California is not for Lazy people. And 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Who's moving? And if you leave California expect a pay cut . Sorry never leaving California unless I retire
I'm single man. Was making $17 an hour as in electrician in Florida. Paying $600 for a room to rent. Move to California now making $54 an hour and still paying $600 for a room. Enough said
I’ve lived in California for 50+ years. Agree 100% on the homeless and cleanliness. I visited Florida (Miami) in February and was very impressed with how clean the streets were. As far as homeless, we saw three in a week. There are beautiful cities in CA and it’s a shame it’s governed so poorly.
Thanks Maria, nice to hear from someone who lives there. The cleanliness is night and day in the cities. Although I did not find cleanliness an issue in any of the Marin cities I visited as, they are much smaller and quaint and not nearly as many homeless.
@@MichaelBordenaro north FL like palm coast and st aug have several months of nice, mild winter weather. 60s, 70s, and even a frost once in a while. Its very different than south FL. CA has become a totalitarian dictatorship
Michael, great video. I moved to CA from the highlands of Scotland because my wife is a CA native. After nearly two years there I didn't even have to ask her, SHE asked if we could go back to Scotland. We're back and California is just a memory.
California has incredible landscape throughout. I'd love to live there but no way in hell with way the political climate is. Obviously cost is another factor. Hopefully things calm down and it becomes desirable again.
I moved to Tampa in July 2020 after living in San Leandro, CA (SF Bay Area) for 30 years. I know the places in Marin county you mentioned and those are beautiful places. For me, SF Bay Area has beautiful weather and scenery, but the crime, homeless, politics and cost of living made it easy for me to move to Florida. I love the freedom, beaches, clean cities, and the people are much more friendlier. Yes, the weather is hot, but you can actually swim on the beach here to cool off. Not to mention, there are plenty of indoor activities, museums and shopping, if you want to stay cool. I love Florida and I’ll never to back to California.
The scenery and the weather are the only plus points SF has over any other city that is walkable with transit- other than weather or scenery, nothing about SF would make me think it is better than some place like NYC or Chicago
Did you take a pay cut? Are you in debt? How's the weather in Tampa? What the difference from Miami to SF cause I been to both and let me Tell you. Notice very little difference
@@SamuelClemente7718 I’m a UX Designer and I did take a pay cut. Initially, I thought it’s fair since the cost of living in Tampa (in 2020) is half the cost of living in SF, plus I don’t have anymore mortgage since I bought a brand new house in Tampa and paid it cash. But, now that the cost of living in Tampa area also increased, my employer, actually, increased my pay back up. So worked out well for me.
This vid hit me in the gut man. Ive had some flashbacks of when Cali was really an amazing place. There used to be a VIBE. There were such fun people years ago. There was fabulous opportunity to follow any dream you had.
Lived in Sacramento for 13 years........Loved it, it was a dream living there. The cost of living drove us out after we had our kid. And we owned a relatively inexpensive house. Home maintenance started to kill us so we sold for a big profit and moved to the Florida Panhandle right on the beach 5 months ago. We make a decent income of over 100K. We are easily saving 20-30K a year living in Florida. It truly does cost an extra 20-30 % to live in Cali unless you are a hermit and don't own a car and stay home all day. EVERYTHING cost more in Cali. All that said, after only 5 months of Florida, the humidity and the heat have us wanting to run back to the high cost of living in CA. We are already planning what our move back will look like. Do I regret the move to Florida....Kind of, but I learned a big lesson. Now I know for sure where I want to be. Had I not taken a chance on Florida, I would always be wondering if the grass was greener elsewhere. The saying is true. You get what you pay for. It's a hell of a cost burden to live out there, but it's a damn dream life. Especially if you are into the outdoors. The climate can not be beaten. It will be easier to not let the bad things about California bother me once we move back knowing that we gave it a shot elsewhere. There are problems everywhere in the country. If you can either save up 200K for a down payment or make closer to 200K a year. California is hands down the place to be. Like I said.....you get what you pay for. We have a 5-year plan to bank every dollar we are saving in Florida, to have a nice down payment on what will be our forever home back in The Sacramento Valley.
Interesting, I’m in Sacramento (North Highlands) and in the process of moving to South Florida. Why is the heat such a problem when you can just get in the ocean? My Dad is out there and he says the homeless there isn’t nearly as bad there as what we’re seeing here. I noticed people drink and smoke pot just to ignore it cope with how bad it’s gotten here. Yes if you don’t like the heat then Florida doesn’t work. I gets fairly cold in the winters here which is not pleasant to me here.
