"Why Would Anyone Want To Live In California?"

[wheatonFJR]

California is a horrible, horrible place. Crowded, lots of traffic, full of liberals and illegal aliens. Stay away!

Northern California is the worst, people are much better off anywhere south of Yuba City

I've heard that Grass Valley is full of reefer smokers...nothing ever gets done there, and the local convenience stores can never stay supplied with Cap'n Crunch. Every time I've visited that place it rains like a sumbitch!

I was born in Santa Barbara, but never visited the state until 2011. Great people and places to visit!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Me? I'm spying the Carolina mountains for a posible retirement future. Maybe become a neighbor of that guy from Wheaton, Ill. Just so he wouldn't enjoy hisself too much.

Don't do that...it's too feckin hot down there.

You might run out of sweat.

But if you do come down, I might ask you a question or two about how to clean fork seals...

 

[rogdeb]

I came all the way from the wilds of the UK --- just to live in California ! There's testament for ya

.. rock on !!

Arrived here legally also, which was way harder and took longer than some !

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

If you're a motorcyclist it's the "only" place to live! A riders paradise!

It's the "only" state where you can ride the mountains, desert and the coast in "one" day!!

As far as expensive, if you don't live near the ocean home prices are about average.

For instance,you can find a 3 bedroom ranch style home in the Inland Empire area or some desert areas for about 150,000 or less if you look.

If you like 4 seasons you can find homes in the mountain areas for less than that!

I like the Tehachapi area of So Cal (almost central).

It's a small town with a lot of retirees just South of Bakersfield in the foothills.

It's very close to some "awesome" riding near the Kernville area.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I love the Kern River

 

[majicmaker]

Been to California dozens of times. I spent a year ('76-'77) at Lemoore Naval Air Station in the San Joaquin Valley area. Bakersfield, Visailia, Fresno. Had a blast. It was out in the middle of nowhere. Loved the fact that those country girls in tight wrangler jeans went drinkin' and dancin' with cow shit still on their boots. My kinda place! I'll never forget it. But, like was mentioned earlier, I was in the Navy and didn't have to deal with all the requirements of being a resident.

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

I love the Kern River

Yeah it's nice, lots of fishing/tubing on the river especially in the Hot Summer!

I do a yearly ride in October based in Kernville in honor of one of my riding buds that died on Ortega Highway back in 2003.

Frank Pepito was a mechanic for the city of Anaheim and he worked on the Harley Police bikes.

He "hated" Harleys and would rant about how shitty they were whenever the subject would be brought up.

We used to purposely say the "H" word just to get him going! LOL...he was a great guy!

We stay in Kernville and ride the 155, the 190 out of Porterville, Sherman Pass, 9 Mile canyon Rd. the 178, Caliente Bodfish Rd. (recently paved) ect.....all great roads loaded with mountain twisties. The 178 has mild sweepers for "swift" riding.

It's my favorite place to ride in California so far although I've never ridden up North.

I understand Highway 36 in Northern Cal is a great road among others.

 

[LCB]

36 is a blast - took it from Lassen to 101 and spent the night in Fortuna before heading south.

I know a few people who live in SoCal and haven't done much riding in the northern part of the state. Some haven't been to Yosemite or rode thru Death Valley and it just amazes me how they can live that close to so many amazing places and they've never seen them... I go west at least once a year and each time I see something new. And each time I hear about somewhere else I need to see!

 

[wheatonFJR]

From Fortuna/Eureka north and east to Yreka, and south to 36 are some awesome roads in an "Alps-like"
area.

But if you are like me and don't want anybody to know about that, you just tell everybody that it's flat, straight, and boring.

 

[wnyfjr]

Lived in San Diego for ten years (87-97) and then five years in San Jose. Got my pilot's license out of Carlsbad Airport, even owned a bike for a short time there and loved heading inland to Cuyamaca State Park on it. Always enjoyed the weather and temps, and once in the Bay area, was able to get into some of the NorCal beauty as well! The coast is awesome in most places. I couldn't afford to live now where I lived back then (downtown SD, Pacific Beach, Del Mar), although I'm sure I could afford something more inland. Definitely enjoy going back for visits now and again!!

 

[08FJR4ME]

Since I probably aggitaded this thread to its infency I might as well chime in. I would love to visit california and in fact wil hopefully be doing that next year when my 3 weeks vaca kicks in.

As for living where I am I love it and wish I could keep it. I don't see that as being a viable solution to possilbly retire here considering the income that will be robbed from me just to do so. California is in the same situation as the state I live in. At least is seems to me to be that way. Maybe I wil see it differently once I visit. Everything I hear and read tells me otherwise and my assumptions are correct.

