Why do people stay in California?

[plexiform]

Can't imagine why anyone would want to live here......except for....

The amazing backdrop for my 78 930...


And year round motorcycling weather....


And amazing displays of world class artistic expressions....


And sunsets worth dying for.......


Hilltop hikes with your kids whenever you want.....


Taking the truck to remote hiking spots after lunch just because you can.....


Getting to see views like this....


Escape reality and lose yourself in a desert within 10minutes from your home......


Jump on the adventure bike and really be in an adventure within minutes of leaving your driveway.......


And if there was nothing else in CA other than my hotrod 911 and a beautiful countryside road through the vineyards.....that would be the only reason I needed.


(All pics taken by me within 20minutes of my house)......But yeah who the hell would want to live in CA?

[Major Dad]

A bit like where I live in Ireland then , except for the desert. Looks a lovely place but many other places are as good or better , in a relative sense.

I’d imagine we stay where we’ve always lived for family and friends reasons or just that we’re not bothered to move.

[fintstone]

Once again, California has great beauty (as does almost every state)...especially at national parks, etc...which we have acknowledged since the start of the thread. There is a reason why most of the photos posted are relatively devoid of people. No one actually works or lives there. You might as well take photos of Beverly Hills. I lived in CA...and it was a very hard daily grind for most people. Hard to afford a nice place to live, hard to commute (traffic), hard to shop (crowds). Dirty, lot of crime, panhandlers, etc. Good restaurants but really expensive. Maybe people who grew up there are just used to it. Maybe rich people had it better. My life improved significantly upon leaving.

One can take a hike or a cool photo of nature, a Porsche or motorcycle almost anywhere. There are vineyards and fields of vegetables. They are not limited to CA. The homeless encampments, feces and needles on the street, are really not all that common elsewhere. They are as big a shock to folks from elsewhere as the beaches. If one does not see problems in paradise, they are wearing rose colored glasses. It could and should be so much better. With the natural beauty, the natural resources and the ports, etc. that CA has, it is hard to understand why things have become as they are. While there is great opportunity, there is incredible hardship. It is incredibly wealthy yet many largely rely on illegal labor to maintain lifestyle. I was shocked that they made me pay for gas before pumping it (the first time I went there)...because people drove off without paying...or that there were neighborhoods where it was simply not safe to drive. Folks there probably think that normal. It is not normal in a lot of places. It is the best and worst of worlds.

It is not just the homeless encampments. This is what many CA residents see every day...it is where many CA residents live. Not where the Brady Bunch or Baywatch were filmed:

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by plexiform

Can't imagine why anyone would want to live here......except for....

The amazing backdrop for my 78 930...

(All pics taken by me within 20minutes of my house)......But yeah who the hell would want to live in CA?

Do you really think your reality is the same as most Californians?



...or even most Americans?

[plexiform]

Originally Posted by fintstone

Do you really think your reality is the same as most Californians?



...or even most Americans?

If all you have is ugliness in your heart, then you will only ever see ugliness. The pictures I’ve posted could be taken anywhere in the world. Maybe not a desert or beach, but the bright side of life. When I lived in Ohio, I had equally stunning scenery all around me because I looked for it. There was also homelessness and poverty there. When I lived in Pakistan, I saw poverty everywhere. I actually spent a fair amount of time photographing the poverty in a developing country, and it was quite depressing. This thread says “Why do people stay in California?” If you don’t want to see people answering that question, then why click on the thread? The pictures you are posting belong in a thread called “Reasons California is not all that perfect.” You remind me of the relative who has to $hit on everything during a family reunion. Did I suggest that my reality is the same as everyone’s? No I did not. If you are so disturbed by the poverty in California that you spend all your waking hours on the computer rambling on about it, maybe you should turn the computer off and go do something about it. Maybe go work in a food bank or homeless shelter, etc. I don’t know anything about you other than the fact that you viewed a bunch of beautiful pictures I posted and shat all over them trying to make the obvious point that California like any part of the planet has flaws. Are you so naive to think homelessness does not exist in every part of the world? Do you think drug addiction is absent in the Midwest or east coast?

[KFC911]

LOL... lighten up guys.... it's gonna be a great day !

Sunrise in 10 minutes... no pics from my ghetto tho'...

What's more beautiful.... sunrise at Atlantic Beach or sunset at Pacific Beach?

Thanks for sharing pics of CA.... I love to visit...

[Gretch]

California.............. great "Place", too bad about the people.

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by plexiform

Can't imagine why anyone would want to live here......except for....

The amazing backdrop for my 78 930...


And year round motorcycling weather....


And amazing displays of world class artistic expressions....


And sunsets worth dying for.......


Hilltop hikes with your kids whenever you want.....


