Moving to california?

Question

any tips for someone whos never been

Los angeles & san francisco areas

moving from chicago

Answer 1

PLEASE DO NOT believe all of the typical stereotypes from people that have never lived here or from some people that do live here but have stereotypes about the other part of the state from where they live.

This state is not like what the media or what others claim it or portray it to be. We have good weather and beautiful scenery but besides that things are not that fundamentally different here. Just don't come with any hyped up expectations based on stereotypes or what you have "heard" b/c then that's the only things you will notice since it's in your head already.

And the poster Drew and his "opinion" is totally biased and judgemental. I doubt he has ever even lived in Southern CA and is just venting his inferiority complex people in NorCal tend to have about SoCal, and many people in SF have an "opinion" on everything and they'll let you know it. The two parts of the state are not even that different than people make them out to be. I was born and raised in the BAy Area and have lived in San Diego for 6 years now. But parts of the state are great and have different things to offer and if you are truly open minded, unlike Drew, you can appreciate both parts of the state. LA does have some superficial, shallow types but the vast majority of people are nice, friendly, and laid back. Just as LA has some superficial shallow wannabes San Francisco has some stuck up, pretentious psuedo-intellectuals that think they are better and smarter than the rest of the country. Some people in LA are too obsessed with celebrities and Hollywood and some people in SF are too obsessed with politics and social issues. Traffic in LA is the worst in the nation, traffic in San Francisco is 2nd worst in the nation according to an annual study. And SF does not have the best public transit system in the country, many cities including NY, Boston, Chicago, and DC have better public transit. It's great for a CA city but by no means the best in the country. basically my point of this mini rant was that NorCal and SoCal are not that different from each other, each has great and bad things about them. LA and SF have huge egos and get caught up in all the hype the media fuels and people there try to live up to that image and it's mainly out of town people that do that. San Diego is really chill and laid back; people here don't care about being the entertianment capital or the Financial center of the west coast, we just want to live our lives, go to the beach, and have a good time. So much more relaxed and less pretentious that LA or SF. The Bay Area is great overall but SF is another world on its own. People in CA are nice, good, genuine people overall but there is that SMALL cohort of people that perpetuate negative stereotypes about this place, but it's only certain crowds or scenes, most of us are just average, nice americans like you.

Basically don't come here with all these expectation and stereotypes stuck in your head or it might ruin it for you. It aint cheap here but it's not as bad as people claim to be, just housing and gas are expensive but not much more than some other parts of the country like NY, DC, or New England.

CA is a great state with so many different things to do, to see, and to visit. I'm sure you have already researched places to visit, but try to do the whole state from North to South, you'll see so much diversity.

Also go to In-N-Out Burger, best fast food in the country.

Answer 2

It depends where you're moving from and what part of California you are moving to. If you are moving to the Los Angeles area: Housing prices in and around Los Angeles are incredibly high. Public transportation is horrible and having a car is a must. In the San Fernando Valley, temperatures often reach 110F for at least a week or so every year. It's cooler on the west side, and costal areas. The hottest months are August and September, which is also officially fire season. Winters are mild but it can drop into the high 30's on some winter nights. It snows in the local mountains and sometimes in the high desert. Santa Anas are a yearly weather phenomena of very strong, warm dry winds which can star in September and continue off and on through January. They will chap your lips, make your skin itch, and make you afraid to touch anything metal that isn't gounded. Rain typically comes in April but we sometimes get rain anywhere between November and May. Summer storms are very rare. San Francisco bay area: Housing prices aren't much cheaper than Los Angeles, but the city has really good public transportation. It still helps to have a car though. The weather in San Francisco is a lot cooler and wetter than in Los Angeles, but San Francisco has a lot more variation in it's microclimates. One part of the city can be cold and foggy and the other part can be warm and sunny. California is a large state and there are a lot of little towns and suburbs with just about any climate imaginable. The only thing I can really say, no matter where you live in California, is keep your flashlight and slippers near your bed and a supply of water in case of an earthquake. Oh yeah, and DON'T MOVE TO NORTH HOLLYWOOD!

