with will probably be highly educated.  Also, its a suburb but still has a nice downtown shopping area with some good restaurants.   It is not like a Texas suburb with only big box stores. 

In addition to housing costs, one downside for me was that everyone is in tech -- its a beating going to a party and the only topic of conversation is startup shit.   Another potential downside is that there is a ton of pressure to succeed placed on kids from a young age --  that could be good or bad depending on your kids.      

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7 minutes ago, naija said:

For reference, would be moving from Chicago.

It's for fellowship (more medical training for 1 year), so the salaries are not great by any means. Household income would likely be about $300K

So you want to rent a bed in a tiny house then?

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9 minutes ago, naija said:

For reference, would be moving from Chicago.

It's for fellowship (more medical training for 1 year), so the salaries are not great by any means. Household income would likely be about $300K

Tired of Chicago? Do you have a ton of other options or is just Chicago or Cali?

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10 minutes ago, naija said:

For reference, would be moving from Chicago.

It's for fellowship (more medical training for 1 year), so the salaries are not great by any means. Household income would likely be about $300K

I'd normally say no to moving to California, but if doing so gets you out of Chicago, you need to absolutely do it. 

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The Peninsula is a really difficult place to move to right now - particularly if you care about what school district you are in. 

The fact is it's likely you wouldn't live in Palo Alto, but have to commute in. It's no joke, especially if you need to cross a bridge. 

In general, it's a mindset change - you will undoubtedly pay more for less house than most places in America, though there has been a bit of a downward trend. 

That said, it sounds like it's for short term, which frankly might be a nice experience. There's a lot to love about living in this area, with so much in both the city as well as day trips to coast, mountains, or wine country. When it's not on fire, of course. There will be sticker shock from the price of eggs to a gallon of gas, though perhaps coming from Chicago that's more manageable than Austin. 

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28 minutes ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

How much you getting paid?  It's very nice, but expensive as fuck.  Especially the Bay Area.  

Neighbors moved from our north DFW neighborhood to the CA few years back (Bay area).  His financial adviser told him he'd have to triple his income (which of course he wasn't) to simply maintain his standard of living.  

Moved from a big 3,500ft custom home to an 1,800 ft. house build in the 50's and a commute that is between 60-90 minutes each way.

Knock yourself out....

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1 minute ago, SimonBolivar said:

Tired of Chicago? Do you have a ton of other options or is just Chicago or Cali?

Pittsburgh, Miami, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Columbus, LA, Palo Alto.

Boston is an outside possibility

there are many factors to consider apart from cost of living, and I might not get any at all; but pretty much all the rest are cheaper than Chicago, so I wanted to get perspectives on living in California.

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1 minute ago, BabaYaga said:

Neighbors moved from our north DFW neighborhood to the CA few years back (Bay area).  His financial adviser told him he'd have to triple his income (which of course he wasn't) to simply maintain his standard of living.  

Moved from a big 3,500ft custom home to an 1,800 ft. house build in the 50's and a commute that is between 60-90 minutes each way.

Knock yourself out....

...which is why a lot of people I know who move from sprawling, inexpensive Texas don't last long here. And it's far worse now in many ways than it was when we moved 16 years ago. 

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If I had enough money, I would live in Santa Barbara.  That town is perfect.

Also, I would not give one zero fuck if my house was small out there.  The weather is glorious and no bugs (that I have noticed).  My freaking backyard would be where I spent all my time at home when not out doing outdoor things.  You do not need a big house in California.  

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4 minutes ago, naija said:

Pittsburgh, Miami, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Columbus, LA, Palo Alto.

Boston is an outside possibility

there are many factors to consider apart from cost of living, and I might not get any at all; but pretty much all the rest are cheaper than Chicago, so I wanted to get perspectives on living in California.

I hope you realize that you're asking about this on a Texas football board so there is an intrinsic bias here. Cost of living wise, it is a no brainer to live in Texas if you have the option but if your lifestyle and interests are more than just going to restaurants and bars or getting soaked in awfully hot and humid weather in the summer then CA might be a better option for you. However being a fellow I doubt how much time you'd have on your hands to do some of the things that CA has to offer. But knowing that a lot of medical professionals end up being employed or partners with the people they did their fellowship with if you plan on living in CA at some point I'd pick accordingly.

There is nothing that you can do in Austin/Dallas/Houston that you cannot do in LA and Palo Alto but there are things in those cities that you can do that you absolutely cannot do in Austin/Dallas/Houston. If you were within the income range of $250K or under I'd say choose the better cost of living in Texas but given that you already are at $300K and possibly much higher once you finish your fellowship, money shouldn't be your driving decision.