Taking the truck to remote hiking spots after lunch just because you can.....


Getting to see views like this....


Escape reality and lose yourself in a desert within 10minutes from your home......


Jump on the adventure bike and really be in an adventure within minutes of leaving your driveway.......


And if there was nothing else in CA other than my hotrod 911 and a beautiful countryside road through the vineyards.....that would be the only reason I needed.


(All pics taken by me within 20minutes of my house)......But yeah who the hell would want to live in CA?

Man, looks like a barren dystopian nightmare.

[upsscott]

I’m currently visiting Texas. I could get super negative about things if I let myself. I mean, it’s not very pretty, it’s humid as hell, the food, while good, is not healthy, people walk around with guns strapped to their hips, road rage everywhere, and yes there are homeless people. Instead I focus on the beautiful sunsets, the nice hospitality, and my awesome son and his fiancé. This is a great country, you can find negatives and positives everywhere. It’s what you choose to see that matters.

[speeder]

Find can google photos of slums or people crapping in the street all day long and it won't change the fact that California is the most beautiful state in the Union. In fact, it's not even really close. Either half of California, (north or south), would probably win. To say that Kansas or Iowa are even remotely similar is a lie.

That's not to say that other places are not nice, I've been singing the praises of northern Wisconsin all year and Minneapolis remains one of the, if not the most beautiful smaller cities in the country. That doesn't change the equation wrt California. And yes, it's a huge state w big problems as well. But if you are talented and know how to live, it's a great place. Unbeatable, up until this year...we'll have to see going forward.

As a place to raise a family, I'd say not great unless you have a large income and the brains to know where to set down stakes within the state and send your kids to school, etc. I will concede that other parts of the country are a lot better, especially for middle-class people, which are most Americans. Still, I know people raising great kids in Los Angeles, not all rich but definitely all employed well.

Fint's posts often betray a lack of unbiased information gathering as well as anecdotal evidence, such as his brief stay somewhere in CA. He doesn't say where or what he was doing here, (military?), but it probably doesn't represent a broad range of experience. Other parts of the country are definitely better for some people, we see guys who like living in Oklahoma here. The Okies I've met in my life all left the place in a cloud of dust a looong time ago.

[Lexus4321]

To stay in CA? Free stuff of course. lol.

[fintstone]

I don't understand why people keep posting photos of scenery as if anyone claimed that California did not have beautiful forests or in a few places or some pretty mountains or beaches one could view off in the distance. No one I know of has ever claimed otherwise...or that the climate was not pretty nice in much of the state. That has nothing to do with the current problems of taxes, crime, homelessness or having to give up a lot of the freedoms one might enjoy elsewhere. There was a "free speech" rally in FS just yesterday where the peaceful protestors tried to speak against censorship by twitter) and were attacked and sent to the hospital by a violent mob. The poor black guy who organized the event was attacked and his teeth knocked out. It happens over and over and the police do not protect them. Whether you believe in free speech or not. CA was always seen as a place where you could peacefully express your views. There are blackouts and massive fires. While you can say that some of this same crap happens in other places too...it is just not a reality for most Americans. Maybe you folks that live there are just hardened by it...or are in denial. This is what people from the outside see when they see California. For example, When I lived in CA, I thought SF was pretty cool. this is what SF looks like to me now:

[group911@aol.co]

Seems like the best news for all involved is the fact that you no longer live there. I mean, living within 10 miles of a 24 hour Wallymart has to like the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Please tell us where that is so we can all start packing?

Originally Posted by fintstone

I don't understand why people keep posting photos of scenery as if anyone claimed that California did not have beautiful forests or in a few places or some pretty mountains or beaches one could view off in the distance. No one I know of has ever claimed otherwise...or that the climate was not pretty nice in much of the state. That has nothing to do with the current problems of taxes, crime, homelessness or having to give up a lot of the freedoms one might enjoy elsewhere. There was a "free speech" rally in FS just yesterday where the peaceful protestors were attacked and sent to the hospital by a violent mob. It happens over and over and the police do not protect them. There are blackouts and massive fires. While you can say that some of this same crap happens in other places too...it is just not a reality for most Americans. Maybe you folks that live there are just hardened by it...or are in denial. This is what people from the outside see when they see California. For example, When I lived in CA, I thought SF was pretty cool. this is what SF looks like to me now:

[CalPersFatCat]

69th and Orcutt!!!

I have spent thousands of hours in that exact neighborhood.

Eddie Snow whom I have known for almost 30 years, (who used to own over a hundred "Eddies Liquor" stores throughout LA County) has a "flagship" store (worldclass bullet resistant glass and shotgun port) just south of that photo ( 1 minute drive ) on the northwest corner of Artesia and Butler.



Happy to see Northtown represented as a typical SoCal Scenic Spot.

