Escaping California Thread (NO POLITICS)

[BeerPerHole]

Ok, let's be sure to not get political on this one. But, I certainly welcome constructive input.

 

After growing up here and spending most of my life here in Cali the wife and I have been seriously considering making our escape in the near future. I'm a few years out as I plan to hit an early retirement then jet. All of my family has left, I'm the last one here. Dad and brother are in Nevada - Reno and Carson. Mom's in Florida. I'm an old dad and my kids will still be in school so we're looking for a family-friendly place with good schools. We've traveled very little so far but will start taking some trips to further our research. I have a short list so far. One place that intrigues me, on paper, is Portland, TX. Where are you, and what places do you think are worth looking at? I'd prefer good golf, close to a coast, good schools, affordable.

[1puttTUT]

Are you picky about the weather?

[BeerPerHole]

Are you picky about the weather?

Good question. I have spent plenty of time in the Pacific NW and was able to function fine in the rain. My family probably wouldn't like it. I understand the weather in TX can be wild, and Portland is known for wind. Coming from the land of fruits and nuts here in Cali I expect, weather-wise, anything else would take some adjustment. Northern Minnesota would be fine with me but my family would think we're on Neptune, for example. We deal with a fair amount of heat where we live now - over 100 very often.

[SilverBullets]

Phoenix? Obviously not close to a coast but would probably check most of the boxes. Great golf, great weather for 8 or so months. Since I moved here in October, I have come to liken Phoenix to west coast meets the Midwest. It's kind of a west coast style of living/life with mostly people whom have relocated from the Midwest. So you have a great quality of life with the easy going, laid back, polite people of the Midwest. It's a really good vibe. There are a ton of great outdoor activities to do and all of them are quickly and easily accessed. Cost of living is only slightly above average (its like 10% more expensive than Columbus, Ohio (where I moved from), and Columbus is considered relatively cheap). Schools can be hit or miss but there are some really good options for solid public schools.

 

It's also a really easy city to travel from. San Diego is drivable in 5-6 hours (or is a really short flight). You can fly direct to a ton of great areas in an hour and a half or so.

 

Judging by looking at Portland, Tx, which is directly on the coast, I am assuming you are placing a higher value on being near a coast though?

[thug the bunny]

It's funny how you call it 'escaping'. Hotel California is a weird place. I moved to the bay area from Jersey, and 5 yrs later I escaped back to Jersey. I'm not saying that Jersey is a paradise, but..

 

I would check out Austin, Nashville, or Ashville NC.

[CommerceTiger]

Charleston maybe?

[CEPick]

I would check out coastal town in North and South Carolina.

[RIRider]

I would check out coastal town in North and South Carolina.

North Carolina has drastically cut back funding to their education system over the past few years. That might not bode well for somebody that's concerned about their kids education.

[CHuntsman]

Savannah is a great place to retire, or so i am told.

[BeerPerHole]

Thanks, all, for the input. I understand that Charleston is beautiful. I do love being near the coast - beachcombing and fishing. Been to Arizona a few times and liked it, though. I have a fondness for Flagstaff and Sedona. I have had several fellow California friends go to Texas. Two didn't like it. One lived in a golf community near Houston and eventually came back to San Diego (no kids, lots of money). My coworker loves sailing and will be headed to the Houston area when we both jump ship here.

[1puttTUT]

My favorite places in the country (excluding CA): Asheville, NC; Denver/Golden, CO; Flagstaff/Sedona, AZ; Traverse City, MI

 

Traverse City is the only one you could say is really on a coast (Lake Michigan) but the winters are a little rough compared to where you're from.

[SilverBullets]

My favorite places in the country (excluding CA): Asheville, NC; Denver/Golden, CO; Flagstaff/Sedona, AZ; Traverse City, MI

 

Traverse City is the only one you could say is really on a coast (Lake Michigan) but the winters are a little rough compared to where you're from.

 

TC is an awesome place.... But it's really only awesome from like mid May to the end of Oct. I like snow and we ski a lot, so to me TC is pretty in the winter. But it's kind of a ghost town in the winter.

 

My ideal life. Phoenix from Nov 1 - May 31. Northern Michigan from June 1 - October 31.

 

I love living in Phoenix. I have only been since Oct 1. Coming from the Midwest, this has been basically 8 months of perfect weather. It's just now starting to get hot. When we got here Oct 1 it was already below 100 and was perfect. But yeah, June - mid Sept is going to be brutal.

[PixlPutterman]

Put Boise on your list. We have to have the highest transplant rate of any city right now. We moved here from the midwest and do not regret one bit of it.

[JackpotJohnny]

You can leave wherever your from, come to California, and then go back pretty easily.

But you leave California, there no going back

[MtlJeff]

I'm not American obviously but have traveled a ton through the US....i love the pacific northwest, i have always said if i moved to the US it would be Portland, Oregon. I have some friends there who love it including one who moved from Montreal. Nice city, kind of small but still a "big city", some nice history, low crime rate, weather not terrible, and proximity to a nice wine valley.....that checks a lot of boxes for me!

