patrick.net

Congrats on the life decision. You won't regret it - especially if you own a business.

We bugged out 3 years ago and are constantly amazed at how much extra $$ we have now. Paid cash for the house and vehicles, life is good. I save 75% of my take home and could save about 80-85% if I wanted to.

You may miss the ocean and moderate weather, but you'll quickly remember the hoards of homeless, mass immigration, psychotic liberals, the she men, Nancy Pelosi and gov debt problem.

joshuatrio says

We bugged out 3 years ago

Where did you end up going?

@joshuatrio My wife has always lived in San Diego, so she was pretty nervous about doing this, and your success story was always in the back of my mind when I told her about people who left and didn't look back.

RC2006 says

If I didn't get my house at bottom my family would have moved years ago. Wife and I still plan to leave once kids are older, but who knows this subject comes up so much maybe sooner, our friends that have already jumped ship seem to have a happier lives and their children are doing well. This place is a rat race, and the rats just keep piling up.

fully agreed - beautiful nature, good for single life work hard party hard fuck hard, but once you're ready to settle you gotta get out of this toxic leftoid-infused rat-race. There are places in CA you can move to as well but you won't escape they high taxes that way, just partially the rat race and some of the batshit crazy bay area "politics".

Good for you. I hope it works out well for you and your family.

NuttBoxer says

I had always assumed a six figure salary would mean I'd made it when I was younger, even if it was low six figures. That is no longer the case in California

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/families-earning-117000-now-qualify-as-low-income-in-californias-bay-area/

Families earning $117,000 now qualify as "low income" in California's Bay Area

This morning in SF a big guy - not a pansy - in his suit on his way to work was knocked out cold in a swift surprise move from behind followed by a hard punch in the face with a knuckle-ring by some coked out criminal asshole thug. While his blood was running onto Market Street the cops/ambulance took some time to arrive and only a private security guard stood by. Leave this shithole to the leftoids but if you come down here with your family you better be armed and ready to shoot. Unless you bring in a Giuliani style cleansing MAGA Trump government this city is done. And remember: being White and a productive member of society is OK! ;)

RC2006 says

joshuatrio says

We bugged out 3 years ago

Where did you end up going?

I believe he's outside of Atlanta, GA

Down with the Rednecks. Talk about a culture shock when leaving CA, right?

Was actually considering Austin for a while as cultural fit would have been a lot closer, heard Phoenix is a bit more conservative. But a three day drive or long flight would mean not as many trips back to visit family.

Be careful of Realtor's trying to jack-up prices of Phoenix Real Estate.

This is what I would buy if I were moving to San Antonio. Fast growing 78256 area.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/422-Aster-Trl-San-Antonio-TX-78256/63727479_zpid/

mell says

While his blood was running onto Market Street the cops/ambulance took some time to arrive and only a private security guard stood by.

I remember reading on Quora about ' Leaving SF'. One guy said he waited a little too long because he was thinking about it then was KO'd by a homeless stick up creep, who crushed his cheekbone, and partially, permanently blinded him in one eye. Of course, he left.

NuttBoxer says

Was actually considering Austin for a while as cultural fit would have been a lot closer, heard Phoenix is a bit more conservative. But a three day drive or long flight would mean not as many trips back to visit family.

Havent spent much time in SF, but Austin has it's own issues. Not as many economic homeless, but the warm environment and hill country hideaways attract bums from all over the country. Lots of petty theft and weird drugged out types. Seems like more of the city is homeless and in your face than in Chicago where I suppose the cold keeps them limited.

The people here are largely hipster, skinny jean wearing losers who like terrible music and spend their time getting drunk/high/etc...

Loser culture is strong here.

My opinion is every vacuum creates an opportunity. Easy to bang hottest girl in a bar here. Behave like a real man, point out the idiocy of the intersectional faggots... then when they argue simply point around you to all the hipster losers and ask "who do you think is winning in life? These clowns or me?" ... then add "wanna know why? Cause I respect reality and act accordingly" .

