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Moving to California

post #1 of 23
1/13/11 at 10:58am
Thread Starter 
Ok... So I'm thinking about moving to California. Though I've visited a number of times, I've not spent any significant amount of time there.

Any opinions/ideas/recommendations from you folks?

I'd want to be within about a 2 hour drive of LAX. In a nieghborhood of single family houses. Reputable schools.
Enlighten me with your experiences and opinions!
From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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post #2 of 23
1/13/11 at 2:22pm
Don't do it...run....run like hell.....
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What is Faith? When your good deed pleases you and your evil deed grieves you, you are a believer. What is Sin? When a thing disturbs the peace of your heart, give it up - Prophet Muhammad
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post #3 of 23
1/13/11 at 2:58pm
What have you already seen in Southern California? The variety of communities and climates within that distance of LAX is staggering. So much depends on what kind of environment suits your tastes. Urban? Suburban? Rural? Mountains? Beaches? Do you prefer hot weather or cool? Near culture or don't care?
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post #4 of 23
1/13/11 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post

What have you already seen in Southern California? The variety of communities and climates within that distance of LAX is staggering. So much depends on what kind of environment suits your tastes. Urban? Suburban? Rural? Mountains? Beaches? Do you prefer hot weather or cool? Near culture or don't care?

I've been all over.. just not for extended periods of time.
Sub-urban living suits the family better... I'm well past hanging out at clubs and bars.
Rural, mountains, beaches?... I figure they are all within a couple hours drive no matter where, so it's not a big factor.
As for weather... SoCal has no hot weather (by my standards)... short of summer in the desert... and I could easily handle that if you were thinking up toward Victorville...
They also have no COLD weather (I spent 20 years in MN, I know what cold weather is )

The climate and wealth of outdoor activities is what makes it desirable to me... I have no NEED to move, I could just as easily stay where I'm at. I just have the itch to try something new.


Quote:
Originally Posted by segovius View Post

Don't do it...run....run like hell.....

Segovius... care to elaborate???
From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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post #5 of 23
1/13/11 at 3:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

I've been all over.. just not for extended periods of time.
Sub-urban living suits the family better... I'm well past hanging out at clubs and bars.
Rural, mountains, beaches?... I figure they are all within a couple hours drive no matter where, so it's not a big factor.
As for weather... SoCal has no hot weather (by my standards)... short of summer in the desert... and I could easily handle that if you were thinking up toward Victorville...
They also have no COLD weather (I spent 20 years in MN, I know what cold weather is )

The climate and wealth of outdoor activities is what makes it desirable to me... I have no NEED to move, I could just as easily stay where I'm at. I just have the itch to try something new.

Some of the valley areas (especially the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys) can be as hot as anyplace in the country -- deserts included -- well over 100 degrees many days, and not always in the summer. With your screen name, maybe you'd love that. Some really do I guess -- I often see them driving around with the windows open on the most scorching days. Those same days the coastal areas can be 30 degrees cooler, even more. Only a few miles apart. That was the hardest thing for me to get used to when I moved to this part of the country.

Relatively little cold to speak of as you say, but the coastal areas can be overcast a lot of the time, especially late spring/early summer.

When I say culture, I wasn't referring to hanging out in bars. I was thinking more like music, museums. Sports? SoCal has several centers of that sort of thing.

Personally, I would plan on being fairly close to the kinds of activities you like if you don't have any other restrictions. Driving in these parts is no picnic. I've had it take over two hours to drive from Santa Monica to downtown LA -- a distance of 15 miles. I time my trips into and through LA County very carefully.

Incidentally, two hours from LAX covers at least four counties.
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post #6 of 23
1/13/11 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post

What have you already seen in Southern California? The variety of communities and climates within that distance of LAX is staggering.

Or really small depending on the traffic on the 405.

Quote:
So much depends on what kind of environment suits your tastes. Urban? Suburban? Rural? Mountains? Beaches? Do you prefer hot weather or cool? Near culture or don't care?

Yeah, on a good traffic day all that is in pretty much in play amazingly.


North of the Bay Area (n Marin co.) down through the Monterey Peninsula is within that same timeframe of the SFO, San Jose and Oakland Airports. Silicon Valley smack in the center of all that. You can go from nearly year round comfortable cool on the coast itself to 100+ degree summer days in the inner valleys along the costal region. Big Sur on one end, Wine Country on the other and the Sierra with Lake Tahoe a little to the east. Plenty of culture in pockets just like LA has. SF itself is more city-ish than LA, even downtown LA, and the suburbs run the whole gamut.

As for run like hell, this is either the worst time or the best time to come to CA depending on how you like participating in a trough economy. The state government is a wreck. The budget problem is abysmal. Schools in most districts are critically underfunded.