DL

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by group911@aol.co

Seems like the best news for all involved is the fact that you no longer live there. I mean, living within 10 miles of a 24 hour Wallymart has to like the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Please tell us where that is so we can all start packing?

It is certainly best for my family. Better to live where there is little crime or homelessness...where people still respect each others views enough to allow them to speak...than where exercising one's Constitutional rights is no longer allowed. Really no COVID scare/problems (except nursing homes closed to visitors per the state). Life goes on like it always has.

My local Walmart has not run out of anything I have needed this year and the prices are probably much lower than anything where you live...they are certainly less expensive than other choices for most things...so I am very satisfied with it.

I have lived all over the world (and all over the U.S.)...including California (yes, as pointed out, I was not wealthy or drive a Porsche turbo and park in Beverly Hills...so maybe I missed something). While I would love to live in parts of CA because of climate (and can certainly afford to now)...it is badly broke...and has been for a while. I own nine homes in six states currently...and would choose any of those ahead of CA at this moment. There are a lot of great people there (including some that post here), but if they don't see the problems, they choose not to (or simply have not lived elsewhere) Obviously some are there strictly for financial reasons or because their family/home is there...but that should not blind anyone to reality. It just is not what is once was...or could be.

Apparently you have chosen to live elsewhere as well.

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by fintstone

I don't understand why people keep posting photos of scenery as if anyone claimed that California did not have beautiful forests or in a few places or some pretty mountains or beaches one could view off in the distance. No one I know of has ever claimed otherwise...or that the climate was not pretty nice in much of the state. That has nothing to do with the current problems of taxes, crime, homelessness or having to give up a lot of the freedoms one might enjoy elsewhere. There was a "free speech" rally in FS just yesterday where the peaceful protestors tried to speak against censorship by twitter) and were attacked and sent to the hospital by a violent mob. The poor black guy who organized the event was attacked and his teeth knocked out. It happens over and over and the police do not protect them. Whether you believe in free speech or not. CA was always seen as a place where you could peacefully express your views. There are blackouts and massive fires. While you can say that some of this same crap happens in other places too...it is just not a reality for most Americans. Maybe you folks that live there are just hardened by it...or are in denial. This is what people from the outside see when they see California. For example, When I lived in CA, I thought SF was pretty cool. this is what SF looks like to me now:

I'm posting them for the same reason you post pictures trying to describe a bum dying on every street corner. It's a generalization.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by group911@aol.co

Except they are still moving to places like CA by the boat load. Just wondering why on earth they aren't moving to where you are - wherever that is- instead.

I call BS - show documentation on that one.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by fintstone

As many have noted, CA has natural beauty and great weather. We would all move there if it had not been so screwed up in other ways.

+1 (well at least a lot more people would move there if...)
Instead CA has one the highest percentages of people and businesses leaving. Another state in that situation is NY.

[RWebb]

California was fabulous - before the Indians got there

But it was still great - until the Spanish showed up

Then it was still really, really good - until the Americano's got there

Still really nice, but then the Okies flooded in

Still good tho - BUT then everybody else moved there after WWII

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by upsscott

I'm posting them for the same reason you post pictures trying to describe a bum dying on every street corner. It's a generalization.

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It was not a generalization at all (even though it seems that such is very common). They are not everywhere. No homeless encampments in front of celebrities homes or those of dotcom billionaires and professional athletes. The difference is that many on the west coast have become indifferent to such scenery and avert their eyes...pointing to natural scenery. Even one homeless encampment, one person being beat my a mob because he holds a difference of opinion, one person squatting on the street or one street littered with feces and needles is something that much of the nation has never seen...even once...and, if it did happen, most communities would find it totally unacceptable and try to do something about it. While there may be crime elsewhere, people in middle and rural America certainly don't look the other way. Law and order is basic to any society. You could place a stack of packages on my front porch while I was away for six months...and they would all be there when I got back. I could leave my 911s outside unlocked...and nothing would happen except they would rust. I can walk alone anywhere without fear, day or night...as long as I respect private property. The worst that would happen is a sheriff's car might roll up on me and ask if I need help. The scariest thing my family ever has to endure (other than my driving) is that someone from one of the local churches might show up at our front door and invite us to come to their church service on Sunday. Even then, they certainly take a polite no thank you as an answer and go away.

Sure, I would live to live in CA...and visited there occasionally until recently (last 8-10 years). In fact, I had planned a long trip there this year and possibly another next year which I will cancel. It was always a nice place to visit...but a hard place to live (unless wealthy)...and becoming a hard place to visit. Maybe locals know how to avoid dangerous neighborhoods and stay safe. I guess I would not as I would have thought the areas where the videos were taken above were safe (they were when I lived there).