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Where to live in USA (was Fl or Ca)?

Edouard said:
Hi everybody
My soups and I have the purpose to go to CA next year IF we get the GC lottery (my soups was selected for the DV-2015). We hesitated on the first time between LA, Miami and NY but opted for LA cause my spouse (French, like me) is an artist, singer and actress. Me, I'm a writer (novelist). But we never went to LA nor CA, only a week in NY for NY's Eve under the snow! (so coooold! and 24 hours in the airport before departure at the return). So, even if NY is a great city with we like, we thing LA is better according to the weather, the people (coolest?), artists, Hollywood, etc. And even if the price are high in LA, they are lower than in Manhattan! (and we don't want to live in the Queen's).
But are we RIGHT?
Please let us know according to your experience, honorable ladies and gentlemen...
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Ok so firstly... Everyone is different right and what one hates another loves. I just want to say a few things:
On the weather. Some people I know (all from a hot sunny climate originally) have the "there's no bad weather, only bad gear" attitude while others hate the northeastern winters.
Queens...has many neighborhoods. Some are not very far from manhattan at all. Some are really lovely neighborhoods and homes (that rival prices in the Bay Area) for a slightly longer commute. New Jersey is also an option just the other side of the river.
If you live in manhattan you can probably get away with not owning a car. If you live in LA, you will probably need a car and face the city's famous traffic. Also I am not sure if this is still an issue, but when I was there last the smog was ...incredible. You can actually breathe easier in manhattan. I know NY well, I don't know LA very well, but I would take manhattan, weather and all, over LA any day. That's partly a people thing too. I (again not wanting to offend anyone just my opinion) find LA people pretty plastic and superficial. I include old schoolfriends who just seem to have..changed since they moved there. Big difference (again my opinion) to San Diego (relaxed happy people enjoying life) or NorCal (cosmopolitan cool people). Of course these are all sweeping generalisations but it is what generally gels with my admittedly limited experience of CA. We are not even looking at anything in LA because we just don't want to be there. My one cousin turned down a really good job offer for the same reason (and he has spent a lot more time there than I have). But...my old schoolfriends love it and wouldn't be anywhere else...it is all so subjective.
Of course, there are other places in SoCal that are not LA, and may work for you depending on how often you actually need to be in LA.
Right I am guessing I have been absolutely no help here :oops:
At the end of the day, you are going to be trialling wherever you end up, so ...good luck!
 
I agree with Susie, that L.A. is very 'plastic' and the smog is sometimes unbearable. The 'plastic' factor and energy of people can sometimes sneak up on you, i.e. when you visit or when you initially move there it seems like an amazing place, but after a few months the feeling of everyone always being on, being on a constant audition for everyone around them whenever they are out in public, with no real substance underneath it all, can hollow you out and make you feel disconnected.

My brother lives in West Hollywood, and if I had to live in L.A. that is the only neighborhood I could handle. Its a bit more eclectic, you can walk to most conveniences (even though most still drive), and people are just slightly more down to earth. WH is full of people starting out, who still have some of their charm and character from whichever other place they've moved from, so it is easier to find friends and others trying to get into acting, singing, writing, etc.

My brother, like me, is self-employed in the engineering field, but his hobby is the film business and he works constantly in the independent film world as a producer, script-retoucher and cinematographer. But I can see that living down there has really changed him.

But as others have said, everyone reacts differently, and everyone will resonate differently with different area. You might love L.A. and it might not grate on you. All you can do is give it a try for a few months, explore the different neighborhoods and cities farther out (but still in L.A. county), and see if you can find a perfect fit.
 
OnTheGo said:
... We lived in Brisbane, Australia for over seven years and it certainly often felt a bit too hot and muggy during the long summer months...especially when you are renting and there is NO air conditioning.
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Any heat, humid or dry, is hard to deal with in Australian homes, most of which are built poorly for the environment - single-paned windows, no wall insulation, and ceiling insulation only being a recent building code requirement. I also don't understand the Australian attitude towards a/c - like you're a wuss if you prefer comfortable indoor temperatures (our a/c is set to 81F/27C) rather than sweating it out in a Dutch Oven for 6 months. Then in the winter, when it can still get down to near zero Celsius many nights (in Perth, at least), the same poorly insulated house turns into an ice-box. It'd be like not having central heating in many northern cities. I don't mind the heat here in Florida as much as I thought I would but then I'm not outside digging ditches in it either. I'd probably mind it a bit then.

