4 ms·

I moved to CA not for work, but family. There was nothing to do in my home state in the south, and I lived in the capital. In CA I have endless opportunities,

I moved to CA not for work, but family. There was nothing to do in my home state in the south, and I lived in the capital. In CA I have endless opportunities, events, family activities, and access to a huge variety of landscapes. Having both the ocean and mountains within easy reach is a big advantage. Food is also so much better out here. And then the people -- it's nice to live around people who think and feel the same way. I sometimes think through moving back, or somewhere else with low cost of living, but I'm not willing to give everything up.

noelwelsh 8y ago
I agree. Having lived in a big cities and little villages I much prefer the big city. However I think the mid-size city offers the best tradeoff between cost-of-living, ease of getting around, and stuff to do. It will have all the common activities and, if you choose the right city, the niche interests as well.
christophilus 8y ago
I've lived on the west coast and in the south (where I currently am). The west coast has what you say, but there are spots here in the south that are pretty close, and way less expensive. I'm a 3 hour drive from the ocean, 30 minutes from decent mountain hikes (not as good as the Cascades, but decent). The food here is not as varied as Seattle. To get the same variety, I have to hop in the car and head up to Ashville, down to Atlanta, or 30 minutes into Greenville (whose food scene is improving). That said, I'm currently in walking distance of a great Thai place, a really good microbrewery, a great farm-to-table place, a great Mexican place, a really good seafood place... So, that's good enough for me. Politically, this is a conservative place, but not as much a you'd think, and Ashville, which is ~1 hour away, is as liberal as Seattle, I'd wager. So, you can definitely find a nice group of folks who think the way you do, if you don't feel like hanging out with a more diverse group.
- mmt 8y ago
  > I'm a 3 hour drive from the ocean I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this would be a dealbreak for anyone for whom ocean access is even moderately important. Even the greater Portland, OR area being 2 hours away (assuming no traffic, which is never a safe assumption for those routes) was a big enough impediment to a friend of mine who is a CA expat there, that he considers casual day trips out of the question. > not as good as the Cascades, but decent > food here is not as varied as Seattle Ultimately, I think this is the big takeaway.. there are places that may be way less expensive, as you say, but many amenities (for lack of a better term) are only kinda-sorta comparable if one squints hard enough. If those amenities are central to ones lifestyle and perception of quality of life, that approximation isn't going to cut it, no matter how cheap it is. Some people may well overestimate the importance of such amenities, but others may underestimate them because they take them for granted, if they've lived in certain West Coast cities long enough.

noelwelsh 8y ago

I agree. Having lived in a big cities and little villages I much prefer the big city. However I think the mid-size city offers the best tradeoff between cost-of-living, ease of getting around, and stuff to do. It will have all the common activities and, if you choose the right city, the niche interests as well.

christophilus 8y ago

I've lived on the west coast and in the south (where I currently am). The west coast has what you say, but there are spots here in the south that are pretty close, and way less expensive. I'm a 3 hour drive from the ocean, 30 minutes from decent mountain hikes (not as good as the Cascades, but decent). The food here is not as varied as Seattle. To get the same variety, I have to hop in the car and head up to Ashville, down to Atlanta, or 30 minutes into Greenville (whose food scene is improving). That said, I'm currently in walking distance of a great Thai place, a really good microbrewery, a great farm-to-table place, a great Mexican place, a really good seafood place... So, that's good enough for me. Politically, this is a conservative place, but not as much a you'd think, and Ashville, which is ~1 hour away, is as liberal as Seattle, I'd wager. So, you can definitely find a nice group of folks who think the way you do, if you don't feel like hanging out with a more diverse group.

mmt 8y ago
> I'm a 3 hour drive from the ocean I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this would be a dealbreak for anyone for whom ocean access is even moderately important. Even the greater Portland, OR area being 2 hours away (assuming no traffic, which is never a safe assumption for those routes) was a big enough impediment to a friend of mine who is a CA expat there, that he considers casual day trips out of the question. > not as good as the Cascades, but decent > food here is not as varied as Seattle Ultimately, I think this is the big takeaway.. there are places that may be way less expensive, as you say, but many amenities (for lack of a better term) are only kinda-sorta comparable if one squints hard enough. If those amenities are central to ones lifestyle and perception of quality of life, that approximation isn't going to cut it, no matter how cheap it is. Some people may well overestimate the importance of such amenities, but others may underestimate them because they take them for granted, if they've lived in certain West Coast cities long enough.