MjM
Deity
Indeed, my uncle bought 5 years ago, the house was about 180k. He sold it about a year and a half ago for 425k. Its crazy.
(Ask about) California
- Thread starter .Shane.
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Indeed, my uncle bought 5 years ago, the house was about 180k. He sold it about a year and a half ago for 425k. Its crazy.
Fetus4188
Deity
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2004
- Messages
- 3,629
Lacrosse is growing like wildfire in California, at least in the Bay Area.
Bugfatty300
Buddha Squirrel
You know what I thought to myself at that very moment? "WOW, I could be the guy who killed Madonna!"... but I just drove by.
You have done humanity a major disservice Shane.
Rambuchan
The Funky President
~ What is it about Californian girls that made The Beach Boys wish all girls could be like them?
~ What's Venice Beach like these days?
~ What's Venice Beach like these days?
silver 2039
Deity
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
- Messages
- 16,208
How are the universities over there?
$1600 per month for my place, 2 bedrooms. I don't know if you count that as expensive or not.
For an apartment?? I do! It floored me how expensive housing was out there. (Where I live, a 2 bedroom in a really nice part of town runs about 450 a month). Heck, I could prob. find a cheaper apartment in Washington DC! Homes in the Sacramento Area, tiny ones with no lawns, were almost half a million bucks. Out east, you can get a few acres and a nice two story for 230,000 still. Course, the weather sucks, but there you go.
Its a big state, so there are a lot. Personally, I think the public university system is prob. the best in the country. There are several great schools in California.
Veritass
Emperor
I am a native Californian, but I have traveled around a bit, and I am embarrassed for how Californians are about weather. If we get more than about 1/2 inch of rain, the newscasts all turn into "Stormwatch 2006". Now granted that we are not like many cities that have storm drainage to handle an inch an hour, but there are always several people who try to drive through a two foot deep puddle and stall.
Also, there are a couple of places around here where for monetary reasons, a road just goes through a dry riverbed instead of building a bridge over it. The road is fine for 350 days a year, and there is a big flashing light that comes on to tell you not to try to use it when it is raining. But there is always a car or two where the driver thinks, "Oh, hell, I can make it across," and the fire department and search-and-rescue types have to bail them out.
On a lighter note, I was watching my sons play soccer a few years ago. AYSO soccer season is mainly September and October. A soccer mom near me pointed at a couple of trees that had brown leaves on them and asked, "I wonder what is wrong with those trees?" My response: "I think it is called 'Autumn'."
Also, there are a couple of places around here where for monetary reasons, a road just goes through a dry riverbed instead of building a bridge over it. The road is fine for 350 days a year, and there is a big flashing light that comes on to tell you not to try to use it when it is raining. But there is always a car or two where the driver thinks, "Oh, hell, I can make it across," and the fire department and search-and-rescue types have to bail them out.
On a lighter note, I was watching my sons play soccer a few years ago. AYSO soccer season is mainly September and October. A soccer mom near me pointed at a couple of trees that had brown leaves on them and asked, "I wonder what is wrong with those trees?" My response: "I think it is called 'Autumn'."
Xanikk999
History junkie
Why the hell did you elect arnold schwarzeneggar as governor. 
No idea. Since CA is a large state, I'd wager that there's a greater variation of laws due to there being more municipalities. But, overall, CA is probably less favorable toward guns laws than MO.
Yeah, the foothills all along the Sierras are very nice, and, yes, they also have a lot of crazies.
I want you to concisively prove to me that California is more expensive to live in than Long Island.
I'm sure LI is more expensive. SF and SD are very expensive, though. I do think that even the smaller cities in CA are way more expensive than a comparable city in the Midwest, but probably fairly comparable to New England.
@Drew, I think Garric answered your question for SF. Checked w/ a couple friends who live in SF and for a middle-of-the-road place where you're unlikely to be stabbed at night, you're looking at around $1500 a month for a 1-bedroom.
For LA is much different. LA is an extremely sprawling city, while SF is very compact. So, LA has a much broader range, I think relative to how far toward the outskirts you want to live, etc....
@Puglover.... Since CA prices are so much higher to start, incremental % changes result in larger net changes than in Kansas. But, yes, a lot of people do buy homes as investments and hope to flip them in short periods. However the market is going down now, so I'm sure they're not so happy right now.
What I meant by "how far are you willing to travel" was how far, once here, are you willing to drive?
