Leaving California!

[jstoesz]

Well the time has come, we are moving to Minnesota. We loved being east of Sacramento, far more than any thing San Diego had to offer, And perhaps we will move back after February. But for now I have an amazing job in Minnesota, That I could not pass up. It will teach me what it takes to run my own consulting business, and then hopefully I can live unmoored from the 9-5 cube existence. To be more precise I got three offers in Minnesota, and my wife, who has been looking for a job for two weeks, has a verbal offer. We have already booked three trips back to California, And any additional savings will probably be spent on future plane tickets. But the draw of family and good community was much too strong, not to mention cheap housing.

We are more than sad to be leaving our weekly adventures to the mountains, but as raising kids in a benificial environment becomes more important, the mountains lose their allure.

So wish us luck San Diego crew for we are moving to greener pastures. We still have a small family sailboat (the one i used to live on) in point Loma which should blunt the pain of the cold winters. I am sure I will weep for the California recreation as I drive on Thursday back to Minnesota into the heart of winter.

[jstoesz]

Addendum: I can assure you all, if not for the home prices, financially irresponsible culture, and peacock mentality, we would be happy living out our days in N. co SD. Can you all do something about that?

But if you have ever surfed at Pipes you know, that the people who are supposed to be laid back are really just angry wishers (like everyone else, is that too harsh?).

We are headed to St. Anthony Main. Anyone know that neighborhood?

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=st+anthony+main&hl=en&hq=st+anthony+main&radius=15000&t=h&layer=c&cbll=44.984203,-93.254688&panoid=z7b-ypUnYlUoAGeNPjLAyQ&cbp=12,234.36,,0,8.21&z=20

Onward!

[barnaby33]

In other words if you weren’t a boy, you’d be a girl. Good luck where you are headed. Sounds like it was a well considered move. SoCal will await your return, or replacement.
Josh

[flyer]

As natives who’ve also lived in many different places in the world, we’ve always come back to our home in San Diego–mainly because it does offer everything we want–and maybe you will
too–if it seems right for you and your family.

You’re very wise to make a critical decision like this now with the great opportunities you have, as I can’t tell you how many people we’ve known over the years who have tried to survive in CA, and specifically in San Diego, who were living paycheck to paycheck (some on a very grand scale, some not), just hoping things would get better–offering very strong evidence of the financial irresponsibility and peacock mentality you mentioned.

They suddenly found themselves at 50+ with little to show for their life efforts, and that is definitely not a scenario to which any of us would aspire.

Sounds like you made your decision for all of the right reasons, and I wish you the best.

[spdrun]

Yet despite the “peacock mentality”, I’ve met a bunch of super down-to-earth people in SD County. Mostly ex-East Coasters or foreigners, but who in SoCal is actually a native?

If anything, if you’re financially responsible, you can live much cheaper out here than in the desirable areas of the East Coast.

Good luck on your move to MN.

[jstoesz]

I have met many many amazing people…heck I married one! We have many amazing friends, and it is tragic to be a plane ticket away.

It is not the individuals that get me down, it is the aggregate. But perhaps I am a grass is greener type, even when that grass is brown and covered with snow.

[doublewide]

It’s like deja vu all over again…We just did the same move last December…Encinitas to Edina (a bit west of where you’re settling, in the ‘burbs).

We’re coming up on our 1-yr anniversary here….It’s a love/hate thing.

55 mph on most freeways is killing me, but the roads are waaaaay less congested and there are a million ways to get to anyone place, but watch the on/off ramp exchanges – they must have been built when cars were small and only 10% of the population drove.

No hands-free law here so everyone yaps on their cell phone up to their ear, at first it was bizarre to see and now it’s just annoying b/c no one uses a damn blinker as they are all driving one-handed!

There is no El Pollo Loco, Rubio’s or Champagne Bakery…Very sad. ;( But there are Big Bowl restaurants – custom stir-fry…So good!

We went through a tough adjustment b/c we arrived in December and promptly got our first snow and had to find our way around in “weather” and had to break it to our California dogs this was how we roll now…Oh, and we had to take a fricken test to get our MN driver’s licenses! 24 years driving in Cali and I had to re-take my written test AND study for it! Note: Get your new DL before you change to MN auto insurance – it’ll save you a headache as the ins company will want it to underwrite you. Oh, and they outsource their DMV stuff, but it’s still the same take a number game…only much shorter lines.

