Comments on: East Coast Living – Is It Really That Bad? http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/ Slicing Through Money's Mysteries Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:38:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Financial Samurai http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-47727 Financial Samurai Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:21:09 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-47727 Why do people want to stay and suffer then if it's so bad? Why do people want to stay and suffer then if it’s so bad?

]]> By: Tyler http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-47689 Tyler Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:48:06 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-47689 ......midwest is shit i live in missouri and the winters get to -20 and thats without wind chill and the spring is muggy 7/8 of the season to where u sweat as soon as u step outside. and summer is nice for maybe 2 weeks then gets to 112 plus heat index and gets very dry which isnt so bad but still hot. fall is amazing for the first part as soon as november hits it all goes down hill haha the leaves die off and the trees are bare you get cold ass rain midwest blows and im moving to california here in a month or 2 and cannot wait ……midwest is shit i live in missouri and the winters get to -20 and thats without wind chill and the spring is muggy 7/8 of the season to where u sweat as soon as u step outside. and summer is nice for maybe 2 weeks then gets to 112 plus heat index and gets very dry which isnt so bad but still hot. fall is amazing for the first part as soon as november hits it all goes down hill haha the leaves die off and the trees are bare you get cold ass rain midwest blows and im moving to california here in a month or 2 and cannot wait

]]> By: Jenise http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-46432 Jenise Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:50:41 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-46432 First of all, you have to determine where on the East Coast you are referring. I lived in DC, and that's the farthest north I'd ever live because of the winter. I'd never live in NY or Boston, although I like being close enough to visit easily. I currently live in Virginia and have lived both in the DC area and southern Virginia. I grew up in sunny FL and also lived in the mid-west (flyover country). I have a lot of love for the south. My husband was born in PA and moved to San Diego when he was in middle school. I have visited my in-laws several times who refuse to ever leave San Diego, mostly for the weather. The proximity to family and weather has enticed me to consider southern CA, but every time I do, these are the issues I have. While the weather and family is nice and it's a great place to vacation, I don't know if I'd want to live there. Here's why: First, the beach is cold. VA Beach isn't that great, but I am way partial to warm FL beaches. My husband doesn't even care about the beach as he prefers the mountains, and he was eager to leave CA and get back to the East Coast. San Diego never felt like home to him. Second, yes, it gets very hot here sometimes in the summer, and in the south, we have a mild winter, but I LOVE the change of seasons. I love the fall colors and the spring flowers and the lushness of the foliage here. To me, if I were to live in CA, I'd have to be a little inland because the coast is too cold for me. I like it around 80 degrees, not 69. But the foliage, while well irrigated with pretty flowers and palm trees, is more like a desert. I don't find it very beautiful aside from the oceanfront and well-manicured places. But you pay a TON for the water. You have major utilities shortages there. All the rain here creates beautiful gardens and forests and trees and plants that the West simply doesn't have. Beautiful English gardens and canopies of weeping willows and crepe myrtles and magnolias. Love it. The history here is incomparable. From Williamsburg to DC to all the colonial and Civil War History sites. If you like American history at all, this is the place to be. San Diego is mostly Mexican History or some Gold Rush history. Cost of living outside the major cities here is largely cheaper than CA. Traffic is the worst in DC and a major reason we left, but public transportation is better on the east. It seems all of southern California is becoming an urban center with population overgrowth. It's so crowded and unaffordable, you have to really be rich to afford the good life California has to offer. Architecture: try to find a historic home in CA. There are a few in LA, but the architecture in San Diego is mostly 70's type Mediterranean or modern. If you don't like stucco and red roof tiles, don't move to CA. Careers: There are certain fields that CA supports well such as biotechnology, but if you want to do anything with policy or finance/banking, the East Coast is the place to be. Food: I love southern food, but I also love Mediterranean/CA cuisine, so I think is more of a matter of preference. However, after honeymooning in Napa, we find that we tend to prefer VA wines more than CA wines. A matter of preference, to be sure. Natural Disasters are everywhere. I prefer hurricanes to Mid-west tornadoes for their advance warning. We had an earthquake here in VA this summer, so that's not a big consideration anymore. Fires creep me out...see the desert terrain. My husband's boyhood home was burned down a couple of years ago in a CA fire. The biggest downside to southern CA for me is that you're stuck in CA. You can't really drive to a lot of trips outside of CA unless you want to go into the mountains in Phoenix. It's far removed from the rest of the country. The same thing occurred when I lived in FL. The East Coast has a lot of variety within a day's drive. Yard size: This is perhaps my biggest beef with affording a CA home. They will show you these big, lush Cape Cods in marketing or large ranch houses, but they don't tell you you have to be a millionaire to afford one of them. If we make $200k a year, we can maybe afford an inland 3000 sf stucco house with granite countertops and a a postage stamp yard which could maybe fit a pool. Certainly not a beachfront family-sized house. The yards are so small, you can touch the house next to you from your yard. For all your bragging about the weather, how does one enjoy it in your .09 acre yard? CA is great if you make a ton of money. Otherwise, it's over-crowded, over-hyped and expensive. I'd rather live somewhere more affordable and take several vacations per year. VA has mountains, beaches, city and country, agriculture and history, proximity to many different types of weekend getaways, and four seasons to enjoy it in for a cost that either let us live on one income or will keep some savings in the bank for me to afford to take dream vacations and send our kids to a great university. I'm living my dream. Everyone's dream is different though. Glad you found yours. We can't all live in one place...that's why the US is so great with so much variety. First of all, you have to determine where on the East Coast you are referring. I lived in DC, and that’s the farthest north I’d ever live because of the winter. I’d never live in NY or Boston, although I like being close enough to visit easily. I currently live in Virginia and have lived both in the DC area and southern Virginia. I grew up in sunny FL and also lived in the mid-west (flyover country). I have a lot of love for the south. My husband was born in PA and moved to San Diego when he was in middle school. I have visited my in-laws several times who refuse to ever leave San Diego, mostly for the weather. The proximity to family and weather has enticed me to consider southern CA, but every time I do, these are the issues I have.