And I say those things being a Dallas resident. 

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19 minutes ago, naija said:

Pittsburgh, Miami, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Columbus, LA, Palo Alto.

Boston is an outside possibility

there are many factors to consider apart from cost of living, and I might not get any at all; but pretty much all the rest are cheaper than Chicago, so I wanted to get perspectives on living in California.

No, no, no, no, no, no, sure, sure, sure, no, no, maybe, maybe

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1 minute ago, hornhorn said:

If you were within the income range of $250K or under I'd say choose the better cost of living in Texas but given that you already are at $300K and possibly much higher once you finish your fellowship, money shouldn't be your driving decision.

$300K is plenty to live in Los Angeles. Home prices are high, but it's massive so you'll be able to find a neighborhood that suits you.

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1 minute ago, Ricky Butler said:

$300K is plenty to live in Los Angeles. Home prices are high, but it's massive so you'll be able to find a neighborhood that suits you.

I agree, I just wanted to emphasize that since he will be making a lot more after a year it opens up possibilities to remove all the obstacles that Texans hate about CA like traffic(he can afford to buy a house close to work even if it costs another $100K) or small houses or high taxes or power issues(buy a Tesla solar powered powerwall) or bad schools or whatever. 

 

No amount money however would allow you to buy the PCH or Redwood forests up north or the beaches of SoCal. Texas has NOTHING like that even within twelve hours of driving from Dallas. 

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California is beautiful with great weather and somewhere where I think almost every American wanted to move to years ago if they could. From everything I have been reading, just seems like a state where they put the screws on regular folks who are leaving the state in droves. Unless you are getting paid 3x what you make in Texas, you could possibly be worse off.Their laws and government would drive me nuts. Unfortunately, lots of them are moving to Texas and bringing their politics with them. Stop the Californization of Texas
a49022a58007be38e5901d4568531961.jpg

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California always strikes as a place you live for the climate but go in knowing full well that comes with higher taxes, living with a whole lot less, dealing with traffic that's always over the top, and terrible mass transit (maybe not SF proper). But if you can swing it, it's worth a shot. Somehow millions of people make it work. 

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27 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

California is beautiful with great weather and somewhere where I think almost every American wanted to move to years ago if they could. From everything I have been reading, just seems like a state where they put the screws on regular folks who are leaving the state in droves. Unless you are getting paid 3x what you make in Texas, you could possibly be worse off.Their laws and government would drive me nuts. Unfortunately, lots of them are moving to Texas and bringing their politics with them. Stop the Californization of Texas
 

As a Texan that lives in California, I love the Texan that fears the existential threat that California poses. Sure I had to learn to put both pant legs on at the same time and the toilets flush in reverse, but other than that, it's just a bunch of people l-i-v-i-n.

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43 minutes ago, hornhorn said:

I agree, I just wanted to emphasize that since he will be making a lot more after a year it opens up possibilities to remove all the obstacles that Texans hate about CA like traffic(he can afford to buy a house close to work even if it costs another $100K) or small houses or high taxes or power issues(buy a Tesla solar powered powerwall) or bad schools or whatever. 

 

No amount money however would allow you to buy the PCH or Redwood forests up north or the beaches of SoCal. Texas has NOTHING like that even within twelve hours of driving from Dallas. 

You nailed it. I just wanted to confirm. 

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7 minutes ago, Ricky Butler said:

As a Texan that lives in California, I love the Texan that fears the existential threat that California poses. Sure I had to learn to put both pant legs on at the same time and the toilets flush in reverse, but other than that, it's just a bunch of people l-i-v-i-n.

That's fair. I am not an outdoorsy guy hitting the hike paths and fishing all the time so some of the benefits of living in California are lost on me. Each his own. Enjoy, I just know it would drive me nuts.

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2 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

That's fair. I am not an outdoorsy guy hitting the hike paths and fishing all the time so some of the benefits of living in California are lost on me. Each his own. Enjoy, I just know it would drive me nuts.

It takes some getting used to, but my industry is here, so I have to stick around.

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I worked a long time for a company domiciled in LA.  I've never lived in CA, but spent plenty of time there and heard enough of the horror stories by long-time residents that I can say unabashadely that I have no idea why anyone would want to move to that state, willingly.

That's all I got.

May the Force be with you. 

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16 minutes ago, Ricky Butler said:

As a Texan that lives in California, I love the Texan that fears the existential threat that California poses. Sure I had to learn to put both pant legs on at the same time and the toilets flush in reverse, but other than that, it's just a bunch of people l-i-v-i-n.

California presents a much greater threat to itself than it does Texas.