But if you found a community that never bought into the state education funding pool where the property tax education chunk goes up to the state before coming back to the local district the schools are very good - they are few and far between but do exist.
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post #7 of 23
1/13/11 at 5:38pm
Thread Starter 
SFO isn't an option ... Its gotta be LAX.

As for the state and economy, well... I don't have to make it a permanent move .

Just looking for ideas ... Places I might like to go take a look at (towns/neighborhoods).
From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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post #8 of 23
1/13/11 at 11:13pm
If you could be more specific. The area you speak of is huge and very diverse. FWIW, I live under two hours from LAX -- in another county. A small city in a semi-rural area. A few miles from the National Forest and the beach, an hour from LA and Santa Barbara. Plenty of stuff happening for a person who likes being involved in their community. I happen to like it a lot, but I but no way of knowing whether you would. You might love living in Encino. I'd hate it.
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post #9 of 23
1/14/11 at 4:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

Ok... So I'm thinking about moving to California. Though I've visited a number of times, I've not spent any significant amount of time there.

Any opinions/ideas/recommendations from you folks?

I'd want to be within about a 2 hour drive of LAX. In a nieghborhood of single family houses. Reputable schools.
Enlighten me with your experiences and opinions!

Maybe consider San Diego as well? It ought to be within 3 hours of LA if you time the trip correctly, no? Find a way to claim residency and most of your income in AZ or TX so you don't have to contribute t the fiscal disaster which is the CA government.
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post #10 of 23
1/14/11 at 4:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

Ok... So I'm thinking about moving to California. Though I've visited a number of times, I've not spent any significant amount of time there.

Any opinions/ideas/recommendations from you folks?

I'd want to be within about a 2 hour drive of LAX. In a nieghborhood of single family houses. Reputable schools.
Enlighten me with your experiences and opinions!

Forget living near watts or the neighboring communities bad news!Pomona is out of the question for you or compton.The valley is nice I use to reside in San Fernando Valley good schools and nice people.Westwood and Sherman Oaks also nice areas to live in.
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post #11 of 23
1/14/11 at 12:36pm
Thread Starter 
SAN is not an option... I already plan to keep my official residency in TX ... No way I'd pay 9.3% of my income to the state of CA!!!

In looking at maps, it would seem that i could go as far south as Temecula, as far east as Hemet, north maybe as far as Victorville.

Yea, Watts doesn't seem to be my idea of nice.. Santa Clarita seems more like it... Obviously, the further out I go, the lower the real-estate seems to be priced.

We plan to go out there and drive around for a few days... Just thought someone might have some suggestions on areas to check out. I certainly won't be able to see everything, eventually I'll just have to pick a place and try it out. (plan to rent for a year or so so I can figure out just where I want to buy.)
From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
Reply
From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
Reply
post #12 of 23
1/14/11 at 1:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

SAN is not an option... I already plan to keep my official residency in TX ... No way I'd pay 9.3% of my income to the state of CA!!!

In looking at maps, it would seem that i could go as far south as Temecula, as far east as Hemet, north maybe as far as Victorville.

Yea, Watts doesn't seem to be my idea of nice.. Santa Clarita seems more like it... Obviously, the further out I go, the lower the real-estate seems to be priced.

We plan to go out there and drive around for a few days... Just thought someone might have some suggestions on areas to check out. I certainly won't be able to see everything, eventually I'll just have to pick a place and try it out. (plan to rent for a year or so so I can figure out just where I want to buy.)

Nobody pays that much. The highest marginal income tax rate is about 10%, and that's for incomes over $1m. On the other side of the coin, property tax rates are ridiculously low especially if you own for a long time. The state has been trying to make up for lost local property taxes from Prop 13 since 1978.

Santa Clarita is nice if you like hot. Very hot. And if you don't care about amenities except for shopping malls and Magic Mountain. Victorville is cheap but very dumpy, and of course it's the desert. If you're going to live in the desert you'd better like the desert. I could make a dozen suggestions easily if I had a better idea of what you liked in living environments.
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post #13 of 23
1/14/11 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

SAN is not an option... I already plan to keep my official residency in TX ... No way I'd pay 9.3% of my income to the state of CA!!!

Unless you are active duty military, 60 days is enough for the CS State Board of Equalization to consider you a CA resident. Avoiding that and CA state taxes, which would be pretty hard without an employer fudging the W-2 would be hairy and expensive if you get caught. Part time residents get hit for the same rates as in state but can't get all the same deductions because they get pro-rated so you would end up paying more taxes then being a full time resident on the same income. Even spending less than 60 days in state the income you make while in-state is taxable as a part-time resident. If you have kids in school and they go to school here but you don't file as CA and aren't military, watch out, you could get hit for fraudulent tax avoidance.

Don't play cute thinking it will just work out, it's not worth the risk.
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post #14 of 23
1/14/11 at 2:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hiro View Post

Don't play cute thinking it will just work out, it's not worth the risk.