[thug the bunny]

I'm not American obviously but have traveled a ton through the US....i love the pacific northwest, i have always said if i moved to the US it would be Portland, Oregon. I have some friends there who love it including one who moved from Montreal. Nice city, kind of small but still a "big city", some nice history, low crime rate, weather not terrible, and proximity to a nice wine valley.....that checks a lot of boxes for me!

 

Gotta agree Portland is an awesome area. It is pretty wet though. I have played golf there during work trips and more than once almost got my shoes sucked off my feet from the mud. One of the courses was a par 3 12 hole course, brewery, distillery, and restaurant. Greens fees included a pint of beer you were supposed to take out on the course with you. Great culture, very free and creative. You gotta get some tats and piercings though..

 

Edit: although every time I have been there I would occasionally look up at Mt Rainier and think 'not today big guy please'..

[MtlJeff]

I'm not American obviously but have traveled a ton through the US....i love the pacific northwest, i have always said if i moved to the US it would be Portland, Oregon. I have some friends there who love it including one who moved from Montreal. Nice city, kind of small but still a "big city", some nice history, low crime rate, weather not terrible, and proximity to a nice wine valley.....that checks a lot of boxes for me!

 

Gotta agree Portland is an awesome area. It is pretty wet though. I have played golf there during work trips and more than once almost got my shoes sucked off my feet from the mud. One of the courses was a par 3 12 hole course, brewery, distillery, and restaurant. Greens fees included a pint of beer you were supposed to take out on the course with you. Great culture, very free and creative. You gotta get some tats and piercings though..

 

Edit: although every time I have been there I would occasionally look up at Mt Rainier and think 'not today big guy please'..

 

That is one great thing about the northeast. Winter can suck but no active volcanos or tectonic plates really.

 

The earthquake threat out west in our lifetime is something I'd rather not read or think about. I think most just put their hands over their ears and say "LA LA LA"

[thug the bunny]

I'm not American obviously but have traveled a ton through the US....i love the pacific northwest, i have always said if i moved to the US it would be Portland, Oregon. I have some friends there who love it including one who moved from Montreal. Nice city, kind of small but still a "big city", some nice history, low crime rate, weather not terrible, and proximity to a nice wine valley.....that checks a lot of boxes for me!

 

Gotta agree Portland is an awesome area. It is pretty wet though. I have played golf there during work trips and more than once almost got my shoes sucked off my feet from the mud. One of the courses was a par 3 12 hole course, brewery, distillery, and restaurant. Greens fees included a pint of beer you were supposed to take out on the course with you. Great culture, very free and creative. You gotta get some tats and piercings though..

 

Edit: although every time I have been there I would occasionally look up at Mt Rainier and think 'not today big guy please'..

 

That is one great thing about the northeast. Winter can suck but no active volcanos or tectonic plates really.

 

The earthquake threat out west in our lifetime is something I'd rather not read or think about. I think most just put their hands over their ears and say "LA LA LA"

 

There is an awareness out there, but it's like the Coyote holding up the little umbrella in response to the boulder that is about to crush him. I think that the subduction fault zone around Seattle and Rainier are both like 500 yrs overdue?

 

I experienced a few little 4's when I lived in the bay area. They are very spooky, feeling your building moving. But, I was about 10 mi from the epicenter of the DC quake about 5 yrs ago. First just some gentle shaking, then, computers and equipment starting doing little dances, and I was out of there. Very eye opening, I can't imagine a really big natural cataclysm.

[2ball]

I would check out coastal town in North and South Carolina.

North Carolina has drastically cut back funding to their education system over the past few years. That might not bode well for somebody that's concerned about their kids education.

 

but Cali is ranked 45th out 50 states in pre-k through 12th grade education

- US News

[2ball]

My favorite places in the country (excluding CA): Asheville, NC; Denver/Golden, CO; Flagstaff/Sedona, AZ; Traverse City, MI

 

Traverse City is the only one you could say is really on a coast (Lake Michigan) but the winters are a little rough compared to where you're from.

 

A little... that's putting it mildly

[1puttTUT]

My favorite places in the country (excluding CA): Asheville, NC; Denver/Golden, CO; Flagstaff/Sedona, AZ; Traverse City, MI

 

Traverse City is the only one you could say is really on a coast (Lake Michigan) but the winters are a little rough compared to where you're from.

 

A little... that's putting it mildly

 

It's all relative I suppose

[CEPick]

I would check out coastal town in North and South Carolina.

North Carolina has drastically cut back funding to their education system over the past few years. That might not bode well for somebody that's concerned about their kids education.

I wasn't aware of those stats but I'm not 100% sure that abundance of funding means great schools or teachers.

[BeerPerHole]

California schools are not performing all that well. Getting our kids a decent public education has been surprisingly challenging. If you aren't heavily involved the kids often just get stockpiled.

[pappaf2]

I'm not American obviously but have traveled a ton through the US....i love the pacific northwest, i have always said if i moved to the US it would be Portland, Oregon. I have some friends there who love it including one who moved from Montreal. Nice city, kind of small but still a "big city", some nice history, low crime rate, weather not terrible, and proximity to a nice wine valley.....that checks a lot of boxes for me!