I also loved NH in the early days but allas it has been overun and is not like it use to be unless you live in the furthermost northern areas of the state. That puts it out of my realm of moving back I think at this time. If I could somehow own two homes NH would be my summer months.

My grave sight is all set so at least I know where I will be burried. I wonder if they will still try to extract money from me after I am put 6 feet under in this state. At least I will be with my son again.

Dave

 

[FJRay]

If the funds were available there are places in Kali I could live but the economy killed over half the value of this place so this is where I'll stay. I'm only three hours from Yreka and all the great roads there and there are a ton of great roads in Or.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Born in Oakland, raised in Walnut Creek and Marysville/Yuba City, College in San Francisco:

Navy brought me to Insanediego in the late 80's.

Thought about returning when I retired from the Navy but......Yuba City had gone from 13,000 to 70,000 and all my hunting spots were covered with houses.

My Dad, the last surviving officer from the USS Arizona is still in Yuba City and I get out there to visit him 5-6 times a year. Enough California for me thank you very much.

I can deal with the politics, could pay the taxes, but can't deal with the congestion and population or the lane patrolling idiots driving 2 mph below the speed limit in the passing lane

 

[BigOgre]

My BIL moved from here to San Diego when he got called for their PD about 30 years ago. Says when they moved there it was a nice town. When they moved out it was a nice city. They've been enjoying the Sandhills of N.C. for the last several years.

 

[gregory]

California is a horrible, horrible place. Crowded, lots of traffic, full of liberals and illegal aliens. Stay away!

Northern California is the worst, people are much better off anywhere south of Yuba City

+1

I'd say go no further then Sac, Doug!

 

[puppychow]

<p>Best parts of California are the concrete jungles of Los Angeles and vicinity on a Friday afternoon. There is nothing to see anywhere-else in this state, or any other time.</p>

 

[TheZsdad]

The short answer is "There's no place like home!"
I double dog dared you to say that 3 times and click your heels together.

You might just find your lucky butt in Kansas.

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

but can't deal with the congestion and population

Big John, I've rode all over Southern and Central Cal and driven to Northern as far as Ft. Bragg.

I've found the only real crowded areas are the L.A. basin, San Diego actual city, the Bay area in the North and San Jose and the Sacramento area.

Anything North of Sac isn't bad at all and the more North you go the sparsely populated it gets.

I live in the South and I don't ride in heavily populated areas, "The Rock Store" in the Santa Monica Alps is the exception.

The Crest Highway 2 (just East of L.A.) is 120 miles of fantastic riding from one end to the other and back and very little traffic. I also ride a lot of San Diego County backroads, again little traffic.

Central Cal has some great roads and is sparsely populated.

California is a "huge" state many good areas to ride with not a lot of population.

Please Thank your Dad for his service for me!!

 

[Klubis]

Why would anyone choose to live in Cali? I'm not from there, but I could give you a million reasons why. I love California. Been there several times and it is just awesome. But I tend to concentrate on natural beauty, geography, and geology, because that's just the way I am. Plus music. There is/was no better music ( there may be semi-equals, but none better) than the Dead, Quicksilver, Airplane, Big Brother, It's a Beautiful Day, Country Joe, who else did I forget?). I'd move to Cali in a heartbeat if the water was warm, but it ain't! In 1973 my new bride and I finally found a way to get down to one of the beaches near Big Sur! It was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen on the right coast. We stripped down as hippies did the and attacked the surf! Yikes! Maximum shrinkage! Ya'll know what I mean. It was awesome, and did not detract at all. I love Cali. I just wish ya'll would get normal (and I'm only pulling you leg here) and I'm hoping that global warming will warm up the ocean but only in the places that I want to swim.

Coastal NC lacks regrettably lacks your most awesome geography/geology, but man, the warm (80 plus degrees in the summer) water temperature, and the barrier islands is certainly a plus. I'm prepping my boat right now as I type. 2 months from now I will be standing in 5' of water anchored up on the sound side of an island holding my beer just above the water while I'm watching my fishing pole to see if it bends like there is a flounder on it and watching all the local talent. I'll be in heaven.

 

[Klubis]

I forgot to mention the hurricanes. The hurricanes here are so terrible that nobody should ever consider moving here because then there would be an over-population of non-normal (abbey-normal) people and paradise would be lost.

Note to all! Never ever ever consider a transplantation to coastal North Carolina! Just say no!