I was going to say. In the past couple of years, the California Board of Equalization has become very aggressive in their efforts to catch tax scofflaws.
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post #15 of 23
1/14/11 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
Hot doesn't bother me... At all.
The desert wouldn't be my first choice.... But I can't afford a beach house in Malibu.
Dumpy is the impression I've got from Victorville as well... Probably not where I'll end up.
So far, Simi Valley / Santa Clarita seems appropriate, as does Mission Viejo or Temecula areas.


I've no intention of avoiding taxes.... My main residence, as well as my income will be generated elsewhere. If I were to move to CA permanently, I'd pay their taxes (though not gladly.) And, for the record, 9.3% is the state income tax rate for those making over 47k/94k (single/joint).
From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
Reply
post #16 of 23
1/14/11 at 4:31pm
The current marginal income tax rate for earnings over $47k is 9.55%. That's a marginal rate. I was responding to your claim of paying 9.3% of your income to the state in taxes. Not going to happen, unless you make millions.

Anyway, going west from LA, you could also check out Calabasas, Agoura, Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village, Moorpark, and Camarillo. All those places seem better to me than Simi or Santa Clarita, but those are just my bias.
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post #17 of 23
1/14/11 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

Hot doesn't bother me... At all.
The desert wouldn't be my first choice.... But I can't afford a beach house in Malibu.
Dumpy is the impression I've got from Victorville as well... Probably not where I'll end up.
So far, Simi Valley / Santa Clarita seems appropriate, as does Mission Viejo or Temecula areas.


I've no intention of avoiding taxes.... My main residence, as well as my income will be generated elsewhere. If I were to move to CA permanently, I'd pay their taxes (though not gladly.) And, for the record, 9.3% is the state income tax rate for those making over 47k/94k (single/joint).

You will have a tough time with the income generated elsewhere argument as you will be forced to pro-rate your total income over the number of days in the state based on your Fed 1040. CA will let you sort it out with the other state how much they shouldn't tax because of your CA time.

Splitting time with a no-tax state will get extra scrutiny, just because. I have dealt with that with my FL residency while I was in the military. CA still sent several officious letters and made me provide some documentation. It politely concluded and went away with an 'OK, you're good' via letter, but that was the active-duty-get-out-of-tax-jail-free card.

Jerry will get his lunch money in full measure if you want to be here more than a couple days per year.
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post #18 of 23
1/14/11 at 8:30pm
  • BR
  • Justified Arrogance
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

SAN is not an option... I already plan to keep my official residency in TX ... No way I'd pay 9.3% of my income to the state of CA!!!

In looking at maps, it would seem that i could go as far south as Temecula, as far east as Hemet, north maybe as far as Victorville.

Yea, Watts doesn't seem to be my idea of nice.. Santa Clarita seems more like it... Obviously, the further out I go, the lower the real-estate seems to be priced.

We plan to go out there and drive around for a few days... Just thought someone might have some suggestions on areas to check out. I certainly won't be able to see everything, eventually I'll just have to pick a place and try it out. (plan to rent for a year or so so I can figure out just where I want to buy.)

You'd fit in well with the demographics in Temecula. Cheap houses out there, too, these days.

 

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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
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post #19 of 23
1/15/11 at 11:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

Ok... So I'm thinking about moving to California. Though I've visited a number of times, I've not spent any significant amount of time there.

Any opinions/ideas/recommendations from you folks?

I'd want to be within about a 2 hour drive of LAX. In a nieghborhood of single family houses. Reputable schools.
Enlighten me with your experiences and opinions!

Northern California not Southern is my pick. I lived in San Francisco for 3 years. Quite expensive but if you secure decent employment you can live outside the expensive cities and drive or take public transport.
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post #20 of 23
1/15/11 at 11:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post

SFO isn't an option ... Its gotta be LAX.

As for the state and economy, well... I don't have to make it a permanent move .

Just looking for ideas ... Places I might like to go take a look at (towns/neighborhoods).

Okay I just saw you said SFO isn't an option. Hmm.
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post #21 of 23
1/16/11 at 9:26am
Don't buy. Seriously: CA has the most fucked-up real estate. It is a long and complex story that I don't care to explain, but the point is that if you take a mortgage the interest alone will be higher than rent in any place where you are likely to gain value.

I also don't exactly get why you have to live somewhere "within 2 hours of LAX." For what it's worth, you could live in Santa Monica and be 2 hours from LAX. Greater LA is a morass. I have no desire to ever live there. San Diego is a much better option. Plus, they have the steak frite burrito.

I also hope you don't plan to raise a child here. That would just be cruel.
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post #22 of 23
1/16/11 at 9:45am
I forgot to mention that I moved from Florida to SF Bay area a few of years ago (not a Floridian though). I made the drive in one leg -- there's not much to see along the way on I-10.
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post #23 of 23
1/16/11 at 9:45am
Another reminder that California is at least two states.
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