Answer 3

i am not going to go on about cost of living etc. As most people have already said that. But one thing you need to know is that california is a very big state. It is probably a ten hour drive by car from the mexico border to the border of oregon just north. It is not small. And each part of the state is vastly different. Within the SF area I can be at the beach or skiing in the mountains all within 4 hours drive. California has a little bit of everything for everybody. So you need to really figure out what you want.

Generally northern california, areas north of San Luis Obispo and southern california south of that same area are very different. It would be like comparing boston to miami. Night and day different ways of life.

So Cal to me, specifically LA is very beach oriented, warmer waters, and at times very shallow and self centered. It is Hollywood. It is about having the right friends, the right clothes, the right car and being seen in the right place. I don't feel particularly safe there being a single woman. Traffic there is an absolute nightmare.

I am from the San Francisco area, and to me Nor Cal is where all of the hippies and tree huggers live. Which is not totally true either. But it is where the term "crazy tree hugging liberals" comes from. San Francisco and Berkely epitomize this. We will ban you from plastic bags in grocery stores, or make you by free trade coffee in berkeley. To me the san francisco area is a bit more laid back and casual than LA. I don't feel nearly as stressed out as I do up here than in LA. You will probably not ever go in the water north of say Monterey, as it is usually way too cold.

Answer 4

Well, I live in San Diego, California and I love it a lot. San Diego is a much better area to live in. At least that is my take on it.

My reasons are as follows:

San Francisco while it is beautiful tends to be a lot more damp, as you get a lot of fog.

Los Angeles makes my eyes burn from all of the smog that is in the air, the gangs in some areas go out on the freeways and do random shooting. I hate just driving up to LA because of the smog, when ever I start to get closer to LA my eyes just start burning and watering. I hate that!

San Diego is pretty. We don't have the smog like in LA, so that is nice. I think that the ocean air blows it away from our city, so you don't see that much smog. At least not like in LA.

If you want a warm/hot climate then live in the, in land areas and it will be more to you liking. You will have the really hot weather.

If you want more of a warm balmy type of climate then live near the coast, you won't fry as often and as much. Most mornings we have an over cast from the clouds/fog, then by midmorning it burns off and you have warm weather. But even if it get really hot, we still have the ocean air. So that by the night time it cools down enough to even be able to wear a light jacket or a sweater. Plus it isn't so hot that you are unable to sleep, you don't really even need to have air condictioning.

San Diego has it all, we are close to the mountains so that in the winter you can see the snow and even go and play in it if you want. You are close to the deserts and we also have the ocean. It is expensive but I think all of California is.

I would have to say that San Diego, Calif. is the best area that you can live in. I have been here since 1980 and have loved it. I live along the coast area, and have since I moved here.

Answer 5

I assume you are moving to the SF/Bay Area, since that is the sub-heading for this question. I moved here almost 10 years ago from Northern New Jersey, so here is my impressions and advice:

Depending on where you are moving from, you may suffer "culture shock", especially if you are somewhat traditional or conservative. Even middle-of-the-road can seem far-right compared to the prevailing views of some communities here.

Regardless of where you are moving from (except Manhattan, NY) you will suffer "sticker shock"! I spent $3.79/gallon for regular unleaded yesterday in SF. A small (less that 1,00 sq ft) 2 br, 1 bth bungalow in a suburb 50 miles from SF lists for over $500,000.

If you move to SF, expect to meet few natives. Most people I met were from the northeast and Chicago.

In the metro SF area, the public transit system is pretty good. If you choose to live outside of the city of SF, being near a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit; train/subway system) station is a good idea. Traffic can be a big problem.

San Francisco is basically a lot of small, unique, and flavorful communities with a centralized business district. It is perhaps the most ethnically diverse city in the country, and some of the communities reflect large concentrations of a particular group, i.e Mission/Hispainc, Sunset/Chinese-Asian, Marina/Yuppie. You should explore the neighborhoods before deciding on a location in which to settle.

