Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Torn between moving to California (LA) or North Carolina...

Jimellow · 08-03-2006, 11:07 AM

Thanks for the replies. Lots of good information here.

To me, California seems like a wonderful place, but Los Angeles would not be on my list of ideal places for me to live; thus I suspect I am overrating the potential of rooming with a friend in a city I don't really desire going to. After doing some apartment rate checks for areas in and around LA, I am quite confident I couldn't afford living there if I wanted to, and a split rate would still be more expensive than what I would consider to be reasonable rent for someone my age.

I understand the desire for many younger people to flock to the big cities, but personally I am not attracted to intensely urban areas, again mostly due to me living in a smaller, but progressively more urbanized, area up to this point in my life. Whereas California is a very desirable place for me to move, Los Angeles would be one of the least desirable locations for me to relocate to within California, and this has mostly been reinforced since I made an effort to start researching it recently.

I think I tend to be a bit mature in regards to my desires. For instance, instead of a seeking an active night life and clubbing, I'd rather just settle down and enjoy a slower paced lifestyle. Based on my friends interests who are about my age (24), I'd consider this desire to be a bit unique; as they tend to prefer partying hard and living the "big city" life to the extent it is available here, whereas I would rather visit an art musuem, or go on a hike, and then come home and read into the night.

Lastly, I certainly don't consider this move to be a once and done deal, unless I do truly enjoy the area and want to spend a large portion of my life there. And while the option of moving to another part of California certainly does exist, I seem to keep coming back to North Carolina... And the more I find out about it, the more I like.

I think the big obstruction regarding Los Angeles for me is that if I were to move there with my friend, is that I would be the more disadvantaged of the two; having no job, limited income, and being in an area that appears to have a high cost of living. My friend will only go to LA if he has a job lined up, and while I don't really doubt my ability to get employment in LA, I do feel there would be a hefty amount of pressure to get a job that would be able to provide me with enough funding to pay the bills in an area that was respectable and not a ghetto/projects.

Conversely, the lower cost of living in North Carolina would allow me to focus more on enjoying life, and less on monetary gain in the efforts to pay the bills every month.

And lastly (not kidding this time), if I bring the decision strictly to a monetary level, I don't think I would live in Los Angeles at North Carolina rates, let alone at Los Angeles rates, as I would not list it as one of the cities I would desire moving to in California.

By now, I have pretty much answered my initial question, but I also don't want to provide closure to the thread. If anyone has responses or corrections to potential stereotyping on my end, I would welcome being set right. Also, I still would greatly appreciate further advice or opinions from those that are familiar with either location.

08-03-2006, 11:07 AM	#16 (permalink)
Jimellow Junkie	Thanks for the replies. Lots of good information here. To me, California seems like a wonderful place, but Los Angeles would not be on my list of ideal places for me to live; thus I suspect I am overrating the potential of rooming with a friend in a city I don't really desire going to. After doing some apartment rate checks for areas in and around LA, I am quite confident I couldn't afford living there if I wanted to, and a split rate would still be more expensive than what I would consider to be reasonable rent for someone my age. I understand the desire for many younger people to flock to the big cities, but personally I am not attracted to intensely urban areas, again mostly due to me living in a smaller, but progressively more urbanized, area up to this point in my life. Whereas California is a very desirable place for me to move, Los Angeles would be one of the least desirable locations for me to relocate to within California, and this has mostly been reinforced since I made an effort to start researching it recently. I think I tend to be a bit mature in regards to my desires. For instance, instead of a seeking an active night life and clubbing, I'd rather just settle down and enjoy a slower paced lifestyle. Based on my friends interests who are about my age (24), I'd consider this desire to be a bit unique; as they tend to prefer partying hard and living the "big city" life to the extent it is available here, whereas I would rather visit an art musuem, or go on a hike, and then come home and read into the night. Lastly, I certainly don't consider this move to be a once and done deal, unless I do truly enjoy the area and want to spend a large portion of my life there. And while the option of moving to another part of California certainly does exist, I seem to keep coming back to North Carolina... And the more I find out about it, the more I like. I think the big obstruction regarding Los Angeles for me is that if I were to move there with my friend, is that I would be the more disadvantaged of the two; having no job, limited income, and being in an area that appears to have a high cost of living. My friend will only go to LA if he has a job lined up, and while I don't really doubt my ability to get employment in LA, I do feel there would be a hefty amount of pressure to get a job that would be able to provide me with enough funding to pay the bills in an area that was respectable and not a ghetto/projects. Conversely, the lower cost of living in North Carolina would allow me to focus more on enjoying life, and less on monetary gain in the efforts to pay the bills every month. And lastly (not kidding this time), if I bring the decision strictly to a monetary level, I don't think I would live in Los Angeles at North Carolina rates, let alone at Los Angeles rates, as I would not list it as one of the cities I would desire moving to in California. By now, I have pretty much answered my initial question, but I also don't want to provide closure to the thread. If anyone has responses or corrections to potential stereotyping on my end, I would welcome being set right. Also, I still would greatly appreciate further advice or opinions from those that are familiar with either location. __________________ Desperation is no excuse for lowering one's standards.