How much would I hate living in Southern California?

edg1967

WKR
Joined
Jun 24, 2012
Messages
678
There is a 90-95% chance that this wouldn't happen, but on the remote possibility that my family would want to relocate to S. CA I want to know how miserable I might be. I've lived in Minnesota all my life, basically grew up in a town of less than 500 people. Out of college I taught in Fargo, ND where the population at the time was about 200,000 and now live in a town of about 12000 so I haven't had much experience living in large cities. However, I have traveled (if you call driving truck over the road "traveling") all over the US, so I have experience commuting in major metropolitan areas although not on a daily basis. My wife on the other hand is a city girl. Raised on an Bainbridge Island outside of Seattle, college at CC in Colorado Springs and lived in Albuquerque for 15 years when we met. She feels a little out of touch living out here and misses the warmer climates...right now its -25 windchill here...and with ACL repairs in both knees she is having trouble with arthritis.

The reason I mention Southern California is that a month ago we took a family vacation/business trip to San Diego and I hate to admit it, but kind of liked it. I would prefer someplace a little smaller and not necessarily in CA, but my wife is a mortgage underwriter for a bank in La Jolla. She is fortunate enough to be able to work remotely from our home and is a self-employed contractor so has some flexibility. IF the opportunity came up for her to move up the corporate ladder we would have to relocate so she could work in the office.

My situation is a little more complicated. I would have to sell my business and find some other line of work to do for the next 15 years until I can start drawing SS. At this point in my life, I don't really know what I would choose to do either. My biggest concern is going from a self-employed business owner for the past 20+ years to working for someone else with set schedules, vacation days, and all the other BS that goes along with that. In looking for employment I would try to do something with some sort of health insurance plan as I'm tired of paying nearly $15000 a year for my Obamacare. I would also like to find something that I can walk away from at the end of the day and not have to think about until a showed up the next day. Self employment has its advantages, but I can definitely see how it would be nice not to have the responsibility and expense that goes with it also.

If we did this, we would most likely look to do it in the next several years before our children (4 & 1) get established in school, friends, etc. It would probably take me that much time to sell my business off, get things organized and relocated.

I'm sure living expenses would be more, but how much more? It isn't cheap living here either when you factor in three to four seasons of clothes, $400/month heating bills in the winter, etc. We would most likely downsize our house since we wouldn't necessarily be spending so much time indoors. Right now we have winter and mosquito season. I'm sure daycare would be more than we are paying now ($25/day/kid), but that won't be for much longer. We both wouldn't necessarily have to be driving four-wheel drive vehicles. My guess is that when we factor in that we would have some sort of health insurance package with one or both of our employers and we would be saving about 7% of our salary by not paying all of our SS tax, we might be about even. We also spend about $10,000 a year on a vacation to someplace warm or just to get away for a long weekend here and there. That isn't to say we wouldn't take vacations, but we probably wouldn't do it as often.

So, how bad would it be? Besides the fact that eggs are $5/dozen because the damn chickens have to have more square footage to lay them, is it all that miserable for a redneck? My wife is a liberal, I am most definitely not. I like spending time outdoors whether in the hills or on the beach, it doesn't make a lot of difference although I would prefer the hills. I like hunting, fishing, etc. but it doesn't dictate my life. I just want the opportunity to be able to share it with my growing children.

Any information will be appreciated!
 

Beastmode

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2012
Messages
1,307
Location
Shasta County, CA
Don't do it. It is so damn expensive here it is ridiculous. The closest good hunting you would have is most likely Arizona. Other than that you would have quite a drive to get to any uncrowded areas. The tuna fishing is spectacular out of San Diego. That is about the only positive.
 

WestDan

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Messages
296
Location
WA
so, I live in southern California (LA area, but know SD as well), and am not originally from here. feel free to PM me and I can try to help with some of your questions.
 

Solitude

WKR
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
448
Location
Northern CA
I highly advise you (or anyone looking to relocate) take an extended vacation there for a couple of weeks in the summer and try to find where you could possibly "fit in". It goes way deeper than conservative/liberal. The lifestyle, amount of people, cost of living and lack of hunting will sink in quickly. On the flip side the offshore fishing is phenomenal, weather is great on an aging body and beach scene can help keep a you entertained.
 

Beendare

WKR
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
8,247
Location
Corripe cervisiam
Coming from a small town background the people and their attitude plus all of the traffic will be a huge adjustment.