While the weather and family is nice and it’s a great place to vacation, I don’t know if I’d want to live there.

Here’s why:

First, the beach is cold. VA Beach isn’t that great, but I am way partial to warm FL beaches. My husband doesn’t even care about the beach as he prefers the mountains, and he was eager to leave CA and get back to the East Coast. San Diego never felt like home to him.

Second, yes, it gets very hot here sometimes in the summer, and in the south, we have a mild winter, but I LOVE the change of seasons. I love the fall colors and the spring flowers and the lushness of the foliage here. To me, if I were to live in CA, I’d have to be a little inland because the coast is too cold for me. I like it around 80 degrees, not 69. But the foliage, while well irrigated with pretty flowers and palm trees, is more like a desert. I don’t find it very beautiful aside from the oceanfront and well-manicured places. But you pay a TON for the water. You have major utilities shortages there. All the rain here creates beautiful gardens and forests and trees and plants that the West simply doesn’t have. Beautiful English gardens and canopies of weeping willows and crepe myrtles and magnolias. Love it.

The history here is incomparable. From Williamsburg to DC to all the colonial and Civil War History sites. If you like American history at all, this is the place to be. San Diego is mostly Mexican History or some Gold Rush history.

Cost of living outside the major cities here is largely cheaper than CA. Traffic is the worst in DC and a major reason we left, but public transportation is better on the east. It seems all of southern California is becoming an urban center with population overgrowth. It’s so crowded and unaffordable, you have to really be rich to afford the good life California has to offer.

Architecture: try to find a historic home in CA. There are a few in LA, but the architecture in San Diego is mostly 70′s type Mediterranean or modern. If you don’t like stucco and red roof tiles, don’t move to CA.

Careers: There are certain fields that CA supports well such as biotechnology, but if you want to do anything with policy or finance/banking, the East Coast is the place to be.

