patrick.net

Going up RE might indicate the opposite for now.

It is real. I'm in the industry, those with means are leaving.

I'm going to leave. The only thing holding me here is my job.

It's real.
I know a few.

Of two of my wife's oldest friends from work, one moved to New Mexico and her son moved to Texas. She kept one condo in Discovery Bay as a rental.

Her other friend moved first the Central Valley, but her son also moved to Texas for school, loves it, and plans to stay. She will probably also move to Texas to be with her son when she retires, just to make the money stretch.

i think California is going to be a socialist banana republic in a few years. I have grown up with diverse culture, but it will be 70-80 percent immigrant legal and/or illegal within ten years. Amongst other things, I'm not sure I want to be that much of a minority with the rest of the deteriorating circumstances in the state occurring as well. I can easily imagine literal home invasions by government apparatchiks to scour assets, and the government will become increasingly nothing more than a criminal extortion racket, which it resembles already.

Somebody working for the Guv having a foreign accent, going door to door with a clipboard and deputies deciding that you need to 'share' more with the People in a literal shakedown operation.

As Covid KristallNacht has demonstrated, things that you thought beyond the realm of possibility are not only possible, they are here and look like they are getting worse. It's an incredible tsunami of malignant shit coming from these so called leaders.

Ok, let's assume we are moving. Where can I find a similar climate? I've actually looked as far as Adeliade Australia, but it's too far and I don't think they really like Yank transplants.

I think that being upper middle class, which used to shelter you in California, won't someday. The shit keeps crawling uphill, until ever greater wealth and private security will be required.

The ten years of having a place in Santa Cruz has seen across the board deterioration there. I am nostalgic for the way it was ten years ago, but I know it is never coming back.

Like Ceffer, I'm in Santa Cruz.
I arrived in 1982.
For a few years recently I was in Florida, and I have visited in Austin Texas 6 times over the years, just to say I have been to zero income tax states, and both are okay.
It's not the taxes in California that would be so bad, it's knowing that I am paying for people to who hate me and aren't grateful that I pay for their health care and social services.
I will escape to Florida again before I write $7,000 checks to the Franchise Tax Board.
It's a shame how the politics can ruin a place; California is going the way of Argentina.
I talk to several people who left Santa Cruz, and they say they have fond memories but won't come back.
One said my time is up, but not to worry, just visit in the good weather months.
Strange that many people I talk to have no interest in knowing how much tax they will pay to California over a couple of decades.
They remind me of the movie "They Live".

Many of the "nice" things about California are waning, at least those places accessible from silicon valley.

For example, here in the silicon valley in the early 1990s we'd just drive to Yosemite, camp overnight along Tioga Pass, and climb Half Dome the next day. You just show up and enjoy! Now you have to get your "Half Dome Pass" 6 months in advance (better know exactly which day they go up for grabs because they'll be gone the next day). Planning your trip 6 months in advance can still backfire, since you never know when parts or all of the park will be closed to fire, covid, or bubonic plague (down at the bottom of: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/plague.htm ).

Muir Woods used to be free and you could actually park in the parking lot. Now there's an entrance fee (which I don't mind if it keeps the people down), but the parking lot is always full and the overflow parking lot is always full and both sides of the road are packed with cars for at least 1/2 a mile. I don't mind the walk, but the park has become a zoo. I certainly wouldn't call it "tranquil." Also, what was once a 90 minute drive is now at least a 2 hour drive, if not considerably longer.

Ah, but the weather is so nice! Well... most of the time. Today 104 degrees! Electricity is inching up to about 25¢ kW/hr, so consider that before retrofitting A/C into your 70 year old shack that has no insulation. Normally on the hot days I'd just go to work, but that's kind of out of the question now too.

Patrick says

I'm going to leave. The only thing holding me here is my job.

Exactly my thoughts, too.

