9 Reasons Not to Live in California (Better Options)

If you live in California and are considering moving to a new state, there are many reasons why it might be best for you to stay put. The weather is great, the job market is booming and housing costs are low – but that’s just about where the positives end.

In this blog post we give you our Top 9 Reasons Not to Live in California!

Why Not Live in California?

Is it a bad idea to relocate to California?

It’s hard to tell, but people who do tend to like it.

The air is clear and the sun shines almost every day. The weather is pleasant and recreational activities abound: surfing, skiing and skateboarding – the choice is yours. The lifestyle is laid back and relaxed, and yet if you like excitement and variety the options are limitless: festivals, fairs, rodeos and car races to name a few.

What else could you want? Well if you want more money there’s a problem. The living expenses are high and wages are low compared to the rest of the country. It is hard even for people who have good jobs to make ends meet.

You might want to live in a nice house among the oaks and redwoods just like in the movies, but that is going to be expensive too. While other people love to stay in California, there are some people who complain of acute overcrowding, traffic jams and overrated shopping malls.

9 Reasons Not to Live in California

On the other hand, while checking out common reasons why others don’t want to live in California, I have here reasons why you should not live in California.

Reason # 1: Cost of Living is Skyrocketing.

The cost of living in California is skyrocketing. It is hard for people on low incomes to live here and remain productive at the same time.

When it comes to housing, you’ll find only a few affordable ones. A place may be affordable, but you’ll have to deal with a low quality of life.

Reason # 2: Weather is not that great.

A lot of sunny days may be a selling point but it also means scorching hot summers and freezing cold winters. Colder than mid winter weather in some parts of California.

The weather is not predictable and it is not moderate. You can’t wear shorts and flip-flops 24/7.

Even if you like the weather, there’s a good chance that you’ll be stuck in traffic for an hour or two (or more) to get to work everyday.

Reason # 3: Traffic is the worst in US.

The traffic in California is among the worst in America and getting worse every year. It takes forever to get from one place to another here when you consider all the stops and starts and slowdowns for this, that and everything else.

Reason # 4: Industries are leaving.

The state is losing its industry base every year and the number of people living in California continues to grow because immigration. This trend will continue until it reaches a point where there simply aren’t enough jobs for all the new immigrants to fill in. And then what?

Reason # 5: You can smell LA before you see it.

California air is the worst and filled with smog and pollution. California water is just as bad and you can’t always drink tap water without running it through a filter first at home.

Reason # 6: High taxes, higher prices.

The state has one of the highest tax rates in America which means everything cost more here. You simply will not get the same value for your money elsewhere because of all the taxes you have to pay just to live.

Reason # 7: It’s crowded everywhere you go.

California has more people living in it than anywhere else in America these days, making it the most populous state in America. This means you are never alone here but always surrounded by someone else… which could be good or bad depending on what it is you look for in life. But crowded doesn’t mean happiness these days either, just more people to compete with everywhere you go all the time.

Reason # 8: People are rude and unfriendly.

Californians are among the rudest people in America these days and it’s getting worse all the time… I do not know why this is so but I am convinced it must be because of overcrowding, since more people means you live with less space per person. It makes sense that having to live like that one would lose their social skills and patience for others, turning them into a rude person.

Reason # 9: Public Transportation is limited.

California is not a walking state and people here drive everywhere they go even if that means walking to the bus stop only to take two buses just to get somewhere and back.

The public transportation system in California is limited and next to useless (except for those who need it for getting around). Just like weather, public transportation will depend on where you live. For some areas, you’ll have a bus which stops every hour or two… not to mention all the walking you’ll be doing to get from one bus stop to another which is usually far apart from each other.

California FAQs When In Doubt to Live

Being a California resident can be an advantage if you ever need emergency help. Notwithstanding the ability of any first responder to assist a person at a desperate moment, there may come a time when certain conditions should arise that would warrant assistance beyond your first responders – and these instances may require special tools not available to all response agencies.

However, there are some questions you may want to ask when you are in doubt of staying in California.

Why?

Because there are also top reasons why it’s not good to stay in California.

Let’s have some of the related FAQs:

Q: What are the top reasons why I should leave California?

A: The most important reasons include high unemployment rate, lack of career opportunities, heavy traffic congestion, expensive cost of living and housing, high medical expenses and an especially corrupt government.

Q: How about those top reasons why I shouldn’t stay in California?

A: These include the highest number of chronically homeless people in the United States, the highest number of unemployed residents, homelessness rate increased by 8% in two years, high cost of housing and rent – making it extremely unaffordable to buy or keep a house, lack of business opportunities due to expensive electricity rates and mediocre transit system.