They will pretend to joust w you, but in her head shes already sucking your alpha male D

CBOEtrader says

They will pretend to joust w you, but in her head shes already sucking your alpha male D

Heh, Heh!

Ceffer says

mell says

While his blood was running onto Market Street the cops/ambulance took some time to arrive and only a private security guard stood by.

I remember reading on Quora about ' Leaving SF'. One guy said he waited a little too long because he was thinking about it then was KO'd by a homeless stick up creep, who crushed his cheekbone, and partially, permanently blinded him in one eye. Of course, he left.

Wow. I can tell you in 20 years things have gotten progressively (pun intended) worse. Better years were 2000-2007.

NuttBoxer says

But a three day drive or long flight would mean not as many trips back to visit family.

For some dysfunctional families, that could be a big benefit!

Some CA guys are buying places in Florida but with care to avoid the crowds and the geezers. There still exist such places.

In my locale it's a 6 minute drive to a gorgeous beach on the Atlantic with free parking and showers to rinse the sand and salt off you.

The summer high temperature is about 92 which is uncomfortable but that lasts about 6 weeks in mid summer. Rain in the afternoon tends to cool things down during that season.

The nice thing about summer is that about 40% of the people depart so there is no traffic. I recall last summer one afternoon stopping in the middle of Hwy 1 bridge to take a picture of the Jupiter lighthouse.

Scuba diving, fishing, and kiteboarding conditions are excellent as is the beach in general. Spring break, summer break, Christmas break female thong achievers are all over.

clambo says

Some CA guys are buying places in Florida but with care to avoid the crowds and the geezers. There still exist such places.

Where?

clambo says

In my locale it's a 6 minute drive to a gorgeous beach on the Atlantic with free parking and showers to rinse the sand and salt off you.

The summer high temperature is about 92 which is uncomfortable

Already used to that in Maryland.

#fuckcalifornia

To anyone leaving California, remember the shit birds that voted all the lunacy into office.

Do the opposite of them when you leave and you’ll be okay.

I love Northern Florida. I have a large studio with a separate eat-in-kitchen half a block from the beach and it wasn't even 6 figures. Even in January the traffic isn't bad. Half an hour to Orlando and everything you can imagine in terms of fun from Disney to Buffets to Swing Clubs. Literally be at the beach from my front door without a car in 3-5 minutes. Elementary School is 4th in the State. 90% White and Delightsome, only 3% speak Spanish, much different than South Florida. Population is almost entirely Blue Origen, NASA, SpaceX, employees. Leans Republican. Has a Charter School based on Classical Education run by Hillsdale College. Ron Jon HQ is 2 blocks from my house.

clambo says

Some CA guys are buying places in Florida but with care to avoid the crowds and the geezers. There still exist such places.

I met a California guy at the Miami Boat show a few years ago. He couldn't believe how cheap it was to live on the beach, buy and own a boat, etc. relative to California, couldn't wait for the next years to be over so he could move out permanently.

TwoScoopsOfSpaceForce says

I love Northern Florida. I have a large studio with a separate eat-in-kitchen half a block from the beach and it wasn't even 6 figures. Even in January the traffic isn't bad. Half an hour to Orlando and everything you can imagine in terms of fun from Disney to Buffets to Swing Clubs. Literally be at the beach from my front door without a car in 3-5 minutes. Elementary School is 4th in the State. 90% White and Delightsome, only 3% speak Spanish, much different than South Florida. Population is almost entirely Blue Origen, NASA, SpaceX, employees. Leans Republican. Has a Charter School based on Classical Education run by Hillsdale College.

I spend some time in the Clearwater area and loved it. Considering that area for retirement.