As for retiring, I've been toying with it for 2 years now. But I know that if I leave work even for a few years, trying to go back would be extremely difficult. I'll. be just that much further a dinosaur. The money is so good now that I really want to make enough that there's no chance I'll need to go back to work some day.

Its real, I had to get a 5x12 uhaul trailer and on the day I needed it only one in all of LA county, I had to drive out to Lancaster to get it. Everyone I know that can is Leaving.

SunnyvaleCA says

As for retiring, I've been toying with it for 2 years now. But I know that if I leave work even for a few years, trying to go back would be extremely difficult. I'll. be just that much further a dinosaur. The money is so good now that I really want to make enough that there's no chance I'll need to go back to work some day.

Same situation for me.

Take the money and run:
www.youtube.com/embed/-WCFUGCOLLU

Patrick says

SunnyvaleCA says

As for retiring, I've been toying with it for 2 years now. But I know that if I leave work even for a few years, trying to go back would be extremely difficult. I'll. be just that much further a dinosaur. The money is so good now that I really want to make enough that there's no chance I'll need to go back to work some day.

Same situation for me.

Wife and I were in same place, we both are making the most we have ever made but its not worth it at least not with three small kids. Have my equity in the bank today, state can burn the fuck down.

The feeling I have towards my home city I grew up in is pure disgust. California is like a girlfriend a crazy girlfriend you dumped, ten years later she has blue hair, fifty more pounds, can only burn coal, and now you feel like you dodged a bullet with that head case.

I'm not sure how this year is, but does seem like people are moving in unusual manners. For example, there's a handful of articles written about people moving from san fran to napa valley, which is like moving from ultra urban to countryside. Some of that started w/ covid, and then accelerated w/ the riots.

But, I do know that for years I've been reading articles about how CA has this "huge outflow of people who move to other states". Oddly, what many of those articles dont mention is that they have an equal inflow - basically, normal people flee to more affordable states, and their typical replacements tend to be more affluent. I'm not sure how this year is panning out regarding out/in flows.

RC2006 says

California is like a girlfriend a crazy girlfriend you dumped, ten years later she has blue hair, fifty more pounds, can only burn coal, and now you feel like you dodged a bullet with that head case.

Heh, heh, if it were only that harmless.

A guy I know moved to Texas (0% tax) to avoid taxes when he was about to take his company public.

RC2006 says

The feeling I have towards my home city I grew up in is pure disgust.

This is what I find fascinating. The "local kids" who know better, call bullsh*t on the situation, and exit.

I may be one of these myself soon enough.

rocketjoe79 says

Where can I find a similar climate?

Sounds like rocketjoe is either

- A California ®ealtor

- A "civil servant" in California

- A close relative of one of those who is relying on it.

RC2006 says

The feeling I have towards my home city I grew up in is pure disgust. California is like a girlfriend a crazy girlfriend you dumped, ten years later she has blue hair, fifty more pounds, can only burn coal, and now you feel like you dodged a bullet with that head case.

Accurate statement.

I have neighbors who are civil service fatted calf aristocracy, who just hope that the California host doesn't succumb to the parasites before they get theirs. They would support any insane progressive or liberal into the gates of death if they thought it would keep things going for them.

I don't know if they notice the ghetto drop with re-distributive housing has made the hood more interesting. Dead body found no more than 100 yards from my house along a walking path. The arroyo is a good place for body dumps.

Hircus says

I'm not sure how this year is, but does seem like people are moving in unusual manners. For example, there's a handful of articles written about people moving from san fran to napa valley, which is like moving from ultra urban to countryside. Some of that started w/ covid, and then accelerated w/ the riots.

I could understand this if you still wanted to be close enough to San Francisco that you could occasionally go in for work, but work at home most of the time. As expensive as Napa Valley housing is, you get a heck of a lot more for your $$$ than in San Francisco; even if you pay the same amount, you are getting 2x the floorspace and probably a newer building.