That said, a place is what you make of it. Hunting is poor but not non existant. You can pop over into Az and have some of the best hunting in the world. some great pig hunting at Tejon and other spots. World class fishing at certain times of the year- fresh and salt water. Carpshooting is good. Dove hunting excellent. Some good hills to hike, a real even weather pattern....its all about having a good attitude and making the most of it.
 

dotman

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
8,201
P
There is a 90-95% chance that this wouldn't happen, but on the remote possibility that my family would want to relocate to S. CA I want to know how miserable I might be. I've lived in Minnesota all my life, basically grew up in a town of less than 500 people. Out of college I taught in Fargo, ND where the population at the time was about 200,000 and now live in a town of about 12000 so I haven't had much experience living in large cities. However, I have traveled (if you call driving truck over the road "traveling") all over the US, so I have experience commuting in major metropolitan areas although not on a daily basis. My wife on the other hand is a city girl. Raised on an Bainbridge Island outside of Seattle, college at CC in Colorado Springs and lived in Albuquerque for 15 years when we met. She feels a little out of touch living out here and misses the warmer climates...right now its -25 windchill here...and with ACL repairs in both knees she is having trouble with arthritis.

The reason I mention Southern California is that a month ago we took a family vacation/business trip to San Diego and I hate to admit it, but kind of liked it. I would prefer someplace a little smaller and not necessarily in CA, but my wife is a mortgage underwriter for a bank in La Jolla. She is fortunate enough to be able to work remotely from our home and is a self-employed contractor so has some flexibility. IF the opportunity came up for her to move up the corporate ladder we would have to relocate so she could work in the office.

My situation is a little more complicated. I would have to sell my business and find some other line of work to do for the next 15 years until I can start drawing SS. At this point in my life, I don't really know what I would choose to do either. My biggest concern is going from a self-employed business owner for the past 20+ years to working for someone else with set schedules, vacation days, and all the other BS that goes along with that. In looking for employment I would try to do something with some sort of health insurance plan as I'm tired of paying nearly $15000 a year for my Obamacare. I would also like to find something that I can walk away from at the end of the day and not have to think about until a showed up the next day. Self employment has its advantages, but I can definitely see how it would be nice not to have the responsibility and expense that goes with it also.

If we did this, we would most likely look to do it in the next several years before our children (4 & 1) get established in school, friends, etc. It would probably take me that much time to sell my business off, get things organized and relocated.

I'm sure living expenses would be more, but how much more? It isn't cheap living here either when you factor in three to four seasons of clothes, $400/month heating bills in the winter, etc. We would most likely downsize our house since we wouldn't necessarily be spending so much time indoors. Right now we have winter and mosquito season. I'm sure daycare would be more than we are paying now ($25/day/kid), but that won't be for much longer. We both wouldn't necessarily have to be driving four-wheel drive vehicles. My guess is that when we factor in that we would have some sort of health insurance package with one or both of our employers and we would be saving about 7% of our salary by not paying all of our SS tax, we might be about even. We also spend about $10,000 a year on a vacation to someplace warm or just to get away for a long weekend here and there. That isn't to say we wouldn't take vacations, but we probably wouldn't do it as often.

So, how bad would it be? Besides the fact that eggs are $5/dozen because the damn chickens have to have more square footage to lay them, is it all that miserable for a redneck? My wife is a liberal, I am most definitely not. I like spending time outdoors whether in the hills or on the beach, it doesn't make a lot of difference although I would prefer the hills. I like hunting, fishing, etc. but it doesn't dictate my life. I just want the opportunity to be able to share it with my growing children.

Any information will be appreciated!

First off your daycare is CHEAP! We pay $310 a week for only three days for our two kids here in The Kansas City area. I believe the national avg is $250 a week per kid so probably double this cost if not more. Housing will be the biggest change though. Not sure what housing costs in SD but my cousins just sold their 1200sq ft house, yes 1200sq ft, in Mountainview around San Jose for 1.2 million.

I grew up in MT in a town of around 200, really it didn't take long to adjust to living in a city with over a million people. Just remember you find a mini city within the city and really most of your time would be spent in the area you live not the entire city.

Close hunting areas don't always workout but it is a good reason to get away from the city.
 
Last edited:

Mike7

WKR
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
1,300
Location
Northern Idaho
LaJolla is nice if you like the beach and restaurants...and really expensive, but there are areas not too far away inland that are cheaper. I like the SanDiego area much better than LA, but you are further from the real mountains in SanDiego.

