<p>I haven’t been to California for years- first and only time was when we ( with sibs & parents) went to Disneyland- the year the Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened.( although because of an ID mistake- the credit reporting agencies had me at 17 different Ca addresses- all within a one year period:p )</p>
<p>In town for two concerts in Santa Barbara- & i realize the rest of Ca doesn’t look like this
But it is so gorgeous, everyone is so friendly- that I don’t want to leave-( I am going out now to buy some cooler clothes)</p>
<p>D was talking about applying to some Ca schools- ( she got into her school but is taking a year off), maybe now I will encourage her!</p>
<p>I lived on the north east coast of the US for 43 years, in various locations from DC through Westchester County, NY. I was dragged, kicking and screaming, to California in 1997 after my husband got a job offer he couldn’t refuse. </p>
<p>I’m not sure you could offer me good enough reasons to get me to leave now. And I have no idea why it took me so long to get here.</p>
<p>Welcome, ek4, the climate’s fine, come on down! (With the understanding that it’s not actually <em>perfect</em> here or anything…)</p>
<p>Try visiting Orange County- cities all run into one another, flat, boring… Or travel from there to Nevada by car… Or the area in and around the Stanford campus… Ah, visit the Bay Area, now you’re talking!</p>
<p>My take on California – the southern part in particular – is that it has some of the most stunning scenery in the country… surrounded by hundreds of square miles of ugliness. But oh those stunning parts do make up for it, at least for this former Californian who dreams of moving back someday. For me, it’ll be the Bay Area or nothing… but I agree: Santa Barbara sure is pretty. Enjoy. (And eat an In 'N Out burger and some pollo loco for me, pretty please.)</p>
<p>I think if the Pilgrims had landed on the West Coast, there’d have been no eastward migration across the continent, although there are too many beautiful places to count in the Northeast. </p>
<p>The way I see it, the 17th century Puritans scrambled all over New England to remove rocks from the acidic soil (turning rocks into fences, which make “good neighbors” according to Robert Frost).</p>
<p>A few generations later, their kids didn’t have enough inherited land to divide up, so one or two siblings from a large family went over the Appalachians to find out what Ohio, Iowa and Illinois looked like. Soil was like gold dust in their hands, and the rest of the Midwest was settled. </p>
<p>Then the Transcontinental Railroad was built, and soon after Janis Joplin began singing around Berkeley.</p>
<p>We just sent our youngest to Califronia for college, and he wants us all to move there so he doesn’t have to move back.</p>
<p>Emeraldkity4, just have fun and kiss the sun!</p>
<p>I always thought people in California were much friendlier than up here in Seattle. You will miss out first sunny warm day in at least 6 months tomorrow–could hit 70!!!</p>
<p>Now you know why I live in SoCal…Oops! I mean NO! I didn’t asy that! California is a terrible place. You do NOT want to move here. Nobody should move to California. Forget all about it.</p>
<p>I’ve travelled everywhere, lived here in NY way too long. Loved my three years in Pasadena. I loved everything about LA including driving around on the freeways and visiting Santa Barbara. Last time I was in Santa Barbara was for some open studio days. Still have the artwork we bought that day in our bedroom.</p>
<p>Things I miss about CA
Freeways
Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture
1950s modern (Neutra and friends)
Jacaranda, wisteria and all the rest of the spring blooms esp. on Caltech
campus
<p>Have lived in Southern California my whole life and at the beach for the last 26 years. Turned on the heater three times this winter and our house does not have air conditioning. Planted my first batch of tomatoes two weeks ago and already have a whole garden of roses. Orchids grow without any extra care. Do not like the traffic and trying to go downtown for theatre, concerts, or sporting events. </p>
<p>Son will be going to college next year on the East Coast and have gotten an education on New England. Been at the college during three seasons and kind of like the whole season thing. It will be interesting to see if my son will migrate back to SoCal when his education is done.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Term limits on state/city government have put in inexperienced politicians who don’t know how to run the 7th largest economy in the world.</p></li>
<li><p>Lower public education system is a disaster.</p></li>
<li><p>Infrastructure is crumbling due to lack of investment and heavy handed regulation and high business taxes.</p></li>
<li><p>Too many uneducated poor immigrants are a strain on California’s resources.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If Emerald is still in SB today she is experiencing SB weather at its best. High 70’s (we think that is hot). You can sit outside and eat in the sun. If you come back in June it will be cold and foggy.
I was born in Nor Cal and lived in the LA area for my entire growing up years. I moved to SB in my late 20’s. I missed things about LA for about two years. Now I find I hate to leave town. It is a really nice feeling to come home from a vacation and realize that you love where you live. I have no desire to move. I think my kids would like to be able to come “home” one day.
One thing I don’t like is the sense of entitlement I see in so many of the kids. Also way to much alcohol and drugs in the high school community.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed an interesting thing about many people in Oregon/Washington…they rabidly hate people from California. Otherwise, they seem to be normal people.</p>
<p>The horrendous traffic and high real estate prices suck the life out of California residents. If you could live in a place that had neither, you’d be in good shape.</p>
<p>I love California and feel fortunate to live here. Of course, I had a hand in the decision to end up here. California has some of the most varied terrain, climates, living styles (from huge cities to small farming towns to small/medium towns), diverse backgrounds of people, of any state. As soon as someone draws a particular stereotype about ‘California’ all they have to do is look around and go to a different part of the state and the stereotype is no longer valid. But ultimately, I agree with ‘coureur’. :)</p>
<p>One thing I’ve discovered on various business trips over the years is that pretty much every urban area has terrible traffic. Washington DC, Miami, Boston, New York - all bad. Even Minneapolis can get pretty ugly during rush hour. California may be worse than some, but it’s not <em>way</em> worse. They all show various versions of the same big traffic jam.</p>
<p>This is certainly true, and I speak as a Washington native who went high school in Oregon and now lives in SoCal.</p>
<p>A few years ago I drove back home to Oregon to visit my mother. When we stopped for a meal in a shopping center some people spotted my CA plates in the parking lot and came over and told us to get back in the car and clear out, that Californians were <em>not</em> welcome. I had never been treated so rudely by strangers in all my life. </p>
<p>I told them that I was living in Oregon before they were even born, that I had every right to come back and visit my mother and the grave of my father, and that their extremely bad manners made me ashamed to say I was also from Oregon. </p>
<p>It was after that ugly incident that I knew I had outgrown the Pacific Northwest. SoCal for me. The people really are friendlier here.</p>
And I have no idea why it took me so long to get here.</p>