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Who posted on what it's like to live in California?

Joined
16 April 2008
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279
Location
Irvine, CA
I remember reading a past post lonng ago on what it's like to live in California-what a vicious cycle it is in making money to buy more stuff, only having to work more to pay for the stuff you buy..

I'm trying to think who it was posted by on the forum? It was a very thoughtful post on the reality of many California's live in. We live everyday to buy expensive stuff we can't afford, yet overwork more hours to pay for the stuff we are using our debt money to live on....
 
I remember reading a past post lonng ago on what it's like to live in California-what a vicious cycle it is in making money to buy more stuff, only having to work more to pay for the stuff you buy..

I'm trying to think who it was posted by on the forum? It was a very thoughtful post on the reality of many California's live in. We live everyday to buy expensive stuff we can't afford, yet overwork more hours to pay for the stuff we are using our debt money to live on....

that sum's up more than just californian's thats like the nation. but there is also an hour video here on prime somewhere that explains how debt is the way that works, Not necessarily in our favor but the banks. secondly I would advise anyone to stay away from cali at all costs. NV or AZ is much better.
 
I grew up in SoCal and have been to various parts of the country. I have seen that the cost of living is not all that different in other states (with the one major exception of the cost of real estate/rent/leasing).

However, one thing that Southern California has going for it is that in terms of geography, geology, and meteorology, it is the most hassle free state in the country (by my experience). Oregon and Washington rate a close second.

As for gluttony... well, I grew up po'. That is, we were so " po' " that we couldn't afford the other "o" and "r". Anyway, I've lived simply, not being influenced by the glamor and Hollywood-ness that you encounter everyday in LA/OC/Ventura Co. Some people, though... just have to have everything. I guess they think happiness or contentment is found in "things" (or at least having better/more expensive/newer things than those around them).

But, for me... well, here is my happiness:

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California is a great place to live if you are outdoor active and like sports such as snowboarding, surfing, biking, hiking... temperate to tropical weather in every month of the year.

The supposed restrictions that many claim California as having are a trade off for other benefits, and are no better or worse than any of the other eight states I've lived in.
 
I grew up in SoCal and have been to various parts of the country. I have seen that the cost of living is not all that different in other states (with the one major exception of the cost of real estate/rent/leasing).

However, one thing that Southern California has going for it is that in terms of geography, geology, and meteorology, it is the most hassle free state in the country (by my experience). Oregon and Washington rate a close second.

As for gluttony... well, I grew up po'. That is, we were so " po' " that we couldn't afford the other "o" and "r". Anyway, I've lived simply, not being influenced by the glamor and Hollywood-ness that you encounter everyday in LA/OC/Ventura Co. Some people, though... just have to have everything. I guess they think happiness or contentment is found in "things" (or at least having better/more expensive/newer things than those around them).

But, for me... well, here is my happiness:

attachment.php

Dude, you are obviously at the firing range how the hell could you frown at the firing range.
 
Yeah California sucks, especially northern CA. Take my advice, stay away, stay far away. Maybe Missouri..........or Kansas. Yeah, that's it, go there...........anywhere but here. :wink:
 
I remember reading a past post lonng ago on what it's like to live in California-what a vicious cycle it is in making money to buy more stuff, only having to work more to pay for the stuff you buy..

I'm trying to think who it was posted by on the forum? It was a very thoughtful post on the reality of many California's live in. We live everyday to buy expensive stuff we can't afford, yet overwork more hours to pay for the stuff we are using our debt money to live on....

Never read that post, but I don't think one's susceptibility to falling into a materialistic lifestyle can be blamed on his surroundings. Upbringing, maybe.

Forget the post, let's see pics of the AE86!
 
First, I would say I'm a San Diego fan as opposed to a SoCal fan. CA as a whole is fine and well but SD is really the only place in CA I would live.

And I also think while it's not the best place to grow up CA is a great place to live. I'm glad I grew up in New England and I love going back and even have a summer home there. But there's so much more opportunity here and it's much more interesting and comfortable to live.

Not having to deal with the weather is something I think I've earned. :smile: When you're a kid everyone else does the driving. As an adult I am not down with navigating through snow/ice to get to work. And lack of seasons? Yes, call me crazy but I do enjoy Spring all the time. :wink:

There a lot of sketchy places in CA and the weather's not great everywhere but San Diego has very, very low crime and the weather is perfect and we don't have smog. It's nowhere near as claustrophobic as LA and nowhere near as expensive as San Francisco. Plus we actually are on the ocean as opposed to LA.

I know many, many foreigners who have travelled the world many times and found San Diego to be the best place to live. Or people who lived in LA, didn't like it and love San Diego.

As far as CA I do think it's still a very progressive state and the laws very fair and reasonable.

One of my personal observations about SoCal is that many people do indeed come here for a purpose, to be successful or make a new start. There are a lot of driven people here as opposed to a place like New England where life moves a little slower. They take time for themselves there whereas here there are a lot of young people who don't have families and just work or party. People make free time for themselves there and stay home more.

And of course there's much more superficiality here. Where I grew up people have no agenda and there's a bit more substance as a whole.

JMHO.
 
Never read that post, but I don't think one's susceptibility to falling into a materialistic lifestyle can be blamed on his surroundings. Upbringing, maybe.

Forget the post, let's see pics of the AE86!

I guess i'm a bit torn.. I want to keep her, but to get the NSX later on, i have to make a sacrifice i guess...











Here is what she currently looks like.. Only mods are HOOD and wheels.. other than that, she is completely stock.. stock suspension, never drifted.. babied all the way by previous owner... 119,000 miles currently..
 
