Is southern California all it's cracked up to be?

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Obviousman

It all depends on your expectations. Some people come here expecting movie stars on every corner, and everything looking pretty like Beverly Hills. It's not like that.

However, I've found it to be quite satisfying:

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

First of all, I'll tell you what it's NOT like: It's not like anything on TV. 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. We don't go surfing during lunch hour. Some parts of LA are really nice, others are “ghetto”.

LA doesn’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 makes it a little more difficult to built underground.

You NEED a car to live in Southern California. Deal with it.

The freeway traffic in LA 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 in LA 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. Currently, it's about $3.50, on 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. So if you have cash, it's a great time to buy. Unfortunately, most of us don't have a half-mil just lying around. Perhaps Paris Hilton (regular poster here)?

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
Weather
Plenty of jobs
Weather
Beaches, mountains, deserts all within driving distance
Weather!

Here's my final point on the weather. 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”, from the time homework and dinner are done until bed time. 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, LA 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. Maybe they had cousin Ernie visit once, and he was plumb disappointed when he got to Hollywood and found it weren’t pretty like on TV. Of course, he told all his kinfolk, and now they’re LA experts. Some of them are people who 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 rather impersonal nature of living in a large metropolis. (You know, the kind who like to drop in on their neighbors unannounced, open the (unlocked) door, and let themselves in. Well, it’s not like that here, for better or worse. To those I would say “good luck” to you wherever you are, but please don’t spew your venom in this forum.

In a nutshell, LA a HUGE metropolis. 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!

Silent

Not as great as they say unless your rich.

Homer Z. Crowder, IV

What is it cracked up to be?

The Entertainment Capital of the World?
Most motion picture and music companies have their headquarters NEAR Hollywood (very few are actually IN Hollywood).

The best beaches?
The beaches are nice. But that California Current makes the water icy cold, even on the warmest of days.

The prettiest girls?
They are there. But most are average.

Lots of people of Latin American ancestry?
Absolutely. But this is a good thing. There is great Mexican food. You might be surprised that Spanish is spoken more in the bigger California cities than English. I tell this to my students here in Vietnam and they gasp.

Boring? No culture?
Again, true. Most of the culture that exists in California is due to theme parks and motion pictures. That costs lots of money. A day at Disneyland for ONE PERSON costs over $100, if you plan to eat. They don't let you bring food in from the outside. So a lot of people hang out at the mall. Ah, there's a culture for you.

Most of the inland part of Southern California is literally desert. I like that because I grew up in it. The heat is dry in the summer but it does get icy cold in the winter. (Does your geography textbook state that the desert is hot in the day and cold at night? It's wrong. It might be WARM in the day and COOL at night, but you rarely have any real drastic differences in climate within 24 hours, except when the wind changes.

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=psp

Time travler

It is not as nice as northern California. You can't beat San Francisco, Marin county, and Napa Valley for beauty.

pgarox

My late and beloved father, who grew up in Portland, OR, once told me he literally expected to find streets lined with gold when he came to L.A./Hollywood. Needless to say, he was mightily disappointed.

L.A. and greater Southern California are just like all other areas of the U.S. They have their own distinctive charms, and they also have their drawbacks.

If you come to Southern California without far-fetched, outlandish pre-conceptions, you'll find a pretty decent place to live, work and play.

Dylan F

How is "Obviousman" a top contributor for posting the same old long-winded essay on every LA/Socal question here? To answer your question, Socal is far from its glamorous, glitzy, fun in the sun reputation. LA is a dangerous sewer with lots of stuff going on. OC is a pretty and safe, but dull and conservative suburb. San Diego is the nicest part of Socal, but a little conservative too.

*IvY*

Southern California is every bit as wonderful as people say it is. Great to live or to visit. Anything and everything you want is right here. Anything you name I guarantee you could find here! I love southern California!

copestir

It is all about the weather

samsara

It all depends on your situation. It never was for me because I am a black female who was born and reared in Orange County. The O.C. has a very small black population and was basically devoid of a black community. I had a few black friends, but that was it. Unfortunately, I did not find the few black boys in my neighborhoods and schools to be attractive, so my dating life was almost nonexistent. There just wasn't a selection to choose from.

Most Caucasians who have an education and money in the bank are very happy living in Southern California because they can live in the good neighborhoods. There are also good communities for Asians and Hispanics and MANY beautiful people in those races. Like I said, the black population has always been tiny (like 1 to 2 percent) and I do not believe that will ever change.

When I was a little girl, the blacks that were in the O.C. were all tied to the military. The fathers were all servicemen. Later on, most of those black families moved to Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Now, there are many blacks in those areas. I also lived there for a while and enjoyed myself because I met a lot of friends through a church and was very active. However, today I would not want to settle and retire in Riverside or San Bernardino county, as the crime rate is getting increasingly worse. The desert communities in Southern California have a lot of drug problems and gangs.

San Diego County is very nice. The weather is the best you will find. I have a financially well off friend who lives there and loves it.

I have never had any desire to live anywhere near Los Angeles or Long Beach, although I've been through those areas on many occasions.

Presently, I live in another western state. I may one day try to return to California, but I would never go back to Orange County. I never felt like it was home, it's too expensive, and it's way too crowded for my taste. I'm thinking of where I want to retire one day. I would probably choose an area in Northern California. I am also thinking a lot about Seattle, Washington.

john

yes it is, ive lived in los angeles all my life. i've been to other cities and i would never get used to them, theyre boring compared to la

sashtou

Which bit?

Cracked up to be! In which context?

Sash.

fantime

i don't think so.

annah

YES..i live in Newport beach and hve done all my life..i love it herr..friends and family..But my dad lives in London but i still see him loads..im in London for the week right now..:Dbut it's 2.30 a.m. here and i am soooo tired !!

CA the BEST state in the USA!!!

West of Encino

yeah i crack up every time i see my property taxes!

kapn

No............its colder than they tell you..............

K.K.

dont know havent been their

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