I did, 20 years ago. I miss the Pacific very much but Lake Michigan does alright. I do not miss the reasons OP has for wanting to leave.
I wish more people would think like you, and act on it.
poor = real price
cali = overpriced
I'll say it before and I'll say it again, there's a reason why certain places are cheap to live at, because no one wants to live there.
It's not quite as cut and dry as that considering how volatile the real estate market is, or did we forget that part of history that was barely 5 years ago?
And generally speaking there's no way in hell I'd live in those dumps. Visalia smells like a dump and Fresno/Modesto are truly the armpit of the state. San Francisco is only there because its lumped with Oakland. San Diego...we can all guess where those cars end up after they're stolen.http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2012/06/19/the-cities-with-the-most-stolen-cars/
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mkm45fkhhl/fresno-california/#gallerycontent
7 out of the top 10 cities with the most stolen cars in the US of A.
http://autos.yahoo.com/news/auto-theft--worst-cities-for-stolen-cars.html
10 out of the top 20.
i have a good friend who moved from northern va to san diego a few years ago and they love it out there. i visited them a few years back and it was really nice out there. the only way i could see people not liking it out there is if they are poor and couldn't afford it.
By all means, please start naming those places. The Central Valley smog bowl doesn't count, either.
The people that say this are normally living in an over priced area and say it to make themselves feel better.
At 100k i'd think you'd be ok, but that's the minimum. They tax everything to hell here, trick is being stupid stingy,.... which is near impossible with a female around. At least one you want to have sex with.
150k with little or no debt for a decent area. Honestly, home ownership is unlikely absent TWO solid incomes amounting to 150k (of course one person can make that but that's pretty rare).
If you want a cheap house and don't mind religious extremists / red state paradise check out Kansas.
In Santa Clara County, 15% of household have incomes >200k.
Actually there are lots of places here that are cheap. Pitsburg, Hercules and the like.
They won't be dirt cheap but much cheaper than the adjacent areas around. You can get a relatively decent house for around 200k.
I live in Palo Alto. We're looking to buy a house but we're only finding mediocre townhouses for 900k here in the bay area. Houses are all up close to a million (not in palo alto. Here houses are upwards of 1.6M).
But you can't beat the weather, the availability of decent jobs and the access to recreational places around here.
And generally speaking there's no way in hell I'd live in those dumps. Visalia smells like a dump and Fresno/Modesto are truly the armpit of the state. San Francisco is only there because its lumped with Oakland. San Diego...we can all guess where those cars end up after they're stolen.
CA is a great place to live...if you can deal with the idiots in Sacramento and afford to live in a decent area. The former is much harder to deal with.
I'm a native Californian and have basically no problem from Scaramento. Some people complain about nothing.
Where is Scaramento ... North Korea? Some people need to learn how to spell. Some people also need to accept the fact that not everyone thinks like they do (thank God) and that they MIGHT have a difference of opinion than they do.
I've been to SoCal many, many times and found it to be the best of times and the worst of times. You have to enjoy relatively good weather and a lot of shopping choices (if you are into consumption) ... while also enjoying a LOT of pollution, a LOT of crowded places (unless you have lots of money and can afford privacy ... and much insanity.
There are all kinds of cities within 25-30 miles for a fraction of that. Check east bay.
lol east bay. ewww...
In Santa Clara County, 15% of household have incomes >200k.
Actually no. If the demand was higher for areas with cheaper houses, then they wouldn't be cheap. The only reason the prices are higher in CA is that there is demand for it. I was looking at a townhouse that was 3 bedrm/2.5 bathroom at around 1400sqft in Mountain View just 2 weeks ago. That was listed at 749k and it already had over 50 bidders on it.