Does ANYONE like living in LA?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by brittle_star

I have considered both Albuquerque and Austin. Both seem like good fits for me in a lot of ways. In others, not so much. Austin was the first choice on my list for a while... until I started considering the rest of Texas. I know not all of Texas is populated by very conservative NRA supporters, but from what I've read, there are greater numbers in Texas than a lot of other places. That doesn't sit well with me. I don't want to move to Texas and just stay in Austin. I'd like to explore the rest of the state on road trips, day trips, etc, and as a single, left-leaning feminist woman, I don't think I'd feel very comfortable doing that in Texas, outside of Austin or other bigger cities like Dallas or Houston. I also hear Austin can get very humid in summer and I'm not very tolerant of high heat with humidity. Dry heat is ok, but humidity and heat? No, thank you.

Albuquerque was next on my list for a while and is still a possible consideration. However, it does get more snow than I'd like in winter. I have a condition called Reynods Syndrome which means I have very small capillaries in my extremities (hands, fingers, toes). When I'm in temps below 35 degrees F for extended periods of time, my hands and feet turn red, sometimes purple, and start to hurt because the blood flow is slowed. For that reason, I have to be careful about where I choose to live. I need to do a little more research on ABQ winters, but from what I've seen so far, it might get too cold for me.

Portland, OR dropped down on my list for the same reason. They've gotten a lot more snow than usual in 2016-17 and I'm worried about cold temps in future winters. I'm also not sure I could deal with the constant rain and overcast. I certainly don't mind SOME rain and overcast, but growing up in SoCal in mostly sunny climes, it would definitely take some getting used to. Some of my SoCal friends moved up to Portland in the '90s and came back within a few years, unable to deal with all the overcast.

Right now, the main location I'm considering is Sacramento. Weather-wise, it seems to fit the criteria I'm looking for. From my research so far, it seems to fit most of my cost of living criteria, although I could be wrong. It may be more expensive than I assume. I'm also still trying to tap into the job market. I work in public education which is a lot harder to get into than most people think. There are always budget cuts in public education and school districts don't always have the money to hire new people (at least the bigger ones ...things would be a lot different if I was seeking work in a small town in, say, Idaho or Arkansas where I DON'T want to live). Private and charter schools are a consideration, although the pay and benefits are considerably less than public education.

All of which is to say, I'm trying to find a balance between several different criteria - weather, cost of living, general culture of the area, job market... and will hopefully find most of what I'm looking for in the next year or two.

Of course by now, you certainly have figured out: there is no utopia, everyplace has drawbacks, but let me tell you about a couple places you have mentioned:

You are right about Austin, it is very humid and yes, for the most part Texas is conservative. We lived in Dallas for 13 years, left mainly because of the horrible weather. BTW, even if you are liberal, don't let that be a major concern unless you run around with a sticker on your head that says "hi, I AM A LIBERAL, LETS TALK"

ABQ: don't worry about it being cold: We lived there for 7 years, yes, winters can get very cold, but the cold spells are short, there really isn't much snow: some years none and the sun shines almost daily unless you were to settle in the north east part of the city. One thing we loved about ABQ was the weather. We lived slightly south. What we didn't like was the poverty and the feeling like we didn't fit in. Of course we were more conservative in our views than you appear to be. It was too bad because it was our retirement dream for years, to move to ABQ.

Sac. it has about everything you seem to want. We were there about 18 months, loved the people, the proximity to both the bay area and the Tahoe region, the weather was mild, for the most part and there was a good mixture of political views and attitudes period. No one judged others based on their money, life style or anything else, as long as they were good, hard working people.

Just my 2 cents worth, for what is it worth.

[Ms. Intelligence]

North Carolina.

[Ms. Intelligence]

https://youtu.be/q7wwD4_271o

[PilgrimsProgress]

To answer the original question:

NO

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by PilgrimsProgress

To answer the original question:

NO

I like living in L.A.

I guess you're wrong.

[DawnW]

Originally Posted by Ms. Intelligence

https://youtu.be/q7wwD4_271o

That is a weird video. Is there a reason you posted it?

This is just some Joe Schmo's opinion.

[DawnW]

Originally Posted by Ms. Intelligence

North Carolina.

We are currently in NC. It is an interesting place. Charlotte and Raleigh tend to be quite liberal, but the outlying areas tend to be more conservative.

8 years ago, NC went blue. 4 years ago, it went red after waiting 3 weeks for an accurate count because it was so close, and this past year, it went red by a small margin. However, if you look at the two major cities, they both overwhelmingly voted blue.

There are still Southern elements within each city, but over half of Charlotte is now transplants, mostly from the NE. It is causing some turmoil, with the NE folks coming down and buying homes for higher prices, driving prices up, similar to the PNW and CA's moving up there, although not quite as drastic.

NC is a great place, and we have enjoyed being here for the most part, but for us, it looks like it is time to move back home.