 

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Been in the Bay Area since 2001. Desirable places are full. To reiterate housing is scarce, yards are pitiful (if that matters to you), traffic will eat your soul. It’s terrible. Certainly you could luck out and be able to live near where you work but if you have a good job but not crazy money and want to live in a nice area you might have to commute long distance which is a fate worse than death.
Weather is largely great. There’s a lot of awesome places within driving distance.....just don’t plan on going there on weekends and such because everyone else in the world has the same idea. Lot of nice places but you dont take advantage because traffic and crowds are a beating. Spend your whole week fighting traffic just to do so on the weekend too for fun? Fuck that.
Taxes are high. Lot of homeless. The average people I meet are nice. Just like anywhere else. The crazies get more attention than they warrant. Most people are cool.

All in all, I’ve enjoyed it but I’m about over it. Putting the years needed for pension is the only reason I’m still here.

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If I had enough money, I would live in Santa Barbara.  That town is perfect.
Also, I would not give one zero fuck if my house was small out there.  The weather is glorious and no bugs (that I have noticed).  My freaking backyard would be where I spent all my time at home when not out doing outdoor things.  You do not need a big house in California.  

Have to agree. 3,500k square feet is a fuckton of space. So much space that the only way it's appealing is for a massive family or if you live somewhere that sucks so much you have to compensate by filling your house up with shit to keep you occupied - aka suburban Texas. If you need 3,500k square feet with everything northern California has to offer, that's kind of a sad existance.

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California is beautiful with great weather and somewhere where I think almost every American wanted to move to years ago if they could. From everything I have been reading, just seems like a state where they put the screws on regular folks who are leaving the state in droves. Unless you are getting paid 3x what you make in Texas, you could possibly be worse off.Their laws and government would drive me nuts. Unfortunately, lots of them are moving to Texas and bringing their politics with them. Stop the Californization of Texas

a49022a58007be38e5901d4568531961.jpg

 

I guarantee you this guy whines about people CRing threads with a straight face.

 

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1 hour ago, gmr548 said:


Have to agree. 3,500k square feet is a fuckton of space. So much space that the only way it's appealing is for a massive family or if you live somewhere that sucks so much you have to compensate by filling your house up with shit to keep you occupied - aka suburban Texas. If you need 3,500k square feet with everything northern California has to offer, that's kind of a sad existance.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

I don’t get this reasoning that seems to pop up when everyone is swooning over California. There is a fuck ton of stuff to do outdoors in Texas that is pretty easy to get to, certainly as easy as it is to drive to if you live in LA.  Yeah, it’s not redwoods. So what?  Every place has something awesome to do and beautiful to explore.  Except Oklahoma*
 

*actually, there is a very nice (state?) park near Wynnewood and arrowhead state park and lake eufaula are pretty nice 

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5 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

I don’t get this reasoning that seems to pop up when everyone is swooning over California. There is a fuck ton of stuff to do outdoors in Texas that is pretty easy to get to, certainly as easy as it is to drive to if you live in LA.  Yeah, it’s not redwoods. So what?  Every place has something awesome to do and beautiful to explore.  Except Oklahoma*
 

*actually, there is a very nice (state?) park near Wynnewood and arrowhead state park and lake eufaula are pretty nice 

Yes but its either too hot, too cold or wet to do it. Dallas just went from 98 at 6 in the evening two weeks ago to about 40 right now. There's a window of six weeks to do outdoorsy stuff when you aren't dehydrated or getting swarmed by mosquitos. In the summer, in Texas and Louisiana we have evenings that last two months where the temperature is in 90s with humidity. Fuck that BS.

West coast CA doesn't have that problem and hence the swooning. 

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6 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

I don’t get this reasoning that seems to pop up when everyone is swooning over California. There is a fuck ton of stuff to do outdoors in Texas that is pretty easy to get to, certainly as easy as it is to drive to if you live in LA.  Yeah, it’s not redwoods. So what?  Every place has something awesome to do and beautiful to explore.  Except Oklahoma*
 

*actually, there is a very nice (state?) park near Wynnewood and arrowhead state park and lake eufaula are pretty nice 

have you looked at a topographic map tho

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14 hours ago, naija said:

Pittsburgh, Miami, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Columbus, LA, Palo Alto.

Boston is an outside possibility

there are many factors to consider apart from cost of living, and I might not get any at all; but pretty much all the rest are cheaper than Chicago, so I wanted to get perspectives on living in California.

I’ve know a few folks who have said that Milwaukee is wildly, wildly underrated fwiw. 
 

I can go on and on about Houston. Columbus can fuck right off and die, no matter what Parliament says. 

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