Is Southern Cali worth the move?

[Casper250]

I've been thinking about moving to SoCal for a while now and was wondering if any one else has made the move lately? I'm in New York now and I'm getting sick of living in the same town that I grew up in. I've given myself till the end of this racing season(october) to find a place to move to. I have it down to the Maryland/Virginia/D.C area or Southern Cali. I went to school for 3 years right out side of DC in Maryland so I know what that area is like but I have never been to any where in Southern Cali before.

The thing is with So Cal is that I keep thinking of all the bad things about Cali when I think of living there. First off would be the cost of living and other things like all the BS with registering a dirtbike and things like that. I mean, I read post by people that hate Cali and other post by people that love it there.

I just wanted to get opinions from people who ride dirtbikes what they think of SoCal?

 

[Okiewan]

I thought the trend is to leave SoCal?

 

[twoofeach]

Do you like sitting in a car for a few hours a day? Dirtbike registration will probably be the least of your problems. Industry headquarters so that doesn't suck. I would recommend you coming out and getting a taste. It's probably alot like NY so it's not like you're coming from Mayberry.

 

[TwinSpar]

It's probably alot like NY so it's not like you're coming from Mayberry.

Same political persuasion too... It's a left coast version of where you're at but with fewer seasonal changes. ;)

I'd live there... if it weren't for the people already there... with a few exceptions... Those would be the cool DRN folks! :cool:

 

[CaptainObvious]

I thought the trend is to leave SoCal?

Not according to GoSpeedRacer and Mr. Luckey :coocoo:

 

[mkellycole]

I live here. Traffic city, LA - Riverside CA, near all the motocross you can handle and cops chasing you everywhere you ride except in designated OHV areas. Emmig, McGrath , Murreitta, Canyon Lake. A lot of guys started out here. The desert, Glamis and a bunch of others are under attach by the leftists who are forcing everyone to hug a turtle. There are 5 tracks within 45 minutes from my house.
Where are you in New York? Anything west of Albany and it may as well be Cali except for the snow. The girls are better here. Sorry, you may enjoy it here better. Beach, snow and water ski and ride within 45 minutes any direction. Got a job? School?

 

[MrLuckey]

I've never been anywhere even close to it for the dirtbike riding (awesome) or for the weather (awesome). The only downside is the cost of 'HOUSING' (don't let everyone make you think everything is more expensive, it isn't), housing is the only thing that really bites you. We are currently trying to get ourselves back out there. Decide what things are most important to you and go from there. Some people want a 5,000 sq ft house in nowheresville with horrid winters, blazing summers and minimal riding areas. Others prefer a more modest house, awesome weather 365 and a plethora of riding areas, what do you prefer?

PS funny thing is that about the only people you will see really put Cali (esp SoCal) living down is folks that DON'T live there lmao :nener:

 

[mkellycole]

You're right on! Housing doubled EVERWHERE this last 3 years. You have to come with cash and don't buy now, get with someone who knows the market and keep your cash until you can bounce on an opportunity. Best riding too. I travel all over the country and there are a lot of cool places. Ca. is the only place to stay for me. You're right about another thing, people who don't live here put it down all the time cause they think we only work 4 hours a day and either surf or ride bikes the restof the time! By the way, my daughter is moving to Denver where the apts are 600 bucks instead of 1100. And the riding is great there from April til Nov.

 

[Thump]

I lived in San Diego for almost 15 years. Great weather, great place to visit, would never call it home. Moved back to Texas and called it good.

 

[Okiewan]

what do you prefer?

No mud slides, no fire, no brown-air smog, no earth quakes, no mind numbing traffic, no $500K mobile homes, no hard pack tracks, no .. uh.... the list goes on.

The ONLY thing SoCal has to offer is Aimee being "happy" and no seasons.

 

[bclapham]

LOL! i would like to stay here, but the median house price where we are is $500K. but i think thats a conservative estimate, ive not seen anything locally less than that and most regular 2-3 bedroom places are starting at $700-800!!!! A friend put it to me that if we move out east, it could be the difference between retiring at 55 vs 60!

the funny thing is, many people that come to stay with us are surprized at what a nice place it is, yet not many people have a smile on their face! every day on the raods its like people are out to kill you, we also see a lot of the me,me, me self centered attitude, but i suppose most big cities are like that

 

[bclapham]

oh, Glen Helen and Cahuilla creek aside, i think the tracks are over rated!