If you're thinking San Diego, watch for poorly insulated houses there too, especially the older homes. The one we lived in for 5 months in the winter of 2011/12 was cold and had only two wall heaters in the whole house. We had the fireplace on most nights and burned through 2 cords of wood. We'd visit friends and they were all in the same boat, only a few had central heating as they were in newer homes. It got quite cold, and often damp, in San Diego (had to buy boots and a wool coat!). We'd always been during warmer months before, so it was a surprise. Things you only learn once you actually live in a place.

...

OnTheGo said:
You see, a few days ago I read some news coverage about property prices in Sydney and Australia in general, which reminds me of your comments on the California property market:
The average (!) Sydney property price now stands at $678,500 (houses on average $800,000 & units on average $576,000) - down about 1% in May, but up 3.8% this year to date, and up 16.6% compared to the same time last year. The average (!) property in all of Australia now stands at $540,000!
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Ludicrous, isn't it? Country at the bottom of the earth, arse end of nowhere, and they want those prices! Then everything else is so dear on top of it all.

OnTheGo said:
BTW...while we found grocery prices in all of Australia ridiculously overprized, compared to most of Europe (not sure about the UK), often up to triple what they charge in Germany (which is ridiculously cheap!), we actually realized that the most common grocery chain in Florida seems to be PUBLIX, with rather steep prices, too. It took a bit of searching for alternative shopping, i.e. we quite liked some of the latino supermarkets and then there was a Walmart here and there (plus a good'ol German ALDI which we found on the Gulf of Mexico).
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I love Publix but I always shop specials, like BOGOs and such. There's also Winn-Dixie which is cheaper for meats. Sweetbay is also nice. Walmart is eeeeeevil, don't you know? ;) Costco is our preference; I buy my olive oil, prosciutto, parmesan, goat cheese, hummus, Greek yoghurt, wine, and other necessities, etc. there. But I miss Sprouts in San Diego! So I look for small markets which are few and far between but they're there.

OnTheGo said:
What are grocery prices and general cost of living in California, compared to FL if you exclude the cost of rental?
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Grocery prices are, imo, slightly cheaper in California. But they take your savings back at the gas pump. And through your property taxes, and electricity bills, and state income tax, car licensing fees, etc., etc. The cost of living in paradise. :D

You sound like your heart's set on California. Go for it. You can always move later. And it doesn't have to be to Florida either.
 
Edouard said:
We are really to thing about it! LA vs NY… -)
What about the good reasons to live in NY then?
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Gee...where to start...
Buzzing, exciting, always something new happening somewhere, a gazillion museums, art galleries, theaters, etc. people from everywhere, the archetypal melting pot. Opportunities galore. The main drawback of Manhattan in particular is the population density - that may not be for everyone. But I just love the city. There is honestly no excuse to ever get bored. What you may miss is a bit of outdoorsy stuff, Central Park in summer is a lovely antidote to the buildings, and a bit of a commute can take you to a beach.
The other advantage of NY of course for those from Europe is that it's relatively quick to hop on a plane back home for a visit ( or just to go travelling).
 
Thanks everybody… I think posting a new thread about this interesting and fundamental question: NY vs LA, cause here Florida was in cause… And even if Miami seems to be a beautiful place, I don't speak spanish at all, I hate mosquitos and heavy humid heat and I don't want to cross Dexter's road! So meet you all on the new thread!
 
Vichel said:
....Ludicrous, isn't it? Country at the bottom of the earth, arse end of nowhere, and they want those prices! Then everything else is so dear on top of it all.

...I love Publix but I always shop specials, like BOGOs and such. There's also Winn-Dixie which is cheaper for meats. Sweetbay is also nice. Walmart is eeeeeevil, don't you know? ;) Costco is our preference; I buy my olive oil, prosciutto, parmesan, goat cheese, hummus, Greek yoghurt, wine, and other necessities, etc. there. But I miss Sprouts in San Diego! So I look for small markets which are few and far between but they're there.

....Grocery prices are, imo, slightly cheaper in California. But they take your savings back at the gas pump. And through your property taxes, and electricity bills, and state income tax, car licensing fees, etc., etc. The cost of living in paradise. :D
.
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@Vichel - I wanted to thank you for your post, I appreciate your insights. I remember some of your posts from end of last year/early this year....

I was wondering how you are finding it in FL in general so far....may I ask where in FL you live and whether you are working in a job for a living, or perhaps are self-employed? I think you have now been there for a year or so, correct? Each and every info would help,...i.e. what the employment market is like and how the working conditions compare to Australia? Have you considered buying a property or perhaps already gone through the process? You can PM me, too if you prefer...cheers.