Food: I love southern food, but I also love Mediterranean/CA cuisine, so I think is more of a matter of preference. However, after honeymooning in Napa, we find that we tend to prefer VA wines more than CA wines. A matter of preference, to be sure.

Natural Disasters are everywhere. I prefer hurricanes to Mid-west tornadoes for their advance warning. We had an earthquake here in VA this summer, so that’s not a big consideration anymore. Fires creep me out…see the desert terrain. My husband’s boyhood home was burned down a couple of years ago in a CA fire.

The biggest downside to southern CA for me is that you’re stuck in CA. You can’t really drive to a lot of trips outside of CA unless you want to go into the mountains in Phoenix. It’s far removed from the rest of the country. The same thing occurred when I lived in FL. The East Coast has a lot of variety within a day’s drive.

Yard size: This is perhaps my biggest beef with affording a CA home. They will show you these big, lush Cape Cods in marketing or large ranch houses, but they don’t tell you you have to be a millionaire to afford one of them. If we make $200k a year, we can maybe afford an inland 3000 sf stucco house with granite countertops and a a postage stamp yard which could maybe fit a pool. Certainly not a beachfront family-sized house. The yards are so small, you can touch the house next to you from your yard. For all your bragging about the weather, how does one enjoy it in your .09 acre yard?

CA is great if you make a ton of money. Otherwise, it’s over-crowded, over-hyped and expensive. I’d rather live somewhere more affordable and take several vacations per year. VA has mountains, beaches, city and country, agriculture and history, proximity to many different types of weekend getaways, and four seasons to enjoy it in for a cost that either let us live on one income or will keep some savings in the bank for me to afford to take dream vacations and send our kids to a great university. I’m living my dream. Everyone’s dream is different though. Glad you found yours. We can’t all live in one place…that’s why the US is so great with so much variety.

]]> By: Jaycee http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-45098 Jaycee Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:09:48 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-45098 Interesting! I'm a TCK (Third Culture Kid -- a Military Brat) so I have lived 2-4 years in several places around the globe. As an adult on my own, I still moved around but not as much. I have lived on both coasts (currently live in the midwest due to being married to someone with a business based here but in a few years that will change when he retires). Bottom line on East Coast vs. West Coast ... The temperature is generally mild on the West Coast but I found it windy. The sun is great during the spring and very early fall but a bit hot in the summer. The winters, however, are rainy and overcast as heck. No thanks! If I am on the West Coast I want sun and warmth and dry weather not gloomy gray skies and rain in bucketfuls but that is what you get there. I lived in LA, SF and Sacramento areas and only liked SF to be honest -- but it's EXPENSIVE to live there. However, it is also beautiful, great fun and full of history, arts and culture. Can't say the same for most of the West Coast. Also, most people on the West Coast I found to be lacking in energy or drive -- way too laid back for me. But they also seem to be "competing" about designer clothes, the best cars, biggest homes, etc. Not for me either. I hated the commutes as well. Takes too long to get anywhere and little is within walking distance. East Coast - Lived in NYC suburbs (Scarsdale, White Plains area) loved it and loved the transportation but also so much is within walking distance (esp. NYC). Also lived in less populated areas of SC and VA. Loved it there too for it's natural beauty. I only managed to make a few close friends in SC but more in VA. I found VA to be closer to DC so closer to more things to do and historical sites. I preferred the weather there too. I was more inland so hurricanes were never an issue in either SC or VA. I also met more internationals in VA and much preferred that. I am a TCK and like to travel so it certainly helps to know people in other countries who also are into traveling. I prefer the East Coast for all those reasons. I have no roots there. Until the last few years, I had no roots anywhere but now feel I have them in the Midwest since I have been living here so long now. Chances are we will move upon retirement to the East Coast for all the above reasons. I can't wait to have easier access to traveling to more interesting areas more often. Interesting! I’m a TCK (Third Culture Kid — a Military Brat) so I have lived 2-4 years in several places around the globe. As an adult on my own, I still moved around but not as much. I have lived on both coasts (currently live in the midwest due to being married to someone with a business based here but in a few years that will change when he retires). Bottom line on East Coast vs. West Coast … The temperature is generally mild on the West Coast but I found it windy. The sun is great during the spring and very early fall but a bit hot in the summer. The winters, however, are rainy and overcast as heck. No thanks! If I am on the West Coast I want sun and warmth and dry weather not gloomy gray skies and rain in bucketfuls but that is what you get there. I lived in LA, SF and Sacramento areas and only liked SF to be honest — but it’s EXPENSIVE to live there. However, it is also beautiful, great fun and full of history, arts and culture. Can’t say the same for most of the West Coast. Also, most people on the West Coast I found to be lacking in energy or drive — way too laid back for me. But they also seem to be “competing” about designer clothes, the best cars, biggest homes, etc. Not for me either. I hated the commutes as well. Takes too long to get anywhere and little is within walking distance.
East Coast – Lived in NYC suburbs (Scarsdale, White Plains area) loved it and loved the transportation but also so much is within walking distance (esp. NYC). Also lived in less populated areas of SC and VA. Loved it there too for it’s natural beauty. I only managed to make a few close friends in SC but more in VA. I found VA to be closer to DC so closer to more things to do and historical sites. I preferred the weather there too. I was more inland so hurricanes were never an issue in either SC or VA. I also met more internationals in VA and much preferred that. I am a TCK and like to travel so it certainly helps to know people in other countries who also are into traveling.
I prefer the East Coast for all those reasons. I have no roots there. Until the last few years, I had no roots anywhere but now feel I have them in the Midwest since I have been living here so long now. Chances are we will move upon retirement to the East Coast for all the above reasons. I can’t wait to have easier access to traveling to more interesting areas more often.

