Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevy Baby
The closer you are to the major population centers, the more expensive it is going to be. The better places to live (depending on your definition of course) are going to cost more.
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And now, some useful advise.
It's not merely that major population centers are more expensive, but that the majorest population centers are along the coast. It's not expensive there merely because you can get to the pretty, pretty ocean ... but because the air is not considered breathably healthy once you are more than 20 miles inland.
The price to pay for the affordability of housing in such areas are a) the likelihood that you will commute 7 hours per day and see your affordable house only on weekends; and b) the likelihood that your lungs will fill with tar and gunk, your children will develop asthma and your chance of developing lung cancer is the same as if you smoked a pack per day.
As one who recently experienced something similar, I suspect your fascination with moving to California is based on your recent visit. I'm glad you're planning 5 years out, because cooler heads will prevail and your ultimate decision will be more grounded.
I love California and I understand why zillions of others do, too. But it's precisely because of those zillions of others that if I were moving somewhere today, it would never be California.
I shudder to think of how crowded it's going to be in 5 years ... and how tight the competition will be for living space where you can safely breathe the air. Alas, I figure I may have to finally abandon the Golden State of Once Earthly Paradise in 10 or 15.
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