Re: California or Florida ... to be honest, I find the difference in quality of life and cost of living in say a modern condo with water views in FL, even Miami compared to most places in California....staggering.
Yes, I would prefer hilly coastlines and more variety of landscapes within 3 hours of driving. I might also prefer the dry sunny weather over humidity, however from a day to day perspective, I imagine living in the LA or San Francisco areas quite stressful unless you can in fact live in some of the nice neighborhoods that are equally close to downtown, water and work (and that means the most expensive real estate that the US has to offer - lol)
 
OnTheGo said:
@Vichel - I wanted to thank you for your post, I appreciate your insights. I remember some of your posts from end of last year/early this year....

I was wondering how you are finding it in FL in general so far....may I ask where in FL you live and whether you are working in a job for a living, or perhaps are self-employed? I think you have now been there for a year or so, correct? Each and every info would help,...i.e. what the employment market is like and how the working conditions compare to Australia? Have you considered buying a property or perhaps already gone through the process? You can PM me, too if you prefer...cheers.

Re: California or Florida ... to be honest, I find the difference in quality of life and cost of living in say a modern condo with water views in FL, even Miami compared to most places in California....staggering.
Yes, I would prefer hilly coastlines and more variety of landscapes within 3 hours of driving. I might also prefer the dry sunny weather over humidity, however from a day to day perspective, I imagine living in the LA or San Francisco areas quite stressful unless you can in fact live in some of the nice neighborhoods that are equally close to downtown, water and work (and that means the most expensive real estate that the US has to offer - lol)
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The words "water views" adds big bucks in the USA. BIG BUCKS.
 
A long lost friend of mine (who I stayed with in Rio de Janeiro in 1988) now lives in Miami in one of those towers adjacent to Aventura shopping mall. He's got water views and is surrounded by golf courts. I am not exactly sure what he paid for his condo, or how much it is worth now, but there seem plenty of 2 br condos around all those areas in the $200k-$400k mark, all with water views. For $500,000 you would not even get a 1 br unit anywhere around Santa Monica or surrounds I think, and those few ones I have seen, look like from the 1950's or worse. Maybe I have not looked thoroughly enought, though...
 
Bear in mind as bad as some places in California were hit by the housing crash, Florida was absolutely pummeled. It had a massive oversupply of housing that went up in the boom times, and from what I understand this is still far from exhausted, so yes prices will probably be cheap for a while. It may also be a reflection of other issues (from crime to jobs to hurricane vulnerability to sinkholes) so as long as one is aware why a particular area seems cheap or expensive and what you are buying beyond the # of square feet, all well and good.

Also I'm not sure where in Miami you mean (been there years ago and not sure what areas are and aren't nice) so just make sure you are comparing similar types of areas. $200k for a condo sounds absolutely dirt cheap to me, and that is not just comparing to the Bay Area...
 
Water-view or not, be wary of condo fees. The more amenities the condo has: community pool, tennis courts, gym, pretty landscaping, etc., the higher the monthly fees. $400-$600 per month is not unusual. And higher than that isn't unheard of either. Same for HOA (Home Owner's Association) fees which are common in single-family home communities. Some are very reasonable, like ours: $175/yr, others can charge that or more per month. And condo fees can only go up. This applies to any state but I thought I'd bring it up as I've come across quite a few people who sold their condo and bought a single-family home because the monthly maintenance fees were more onerous than what they pay living in a house. Plus, living so close to other people, some who can be noisy or inconsiderate made for far too much stress.
 
OnTheGo said:
A long lost friend of mine (who I stayed with in Rio de Janeiro in 1988) now lives in Miami in one of those towers adjacent to Aventura shopping mall. He's got water views and is surrounded by golf courts. I am not exactly sure what he paid for his condo, or how much it is worth now, but there seem plenty of 2 br condos around all those areas in the $200k-$400k mark, all with water views. For $500,000 you would not even get a 1 br unit anywhere around Santa Monica or surrounds I think, and those few ones I have seen, look like from the 1950's or worse. Maybe I have not looked thoroughly enought, though...
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Those white or brownish buildings close to the mall are in that price bracket not sure about the waterview except for those on the course. Prices have bounced back to pretty much where they were before and supply is getting scarce again. They are less expensive because they are older and have super strict rental limitations which scares investors away. Land has traditional been cheaper in Florida because there is plenty of it.
 
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