Questions about California

[Narz]

Currently I live in Astoria, Queens, NYC. However in a few months I have to leave my current apartment. I have decided I do not want to pay the crazy price to continue to live in NY.

I had already planned to visit my friend in California (just north of L.A.) for about a week in early January. I am thinking about going there and just not leaving (the area not his house ). If I come back I will have to live at another friend's smokey apartment on the "living room" floor.

I have never been to California so this may seem a bit extreme. So of course, I'd like to find a little more about it, specifically the Los Angeles area and the San Diego area. What are some major differences on the west coast and these cities in particular from the east coast (and NY in particular). You can give me any info (or opinion) that you know of : prices, culture, attitudes of people, environment (pollution, topographic, weather), crime statistics, informational websites, and of course the job market.

Currently I am continuing to expand my limited knowledge of web design and am learning C++ (I wrote my first program today, a game where you guess and gamble on the outcome of a throw of the die ). Hopefully these skills will be able to help me out west, I have a bit saved up in the meantime, but it won't last me forever.

I truly appreciate everyone's help!

- Narz

 

[gr8ful wes]

Last time I was in Cali I fell asleep listening to New Age music and nearly suffocated in my organic musclin greens. Keep your head low.

It is actually a cool state with some very beautiful places. If you are a city boy then , enjoy LA. more power to ya. I avoid it like the plague. I prefer the North, Humboldt county, Sacremento Valley, The High Sierra. Where the only gunshots are fired at game, not people.

 

[Dralix]

You think that moving to LA will be cheaper than NYC? I suggest you first check out the salary calculator

 

[Dark Ascendant]

I live in the Bay Area and the price for a single one-room apartment is insane.

 

[amadeus]

NY and CA sound pretty much about the same in terms of how much $$ you need.

I strongly advise you to move to Minnesota, though. Minneapolis has some nice malls, and our official office supply is staples. Very awesome

 

[EdwardTking]

I have been to South California.

As a simplification; most of them tend to divide people into:

(a) South Californians
(b) North Californians
(c) From Back/The East (rest of USA and indeed the world).

Unlike NYC it is warm all year round so if you can not
afford a flat or a house; you could always live in a
camper in a recreational vehicle park etc.

 

[ejday]

Well, you'd be going from the largest metro area in the US to the second largest. There are some fundamental cultural differences -- first and most pervasive: we don't have to wear parkas down here.
* Rent varies depending on where you are, and can be $3000/mo difference in a ten minute drive (Sherman Oaks to Van Nuys). The good part: you can live just about anywhere and find someplace reasonable within commuting distance to school/work.
* If you're from Queens, then you know: violence is violence is violence. It's a city.

...more culture notes later (going to a S&R training session now).

 

[ejday]

Okay, class over. Notes on LA area:
* The basin tends to be a little cooler than inland. The further in you go, on average, the cheaper it gets, but the hotter and smoggier it gets, too.
* Go south: Come across San Clemente, then Camp Pendleton (USMC) for a long stretch. On the far side, you hit Oceanside then San Diego. Pretty area, nice, all the resources of a reasonably-sized city without the world-class congestion of LA (some of the worst, on average, in America). I'd still take LA traffic over Mexico City or Hong Kong, though (at least from what I've heard).
* To the north: the Valley. Along the coast: Malibu ($$$!), then Oxnard/Ventura (decent place, not too expensive), then Santa Barbara ($$$!).
* Culture: It runs the gamut, from high civilization with the Getty art museum to the culture of a used CDC petri dish -- West Hollywood. Yes, the "L.A. Story" class of folk is out here, but they can be avoided/mocked to your own tastes. Interface is not req'd unless you work in a Starbucks.
* Altogether, it's not a bad place to live, but you have to have some tolerance for the foibles of humanity if you work/live in the middle of it. If you're less tolerant, think about San Diego for what is still a decent job market (I think) or out towards Oxnard/Ventura for reasonable urban living with some decent natural beauty.
* If you have any other specific questions, ask away.

 

[Narz]

I was actually thinking about San Diego anyway, I never much desired to go to L.A. specifically. San Diego is warmer right? and cheaper? Only thing is I don't know anyone there...

 

[VoodooAce]

A few things to consider for you.

I live in Los Alamitos, about 20 miles SW of downtown.

First, if I had the option, I'd be in Oregon. Let me get that out of the way, lol. At least, somewhere besides LA. I have just had it up to here with 'the big city'. LA's no different in that regard than any other 'big city' i've been in in the country. Rightfully we're known for our traffic and smog, but at least we're not the worst offenders in either category anymore.

One good thing about CA is that you can find it all here. Where I live now I'll be able to drive an hour and a half, ski for the morning, drive for another hour and a half and have a late lunch at the beach, where it will likely be around 78 degrees.