 

[Tony Eeds]

Billy just left ...

The Third Coast ... that is where it is at, baby!!!

24 hours to Reno
17 hours to Moab
12 hours to Colorado
4 hours to the Gulf
4 hours to Cooperland (DirtWeek :yeehaw: )
1 1/2 hour to Muenster


Real Chili
The Home of BBQ

 

[mtk]

There isn't enough money in the world to make me move to Cali.

The only "red" or "green" stickers my bike has on it are motorcycle product stickers and I like it that way.

 

[kelsorat]

Well I live here, and I'm going to put it down Ed. Everything costs more, not just housing but Food, Natural Gas, Utilities, Fuel etc,,,oddly enough the two things that are cheaper--water and Real Estate Taxes, go figure.
We have two insanely liberal Senators who hate Dirt Bikers and will never be voted out of office. The traffic sucks, State is broke so our roads and highways are falling apart. Emergency rooms are closing up because illegal aliens are flooding the state and costing us taxpayers 2.1 billion bucks to support. Manfacturing is leaving the state. There will be no middle class here in 10 years.
Upside,, well the riding is great, the weather is nice, women are beautiful errrr (I only look, no touch), and the people are very laid back and open-minded, which is a good thing.

 

[velosapiens]

PS funny thing is that about the only people you will see really put Cali (esp SoCal) living down is folks that DON'T live there lmao :nener:

well duh. if you're dumb enough to live there, you're dumb enough to like it (lol).

seriously, i grew up in socal (west san fernando valley). since then i've lived in santa barbara, santa cruz, sonoma county, sacramento and southern germany (hmm, i never noticed everywhere i live starts with 's'), then truckee and now ely. i personally would never, ever, under any circumstances consider going back to socal. i just hate traffic and smog and crowds and all that. i'm also not a big fan of heat, dust, and repressive anti-ohv policies. i suppose it's a better place to live for dirtbiking than new york, but i vastly prefer small towns where i can ride 1000's of miles from my door, ski in the winter within 10 minutes (and ride in the winter if i'm willing to drive an hour), actually afford a house, etc...

if i were just interested in riding, i'd be thinking about idaho, not cali.

mw

 

[Tony Eeds]

...and the people are very laid back and open-minded, which is a good thing.

Except for the ecofreaks.

I particularly like their liberal tendancies regarding illegal immigration. It keeps the pressure off the other border states :nener:

 

[Ol'89r]

I thought the trend is to leave SoCal?

No, that's Oklahoma.
Although, I have heard that Oklahoma is, well, errr,,, ok. :rotfl: ;) :moon: :nener:

 

[dante]

if you can handle the heat in the summer Joshaua Tree is nice... It gets over 110 at times, but it is very dry nothing like NY or Illinois, humidity feels worse than desert heat trust me... I rent a two bedroom house with a garage and a very large yard for 575 per month... I've seen houses for sale for under 100,000 on 2 or more acres... Yucca Valley, JT, 29 Palms if you love to ride this is a great place... It all depends were you want to live... If your bent on living in OC your gonna pay and be stuck in traffic SDC too and of course LA... No traffic in the desert ever for me on my way to work... Nor cal is cool too don't rule it out either... also I ride right out of my drive way on my kx and there are tons of trails all over the place... everyone rides here... we even have motocross tracks in the middle of no place that locals groom regularly.... I grew up in Illinois and I can't imagine living through a winter again or a humid summer...
There is no regulation for riding dirt bikes out here... nobody checks for stickers or anything like that were I ride... If you go to ride offical OHV areas were people are regularly drinking heavely and gettin themselves killed you can expect to see some enforcement... no biggie, just comply it's easy... have a spark arrestor, whatever... don't break the law, simple as that... going to the DMV no big deal wait in line pay the fee, next time send it in... I think so cal is the best... I say do it... I been here 13 years now and I love it...