Q: What are the best places in America to live?

A: The top states for living include North Dakota, Minnesota and New Hampshire – while the top cities are Fargo, Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Manchester. These states have a low cost of living, high education percentage, low unemployment rate and high income after housing costs.

Q: What can I do if I want to stay in California?

A: You may consider buying a home that is considered to be an “affordable housing” – but you need to pay for this with cash. Otherwise, you will not get the house unless you agree to take out a loan for 100% of the worth of the property. That’s the California real estate reality.

Also, you can consider moving to a friendlier state – where jobs are available and affordable at the same time.

Q: What is “affordable housing” in California?

A: You have two options – being able to pay for half of your income every month on rent or paying full price for a house. This means that the only way to buy a home in California is to have all cash.

Q: I still want to live in California. What are my options?

A: You can settle to living with your parents, take up a roommate or rent out the spare room of your home – just don’t forget that these means will cost you extra money to pay for expenses or taxes. This may mean less money available for savings and investments that can grow into a sustainable source of future income.

Q: What are the main reasons why I should move out of California?

A: The top reasons include saving more money, buying a home is easier when you have less competition in your area, having better opportunities for work and business, experiencing lower costs of living including cheaper food, clothing and petrol.

Q: What are the places in the US where I can buy a house with cash?

A: Fargo, North Dakota, is one of these places – where you can get more than 3% percent return on your investment. Another good place for this kind of investment is Atlanta, Georgia. In Atlanta, you can also find high rental yield – with a return of more than 8% on your investment. This is the kind of cash flow you need to start saving and investing.

I hope these FAQs have helped you understand what to do when in doubt about staying in California or moving out.

Leaving California – What are Other Options?

If you want to leave California, what are your options?

Here’s a list of some other places to live in the USA.

Texas

Texas is the second largest state in the Union. In fact, it’s twice as large as all of New England! The Lone Star State’s biggest attraction, other than its size, is that Texans are fiercely independent. They don’t look to the government for solutions and they certainly don’t want to be told what to do – a quality somewhat lacking in California these days. The Texas economy is growing, its population is booming and it leads all of the other United States in exports.

Texas is hot – very hot – but that’s part of the reason Texans are so independent: they don’t want any outside interference or advice on how to run their state or manage its natural resources.

Culture in Texas is unique, with strong Hispanic and Western influences. Their state motto “Friendship” is an accurate reflection of their attitude toward outsiders.

The cost of living in Texas may be lower than other large states like California or New York because the real estate costs are reasonable relative to incomes.

And there’s no state income tax!

Arizona

There is plenty of outdoor recreation like hiking, biking, golfing and climbing. And what about the Grand Canyon? Lots of people go there every year.

Arizona is very hot in the summer but it also has some milder climates along its rivers in the northern section of the state. The temperature in the southern part of Arizona is almost always over 100 degrees so people who live there have to have air conditioning just about year around. That’s probably why they’re all Republicans down there!

But the northern parts of the state have a more moderate climate that attracts tourists from California and other colder states during the winter months.

Arizona is not as hot in the winter months, has very little snow and it’s far enough north that there are four distinct seasons.

The real estate prices in Arizona are comparable to California but incomes are somewhat lower because the cost of living is also somewhat lower. There’s no state income tax either!

Nevada

The Golden State is an expensive place to live due to high taxes, housing costs and pricey everything. Nevada has great weather all year around, no state income tax and some of the fastest growing cities in America.

Nevada is a huge state with lots of room for new residents who are tired of California’s increasing restrictions on living an “acceptable” lifestyle.

Vegas is just a couple of hours away but the legal brothels are in another county so you won’t have to worry about any of that “funny business.”

Nevada has lots of open space, relatively low population density and some great recreation areas along its borders with California, Oregon and Arizona. Nevada’s one of the most libertarian states in America and it’s very business friendly.

Conclusion – Reasons Not to Live in California

In conclusion, it’s important that you weigh the pros and cons before moving somewhere because California has many great perks but also some significant drawbacks. While it can be a nice place to live if you’re willing to make certain sacrifices

Many people come into California and fall in love with the state, but then realize that it’s not what they expected – which is why you should do your research before making such an important decision about where you want to live for at least one year.

The best way to find out if you’ll be happy in California is to visit the state and see how you feel while staying here. If it’s not for you then there are plenty of other states that might suit your lifestyle better – but if this sounds like a place where you could live without too much trouble then maybe California is right for you!