good places to live

[87e30]

The PNW is absolutely amazing then. But it's the only place I've lived.

Gray skies really do get to me in the early spring, and all winter long. I'm wanting to move out of here to try something else. I bet if you moved here you would love it. Seattle is an expensive place to live though... of course moving away from the city makes things a lot more reasonable.

AZ would never be on my list just from the places I've seen. So open and plain compared to all the mountains, water, and trees I am used to here. My list includes Colorado and various places in California. However, I've never really had a chance to visit the east or south so I'm (like you) intrigued about many places. I just don't think you can get a true feel for something without seeing it.

[kung fu jesus]

I am hoping to be a bit reasonable and objective here.

I moved to SOCAL in '06, having grown up in the midwest and lived in the SE. I moved for a new job and the wife and I both found work.

1/2 of my extended family is from the San Diego area and I spent a lot of time out there before moving for vacation, work travel, etc. I knew what I was getting into.

I understand the appeal with you coming from NE. Here is what to expect:

The previous comment about salary is pretty accurate. $150k/year is middle class, and on the verge of living comfortably, if you expect to own a home (between the wife and I , we pulled down over $200k/yr). Housing in Socal will be $400k to start, unless you live in a depressed/high-crime area or in the desert. The homes will be small, need a LOT of work and on top of each other.

The weather is fantastic and it seems like one long spring/summer year-round.

Taxes are stupid-crazy, as is the cost of living (COL). I would suggest you research that quite a bit.

The job market is sketchy, unless you have an established career. CA has not come off the recession well and it is not expected to return to it's pre-recession luster anytime soon. Other states are eating California's lunch, luring quite a bit of it's industries and R&D away from them.

Owning a car is a necessity, smog and inspection regs are changing, so "knowing a guy" to pass you will be moot. Insurance is very high because of theft risk or higher chances of hitting a $100k car with your $5k shitbox. You will actually find yourself planning your activities around planning time spent in traffic and commuting.

That said, I do miss living there, but I am doing so much better after we moved to NC. I live near the Research Triangle and there are a ton of CA transplants here, all saying the same things I mentioned above. It is expensive, difficult to get ahead, and I wouldn't want to start or raise a family there. I loved the multi-cultural mix there and people are more tolerant, but also tend to be very superficial. Not a judgement, just an observation.

Norcal is similar, but a bit cooler and wetter. It is more like living in larger city back East. I spent a little time in Oregon and Washington. Oregon was very nice, inexpensive, and the people were friendly and laid back. I could live there. Seattle was expensive, similar to SOCAL/NORCAL.

Arizona is interesting. There are nice parts and really bleak parts. It depends on how you like the desert landscape. I loved northern Arizona and I love New Mexico.

Now that I live in NC (wife's career brought us out here, I telecommute), we make about 1/3 less, but it is like we are making 2x as much compared to living in SOCAL. The COL is that much less. Our money goes that much further and we are able to put ourselves in a better position to live how we want and do more of what we like doing (travel, car hobbies, racing, etc.). The weather isn't as nice, and the humidty takes some getting used to, but it's all a weighed measure of quality of life. The colleges are much cheaper here, so my wife is considering going back to finish her degree. In SOCAL, it was just too expensive.

I am just suggesting you temper your expectations and consider what your long-range goals are before making a move like that. Moving to CA, or the west coast, can be awesome, but it isn't always what it is cracked up to be. Once you leave the west coast, it is far more difficult to return permanently (cost).