B.A.C.A.H. says

rocketjoe79 says

Where can I find a similar climate?

Sounds like rocketjoe is either

- A California ®ealtor

- A "civil servant" in California

- A close relative of one of those who is relying on it.

None of the above, but I have been thinking about where could I go with similar climate if I left NorCal?
Self-imposed limits:
1. Hate high humidity in the summer. High humidity for me is over 60%.
2. Refuse to shovel snow, or deal with it for 3 months.
3. I like sun and Blue sky. We get 330 days of sun a year now. I could deal with 300. Maybe 270.
3. I can handle 100+ degrees, but not three months worth. A month is ok.

Where can I live with these characteristics?

Exodus is a strong word. But people who can, have been leaving more now a days.

I’ve seen 4 properties for sale by people leaving the state. All in our neighborhood.

Even my wife wants us to find a better place to raise kids.

Ceffer's comment reminded me of my friend who lives on Canfield and about 100 yards away some guys shot some guys, then a dead body was found about 75 yards away in the other direction on the levee.
But, he thinks he's pretty well off because his house has gone up in value.

rocketjoe79 says

Where can I live with these characteristics?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-23/this-dreariness-index-shows-which-u-s-cities-have-the-lousiest-weather




South West US tends to be hot, but if you can get up in elevation a bit, I bet you can avoid the heat. More clouds might come with it though (for example, in flagstaff AZ its nice and cool due to the elevation, and they have lots of pine trees, so it might rain up there more than it does down near Phoenix where its barren desert). There's probably some happy mediums.

You can google for "average monthly temp myCity myState" or by zipcode, to see avg high/low temps plus days of rain, for each of 12 months, for whatever location. Makes it very easy to find places that dont have months where it gets too cold or too hot.

Rocket Joe mentioned the huge downside to Florida.
The summer weather is nasty.
I think Colorado and New Mexico have sunny days although cold winters.
Texas might be tolerable.
The rain is what bugs me most about Florida, whoever called by it the Sunshine State never spent the entire year there.
My solution will be traveling away from the summer rains somewhere.

One always needs to qualify the weather zone in California. What most people consider 'California Weather' is restricted to a narrow band of coastal influence from San Francisco generally down the coast to San Diego. That area is also mostly crowded as shit in the areas with the best weather. Still, even south of San Francisco, large stretches of coast are beautiful, but can be excessively windy and foggy.

Central Valley is Midwest weather without the snow, just overcast, drizzle and fog in the winter. It is incredibly hot and humid in the summer. Low mountains and foothills are also quite humid and hot in the summer up to about 5000 feet, but cold and sometimes snowy in the winter. High mountain weather is, of course, alpine with longer winter and shorter summer seasons. The true desert climates are blazing in the summer, but can be mild and pleasant in the winter.

The 'ideal' mediterranean spots are only a part of California, and they are jammed, smoggy, hard to get around, and the antithesis of free.

clambo says

Ceffer's comment reminded me of my friend who lives on Canfield and about 100 yards away some guys shot some guys, then a dead body was found about 75 yards away

i figure if I ever have to execute home invaders, i would just take a tarp and dump the body(s) in the creek at the bottom of the arroyo. Raptors, coyotes and wild pigs would probably make short work of the body.

rocketjoe79 says

None of the above, but I have been thinking about where could I go with similar climate if I left NorCal?
Self-imposed limits:
1. Hate high humidity in the summer. High humidity for me is over 60%.
2. Refuse to shovel snow, or deal with it for 3 months.
3. I like sun and Blue sky. We get 330 days of sun a year now. I could deal with 300. Maybe 270.
3. I can handle 100+ degrees, but not three months worth. A month is ok.

Well, if you are rich then you can buy yourself into whatever climate you fancy.

If you're not, well then, you are blessed to still have choices. Continue to wallow here in unhealthy air (and if you're in in SF, unhealthy sidewalks) with the rest of us Tax Donkey Suckers and Losers, or suck it up and decide on some other trade-off. We are blessed to have choices. So many others don't have choices.

