Would you leave California? Where would you go?

[mycroft]

Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Nice neighborhood on the outskirts of Albuquerque. Great Mexican food. Mostly sunny. Reasonable house prices. Just need a good job offer there, and I’d seriously think about it.

[FormerOwner]

It’s in California but, for those that don’t have kids, don’t need a large living space, and don’t mind renting, I think San Francisco is a good place to live. I’m visting there this weekend and used to live there a while back. You can take the BART (light rail system) from the airport right into downtown SF and you can get most places without a car. Not having to deal with traffic is a MAJOR plus. You really don’t even need to own a car – you could use FlexCar or rent one for the occasional weekend trip. I think if I really got tired of So Cal, I might think about going back to SF. I am married but we don’t have kids. The house/condo prices up there (last I checked) are way out of line (too high) in relation to rents, just like So Cal, so I’d rent up there too, at least until the cost of owning comes close to the cost of renting. I like Temecula, but I do get tired of having to drive everywhere. Even if you lived in downtown SD, you’d still need a car. It’s not a self-contained central city in the same way that SF is. PerryChase’s idea of having a small place in SD and traveling 1/2 the year sounds great but I wonder if SF might be a better home base in some respects.

[CardiffBaseball]

I came from Northeast Ohio, (youngstown-warren), and we had many blacks. Akron-Canton, Cleveland, all within 50-60 miles and plenty of blacks, so I am not sure why a person of color couldn’t find a place to fit in. Mexicans possibly, and the Asian population is much less. You definitely do not see things like Chinatown, or Vietmanese villages. Also, you do see more Puerto Ricans perhaps than Mexicans.

[OwnerOfCalifornia]

I lived in Austin for 9 years and I love it there; much better than SoCal IMO. I made the mistake of selling a nice house in a nice neighborhood to come out here and rent. I cannot wait to move back.

My honorable mentions include Albuquerque and Ft. Collins.

[powayseller]

flinger, why do you like Austin, Albuquerque, and Ft. Collins? Why are you anxious to leave San Diego?

[JJGittes]

How about Spokane, or even Coeur d Alene (sp?) in N. Idaho? No state income tax in Washington state. Go birthday and Xmas shopping down in Oregon and pay no sales tax.

Pretty country up there, nice lakes, cold winters though.

Austin seems like a nice town, could be too hot though.

[murray]

It’s the weather stupid.
There are only a few places in the world where you can experience a “mediterranean” climate like socal / San Diego:
– european mediterranean of course and
– “Gold Coast” of Australia.

Move ANYWHERE else and the weather is a step down from San Diego. This is assuming weather is a big factor in your living decision – which begs the question > why are on earth would anyone choose to live in SD with crazy house prices, mediocre job / wage market if it wasn’t for the weather?

[JES]

Cour D’ Alene (sp? too) looks like a great town, except for the winters. And are there jobs up there? I know the area is growing, and that Buck knives from San Diego moved there. Schweitzer ski area is right above the town, and that lake might as well be Tahoe.

As far as ‘dream towns’ go, I have found myself looking at the same ones you have all listed. Cour D Alene, Austin, Fort Collins etc. Are we influenced my the ‘best cities’ lists on CNN, Money Magazine and Outdoor Magazine by chance?

I went to Bozeman, MT a few weeks ago – another city that always makes those lists. Homes are not cheap because people like us have been moving there and jacking up prices. When I was checking out of the hotel the clerk saw that I was from SD and told me that if I moved there I should get new plates before looking for a home since the people hate Californians so much. There is a brochure at the Chamber that actually advises you on how to conduct yourself with ‘Montana’ values. Out of nowhere the lady then whispered “We have Mexicans here now and gangs.” I was actually kind of offended since I didn’t even ask and she must have assumed that because I was white she needed to tell me that! She was from Santa Barbara…

[PerryChase]

formerowner, yeah SF is a better place that SD for international travel. It’s also a super city in terms of culture and scenery. I love the BART into the SFO.