TwoScoopsOfSpaceForce says

I love Northern Florida. I have a large studio with a separate eat-in-kitchen half a block from the beach and it wasn't even 6 figures. Even in January the traffic isn't bad. Half an hour to Orlando and everything you can imagine in terms of fun from Disney to Buffets to Swing Clubs. Literally be at the beach from my front door without a car in 3-5 minutes. Elementary School is 4th in the State. 90% White and Delightsome, only 3% speak Spanish, much different than South Florida. Population is almost entirely Blue Origen, NASA, SpaceX, employees. Leans Republican.

That and Delaware are high on my list of retirement places. Metro Jacksonville someplace (in vague terms) high enough off sea level and bike ride-able to the beach would seem ideal

I'm not an expert on Florida since I have never been around much. But here's what I can say I've seen so far.

The spot I like is where Tiger Woods, Bobby Orr, Joe Namath, Greg Norman, Michael Jordan, McElroy and others live. They are at the northern border of Palm Beach County or into Martin County.

The TV news guys call places by "coast"; just north of Palm Beach county is called "the treasure coast" (Spanish ships sank off the beach), farther north to Cape Canaveral is "space coast".

Both of these areas are nice; however the ocean water is much bluer and clearer in Palm Beach and Martin County as the Gulf Stream passes out to sea as you go northward on the coast. See the map of Florida and there it bulges out to the east is where the Gulf Stream is hitting the coast. The gulf stream is a constant current of clear, warm blue water.

This makes the scuba diving very good because it's fairly productive off the coast with lots of game fish swimming, lots of turtles, sharks, etc. to see in addition to those pretty aquarium fish.

Fishing is excellent and Stuart FL is called the "sailfish capital of the world". I don't want one but they are out there in addition to other game fish.

Guys who have the dough (and there are tons of them) drive small boats over to the Bahamas in just a few hours when the water is flat which is often.

The negative is that people are flocking to Florida's East coast from New York, New Jersey, CT , Boston and you hear the accents and see Yankees hats, Red Sox hats, gold chains, Patriots jerseys, etc. around. The others flocking to the area are Haitians, Jamaicans, Cubans, Colombians, and Guatemalans.

The food choices are vastly superior to Santa Cruz CA, it's not even close. The service you receive is also vastly superior; I am treated kindly by everyone I do any business with.

I have heard some good things about Florida's Gulf Coast but the Gulf is not going to be as blue and the summers will be hotter, but the immigrants there are reported to be from the midwest so nicer to be around them maybe.

If you are a male chauvinist pig there are some more choices for females in Florida too; lots of divorcees and others who may forgive you being older are running around.

So my first week here I enjoyed ice on my windshield(I'm now parking in the garage), and snow on the surrounding mountains on my drive into work. The last was pretty, and really enjoying the beauty sky's out here.

Also I've noticed that major east/west streets act as mini-freeways with speed limits of 40-45mph, and most people driving 10 miles over. So despite living on the West side and commuting to Scottsdale, I never have to spend more than 45 minutes in traffic.

“A Tale of Two States”: Phoenix a hot market for Nebraskans

When Fremont (NEBRASKA) native Bart Mruz settled down in Phoenix, Arizona, he didn’t expect that so many of his fellow Nebraskans would follow.

Mruz is a real estate agent in Phoenix for the brokerage Realty Executives. As part of his job, he specializes in helping people from his home state to buy and sell property in his adopted state.

And the market is hot, Mruz said. On average, he sees 20 to 25 purchases per month from the eastern Nebraska area. He knows about 30 people from Fremont that have purchased property there.

“I call it a tale of two states,” he said. “You’d be shocked, especially on Cornhusker game days, how many people are down here at the bars. There’s a huge presence.”

The trend is so palpable, that in 2014, he started marketing his properties back here in Nebraska. He comes back frequently to meet with people and work on marketing, and his brokerage cooperates with several here in town, referring business back and forth.

It’s not just Nebraska, either. Mruz sees a growing market from other Midwestern states, too, particularly in Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois.