If you really love impressive natural features then Yosemite is a no-brainer. Its about a 3-3.5 hour drive from Sacramento so I recommend trying to stay overnight and spend a couple days there in the middle of the week.
Yes, you can easily also find many parks to the NW of Sac w/ Redwoods, etc.... You can drive out East of Sac a little and go to Coloma and see where gold was discovered in 1848.
Lake Tahoe is about a 2.5 hour drive east of Sacramento and is absolutely beautiful.
Lots to do here.
If you do make it out, let me know and I can help you hone in on things that will appeal to you.
People like celebrities. When Arnold speaks, he doesn't sound like a moron. Unlike Huffington, he didn't sound like a viper (Huffington was quite a snake at the time). Unlike that porn star who ran against him (I don't remember the name), he isn't a moron.Why the hell did you elect arnold schwarzeneggar as governor.
(loves the multi-quote feature)
No idea about Venice, haven't been there since ~1989. Maybe a SoCal poster can give an update.
It has multiple levels to serve different student needs. Junior College, State Universities, then UCs. Grad schools are excellent as well. Plus the state has a fabulous grant system for residents. Also, you are guaranteed admittance to SUs and UCs if you hit certain academic marks.
There are also a number of excellent private schools: Stanford, Pepperdine, USC, Santa Clara, Claremont-McKenna, etc.. etc....
You just hit on it. "The weather sucks". Yes, CA is more expensive, but that's supply and demand for you. CA has a lot of things to offer that other states do not and, therefore, the price of housing goes up.
I think this is more a problem in LA, where the news tends to be over-dramatic about everything.
Granted even up here drivers don't handle rain as well as probably in other states, but the news doesn't freak out over it.
Yeah, a common complaint, esp. of NE'ers who visit is the noticeable lack of fall colors.
Yeah, at various times at my life, I've regretted my choice, but I'm sure that Malawi kid is happy I didn't act on my instincts.You have done humanity a major disservice Shane.
Even here in Davis which is no beach-side paradise, we have a nice quotient of fine-looking girls. For reasons of vanity, health or who knows what it does seem our women are not as prone to letting themselves go.
No idea about Venice, haven't been there since ~1989. Maybe a SoCal poster can give an update.
Excellent. As Matt Brown said, its the best public university system in the nation, maybe in the world.
It has multiple levels to serve different student needs. Junior College, State Universities, then UCs. Grad schools are excellent as well. Plus the state has a fabulous grant system for residents. Also, you are guaranteed admittance to SUs and UCs if you hit certain academic marks.
There are also a number of excellent private schools: Stanford, Pepperdine, USC, Santa Clara, Claremont-McKenna, etc.. etc....
You just hit on it. "The weather sucks". Yes, CA is more expensive, but that's supply and demand for you. CA has a lot of things to offer that other states do not and, therefore, the price of housing goes up.
I think this is more a problem in LA, where the news tends to be over-dramatic about everything.
Granted even up here drivers don't handle rain as well as probably in other states, but the news doesn't freak out over it.
Yeah, a common complaint, esp. of NE'ers who visit is the noticeable lack of fall colors.
ShannonCT
Deity
I went to Venice Beach for the first time last year and it seemed very safe and family-friendly. There was a pretty diverse mix of people. The boardwalk was a pretty happening place with a interesting roster of Bohemian stores, street vendors, and street performers. Though, it wouldn't be my first choice for oggling the California girls.
Masquerouge
Deity
I went there last August and I concur with that description.
Gotta love Muscle Beach. Having an outdoor gym with guys pumping iron in front of the passerbyes is just... special.
On the whole I would say that LA and its surrounding is much more about showing off and fashion than the Bay Area.
Drewcifer
Agent of Karma
I would guess that topography affects supply and demand more than the weather though. A city in the midwest can sprawl in all directions more or less and flat land is cheaper to develop. The big cities in California are hemmed in by the ocean on one side and mountains on the other.
Population growth in California has got to be a concern with 500k+/year moving there. What's the water plan? It seems like there's a battle being waged between SoCal and AZ for the Colorado river since the L.A. river is basically dry.
Masquerouge
Deity
Unfortunately, as long as a year-long freakingly-unnatural green lawn is as close as a constitutionnal right as you can get, I don't see the water problem being solved any time soon.
I'm always amazed and mildly disgusted by the amount of water that's used through sprinklers in an area where it is scarce, for watering things that were never meant to grow around here.
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
You could have been a hero to us all."WOW, I could be the guy who killed Madonna!"... but I just drove by.