]]> By: Financial Samurai http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-34927 Financial Samurai Sun, 04 Sep 2011 03:49:14 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-34927 Oregon and Washington are great in the sense that it's MUCH cheaper and there is no sales tax in Oregon, and no state tax in Washington! The problem with Oregon is that it's so dreary much of the year. I wouldn't mind retiring to Washington though for tax purposes and live elsewhere half the year. Oregon and Washington are great in the sense that it’s MUCH cheaper and there is no sales tax in Oregon, and no state tax in Washington! The problem with Oregon is that it’s so dreary much of the year. I wouldn’t mind retiring to Washington though for tax purposes and live elsewhere half the year.

]]> By: naomina80 http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-34922 naomina80 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 02:58:48 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-34922 I am curious , you all talk like there are no other states on the west coast to live in other than california. what about oregon or washington? you get four seasons for those who enjoy it. you don't get extreme heat or cold but enough to mark the changing of seasons by something other than presidential elections. also like florida, oregon has no sales tax. seattle has great food and coffee. eugene is an amazing place you are 45 min away from the ocean or snow boarding it's a great place to live if you enjoy various outdoor sports. I am curious , you all talk like there are no other states on the west coast to live in other than california. what about oregon or washington? you get four seasons for those who enjoy it. you don’t get extreme heat or cold but enough to mark the changing of seasons by something other than presidential elections. also like florida, oregon has no sales tax. seattle has great food and coffee. eugene is an amazing place you are 45 min away from the ocean or snow boarding it’s a great place to live if you enjoy various outdoor sports.

]]> By: Janna http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-34871 Janna Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:20:11 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-34871 Sunshine, maybe....but statistically, New York is actually safer than California, so don't use that as a reason for moving! Sunshine, maybe….but statistically, New York is actually safer than California, so don’t use that as a reason for moving!

]]> By: Financial Samurai http://www.financialsamurai.com/2010/06/09/east-coast-living-is-it-really-that-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-34848 Financial Samurai Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:35 +0000 http://www.financialsamurai.com/?p=7550#comment-34848 Ahhh, Santa Monica. Congrats for finally finding a great place to live and giving us all your perspective! Ahhh, Santa Monica. Congrats for finally finding a great place to live and giving us all your perspective!

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