Is living in California as great as I imagine it to be?

Question

Is living in California as great as I imagine it to be?

Answer 1

well if you consider it being hot, sunny  ..

good looking people, traffic, nice beaches  etc etc.

then you're right.

Answer 2

It's the best! CA has everything, and no need to really go anywhere else when you live here. You have deserts, Beaches, Forests, Lakes, Mountains, farms, Hollywood, Amusement Parks, San Francisco, San Diego, L.A. and everything in between. When ever you are bored (which is unusual) and you have to do is take a drive anywhere and you'll see something new and exciting.

Answer 3

California is so diverse....

theres northern california (napa) which is all beautiful countrysides and vineyards

there's norhtern claifornia (sacramento san francisco) which humid weather and a LOT of "tourist" attractions

there's central california which is basically dirt town

there's southern californai (WHOOOOHOOOO...can u guess i live in LA lol) with so much to do...

                   there are beaches, millions of amusement parks, great places to shop and great weather all year round, plus a lot of my friends and friends family are in the "business" so i guess its kinda fun

Answer 4

It's pretty great!  :)

I've lived in one part or another of California all my life, and I can't think of any other place I'd rather live!

Of course, it's just like any other place...once you spend any amount of time here, there's stuff that you grow to dislike.  Or stuff that you may have thought was fabulous when you moved here is now boring and mundane.

There are lots of stereotypes about California.  Some are based on truth, some not.  Will you see celebrities every day?  Nope, but you'll probably have a better chance of seeing them than you would in Iowa.  Does everyone wear designer clothes and carry an "it" handbag?  Nope--lots of working stiffs here...but if you go to Beverly Hills, you will see them.  Does California have a lot of hippie-dippy spacey types?  It has it's share, but there are more in northern Cali than in SoCal.  So while it won't be exactly like I'm sure a lot of people picture it to be, there will be a lot of resemblance!

Stuff that I like about living in California:

1.  A little bit of everything:  we have mountains, valleys, deserts, oceans, farmlands, forests.  Some of the most beautiful scenery in the world exists in California (Yosemite, anyone?).

2.  Weather:  In southern Cali (LA area), the weather is mild year round.  I will always remember walking through the central courtyard at UCLA my freshman year during December.  The bells in the tower were playing "White Christmas," and it was about 70 degrees!  Always puts a smile on my face!  And while other areas can get cold and snowy, I never see weather reports that have double digits below zero temperature!

3.  Major Metropolitan Flavor!  The Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas are both awesome.  They have world class museums, symphonies, nightclubs, restaurants, theatres, amusement parks, etc.

4.  Laid back (sometimes quirky) attitude:  I think California has a more accepting, progressive stance than a lot of states.  We embrace a lot of different lifestyles, habits, cultures, viewpoints.  Which is cool!

If you haven't visited yet, come check us out!

--->Good Luck!

Answer 5

it is true....im sitting at my pool right now overlooking the ocean and drinking bloody marys...ive been around the world and nowhere is as beautiful as here....this weekend will consist of a nice bike ride up the coast of pacific coast hwy....ahhhh, the life!!!!  

Answer 6

You never told us what you imagined it to be. The weather is great, but it can be boring being sunny almost everyday. You have to take a trip out here to see for yourself!

@ J

Contrary to popular belief, California is not as hot a most other states. We don't get humid in the summer, like a lot of the other states.

Answer 7

The person who answered above must have known exactly what I wanted to say and in fact it is true for LA. But the answer did not answer your question about California.

Which part are you thinking about? Keep in mind, NorCal and SoCal are completely different with different mentalities too.

As far as LA, my cousins from Europe came to visit Hollywood soon to find out that it is absolutely nothing like what is on tv just as the post above. If you're thinking about LA, don't just come because of what is shown on tv. We are a middle working class living just like everyone else around the country. If there are kids, I'd say it's good for a vacation because essentially, there isn't much to do in SoCal.

But traffic has got to be the worst!

Come visit and think twice.

Answer 8

In a word, no. It can't possibly live up to the media hype. People have too many misconceptions about this place.

For a number of reasons, we get a bunch of questions asking what it’s like in LA.