The housing stock in SF is old. Your house in Temecula is comfortable and virtually maintenance free for the next 30 years. An old house in SF would require thousands of dollars in yearly maintenance expense, not counting your time to do the repairs, the aggravation and the discomfort. I’d love to live in an old house, but only if I had the money to fix it up from the get go.

The reason I remain in San Diego is because I know the city well and my family is here. I can always ask my brothers to watch my home and check my mail.

For those who want easy access to an international airport, Playa/Marina Del Rey (in LA) is a nice place.

Raleigh/Durham would be my other choice city that meets the criteria of this thread. Plenty of tech jobs there.

[JJGittes]

Coeur d A is almost a suburb of Spokane, so job prospects are somewhat possible, and decent med care is proximate. Bozeman is very small, has been discovered by the yuppies, and is extremely cold. Medical care could be also an issue for a retiree there, not to mention slipping on ice.

Regarding crime, I have heard that eastern Wash, and n. idaho have their share of meth labs. Don’t know where to go to escape it. Just pick a good neighborhood on the right side of town, I suppose.

In any event, I must stay in SD county for 14 more years till I can collect my retirment. Then, out of Cali we will go. Heck,I might relocate the family 10 -12 years from now and rent a studio for the last few years of work. Kind of depends on where the housing cycle is as I approach retirement. I plan on traveling and deciding exactly where we’ll go(and having fun doing it) between now and then.

[OwnerOfCalifornia]

flinger, why do you like Austin, Albuquerque, and Ft. Collins? Why are you anxious to leave San Diego?

The first and most obvious reason is why we all read this blog in the first place: housing is too expensive. It costs too much to either rent or own, but ownership is not an attainable goal for me in SoCal. Even if the severe declines in home prices happen, I really don’t ever expect to ‘catch’ the market since I earn relatively little (~$90K/year currently).

Those places I listed above are all less expensive at the moment. My home town of Austin in particular is really nice: better scenery, better weather, better personality, better people (in my opinion :). I am an outdoor person so I prefer the hill country and all the activities central Texas has to offer.

[JES]

Flinger – I had decided not to look at Austin as a place to relocate but am now planning to take a look after reading your comments. I’ve never been to Austin…how does it compare to a place like Ft. Collins or Boise?

[PerryChase]

I have a cousin who lives in Austin. The people are friendly and good-ol’ American types. There’s no uppity West LA, La Jolla, Del Mar type attitude.

You can buy a brand new house for $150k-200k there (see DR Horton and KB homes websites). It’s a good city and the University of Texas (major tech research) is there. It’s also the capital of TX so government and university jobs make the economy stable. It’s a fairly progressive city also, but if you want neo-con conservatism, there’s plenty of that too (kinda like San Diego politically).

I think that summer heat is preferable to tundra cold of the north. The warm sunny weather also means you can live and retire in Austin, without having to worry about your arthristis when you’re old.

If I wanted a “wholesome” family and lifestyle, at low cost, no mortgage, I’d take my California money there and live stressfree.

I’ve never been to Ft Collins or Boise, but I’d bet that the employment base in Austin is much better. If I remember well, Dell has a call center and operations in San Marcos (near Austin).

[Daniel]

I like it in SD. I have been around the world and seen many nice places, but SD is still among my favorites for a permanent residence. Sure, SF is gorgeous, and so is Paris, but I would rather visit there than live year-round.

[Steve Beebo]

I grew up in Spokane, and lived there until I was almost 25. There is no way that I could ever move back there, or to nearby Couer D’Alene, or anywhere else that has that kind of winter. It’s a nice place to be from May to October, but the winters can be brutal, with a lot of snow and usually some below zero temps. And the spring can be vdery rainy and cold, too. The real estate market there is still going up, but starting to slow.

I know of two families that relocated to the Spokane area in the past 5 years – they’re both back in San Diego now. The first winter can be fun, but the cold temps get old real quick. If you were raised here, I don’t think you could easily acclimate to the weather.

[Author]

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