Hello from SoCal

[amy]

New to the board, living in SoCal, hoping to move within the next year.
Currently working as a nurse.

[bee_pipes]

Howdy Amy! What part of SoCal? Spent about a decade living in San Diego County. Went back a few years ago on business and was surprised to see they had built more houses. Hope this next year passes quickly and you can make your getaway. Where ae you looking at moving to?

Regards,
Pat

[HockeyFan]

Glad you're here. I hope you're eventual relocation is agreeable to you. I've heard of a significant number of people over the past year or two that have either moved from Cal or will soon be moving. Most seem to be moving because of local politics and increased taxes. Obviously, it's not true in all cases, but I hope your relocation is to your satisfaction.

[B00kW0rm]

Hi! Welcome to the forum...I just know you're gonna love it here. Just jump right in and make yourself at home :).

[amy]

Thanks for the welcome.
To answer: I am in San Bernardino County, north of San Diego by about 100 miles.
On relocation: I am considering moving to the South, but can be flexible on this. What I want is a nice, small rural community, an old farm house, and a place for a garden and my animals.

Amy

[bee_pipes]

I grew up in Virginia and was amazed at the realestate that falls within San Bernadino county. Camped on the Colorado and made a few trips to 29 palms, never left the county. You have about every climate except ocean - lots of beach, just no ocean. I have cousins living in Riverside and Ontario - not a shabby area if you want to do the suburban thing and have the money to keep your head above water. Are you in one of the bigger towns or out in the boonies?

The south isn't too bad. Gets badly muggy during the summer, but makes you appreciate the nice days and culls the weenies out. Winters are mild - Tennessee is about as far north as I ever want to live. If it was nice all the time this place would be as crowded as California (and a lot more expensive). Land is pretty reasonable and water is a lot easier to come by. Long growing seasons. Don't know that I'd recommend Florida - all due respect to Florida members here. It's a big state, but people are moving there in droves and the Gulf climate is a bit extreme.

Regards,
Pat

[amy]

Bee Pipes,

When I first bought my place I was in the booonies, but development has caught up and surrounded me.
The dirt road where I used to ride my horse is now a 6 lane road full of racing SUVs.

Tennessee is really beautiful, but isn't the growth rate pretty brisk?

Amy

[bee_pipes]

Around the cities, yes. I used to live and work in Nashville - business was good - though the economy was much better then. We are now about 90 miles away from my old place of work. We're retired, so can get by without living in commuting distance of work. I did it for the first three months we lived here and don't recommend it. Gas was a lot cheaper then too. The drive added 3.5 to 4 hours to my work day.

There are some real boonies here and in Kentucky. I wouldn't want to go much further east - it kind of flattens out heading towards Memphis. The real boonies are between Nashville and Knoxville - in a region called the Plateau. Like a lot of other rural areas in the country, there is no work. The new moonshine - crystal meth - has taken hold of a lot of these rural counties. The countryside is beautiful, land can be had for a reasonable amount - your California dollars will go a lot further, but you can't be too careful of the neighborhood. WRTN, another member here, lives in the county below mine. He has a lot of stories about living in a rough neighborhood and corrupt county governments.

I don't know much about living in Kentucky, but the place is drop dead georgeous. I suspect they have a lot of the same problems. Winters are a little colder up there and altitude shortens the growing season, but still better than the cold north.

I grew up in Northern Virginia - really more part of DC than Virginia. Lots of money, lots of people, and lots of concrete. The rest of the state is nice and has a variety of geography and climates. The state government is a bit of a PITA, but you can say that about anywhere. Again, after California, you will be more puzzled by antiquated tax codes and traditions, rather than the craziness I see on the news about California state and cities.

On a side note, our Govenor is having early retirement for state employees. If they don't meet their quota, there will be lay-offs. I see Schwartenager is getting ready to cut the pay rate for your state employees. I am guessing pay cuts will not affect your state legislators, judges, or executive branch. I'd definitely take that as a hint to get out of there - the social services out there require a lot of money to keep it running and they'll take money from law enforcement before they curb entitlements.

You have my symapthies - I hope you get a good price for your place and can make your getaway before the SUVs and ATVs wind up in your lap.

Best of luck to you.

Regards,
Pat