Other pretty warm places, but which are near the mountains and further north, are Roseburg, OR. and Lewiston, ID. If you want something fairly warm and more liberal near the mountains, you have Ashland, OR. The Rogue Valley/Ashland can get foggy inversions in the winter though.
 

dsclowers

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 9, 2014
Messages
168
Location
Montrose, CO
I used to have to go to Orange County occassionally for work but that has been a long time. Now my office is in San Jose but fortunately I am able to work remotely from a small town in SW Colorado. I fly back to my office about 1 week every 3 months or so. You couldn't pay me enough to live in SF, LA, or SD. I talk to my peers in the Bay area and the lifestyle sucks. On top of their 8-10 hour day, they have a 1.5 - 2 hour commute on each side to live somewhere "affordable". I say "affordable" because one of my firends that moved to the San Jose office for a promotion was shocked when we was looking for a place to buy. The cheapest thing he could find was a 900 sq. ft. condo 2 hours drive away from the office that needed to be gutted and it was selling for $900,000. All these people do is work and commute and try to cram life into the weekends. They hardly ever see their kids during the week because they have to leave in the morning before the kids get up and get home after they are in bed. If you want to get into the mountains on the weekend be ready to share your spot with the million other people that are trying to do the same thing.
 

n2horns

WKR
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Messages
1,057
Location
Arizona
I grew up in So Cal and lived near Ventura County/Thousand Oaks area. I now live in AZ for the past 18. Gun rights in CA suck. Expensive and traffic if any commuting is a mess. Gas prices when high are out of control. I have tons of family there and go back often, mostly to see my parents/sister.

You have a better chance in Ventura County to get a CCW. Hunting is too complicated to figure out for me. I have friends that come to AZ to hunt, pay a little more in tags. I go back and love the ocean fishing from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Lake fishing is also awesome. The Sierras for hiking, camping, fishing incredible. But dont get caught driving and talking on your cell phone or carrying a gun in your car, they don't like that. AZ is a great place.

If you can get lucky or have extra hidden mattress money, great, but like someone said here, take an extended vacation and go visit and drive the roads during rush hour traffic like you would for work. Weekend traffic is a mess too.

Find some areas and post back and get feedback.
 

69ChrisCraft

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 15, 2014
Messages
277
I used to have to go to Orange County occassionally for work but that has been a long time. Now my office is in San Jose but fortunately I am able to work remotely from a small town in SW Colorado. I fly back to my office about 1 week every 3 months or so. You couldn't pay me enough to live in SF, LA, or SD. I talk to my peers in the Bay area and the lifestyle sucks. On top of their 8-10 hour day, they have a 1.5 - 2 hour commute on each side to live somewhere "affordable". I say "affordable" because one of my firends that moved to the San Jose office for a promotion was shocked when we was looking for a place to buy. The cheapest thing he could find was a 900 sq. ft. condo 2 hours drive away from the office that needed to be gutted and it was selling for $900,000. All these people do is work and commute and try to cram life into the weekends. They hardly ever see their kids during the week because they have to leave in the morning before the kids get up and get home after they are in bed. If you want to get into the mountains on the weekend be ready to share your spot with the million other people that are trying to do the same thing.
Real estate isn't cheap by any means but $900,000 within 2 hours of San Jose will buy you a hell of a lot more than that. $500,000 will buy you a 3 bedroom IN San Jose. I think your buddy is exaggerating a bit.
 

SDHNTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
6,210
If you have to live anywhere in SoCal, San Diego is by far the best area. Born and raised here myself. Less traffic and rat race than LA and less douchebaggyness than OC. I work in La Jolla too. I gotta admit, going for a lunchtime jog around the beach when it's 75 in Feb doesn't suck. But it is VERY expensive. You will pay $500k min for a small house in a less than ideal neighborhood, or twice that for a nice neighborhood. Perhaps more even, if you want to live by the beach. Public schools are mostly good, provided you are in a nicer part of town.

If you like to fish the ocean, it's nearly heaven. Believe it or not, we also have 6000 foot mountains less than an hour from downtown SD. And there is public land with available deer hunting. It's not great, but it's there and the guys that I know that work hard at it kill deer every year. You can also hunt hogs within a half days drive north. And you can be in AZ, NV, NM, UT or CO all within a day's drive. Decent waterfowl hunting within a couple hours too.

I just spent the evening with my toes in the sand and hands around a few beers. Not many places you can do that in the dead of Winter. I also roll around town with a fly rod in my car and jump out often to use it. It has its drawbacks, but San Diego is a damn nice place to live. PM me if you want more info.
 
Last edited:

William Hanson (live2hunt)

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
4,861
Location
Missouri
I was born and raised in socal and you couldn't pay me enough to move back. It's alright to visit but terrible to live there. Cost of living is ridiculous. Traffic is hell. People are awful. Not to mention the politics and stupid laws. DON'T DO IT!!!
 