@@bulletpoint728 It's the humidity brother.....It makes it feel 20 degrees hotter than it is. Dry heat is a piece of cake. I'll take 100-degree sac weather over 85 degrees with 90 percent humidity. You are just sticky and sweaty all the time. So I'm on the gulf side in the panhandle and the water gets quite warm this time of year. Kinda like a warm bath at times. And yes it is still refreshing, but I can't live on the beach all the time. It's day-to-day living that is hard. BBQ on your back porch is miserable. Oh and not to mention the bugs. Flys and mosquitos make it very hard to be outside in the evenings when the temperature actually cools off. I feel like I am stuck inside the house all the time, Other than the weekends when I can sit around on the beach all day. Also where I am at, it's peaceful but somewhat rural, so there is nothing else to do here. If drinking, fishing, and getting heat stroke are your thing, then you might enjoy it here. Now as for south Florida, I think it's a whole different world down there. Lots more people and entertainment options, but also hotter. As far as homeless, There are pretty much no homeless where I am now, and it's very clean. So I guess those are positives. But so far the negatives have outweighed the positives. Bummed, but we will make a positive out of it. We will save a ton of money over the next few years and when the market out there dips, we will buy back in. Lots of people smoke out here too, Folks are far less health-oriented here. And that is surprisingly depressing. My neighbors here are surprised that I ride a bicycle for exercise. Most of them don't see the point in riding a bicycle unless it's to bet from bar to bar along the beach. I miss the American river bike trail big time! I was in Folsom.
@@SamuelClemente7718 Please do! Depends on what county you are in Florida. In my county, it is less than my rate was in Cali. And as far as the actual dollar amount assessed, my home in Florida is bigger than my house in Cali, yet it cost 180K less than I paid for my home in Cali. Thus my actual assessment rate is still less even if the average rate percentage was a bit higher! It's all based on the value of your home. California homes will oftentimes be way more expensive than homes in Florida. Thus the property taxes will often time be higher in Cali.
@@mikewright7145 the problem is many Americans want to live the Instagram lifestyle without working for it. California is not for Lazy people that's for sure
I lived in California for over 10 years throughout 3 cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, and Camarillo), and wanted to live in NorCal north of SF. I loved it there, but it was no longer worth the excessive costs to deal with the lack of common sense policies and toxic all or nothing politics. I watched as the homeless overtook my neighborhood in LA (Runyon Area). I remember a time I could walk home at 2am from WeHo back home and not pass a single homeless person. Just before leaving last year I watched a homeless person defecate outside the Ralph’s on Sunset/Fuller as I was going to buy groceries. Additionally, with where the world is at, I began to see how fragile California’s infrastructure and routes are. Should there be some sort of disaster or need to evacuate there are only a few routes out. Additionally, Speaking of the indoctrination, I went to college in LA and there is a clear difference in education there then the rest of the country. Classmates originally from LA had clearly been indoctrinated in their earlier education and had no concept of the outside world or actual fact. This political indoctrination bled into every work environment I had after college. I’ve spent the past year outside of California mentally recovering and recalibrating around people who actually use logic and reason without claiming such as “white supremacy.” Furthermore, even with inflation, I am living at a higher standard for significantly less cost than I was in California pre-inflation.
@@MichaelBordenaro I’m originally from Pennsylvania and have lived in Florida, North Carolina, and now Texas. I have also traveled to 40 other states. Like you I always wanted to live in California and it was amazing while I was there until it wasn’t. It was heartbreaking to leave, but the lockdowns in LA and witnessing Melrose burning due to the 5/29-30/2020 riots while also seeing my apartment on the news from a helicopter really messed me up psychologically. You’re best bet is to retain your Florida residency and travel in for vacation. NorCal is amazing. Next time you’re in Marin County, take a trip north up the 101 to the Red Woods. Crescent City is a quintessential North Pacific Beach Town and if you time it right you may get the mystical fog rolling over those cliff side roads. Be sure to pull off to stroll along the beaches.
Got out as well, last year. My biggest fear was that I would never be able to get it. Especially when the lockdowns happened. Los Angeles has become a very oppressive place unless you are a criminal.They are the only ones who have freedom.
I moved out of CA this year and absolutely agree with everything you said. I also felt the same way about limited escape routes. I lived in San Jose and in 2020 there were 2 huge fires in the mountains on the east and west sides of town. It was super creepy. I felt like I was living in a bowl surrounded by flames. And both of those fires raged for over a month. For the reasons you listed as well as some of my own, I knew it was time to go.