There’s a number of reasons why midwesterners, and Nebraskans in particular, are drawn to Phoenix, Mruz says. The weather is a big part of it.

“This time of year, you can just look out your window [in Nebraska] the last couple days and figure out why,” Mruz said.

But also, the Phoenix area offers affordable options, compared to the surrounding areas of other popular cities to settle in, like San Diego or Los Angeles or Las Vegas. And it’s only a few hours from those cities. And the housing taxes are “about a third to a half” of what they are back in Nebraska, Mruz said.

Phoenix also offers a growing city with a vibrant downtown and more than 200 golf courses. Hiking and other outdoor activity is popular.

“Now that the city has grown and we have an active downtown and the median age keeps getting younger and younger here, the city is really cool,” Mruz said. “I mean it’s evolved and it’s grown and it’s dynamic. It’s got a vibe.”

For Nebraskans, one of the most popular areas is the city of Scottsdale, not far from Phoenix. Mruz describes it as a dynamic neighborhood.

“It’s gorgeous,” he said.

Mruz sells properties for both part-time and full-time living, and he’s seeing an explosion in second-home ownership in the area, where people are buying properties outside of their primary home. He notes that the Nebraska crowd gets younger and younger every year. More are buying properties condominiums and townhomes, as well as zero-lot properties -- like a single-family home on a small lot with a small yard.

“In the last, I would say, five to 10 years especially, it’s just exploded,” he said. “You’ve got people buying second or third properties down here.”

When Mruz moved to Phoenix, he didn’t quite expect to see so many of his fellow Nebraskans there.

He grew up in Fremont, the son of a local builder, and had an interest in houses and construction from an early age. As a kid, he’d go with his dad on Saturdays to building sites to help out. He’d spend his time in class doodling floor plans.

Mruz went to school for journalism and was originally planning to pursue a writing career. One Friday afternoon in September 2001, he was meeting with an executive at ABC about the possibility of writing for the Drew Carey Show. But the following day was September 11. The studios went on lockdown and Mruz became leery of big city life. So he decided to stay in Phoenix and pursue real estate.

“Gradually, I started bumping into people that I knew back in Omaha, and then I started watching, and it kind of snowballed every year,” Mruz said.

https://fremonttribune.com/business/local/a-tale-of-two-states-phoenix-a-hot-market-for/article_a8d80205-cb90-50cf-96ed-e7d494b6ea8c.html

FortWayneIndiana says

Was thinking of going back to Indiana, but couldn't convince the Mrs.

Tbf, Indiana is as boring as a state can get. Low cost of living though sure. You can pick up a corn field farmhouse for peanuts

NuttBoxer says

So my first week here I enjoyed ice on my windshield(I'm now parking in the garage), and snow on the surrounding mountains on my drive into work. The last was pretty, and really enjoying the beauty sky's out here.

Also I've noticed that major east/west streets act as mini-freeways with speed limits of 40-45mph, and most people driving 10 miles over. So despite living on the West side and commuting to Scottsdale, I never have to spend more than 45 minutes in traffic.

Lol dude, 45 minutes in traffic is doable, but it's only braggable to your CA city friends.

I've heard amazing things about Phoenix, ive considered it myself. My LA friends, as well as some older rich playa types in Chicago describe Scottsdale women as the hottest in the states. My personal opinion is San Diego has the most beautiful women.

The forum needs your input on this pressing matter

So sorry it didn't work out for you, here. That is a beautiful picture. Good luck to you.

CBOEtrader says

Tbf, Indiana is as boring as a state can get. Low cost of living though sure. You can pick up a corn field farmhouse for peanuts

It's not that bad. Indiana is no more boring than Illinois, Ohio, Michigan or any other flat Midwest state. But Indiana doesn't have a fraction of the political dysfunction of Illinois and Michigan and the people are great.

I grew up in this town. It got way better after I moved away 25 years ago.