First of all, I'll tell you what it's NOT like: It's not like anything on TV. People watch shows on TV and think that’s what it’s like out here. The “Real OC”, Newport Beach, The Hills, etc. Ever wonder why people in those shows never have to pay bills, do laundry, and are NEVER stuck in traffic? Because it’s FAKE. And the news doesn’t help either, since they know that s*x and sensationalism sells. News flash: There aren’t running gun battles in the street. There aren’t shootouts every day. Also, you don’t see celebrities just walking down the street, all glammed up, or sipping a cappuccino at Starbucks waiting to sign autographs. We don't go surfing during lunch hour.

Some sections are REALLY nice, others are “ghetto”. Too many people have this vision in their head that LA is one or the other (either Beverly Hills or Compton). In fact, most of it is working class and middle class stiffs working to pay the bills.

You NEED a car to live in Southern California. We don’t have an effective public transportation like New York or San Francisco. One reason is that LA is larger in area than either of those, without a central hub where everything is. Back in the 1960’s, we might have done it. But by the time local governments got their act together, it was much more difficult to make a working public transit system. Also, unlike NY, we have earthquakes, which make it a little more difficult to build underground.

The freeway traffic is probably the worst thing about living here. The 405 is the worst. Know why they call it the 405? Because you go 4 o' 5 miles per hour, and it takes 4 o' 5 hours to get where you're going. Freeway Traffic is bad from 6-10 AM and bad from 3-7 PM. I don't know why they call it rush hour. It's more than an hour, and nobody's rushing, that's for sure.

The gangs are the cause of many rumors. Keep in mind that there are gangs in any large town, in every part of the country. In LA, the gangs aren't really downtown, they are in South LA, East LA, and north Long Beach (an extension of the South LA gangs, actually). And here's the deal: Mostly, they just kill each other.

Gas is expensive in California. It’s about 20-30 cents above the national average.

Yes, gas and real estate are very expensive in SoCal. However, this would be the best time to BUY a house because it's a buyer's market right now. There are a lot of foreclosures, and too many houses on the market.

Yep, freeways are a drag, it's smoggy in summer, and expensive to live here. Yet, if it's so bad, why do we have thousands and thousands of people moving here?

Weather, Activities, Plenty of jobs, Beaches, mountains, deserts all within driving distance, and plenty of opportunity for those who have the skills and tenacity.

In colder parts of the country, people keep their cars in their garages all winter. Kids get snow toys for Christmas. Here, kids get BIKES, scooters, and skateboards. 10 AM Christmas morning, the streets are FULL of kids on their new bikes, scooters, etc. We have a play set from Costco in the back yard. I installed a light in the yard and our youngest plays on it (sometimes with friends) at night during the “winter”. You can't do THAT in the snow.

The job market is good here, mainly because there are SO many people here that it creates its own job market. Then there are MANY industries, including tourism, entertainment, shipping, manufacturing, etc. It’s an incredible economy.

However, it is not for everyone. Every time someone posts this question, you get the LA haters who post their bile and venom. A lot of them don’t know what they are talking about. Some people never even visit, and hate it on principle and stereotypes. Some actually visited once, and found out it wasn’t like it was on TV, and it certainly wasn’t Mayberry. And some actually lived here, and couldn’t deal with the expense, the traffic, or the somewhat impersonal nature of living in a large metropolis. To those I would say “good luck” to you wherever you are, but please don’t spew your hatred in this forum.

As for lifestyle, it’s rather casual. You work during the week, and then go do something fun on the weekend, so that you can impress your coworkers around the water cooler on Monday.

To summarize, LA a HUGE metropolis that really defies easy description. I live in one of the nicer suburbs, but the commute is no fun, often 1-2 hours each way each day. However, 340+ days of sunshine really helps. Yeah, it's expensive. Mrs. Obviousman and I both have to work to pay the mortgage. But is it worth it? You bet!

Answer 9

Take it from someone who lives in California, it is the best place to live. What state can you go to ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon?! All of the entertainment is here such as football, basketball, stars, movies, amusement parks, etc.

The weather, you can wear shorts in the winter time because it doesn't get too cold here.

Answer 10

And especially in the O.C. Many small coves with good beaches, surf.

Answer 11

Born and raised here!!!  Lived in Southern California and now live in Northern Cal---  have to say Northern Cal- is more kick back and less traffic - but we have the dessert, the mountains, the redwoods, the beaches, volcano's, lakes, LOVE IT LOVE IT !!!! It is not expensive as everyone says it is -

Answer 12

Probably not, don't big it up too much as it will never live upto expectations.