Since you’ll be joining us in winter – keep quarters and gloves in your car! First below zero day you’ll get a warning to fill your tires w/air. Your local dealership will gladly help you out, but trust me, you won’t be near one when the air in your tires compresses and your TMS light goes off… 🙂

We have one more year here till our kid has her degree and at first we thought we wanted to go back to SD – the major draw being my husbands family and having a support system, but we’ve made friends here, found a great doctor and and excellent vet…I think we may actually head further east rather than go back west when we’re done here…

But, in full disclosure, the kid and the hubby are heading back to SD in a week for their first visit since we moved – one fish taco and the kid may decide to apply to UCSD. ;~)

Let me know if you ever need the lowdown on life here…It was tough going it alone, just the three of us, but 10 months in I feel like I’ve climbed Everest.

Oh, and Byerly’s is your friend…You won’t find a Vons, Albertson’s, Ralph’s after you leave CA. Cub and Rainbow are ok, but Byerly’s and Whole Foods make life good.

Welcome to MN…It’s an adventure…Bring patience and warm clothes.

Oh, and wiki “Minnesota Nice”…

[Anonymous]

I am curious about the taxes (both property and income) compare to California. Could you share the approx. % for each?

[desmond]

Good luck js, California ia a great place but imo it is not worth trying to struggle through any longer. Life is short and should be an adventure, moving to another state certainly is. From what I hear Minnesota is for outdoorsman/women so don’t worry about missing those tiny little foothills “east of Sac town”

[EconProf]

[quote=sdseeker]I am curious about the taxes (both property and income) compare to California. Could you share the approx. % for each?[/quote]
MN is a high property tax state compared to the national average. But by that I mean the property tax as a percentage of the property value–around 2 – 3%.
But since property prices are about half what a similar house would cost in a major CA city, you will end up paying about the same dollar amount.
Our Prop 13 keeps our total property taxes at about 1.2% (with bonded debt) of the property value.
MN income taxes are a bit above the national average, but not as steeply progressive as California’s. Our $48,000 per year earner pays a marginal rate of over 9% on any additional income. This is higher than millionaires pay in most states.

[EconProf]

While you may miss taking the kids to the mountains, you can take them to their lake or river cabin in the summers, which many Twin City residents do every weekend. 2 – 4 hours north are literally thousands of lakes for swimming, boating, fishing, water skiing, etc. Beware Friday afternoons and Sunday nights on the highways.
I spent my first 25 years in MN, and you will find the culture very different. Much more civic involvement, a strong middle class, good public education, and a lively two-party competition. Unemployment rate in the twin cities is 5 – 6%, so it is not surprising you both have good prospects there. While you will miss our weather, it is overall a better place to raise your children. Good luck.

[jstoesz]

Double, thanks for you kind words and reply. I grew up in MN and moved out for college over a decade ago, so I know a bit about what I am getting into. I am sure over the years I have grown soft though. My wife on the other hand was born and raised in Orange Co, so it could be interesting to see how she adapts. Jumper cables, hats, gloves, and a sleeping bag have always been standard issue in MN. I think Mdot checks you at the border 🙂

We have a family cabin I grew up in just across the St. Croix in wisconsin, and that is a big reason why I am giving up the mountains. I can not picture kids growing up without water skiing, snow forts and sledding.

I really hate the 55mph thing I must say. It is crazy, but at least the town isn’t so hard to drive from one end to the other. Its not compressed laterally like SD, so it is more compact. It is the same size in terms of population, but a lot easier to get around.

We didn’t for taxes, although I would love to get a small government shot in here, but it is not the case. We did partially move because of a much more vibrant business community in things other than Defense and Tech. I have worked in defense and a bit of tech and I do not like them. I looked for better jobs in CA for years, and kept coming up blank. In Minnesota where my network was much weaker, it was easier to find good engineering work at comparable pay. The getting paid more on the coasts idea is largely a myth from my perspective.

edit: Thanks Econ, I didn’t realize you were from MN! Not the only pig to make the move it seems.

[jstoesz]

I think alpine skiing will be off the menu…

http://img3.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/1/media/images/Buck_Hill_3.jpg

Can you believe a few Olympians have come from that bunny hill?

[The-Shoveler]

MN ?

One word

BRRRRRR!!

Just kidding, good luck.

[doublewide]

js-

So I should have been picking *your* brain before moving out here! 😉

As to taxes – just one thing to add, no sales tax on CLOTHES! OMG, almost did a happy dance when I found that out; actually I may have done one!

Well, welcome home…I gotta say I’m loving the lack of wild fires and earthquakes after a lifetime in San Diego. Granted there are springtime tornado warnings, but at least we know when to duck and cover. :>) Will say the first time I heard a test siren go off on the first Wednesday of the month I was looking for mushroom clouds.

Tell your wife if she needs a fellow So Cal girl to commiserate with after a month here I can tell her how to find the few Starbucks hidden around town and gently introduce her to Caribou Coffee. ;~)

Safe journey!

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