 

[a454elk]

I think me 89r and I are going to move outta state soon!! This place is out of control, and it's getting worse. Not sure if there's and end in sight, sadly. Honestly, if I had the chance and it could work, I'd leave here, the riding is great BUT, there are so many other negatives that it's hard to justify someone wanting to move here, let alone staying here. Don't get me wrong, the weather is great, the people, other than the DRNer's are poopy and the costs are crazy. Sure the money you make is higher, maybe, but homes and everything else is way too high. You have to be in the rat race just to survive, not a good thing. I get tired of the way people are, the thoughts they have and the ideas they bring to light. Hate to say it but moving here would not be an option for me if I was out of state. Do your homework ahead of time, once you are here, and then want to leave, it'll cost a bundle. Good luck!

 

[Tony Eeds]

... Honestly, if I had the chance and it could work, I'd leave here...

The DPS and Rangers always need a few good men. :cool:

 

[scar tissue]

Opinions vary, you can see the good and the bad in everything and everywhere. I've liked everywhere I've every lived. from Socal to Indiana to South Dakota to Conn. You can find fun and good times if thats what you're looking for. FYI, I really liked Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida on my many visits.

Honeslty, if offroad riding is your thing. I've never found a more diverse place than Socal. Yes, there is endless miles of desert, but even that has some fun varring terrain. We also have mountains of pine forests with single track trails with stream crossings, we have open dunes both in the desert and my favorite on the coast. Not to mention all the fun stuff in Mexico. I race enduros out here and they vary the spots to mix in different ares.

If you read into all the figthing the evro nazi's threads, it doesn't sound like much fun. Sure we need to be active to save our areas, but read some of the ride reports in the so cal forum. You never see a bad one, even when the temps drop to 68 degrees and you have to change out of yoru vented gear to regular gear. Still no complaints. :)

The best advice is to come visit. post when your heading out, someone in the socal forum always has a ride going. There are places you can rent decent bikes to check it out for yourself.


For you negitive types:

Yeah we have traffic, but what major city doesn't, yeah we have some smog, again same response, Yes housing is expensive, but so is every other major city. yes we have earthquakes, but one of the biggest recorded in the country was in St Louis. everwhere can have earthquakes, Hollywood just makes our famous. We have forest and brush fires, all forests do it's a part of nature.

Other areas have blizzards and freezing, stay inside all winter, temps. Most of them have lots of flying bugs and humidity, my wife can't stand either which is why we live here again. Oklahoma and Tx have Tornados. most of the east coast has Hurricanes. Like I said pick your poison. You can look at every place for it's negitaves. Or you can enjoy life and focus on the positve things and work on fixing the negatives.

FYI we also have 3 supercrosses :yeehaw:

Good luck on your decision.

 

[gospeedracer]

OMG!! How did I miss this thread?!

The ONLY thing SoCal has to offer is Aimee being "happy"

Damned straight! :)

Socal girl born and raised here. I was sort of like you. I had lived in pretty much the same place most of my life and when the opportunity to live somewhere else came up I thought, well, what the heck, I'll try something new and we moved to the Midwest.

Well, I gave it a try and it's not for me. You can take the girl out of socal temporarily but it won't be long before she will chew her foot off to get back home. ;)

Turns out the Midwest is definitely NOT for me. I miss CA too much. Socal is in my blood and in my heart and now we're moving back! :)

Sure it is less expensive to live here and I could have way more here than I can back home but like Eddie said, it's what's important to YOU. Having a big fancy house, car, etc. isn't as important to me as being near my family and friends and being where I feel happy. I much prefer the warm climate and the other things like the beach, mountains & cities than all those other material things. I'd rather live in a shack on the ocean than in a mansion in the middle of nowhere where I wasn't happy.

If you are thinking of trying something new I say go for it. What's the worst that can happen? You don't like it you go home.

Oh ya, and from a dirtbike perspective, if you don't like millions and millions of acres available to ride on practically 356 days of the year, then you probably better not move to CA. ;)
And big deal, so there is a sticker program. It has never effected me. Even IF you do end up getting a red sticker, so you can't ride in the desert during a couple of months, the hottest months of the year. Whhaaaa.

 

[Okiewan]

No, that's Oklahoma.

And I'm leaving :)

There are a couple of good things about OK... if you MX, there are several great tracks. Cost of living is super low. Oh and it's Red.. in more ways than one, lol.

That's it.

 

[kelsorat]

So my wife was right when she said I'm a pessimist