Now, that doesn't suuck.

I don't like an 80 degree Christmas Day at all, but if you do, L.A. is your place.

There are supposed to be a lot of jobs in SoCal. Harumph!

Beaches are classic. Lots and lots of hotties. I think the 11th commandment that Moses lost read: Thou shalt have a kick @ss time in Hermosa Beach.

And Tijuana is only a couple hours south!! Don't forget that.

 

[VoodooAce]

Originally posted by Narz
I was actually thinking about San Diego anyway, I never much desired to go to L.A. specifically. San Diego is warmer right? and cheaper? Only thing is I don't know anyone there...

And its closer to Tijuana!!

But its closer to Mexico.

 

[Portuguese]

Originally posted by Dark Ascendant
I live in the Bay Area and the price for a single one-room apartment is insane.

Just curious: What is "insane" to you, in this case?

 

[ejday]

Originally posted by Narz
...San Diego is warmer right? and cheaper? Only thing is I don't know anyone there...

San Diego warmer? Maybe because it's two hours south... but it's not that big a difference. The water is still chilly. It's actually chillier way down here -- either city -- than it is way up there around NY (we get an Alaskan current coming south, you get the Gulf current heading north. Not fair at all, dang it). OTOH, if you can hack it, there is beautiful kelp diving down here.

AFAIK, yes, San Diego is cheaper. Slightly cruddier job market, too, so it balances out.

 

[morkaphi]

Originally posted by Portuguese
Just curious: What is "insane" to you, in this case?

My guess is, $2,000/month for a one bed room.

 

[amadeus]

Eight words never to say in Los Angeles: "Rodney King got what was coming to him!"

I have been to both L.A and S.F.

In L.A., traffic is hell. In S.F., everything else is

 

[newfangle]

Originally posted by rmsharpe
NY and CA sound pretty much about the same in terms of how much $$ you need.

I strongly advise you to move to Minnesota, though. Minneapolis has some nice malls, and our official office supply is staples. Very awesome

I love your state. Did the green party not receive something like 10% of the vote in certain urban areas?

 

[amadeus]

I don't think it was that high, but still -- whatever breaks the Democrats here is good for Minnesota. The Democrats screwed up St. Paul, Coleman came and fixed it up.

But, if you'd like to discuss this further, start a new topic. Don't want to take the thread astray.

 

[allan2]

Drive outside New York, there's LOTS of trees (particularly in CT and PA, I'm sure you know). Drive outside LA, and there's no trees. I've been to LA, wouldn't want to live there.

I like Northern California--did someone here mention Humboldt County? If it weren't for Minnesota, I'd be there. Well, that's small-town, not as many job opportunities as a city though. San Francisco is expensive--probably moreso than even New York. Not sure about San Jose or Sacramento though--drove through San Jose at night, never been to Sacramento. San Jose is, of course, hub of the "Silicon Valley" so as a techie you'd fit right in, but I'm not sure if the labor market is saturated there or not. I've heard some nice things about Sacramento. And of course, the big difference between Southern and Northern Cali is that in the latter, there are TREES! (Big ones, in fact.)



P.S. I'll second Sharpe and say come to the Twin Cities--we have a good tech base too! Although the winters can be a b*tch (even compared to NY), the summers are glorious!

 

[The Troquelet]

"Don't want to take the thread astray."

No comment. Really! No comment.

Narz LA sucks largely because of weather, punk people, tourism, etc. I would either come here to Silicon Valley [as opposed to LA's Silicone Valley... hehe] or head up north by Redding. The general trend in California is the further south you go, the more greedy, mercantile, and generally arrogant [as in the NY-"bub" arrogance] people get.

The best part is that after you retire you can go to Minnesota or Oregon or someplace where the money you made is worth a few powers of 2 more. Literally. You'd not believe what a mansion costs here, but most people I know could, at a stretch, afford one in northern Montana. Must be the lack of Net access?

That's the other thing about California, you have to watch out for the caffeine druggies and the net hackers.

Other than all that, you'll be fine. Welcome to the one state on earth that will NEVER GO TO GEORGE BUSH, EVER, EVER! Three cheers for that luxury. Last election we went the right [I mean, left ] way by 3 to 1. We can say, in Texas lingo, that we ain't responsible for his cattle chips litterin' the White House.

 

[bobgote]

i've only been to LA and it sucked hard. and that only briefly. also, i'm comparing it to our incomparable Australian state capitals (and some other international cities). If you don't mind breathing smog, then it might be worth thinking about.

Do you have to go to one of those 2? I'm sure there are some very nice cities in the US. They can't all be crappy like we see on TV.