@@truther001 I kind of felt the same way. If you want to live in a tent on the street and steal to support your drug addiction, they're fine with that in CA and all the addicts and thieves know it.
Born and raised in California. Third generation native Californian. Fifty years until last year. Weather is nice. Northern California is not to bad. I had to leave for a better life for my family. California now has homeless,crime, strict gun laws, liberal politics, crappy schools, high taxes, high home prices, I left for Tennessee. Best decision my wife and I bought a house in less than four months. 210,000 believe it or not. The only thing I miss about California is the weather the mountains and good people. There are still good people there.
@@jayteesgear 5- 6 million good people? At least... Ya, but they're now leaving, in droves. (i.e. Before the REAL Marxian-Fa$cist "lockdowns," ensue. 6.8% of San Francisco County also left in 2021, though. That's the scary part. The homeless will soon be in FEMA encampments, when the National Guard, tanks and MRAPS hit the streets. (i.e. After the "destabilization and subver$ion phase," ends. And the "useful idiot, leftists..." will never even see, it coming. I'm outta here! ;-)
I've live here in CA practically all my life. There's alot of bad rep but I love it for it's diversity in climate, people and food. I love the mountains and the beautiful coastal line. Yes it's expensive but I don't know if I would live anywhere else.
We absolutely loved our time in San Francisco. We loved the weather. We lived in the Marina near the Palace of Fine Arts. We have a son and when he was little, we could walk to the beach, two playgrounds, the library, Chestnut and Union Street restaurants and bars. We walked to wine tasting events. It really was wonderful. But it was getting too expensive and our son would have to go to a private school because public wasn't great there. And before we left daily cars on the street were getting broken into and started seeing people do drugs. It's sad because we loved it so much.
It saddens me what has happened to California Michael, CA was my Home state where I was born and raised in the heart of, near Yosemite, then went to Texas when I was in the Air Force at 19 in 2017. Now live in Arkansas, CA is still beautiful and worth Visiting, However, it is just not the Golden state and California Dream it once was decades ago.
I'm concerned about the future of California because people and businesses are leaving and taking their jobs with them, yet California real estate continues to climb upward and rent just went up again. With all of that you already know homelessness, and crime is rising and no one is safe anymore. Rich people are getting robbed in the streets and in their homes as well. Counties that used to be safe are no longer safe and it seems to be getting worse.
Yes, and something like 40% of the nation's homeless have moved to California... and when nothing is being DONE to keep residents SAFE within their own neighborhoods, towns and cities, it's obvious where the state's now headed. (By de$ign...) I'm EXITING California again soon, and won't return unless the politics greatly IMPROVE... as well as the population. (Not likely, in my lifetime...) I loved Cali and Oregon, even living in Arizona back in the 1970s- 90s... but it's a very different world, in the 21st Century. The costs on the left coast are too high, the politics and stolen elections a farce... and the diminishing "freedoms" are unacceptable to me, personally. I don't want the far left, WEF and UN "dictating policy," on my home turf. Texas or Florida, then likely Mexico is looking better to me, so I'm soon, RELOCATING. (From Sonoma County, above Marin.)
I moved to California from Ohio. I have lived here for 44 years. The 1st ten years were in the Bay Area, mostly in Sausalito which is in Marin County. It was beautiful and the weather is perfect. I lived on a hillside with an amazing view, took the ferry to work in the City, frequent trips to the wine country and felt very fortunate to be there. The downside is that it is overpriced [with high taxes] and you can’t avoid San Francisco [which you don’t like] because that’s where the jobs are as well as essential services and entertainment options. The past 34 years, I’ve lived in SoCal in the Inland Empire, where I was able to purchase homes at a reasonable price. The trade-off is that it is nowhere near the beach which, to me, was not important. I work in downtown Los Angeles which has deteriorated, especially since the pandemic began. The homeless people have taken over not just downtown but Santa Monica and other neighboring cities. California is terribly expensive and I’ve recently decided that it is not worth it. A few months ago, I purchased a home in North Carolina and while it is a 2nd residence for now, I will someday sell my home here and move to NC permanently. I have been fortunate to make a good living in the entertainment business but often wonder how people who have average incomes can make ends meet in both Northern and Southern Cali. As you may know, the Bay Area is generally more expensive than even L.A. and San Diego. This is not a good time to come to California. There are legitimate reasons for the mass exodus taking place of late, not the least of which is loss of jobs, revenue generated and tax base from businesses who have relocated to Texas and other States. Finally, don’t underestimate the tax advantages and freedoms you have living in Florida. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
I really appreciate you 44 years of wisdom and experience with CA! Must have been really nice living in Sausalito, such a lovely town. So many comments like yours make me think its best to wait, to have the ability to easily float back and forth at my leisure, and not give up my cherished freedom here in FL which I adore as much as CA weather 🇺🇸
California is very “woke.” They have high taxes, the cost of living is high, and a huge amount of rules and regulations!, as well a superior attitude. It is just a matter of choices and values.