 

Gotta agree Portland is an awesome area. It is pretty wet though. I have played golf there during work trips and more than once almost got my shoes sucked off my feet from the mud. One of the courses was a par 3 12 hole course, brewery, distillery, and restaurant. Greens fees included a pint of beer you were supposed to take out on the course with you. Great culture, very free and creative. You gotta get some tats and piercings though..

 

Edit: although every time I have been there I would occasionally look up at Mt Rainier and think 'not today big guy please'..

 

That is one great thing about the northeast. Winter can suck but no active volcanos or tectonic plates really.

 

The earthquake threat out west in our lifetime is something I'd rather not read or think about. I think most just put their hands over their ears and say "LA LA LA"

 

Not sure if you are serious about the no tectonic plates. When the Cascadia Fault goes it will obliterate Portland and Seattle

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/us/cascadia-subduction-zone-earthquakes/

[pappaf2]

Put Boise on your list. We have to have the highest transplant rate of any city right now. We moved here from the midwest and do not regret one bit of it.

Boise always intrigues me. A couple questions:

How is the winter? How often do you get snow accumulation? How many months a year can you play golf realistically?

Do you fly much out of Boise airport? Is it a big enough airport to get plenty of flights places at a reasonable cost?

[PixlPutterman]

Put Boise on your list. We have to have the highest transplant rate of any city right now. We moved here from the midwest and do not regret one bit of it.

Boise always intrigues me. A couple questions:

How is the winter? How often do you get snow accumulation? How many months a year can you play golf realistically?

Do you fly much out of Boise airport? Is it a big enough airport to get plenty of flights places at a reasonable cost?

 

 

We had record snow fall this winter but normally Winters are mild, though it does get single digit cold, but still enough snow to fill the ski resorts we have. The city is flat so even when it does snow driving isn't overly difficult (I'm from the Midwest so I'm a competent winter driver)

 

 

We can realistically play golf from Late March till October, but some years maybe a tad more.

 

As far as flying, it's very reasonable, though my wife works for a small airline so I haven't payed attention to regular rates. Where are you in Cali?

 

My favorite things are low humidity and predicable consistent seasons, compared to sticky bipolar weather I came from

[pappaf2]

Put Boise on your list. We have to have the highest transplant rate of any city right now. We moved here from the midwest and do not regret one bit of it.

Boise always intrigues me. A couple questions:

How is the winter? How often do you get snow accumulation? How many months a year can you play golf realistically?

Do you fly much out of Boise airport? Is it a big enough airport to get plenty of flights places at a reasonable cost?

 

 

We had record snow fall this winter but normally Winters are mild, though it does get single digit cold, but still enough snow to fill the ski resorts we have. The city is flat so even when it does snow driving isn't overly difficult (I'm from the Midwest so I'm a competent winter driver)

 

 

We can realistically play golf from Late March till October, but some years maybe a tad more.

 

As far as flying, it's very reasonable, though my wife works for a small airline so I haven't payed attention to regular rates. Where are you in Cali?

 

My favorite things are low humidity and predicable consistent seasons, compared to sticky bipolar weather I came from

I'm the bay area about 45 minutes from SF. Realistically my wife and I aren't leaving here (majority of family is here) but when we do talk about if we were to leave Boise always comes up as a possibility.

[PixlPutterman]

Put Boise on your list. We have to have the highest transplant rate of any city right now. We moved here from the midwest and do not regret one bit of it.

Boise always intrigues me. A couple questions:

How is the winter? How often do you get snow accumulation? How many months a year can you play golf realistically?

Do you fly much out of Boise airport? Is it a big enough airport to get plenty of flights places at a reasonable cost?

 

 

We had record snow fall this winter but normally Winters are mild, though it does get single digit cold, but still enough snow to fill the ski resorts we have. The city is flat so even when it does snow driving isn't overly difficult (I'm from the Midwest so I'm a competent winter driver)

 

 

We can realistically play golf from Late March till October, but some years maybe a tad more.

 

As far as flying, it's very reasonable, though my wife works for a small airline so I haven't payed attention to regular rates. Where are you in Cali?

 

My favorite things are low humidity and predicable consistent seasons, compared to sticky bipolar weather I came from

I'm the bay area about 45 minutes from SF. Realistically my wife and I aren't leaving here (majority of family is here) but when we do talk about if we were to leave Boise always comes up as a possibility.

If you were near LA I could get you here pretty cheap on my wife's airline. It's a fantastic place to raise a family 30 minutes from some of the best outdoor life in the country.

[Texsport]

I go back and forth between Texas Gulf Coast and northern Minnesota.

 

No state income tax in Texas makes it my home.

 

100 golf courses in Houston area, but 75% private.

 

California is different/strange to outsiders, so if you're looking to recapture CA elsewhere - that'll be tough!

 

Closest to CA is probably Austin, TX.

 

Texsport

[BeerPerHole]

I have heard good things about Boise. I do need to take the family to see it. I've also heard great things about Austin. I laughed when I saw Tom Kite interviewed on the tv during the PGA tourney there. "We love to have you come visit, just don't stay." Californians have flooded into Austin. But, they've flooded into many nice places.