OP
E

edg1967

WKR
Joined
Jun 24, 2012
Messages
678
Thank you for all the input. Much of what I suspected is confirmed. I may enjoy visiting, but don't necessarily want to live there. If I move, it will most likely be a place where I would retire, and this sounds like too expensive to do that. At 48 I'm beyond wanting to struggle to make ends meet. We live pretty comfortably, have decent savings and a lot of flexibility in our schedules. No matter where we move (if we move), we would be giving some of that up, but this sounds like more of a sacrifice than we are willing to make.
 

dotman

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
8,201
Real estate isn't cheap by any means but $900,000 within 2 hours of San Jose will buy you a hell of a lot more than that. $500,000 will buy you a 3 bedroom IN San Jose. I think your buddy is exaggerating a bit.

That $500k house your talking about will be in the ghetto and yup San Jose has one. No way will you raise your kids in a good safe neighborhood for that price. My aunt has been a realtor in Los Altos for 30+ years, pretty much min your looking at $900k for an ok area and a shoe box.

Prices have really sky rocketed due to the silicon valley businesses and all the cash for properties coming out of China.
 

69ChrisCraft

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 15, 2014
Messages
277
That $500k house your talking about will be in the ghetto and yup San Jose has one. No way will you raise your kids in a good safe neighborhood for that price. My aunt has been a realtor in Los Altos for 30+ years, pretty much min your looking at $900k for an ok area and a shoe box.

Prices have really sky rocketed due to the silicon valley businesses and all the cash for properties coming out of China.
San Jose does not have a ghetto. San Jose IS a ghetto.

The OP said that housing could not be found within 2 hours for under $900,000.....to put in kindly, that is ludicrous. 2 hours will get you clear into the San Joaquin valley which is very affordable. There are entire "bedroom" communities that exist solely because people are willing to commute and live in a much nicer house than they could otherwise afford in the Bay area.

446a6c663a101f6c870ad5c8c7a08b52.jpg


Here's a house in my friends neighborhood within 2 hours of San Jose.
 

_Nick_

WKR
Joined
Jul 8, 2014
Messages
346
One thing that has not been mentioned... So Cal has crap for air quality. San Diego better than LA, but both are very bad as compared to the national index. Something to consider if you have asthma or anything like that.

I'd also mention that while in the backcountry down here I've come across more than a few signs of trafficking.
 

avodude

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 7, 2013
Messages
138
Location
Moscow, ID
My uncle's 3 bedroom house in San Jose went for over a million just a few months ago. He just happened to be in a sought after school district. The house was not special by any means. A couple from India bought it. Dotman is right, Silicon Valley has blown up. That market has been in the top ten for years. If you wanted cheap real estate in California, you could live in Eastern California, I guess. Maybe Salton Sea area. Haha. That's where a lot of snow birds go.

A lot of people leave California when they retire. Few actually retire and move there. My uncle now lives in North Central Washington. I lived in San Diego county for five years and shudder at the thought of moving back. Maybe to visit, but never to live.

The LA area is the epitome of "rat race". No matter what time of day or night it ALWAYS takes twice as long as it should to drive through that hell-hole.
 

trkyslr

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
833
Imo Nor cal is 1000 times better for the outdoorsman vs so cal and the liberal bs still makes me dream of moving out of state everyday.
 

avodude

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 7, 2013
Messages
138
Location
Moscow, ID
Funny story about La Jolla...

When I was down there, a dead sperm whale washed up on the beach and it stank the town to high heaven. With as snobby as the place is, I considered it payback. Anyway, they tried hooking a boat up to it but with the tides and the fact that the tail pulled off, it ended up being stuck there on the beach for weeks. They finally put up a $40,000 dollar reward to whoever could get rid of it. Some redneck with a chainsaw chopped up all of that rotten whale and hauled it off. They caught it on the news. One of the more hilarious things I have seen.

The town is so wealthy and snobby that your wife, I'm guessing, would probably feel very out of place - working there.
 

bobhunts

WKR
Joined
Jun 16, 2012
Messages
964
Location
Colorado Springs,Co.
Having lived in Southern California as a teenager in High School I would never put my kids in that scenerio. As a kid I loved the beach and ocean fishing.. but if it where me, I would look at where you want your kids to go to school and it might be a little warmer for the wife to just live in Arizona and enjoy all of the opportunities that would be provided by living there for you! I am sure that there are pockets of really good areas to live in the San Diego area. I spent a summer in Coronado as a kid and loved it. But I would choose to not give one dime to the State of Hate and Gov Jerry Brown. You have to think about what you will be exposing your children to. A'lot of bad stuff goes on in the school systems in even good areas in every city where things seem fine. I believe you are in the best place now but it will all be up to you and your family.
 
Last edited:
Top