Buy a used Sprinter 2500 diesel Travel van. Spend Summers in California. Easy to park with ocean views in Laguna to San Clemente. Showers at the beach.
Thanks for your info! Live in CA for over 40 yrs because the weather! This is it! Am still here! Had been to some cold weather states! Can’t stand the freezing rains, 5 inches of snows! And the sizzling summers
I’ve lived in a few of places New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida, and California. We are currently in Massachusetts and will be moving to California again in a month. We are moving to OC where the weather is perfect year round. We are also moving to be closer to family. The pandemic played a huge role in our decision. You only live once and might as well enjoy it.
I’m going through the same thing. I love living in Miami Beach but I really miss the mountains and rugged natural beauty of California. I also think lots of people who haven’t been there judge it based on the politics and how it looks from outside the state, and that’s just a negative way to experience other places and cultures IMO. Most people outside of the core of cities are pretty normal and balanced. It’s been great being here in Miami and figuring out who I am and what I like beyond that mountain lifestyle I came from, but I do miss vertical, and scenic lookouts that don’t require an elevator. I also moved down here from the North (northeast corridor) and also find it to be a much better option.
The media has warped some people's minds, we have a VERY large state. I could care less about politics, not something I'm into, too divisive as we can see. My profession has me far more busy than that, people lose their minds over this nonsense, my priorities are a bit bigger (like business climate since I run my own, it was very good locally even in the past 2 yr) I'm actually happy people are leaving instead of stampeding for a change. It's so clean & lovely without the tourists & their spray cans, trash, etc. they nearly killed us during the Pandemic trampling our gorgeous land underfoot. Nah, stay home y'all. California is awful! Stay away!
Hello Michael :)- Great video as I grew up all over the Bay Area including many cities in towns in Marin County including Larkspur and Sausalito. It is close to everything and a great vibe of culture including the fact the mountain biking was actually started in Marin County. Kudos to you for this video and for your channel!!!
I moved to Fort Lauderdale 2016 I couldn’t take the heat anymore moved to Virginia Beach 2020 .summers aren’t as long moderate winters and the A lot less traffic and I still have the beautiful beaches. I would move out west in a heartbeat beautiful.
I couldn’t respond to the CA poll since I have not been in CA for ~20 years. Yet what I’ve read and heard I would never consider moving to CA! Most important I couldn’t afford it.
I've lived here since 1988. The politics, high taxes, relax on crimes, homelessness, and cost of living are not worth the nice weather. I'm looking forward to retirement so I can move out of this horribly run State.
Having vacationed numerous times in the Sarasota/Ft. Myers area, I jumped at the chance to transfer from California to Florida for work. I'm finishing up my first year living in Florida and, aside from the fabulous kayaking and beaches, I find it doesn't come close to comparing to California's weather and beauty. I miss the mountain biking, camping and hiking along the coast and in the Sierra mountains, kayaking at Lake Tahoe. I feel like I've given up 3 months of mild winter for 4 or 5 months of crappy summer. That said, I'll never move back for all the reasons stated in the comments you read. Tiburon, San Rafael, and Novato are kind of like islands separating you from the rest of California's issues. But they come at a price most of us can't afford. I'm very fortunate to work from home; I gave Florida a shot but plan to move to Chattanooga, TN to see what it's like. I think it will be a much better fit for the outdoor things I like to do. I not.............maybe Oregon or Colorado will be next. Great video!
I enjoyed reading your perspective Ralph! Like you said, if I can afford to stay in the "isolated" areas of Nor cal for a few months, its really nice. Which is what I hope for in the future. And its not the same being in FL like you said.
@@christinamorales6887 my first stint in the Army was in Monterey at the Presidio going to language school. Loved it there. Now we go back twice a year. We will be there for the weekend of May 12 to visit the Presidio for their Language Day festival.
