4 ms·

I grew up in California. It's a beautiful place. But I fail to understand the point of living or doing business there in 2017. High state taxes, high crime r

I grew up in California. It's a beautiful place. But I fail to understand the point of living or doing business there in 2017. High state taxes, high crime rates (that will only get higher as more people are driven to homelessness), impossible housing market, etc. I now live in Nevada. I can easily drive or fly to California for vacation if I want, housing is relatively reasonable, and there are no state taxes. If you are doing consulting that can be done remotely, live in Nevada and fly to California when you need. Flights are cheap and plentiful. If you're running or starting a web-based business, then you can run that from pretty much anywhere, and you'd be insane to do it in California with such a punitive tax system. There's just no point to living in California these days.

rxhernandez 9y ago
> high crime rates (that will only get higher as more people are driven to homelessness), impossible housing market, etc. I now live in Nevada What on earth are you talking about? You live in the state that is in the top 5 for violent crime rates. California doesn't even break the top 15.
- rukittenme 9y ago
  This is why statistics never tell the full story. In California, ten people could be murdered outside your home every night versus one per week in Wyoming and Wyoming would still have the worse crime-rate. Statistically sound, factually accurate, but still Wyoming would feel safer. You also need to factor in the type of crime. If the only people getting shot are gang members then the crime-rate won't feel as close to home.
- downandout 9y ago
  You have to look at crime rates in the specific area where you live, because they are all over the place and sometimes vary from street to street. Certainly you wouldn’t say that all California neighborhoods are equal in this regard. The area I live in (in Nevada) is upscale and has a violent crime rate more than 50% below the national average.
  - zeep 9y ago
    If you think about it that way, Chicago and Orlando are probably OK if you choose the right area.
s0rce 9y ago
Some of us can't work remote, some people will pay extra for good weather, some people like the ocean a lot. Everyone is different.
FullMtlAlcoholc 9y ago
> There's just no point to living in California these days. There's an ocean, fantastic and constantly improving dining scene, beautiful people, the best national parks in the country, a gorgeous and diverse landscape, great weather that allows you to go skiing and surfing in the same day, arguably the best/tastiest crops and accompanying farmers markets in the nation, cultural attractions such as a top 5 symphony orchestra, iconic music venues, fully legalized marijuana, high quality illegal drugs from being right on the border, population diversity, high quality meetup groups (specifically thinking of BioCurious), and, most importantly, a high concentration of engineering talent. That's not to mention the perks of living in a world class city. I get to demo things like Microsoft's HoloLens for free at a meetup at their Santa Monica campus, go to Hacker Nights at Riot Studios, attend a free presentation by Robert Sapolsky, watch SpaceX rocket launches and be a part of a very dense, helpful, and talented developer and entrepreneurial community. The total compensation for the average engineer in LA is around $150k. I do this and work some side gigs. Maybe I can't afford private jets or a yacht, but I have very little material desires. There is no amount of money that could convince me to spend the bulk of my time in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, or any other place in the US that offers tax advantages outside of Florida. (No offense to anyone who lives there, it's just not for me). I see and agree with your contention if you find most or all of the above meaningless. I did the whole big fish, small pond thing before in Michigan and didn't like it, but I see how others can appreciate the differences. It's downright arrogant to call anyone who chooses to live in California insane just because you're over it.
- mnm1 9y ago
  Have you considered Washington state as a tax-advantaged state? No state or capital gains income tax. Portland and Seattle are both accessible.

rxhernandez 9y ago

> high crime rates (that will only get higher as more people are driven to homelessness), impossible housing market, etc. I now live in Nevada What on earth are you talking about? You live in the state that is in the top 5 for violent crime rates. California doesn't even break the top 15.

rukittenme 9y ago
This is why statistics never tell the full story. In California, ten people could be murdered outside your home every night versus one per week in Wyoming and Wyoming would still have the worse crime-rate. Statistically sound, factually accurate, but still Wyoming would feel safer. You also need to factor in the type of crime. If the only people getting shot are gang members then the crime-rate won't feel as close to home.
downandout 9y ago
You have to look at crime rates in the specific area where you live, because they are all over the place and sometimes vary from street to street. Certainly you wouldn’t say that all California neighborhoods are equal in this regard. The area I live in (in Nevada) is upscale and has a violent crime rate more than 50% below the national average.
- zeep 9y ago
  If you think about it that way, Chicago and Orlando are probably OK if you choose the right area.

s0rce 9y ago

Some of us can't work remote, some people will pay extra for good weather, some people like the ocean a lot. Everyone is different.

FullMtlAlcoholc 9y ago

> There's just no point to living in California these days. There's an ocean, fantastic and constantly improving dining scene, beautiful people, the best national parks in the country, a gorgeous and diverse landscape, great weather that allows you to go skiing and surfing in the same day, arguably the best/tastiest crops and accompanying farmers markets in the nation, cultural attractions such as a top 5 symphony orchestra, iconic music venues, fully legalized marijuana, high quality illegal drugs from being right on the border, population diversity, high quality meetup groups (specifically thinking of BioCurious), and, most importantly, a high concentration of engineering talent. That's not to mention the perks of living in a world class city. I get to demo things like Microsoft's HoloLens for free at a meetup at their Santa Monica campus, go to Hacker Nights at Riot Studios, attend a free presentation by Robert Sapolsky, watch SpaceX rocket launches and be a part of a very dense, helpful, and talented developer and entrepreneurial community. The total compensation for the average engineer in LA is around $150k. I do this and work some side gigs. Maybe I can't afford private jets or a yacht, but I have very little material desires. There is no amount of money that could convince me to spend the bulk of my time in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, or any other place in the US that offers tax advantages outside of Florida. (No offense to anyone who lives there, it's just not for me). I see and agree with your contention if you find most or all of the above meaningless. I did the whole big fish, small pond thing before in Michigan and didn't like it, but I see how others can appreciate the differences. It's downright arrogant to call anyone who chooses to live in California insane just because you're over it.

mnm1 9y ago
Have you considered Washington state as a tax-advantaged state? No state or capital gains income tax. Portland and Seattle are both accessible.