First time I’ve been back in years, and now that I’m here it’s like it was yesterday. Everyone’s a little nicer, in a better mood. Lots of natural beauty. Great climes. Did I mention people are in a good mood, out surfing, and not giving a fuck?
Back story: born in the Midwest, raised in the South, and now living East. But once I lived out West, and I feel like I never shoulda left. One day here, and whatever shitty mood I was in, is gone.
If only I had the money to retire here…and I don’t. God is cruel sometimes.
Different strokes. I moved from Chicago to San Diego after college for a job. Hated it with a passion. Went back to Chicago and never left again. Well, okay, I left a few times when I had to, but always returned to my home on the shores of Lake Michigan as soon as I could.
What did you hate about CA? When I go back to the Northwest Burbs of Chicago (Palatine, Arlington Heights, Des Plains etc) it seems like an endless slog poor of planning, bad traffic, crap weather. The cultural milestones are 7-11’s, gas stations, and corporate restaurants like Marie Callender’s and Olive Garden. Seriously, and not trying to be offensive: I lived there 25 years – what’s the attraction?
Edit: Chicago has decent pizza, I’ll give it that. I’ve seldom found good pizza near SFBay area. (And no, I don’t mean deep dish, that’s its own thing – I mean thin crust Chicago pizza, mmmm.)
South Bay, Scotts Valley, Monty Bay, Central CA – ya feel me?
No offense, but I’ve been to SoCal, and it ain’t for me. But Central Coast, Bay Area, and Nor Cal (real Nor Cal, like, Ft Bragg)…that’s where it’s at. Shit, I’m even down Yreka and the Siskiyou. Miss the hiking, the ocean. Miss the sunshine.
No offense, but whoever says they’d trade the Cali Coast for…Chicago…BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Punch yourself in the balls and smile I guess.
You visited SoCal, which is, as we all know, not as good as Nor Cal. Whenever I think of SoCal, I think of SUVs, Gold’s Gym, GNC Nutrition Centers, fake tits, lip jobs, penis jobs, boob jobs. You get the idea. Nor Cal just ain’t like that.
Center and northern parts of San Joaquin Valley are more-or-less affordable, much less congested than Bay Area or any of the other big cities, and within a reasonably short drive to the Bay Area. Consider moving here.
My take: California gets steadily prettier and prettier as one proceeds northwards, starting at around Santa Barbara or so. South of Santa Barbara, not so much. (Full disclosure: I grew up in San Fernando Valley, part of Los Angeles, and don’t care to go back there even to visit.)
You’ve gotta be careful because in California, “South Bay” could mean San Jose / SF Bay Area, or it could also mean Long Beach / San Pedro. But clearly you’re talking SFBA / Monterey / Central CA.
Back story: grew up in Upstate New York and New England, then moved to San Francisco in 1979. I’ve been in the SFBA ever since.
My wife & I have done a little traveling. I’ve been to the 50 states, to 29 of the 30 MLB ballparks, and to some 40-odd countries. There are some beautiful places in the world but right where we live ranks right up there. We have great weather and beautiful geography. The California coast is stunning. La Cinque Terre, and Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, Corniglia, Riomaggiore? I’d rank Nor Cal’s Big Sur right up there. Yosemite National Park? Where else in the world ranks with Yosemite? Miss the Alps? California’s Sierra Nevada is quite dramatic too. Miss cold weather? California has some of the coldest in the lower 48.
Yes it is expensive. Ridiculously so in many place. But you there are pockets of affordability without having to commute from the Central Valley.
And people generally are pretty chill here. It lowers the blood pressure, and you live longer that way.
Feast your eyeballs on some fabulously beautiful aerial photos of some Northern California terrain:
Can anyone tell where this is?
Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz
Hilly terrain just east of Hollister:
Whole lots and lots more SPECTACULAR aerial photography, much of it over places in Northern California: (Poke around in other pages of this guy’s blog for much more)
Well, I spent six decades in Beautiful Perfect Northern California and by the end i was utterly miserable. The desertification and rape of the land is nearly complete, and wherever you look is blight, sprawl, traffic jams and ecological destruction. Newcomers see only what is left, not what was once there.
I have to go back to visit my family next month and I am dreading it. It’s like going to the funeral of a beloved friend, during which everyone is obliviously dancing on the grave.
Much much happier in rural New England, where peak destruction occurred in the 19th century and now it is like living in the ruins of a once thriving civilization. Very congenial to a misanthrope.
Sorry to say Ulfreida is largely right, especially in heavily populated areas (most especially in the S. F. Bay Area). But there is still some niceness left. You can get away from the blight, sprawl, traffic jams by moving to any of the smaller outlying cities.
True, the MOST beautiful areas (Bay Area foremost among them) have inevitably attracted the most growth and are the most despoiled by now.
Never did see the appeal of midwest living. Happy in my valley (for now, it’s getting a bit crowded round these parts) but if I lived coastally, somewhere tween Savannah and Jacksonville for me. Sometimes I miss the sound of alligator chirping at night.
Ditto, I moved to San Diego after post-doc for a job and hated it. Moved East after 18 mos.
Now my sister lives in Northern California for decades now and loves every bit of it. Would never leave. California is varied and complex- really can’t compare one region to another.
Moved to the Bay Area (Marin County) from Chicago mid 1970’s. Loved it. Late 1980’s to San Diego. Every place has its good and bad aspects. San Diego doesn’t have many of the latter. However, the one party politics has resulted in California becoming increasingly difficult for those starting out in life, especially with regard to cost of living. It’s not an accident that so many businesses relocate to other states.
Yessssss, which is what I noticed almost the moment I arrived. People smile and generally don’t seem pissed off at the world. A little road rage on Hwy 85 every now and again, but that’s because it’s terribly designed with one HOV lane and off ramps with major backups.
On a bit of a downer, one thing I’ve noticed is homelessness. Not like there’s a homeless person on every street corner but it’s definitely something I don’t recall seeing before. I left in the post recession recovery era and the housing prices were already starting to climb - they’re probably insane now. And gas prices were insane then and are still insane. But those problems aside, I miss it.
I feel the same when I go back to visit South Florida, even North FLa is getting congested and bulldozed of natural habitat. I found my remote little paradise in a rustbelt state, but now that is getting chewed up and spat out for tract housing, and fringe franchises.
I hate the Bay Area everything about it. Its cold and miserable. Once I get to Monterey the weather gets better and I become much happier. The Central Valley is like Mos Eisley a wretched hive of scum and villainy North of Redding it improves though. I don’t hate LA but you’ve got to stay by the coast. Once you go inland past Pasadena it goes to shit in a hurry. I’ve never spent much time in San Diego except passing through to TJ.
The greatest place on earth is Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties the weather is perfect. There aren’t too many people. Clean air outdoor places to backpack and hunt good fishing. Santa Maria is the best smelling town on the planet in the summer. I miss living on the central coast every day and if I could afford it I’d move back tomorrow. Damn, its expensive though.
I lived in SoCal for a total of about 12 years while in the military. Hated most of it, but there were some areas I liked. Part of the hate is probably because I couldn’t afford to do a lot of things, but for this Alaska boy, the boring weather and landscape was depressing.
I was born in the LA area. At age 8, my family moved to San Jose. I lived there until I was almost 34. Moved to Oregon in 2005.
Like others in the thread have said, I’ll never go back. I don’t even want to visit anymore. I think it’s been five years now since I’ve even gone down there. I tell my parents (in Placerville) if they want to see me, they can come up here.
As for the beauty and moods mentioned in the OP… California’s got nuthin’ on Oregon and Washington.
(Well, and everyone else too.)