*The Best Place to Live in America Is a City You've Never Heard Of*
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/a9280984/best-place-to-live-in-america/

I enjoy California, and have done reasonably well here in my career, but if I ever want to own a home I'm proud of, it will have to be out of state. I was born in PA and lived there a number of years, so it beckons me even despite the sometimes harsh winters and humid summers, but in many ways it's home. And I could get 10X the house there for the price of a down payment on a crappy home in the Bay Area.

Tarantula says

Does Section 8 housing and other government assistance to Arizona?

Section 8 is a HUD program, did you really not know that? And as housing is one of the biggest expenses in California, me moving would make a lot less since if I still had section 8. You should think through your questions a little more...

CBOEtrader says

The forum needs your input on this pressing matter

I'm married, and as I'm currently out here alone, have spent most of my time working or unpacking, or talking with my family back in SD where my daughters are finishing out their school year. So not much help there.

What I can tell you is 45 min for a 4 mile longer commute that was also 45 min in SD is great. So I drive farther, but there's less traffic. The stores out here also seem bigger, and less crowded. I can always find parking out front, and don't feel like I have someone on top of my all the time while shopping. I'm starting to re-think moving out of the city eventually. I got used to a lot of awful stress with the crowds in SD, and I'm just now realizing it.

socal2 says

It's not that bad. Indiana is no more boring than Illinois, Ohio, Michigan or any other flat Midwest state. But Indiana doesn't have a fraction of the political dysfunction of Illinois and Michigan and the people are great.

I take exception to that. Michigan is not the Midwest. Between all the trees and the lake effect weather, it's very different from Indiana(where I've also lived). We lived on the West side of Michigan(Muskegon, Grand Rapids), and between hunting, fishing, the Lakes, and the outdoor beauty it's far from boring.

NuttBoxer says

I take exception to that. Michigan is not the Midwest. Between all the trees and the lake effect weather, it's very different from Indiana(where I've also lived). We lived on the West side of Michigan(Muskegon, Grand Rapids), and between hunting, fishing, the Lakes, and the outdoor beauty it's far from boring.

Yes - all that lake effect snow in the winter and mosquitoes and humidity in the summer time are not boring.

For me, the neatest thing about the West Coast is all of the hills and mountains. Whereas, most of the Midwest is as flat as a pancake thanks to the glaciers receding and scraping the land flat ultimately becoming the great lakes.

exfatguy - beware the property/school taxes in Pennsylvania, Ohio as well.

Considered going back to PA after a work deployment there in the 90s but the school boards are out of control with the taxes, plus no exemptions like homestead, veterans, over 65 etc.

Alleghany County (Pittsburgh) is really screwing over the homeowners, same with sections of Blair County (Hollidaysburg, Altoona etc.) suspect many other regions / counties in the state having similar problems.

Ohio - same shit.

Beware of Michigan as well. Taxes, utility rates - I'll stop there.

Born and raised in Michigan - nice place to visit in say August - between Mosquito/Deer Fly Season and Never Ending Winter Season

Opted for one of those "boring" places myself that are mentioned in the comments.

Only regret about leaving California is that it did not happen sooner.

socal2 says

Yes - all that lake effect snow in the winter and mosquitoes and humidity in the summer time are not boring.

Lake effect snow is AWESOME! It got me out of school at least a few days a year, and makes for great sledding. Compare that to ice storms in the Midwest coupled with below zero temps, several degrees below zero wind temperatures, and the moderate Michigan winter kicks ass. Same for summer. The Lakes prevent the 100% humidity that blankets the Midwest.

Did you ever actually live in Michigan?

Kakistocracy says

Beware of Michigan as well. Taxes, utility rates - I'll stop there.

Born and raised in Michigan - nice place to visit in say August - between Mosquito/Deer Fly Season and Never Ending Winter Season

I did look at Michigan as the COL is among lowest in the country, but pay is also very low.

What's all this mention of mosquitoes? We lived on a lake for four years, and I don't remember having any crazy mosquito problems.