Expect to see someone protesting something everyday in SF and Berkeley. Activism is huge out here and can create opportunities and problems. For example, one friday at 5:00 pm each month, hundreds of bicyclists gather and take over the streets to make a statement about their rights, fouling traffic and sometimes fighting with the evil combustion engine users.

Ironically, for a lot of people here, diversity and tolerance are demanded, as long as you think and believe as they do! Be open-minded and accepting, but don't take any crap. Political Correctness has run amok here.

Geographically, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth to live. Mountains, forests, coastal shorelines and open spaces offer unlimited recreational options.

Don't let your first earthquake freak you out (unless it's the "big one")! You will eventually feel them. But you can avoid areas subject to landslide and fire dangers.

It may take some adjusting, and the area can be challenging, but it is a great place to live and explore.

And BTW, this is NOT the place to be for homophobes, closeminded, intolerant people...they would be miserable and confronted with challenges to their sensibilities practically everyday.

.

Answer 6

I live in San Diego, and when i moved here, what i realized was that i have been missing out on so much! I lived in Orlando, Fl (WHAT A SHITHOLE!) - and found california to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. What i say for those who have never been is.. absorb the lifestyle! Learn to surf, visit the old hippy shops, and enjoy the outdoors (its 68 degrees on average in san diego YEAR ROUND!!! Hike the mountains, have trips to the san diego zoo (second biggest in the world), visit Mexico (very close), walk the deserts, just enjoy the beauty of Cali.

Answer 7

You mentioned the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas...you should know that they are 8 hours away from each other, you're gonna have to pick one or the other.

I live in San Francisco, so take my words with a grain of salt, I have an opinion! In LA you have warm, beautiful weather, which is usually ruined by smog and air pollution. In San Francisco, you have chillier weather, and a beach that is beautiful but the water is too cold for swimming. But the air is usually clear and refreshing. In LA you have vapid artificial people concerned with image and wealth, in SF you have sincere people who are interested in quality of heart as well as quality of life. In LA you have amazingly intense traffic, just miles and miles of cars, no matter where you are going. In SF you have the countries best public transportation system, which guarantees to get you within two blocks of any address in town. In LA you have the overwhelmingly republican Orange County. In SF you have the overwhelmingly liberal Marin County. In LA you have the entertainment industry, full of shallow people and vapid celebrities. In SF you have Silicon Valley, Biotech, the west coast's Financial Center, and is the cutting edge of the entertainment business as well, with Pixar, Industrial Light and Magic, and American Zoetrope.

I think you can see my point...but you may not share my view. Northern California is so different from Southern California, and most people that live in one can't imagine living in the other. So, please take my teasing of LA with a light heart, especially if that's where your heart lies. It's just the wrong fit for me. Good luck wherever you go.

Answer 8

maybe u should check out the suburban townd of the Bay Area or LA area. Well I don't know about the LA area but I do know about the BAy Area. Well the housing gets alittle cheapr in these areas, and the gas too, really. SF proper is the only place in the bay where its the most expensive, i always wondered why. I live in the North Bay, (north of SF), and its quiet and beautiful scenery. well i don't know if u wanna go urban or suburban but just recommending if u go suburban, either in LA or the Bay.

Answer 9

be more specific, what questions are you looking for? What areas would be good to move to? If schools are located near by, etc. Provide more detail and I'll be happy to answer. I live in the East Bay (San Fran general area) and went to college in LA. Most people on here are telling you about how high the prices are for houses, rent, etc. While they are right realize that the income reflects that as you are payed in this area higher than you would in other places, it's all about standard of living.

Answer 10

Summer is chilly in San Francisco.

Different parts of California are very different from other parts. Out in the country, it is very conservative and in the bigger urban areas, it is very liberal.

And we like to recycle around here.
You're gonna love it! And you're never going back home, this will be your new HOME! Welcome to California.