Life is what you decide to make of it. Humans are the most adaptable creatures on the planet, able to survive from pole to pole and in almost any sort of environment Earth has to offer.
In fact, many people enjoy the challenge of making a life in adverse conditions.
But some will object to any sort of hardship.

I live in SoCal because I moved here as a self challenge to live somewhere with totally different challenges than where I grew up. When that gets old I will move again.

rocketjoe79 says

1. Hate high humidity in the summer. High humidity for me is over 60%.
2. Refuse to shovel snow, or deal with it for 3 months.
3. I like sun and Blue sky. We get 330 days of sun a year now. I could deal with 300. Maybe 270.
3. I can handle 100+ degrees, but not three months worth. A month is ok.

Where can I live with these characteristics?

Ft. Davis, TX if you are into small towns and like outdoors.

rocketjoe79 says

1. Hate high humidity in the summer. High humidity for me is over 60%.
2. Refuse to shovel snow, or deal with it for 3 months.
3. I like sun and Blue sky. We get 330 days of sun a year now. I could deal with 300. Maybe 270.
3. I can handle 100+ degrees, but not three months worth. A month is ok.

How about one of the island resort towns of North or South Carolina? Probably won't meet your humidity requirements, but the summers always have ocean cooling and breeze.
https://travel.usnews.com/hotels/Best-Resorts-in-South_Carolina-r88/

B.A.C.A.H. says

Sounds like rocketjoe is either

- A California ®ealtor

- A "civil servant" in California

- A close relative of one of those who is relying on it.

I thought Rocket Joe graduated from the US Naval Academy and works in Cape Canaveral or somewhere else for NASA.

Brd6 says

Where can I live with these characteristics?

Live in the Florida panhandle from October to April

Live in the middle of Colorado from May to September

Also, those that have a large retirement account like 401k, remember you can start withdrawing from it penalty free if you apply the 55 year age rule.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

rocketjoe79 says

Where can I find a similar climate?

South Africa and Chile.

EBGuy says

rocketjoe79 says

Where can I find a similar climate?

South Africa and Chile.

South Africa is Out - I can't afford a gated, high security zone since I'm white. Maybe 30 years ago, but not today.
I had not given a thought to Chile. Will research.

rocketjoe79 says

B.A.C.A.H. says

rocketjoe79 says

Where can I find a similar climate?

Sounds like rocketjoe is either

- A California ®ealtor

- A "civil servant" in California

- A close relative of one of those who is relying on it.

None of the above, but I have been thinking about where could I go with similar climate if I left NorCal?
Self-imposed limits:
1. Hate high humidity in the summer. High humidity for me is over 60%.
2. Refuse to shovel snow, or deal with it for 3 months.
3. I like sun and Blue sky. We get 330 days of sun a year now. I could deal with 300. Maybe 270.
3. I can handle 100+ degrees, but not three months worth. A month is ok.

Where can I live with these characteristics?

Santa Fe.

Chile can be damned cold and foggy; the entire Pacific Coast is alternately dry and foggy all the way up to Columbia/Panama, where it's steamy like a tropical hellworld and Florida in Summer is cool and dry in comparison. Most accidents on the Pan-American highway running west of the Andes happen in severe foggy conditions.


Lima Peru is ugly AF, foggy dirty desert.

And just like the US with the Rockies, East of Andes is humid as hell.

Cuenca is nice and cheap, I live in a Penthouse with 2-stories for $750. You can rent a hotel suite for $150/month. I said a month. But downtown, no cars. Downside: anything imported is expensive. They have lots of substitute goods, Los Andes is damn close to Heinz, but all 4 brands of Sriracha are made with Mexican peppers, not Thai style at all. Burns lightly on the tongue, rather than hot and tangy in the back of the tongue.