Best place on the Earth on the West Coast - San Francisco
Best place on the Earth on the East Coast - New York

Between the two, I'd still pick CA even though NYC is usually considered to be the center of the Universe. :wink:
 
Best place on the Earth on the West Coast - San Francisco
Best place on the Earth on the East Coast - New York

Between the two, I'd still pick CA even though NYC is usually considered to be the center of the Universe. :wink:



NY is only nice 4 months out of the year.
 
People from San Diego and San Francisco seem to hate Los Angeles. Having grown up here (go Lakers!), I don't get it. I do like visiting both SD and SF, though I tend to prefer SF.

Forbes recently named San Francisco as the top city in the U.S. for outdoor activities? I guess more people like being out in the cold than I would have guessed! ;)

Seriously, the weather in SoCal is hard to beat. I don't mind driving five hours to get to Mammoth for serious snow...because the rest of the time I can enjoy driving around in my NSX with the roof off.
 
Plus we actually are on the ocean as opposed to LA.


Just for the record, LA is on the beach... it's just so huge that a lot of it is also not on the beach. Venice Beach, for example, is part of Los Angeles City. Los Angeles City is just so gigantic that different districts have different names. How can you know what's LA City and what's LA county? Just check who's mayor. Or which police department/fire department covers the area. If it's LAPD, such as the whole San Fernado Valley, then it's still LA City. If it's some other PD or the LASD, then it's a different city within the county, or it's unincorportated county area.

But yes: Los Angeles CITY is gigantic and surrounds and is surronded by other cities. Los Angeles COUNTY spans some 4000 square miles.
 
People from San Diego and San Francisco seem to hate Los Angeles. Having grown up here (go Lakers!), I don't get it. I do like visiting both SD and SF, though I tend to prefer SF.

Forbes recently named San Francisco as the top city in the U.S. for outdoor activities? I guess more people like being out in the cold than I would have guessed! ;)

Seriously, the weather in SoCal is hard to beat. I don't mind driving a five hours to get to Mammoth for serious snow...because the rest of the time I can enjoy driving around in my NSX with the roof off.


I've been to San Francisco once... that was enough for me!!! I went to school in San Diego, however, and cannot get enough of that place. As for how it compares to LA, well... I don't know. I'm fond of LA, as I grew up there and in a nice area (Santa Monica)... But I have no complaints about SD, and would happily settle down there. It's very laid back and less... glamorized than Los Angeles. In LA, there's the feeling that the whole world is watching you (through the media etc). In SD, that feeling doesn't exist.
 
California = Good Opportunity - Cost of Living

Problem is with that comes the higher cost of living. ($5 gas, real estate, etc.) I'm just plugging away and stuffing my $$$ away. Then moving to a state where I can pay cash for my home and live a slower paced life going forward. Heck I'd be happy working at an aquarium/fish store or a hobby shop if it paid the bills in California, but nope. You have to work hard, or have rich relative give you money, or just be really lucky. Well my relatives are poor, my luck blows, guess im stuck working my butt off. :rolleyes:
 
This post came on time:
My sister just got a job offering and thinking to relocating to Cupertino, CA 95014. Do you guys have any suggestion or advises?? (Places to find decent place to rent for young couple and a dog). Any area to avoid... things like that??

She's going there next week for interview and checking out, so any suggestions will be great.. Thanks in advance.

**We've been moving from HK to Seattle since 14 yrs ago. She's been in Taiwan for last 3-4 yrs, and just moved back to states.
 
My sister just got a job offering and thinking to relocating to Cupertino, CA 95014. Do you guys have any suggestion or advises?? (Places to find decent place to rent for young couple and a dog).

There's lots of decent placed to rent in and around Cupertino. Just be prepared to pay a boatload per month.

As far as placed to avoid, there's not too many, but I'd stay clear of East Palo Alto and the barrios around Redwood City. Most places around Cupertino are too expensive to be "areas to avoid".
 
Just for the record, LA is on the beach... it's just so huge that a lot of it is also not on the beach. Venice Beach, for example, is part of Los Angeles City. Los Angeles City is just so gigantic that different districts have different names. How can you know what's LA City and what's LA county? Just check who's mayor. Or which police department/fire department covers the area. If it's LAPD, such as the whole San Fernado Valley, then it's still LA City. If it's some other PD or the LASD, then it's a different city within the county, or it's unincorportated county area.

But yes: Los Angeles CITY is gigantic and surrounds and is surronded by other cities. Los Angeles COUNTY spans some 4000 square miles.

That's true. LA is huge. And there are of course communities near the ocean but the perception is that Hollywood, for example, is near the beach which it ain't.

Yes, San Diegans hate LA and it is a world apart. I don't know about SF though but I can imagine they hate it too. I think SD is just cleaner and it really seems like there are less people which is true. It feels much smaller even though SD County is also enormous. The feeling that people are watching you is that claustrophobic feeling I was referring to.

To me it was always so strange that the biggest movie stars and richest people live in Beverly Hills which is not really private by any means. The wealthiest places in SD like Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla and Fairbanks Ranch are very secluded and have a lot of land. If I bought a $20 million house I would not want to see people driving by my house. :confused:
 
The majority of the Wealthy Hollywood "Types" (big name actors, producers, directors) don't live in LA at all, or at most have one house there and only live in it while working in town.

Lots of studio execs live in LA, but not just in Beverly Hills. The Westside in general seems to be the most popular place for them, probably because it is convenient to the studios and the ancillary production/post production industry.
 
There's lots of decent placed to rent in and around Cupertino. Just be prepared to pay a boatload per month.

As far as placed to avoid, there's not too many, but I'd stay clear of East Palo Alto and the barrios around Redwood City. Most places around Cupertino are too expensive to be "areas to avoid".

thanks flaminio, anyone else have more inputs?
 
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