I’ve lived in California my entire life. It was incredible 20+ years ago. Since then , The quality of life has greatly deteriorated while it has become extremely expensive and elitist. The state subsidizes the rich and poor but is hostile to the middle class. I can’t wait to leave it behind.
Lived in California (LA and Santa Barbara) for 6/7 years. It is arguably the most beautiful state and absolutely has the best weather. Awesome communities, opportunities, and culture in lot of areas as well. Unfortunately the state is managed so poorly, and it has gotten so expensive and unfriendly to business, that it’s a tough place to make it. Once you’re set for life, it would be a great place to kick it. But while you’re still striving, there are better places to be. And I come from Boston, incredibly expensive and deep blue politically, but still pales in comparison to California’s problems
As a big fan of your channel and a big fan of California i feel compelled to weigh in. I considered moving to California for a very long time (several years) and almost did before the pandemic (before we knew what a pandemic was). I have never been to Marin country but i love Southern CA and LA area because of the nature. Mountains and beaches are stunning there. However, it’s so much “worse” now after the pandemic hit with the huge increase in homelessness. It’s the same in Washington,DC, my other favorite city (i am European so i like diverse places). I actually moved out of DC abs into Norther VA yesterday! Because i could no longer stand the downward spiral the city had been on. My area from fun and vibrant became extremely unsafe. Everyone moved out (since most of us could work remotely) ans now the area is filled with people who are on subsidized housing vouchers which brings with it crime, mental health issues and filth. If someone asked me two years ago, i would never believe a nice DC neighborhood could become so terrible. I saw the same in much of LA. The policies on these places made them unsafe and just undesirable to live in. My ex BF moved to LA before the pandemic, he is back to DC area now. He said it’s changed too much for the worse. I think going there for a few months in the summer could show you if this is still something you want to pursue. I am very said to say i won’t be moving there. My partner is also European and we loved the US when we first came here in my case 20 years ago, but many many places are just no longer the same. It makes me sad. Also, i agree that freedom matters. I am an independent politically and i can’t stand the insanity that is happening in many liberal states now. Good luck with your decision!
I've lived in San Diego since the mid 90's. Wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Florida is pretty nice and all but I don't think I can take the humidity.
@@strongtowerman9661 San Diego es precioso. Y la gente es más preciosa todavia. En cuanto a oportunidades de empleo, no me puedo quejar. Si tienes el deseo de trabajar, vás a encontrar empleo.
I moved our family from North County San Diego (Oceanside, 2mins to beach in Fire Mountain) last year after living there my whole life. I love San Diego and all the memories/family that still live there. But ultimately, nothing California provided, would be enough to raise my family there. Not even the fact we lived a walk from the beach. We moved to Boise Idaho and never looked back. It’s not that we couldn’t afford to live there. The opposite actually. We just knew the state wasn’t putting our tax dollars in the right places and giving back to our communities in the right ways. We have so much more then we would of had back in San Diego. Brand new Huge 3700sqft house on a 1/3 acre lot with quality roads, no homeless, no traffic and quality amenities and a real sense of community. The kids are thriving and can be gone all day playing around our neighborhood without us feeling like we have to helicopter parent them. And because we cashed out of California, we were able to buy a second home in Florida where we are a block from the beach, which is much cleaner than most California beaches with less crowds. Life exists outside the California bubble, but too many people living there have convinced themselves or got so comfortable that everything around them seems normal. If you're a young couple without kids, it’s gonna be fun and yes there’s a lot to do. But you will be competing for everything.
I've lived in Northern California all my life . California is so big and politics are not the same in all parts, some areas particularly in Eastern parts of california. Where I live in Cool, ca. Most of the people living here are conservative and do not like the politics that have infected the rest of the state. Where I live housing is very affordable, for instance a 3 bedroom house on an acre lot runs 4 to 5 hundred thousand. I am so close to incredible recreation areas. I live in a hidden gem of california. I hope it stays that way.
I used to go to Disney in Fl a lot when i was younger. I hated how humid and hot it was in the summer. I lived in SD and its been dream to move back haha
I agree, if you're not right on the beach, one is not likely to go, due to traffic and parking hassles. I've lived right on the beach up and down A1A over most of the past twenty years, and frequently enjoyed the beach. I now live three miles off the beach on FL's east coast, and find I go less and less. As I get older, I find I dislike the mid-day summer heat and sun, and the sand in my shorts. At this point, I prefer a pool. I think most Floridians, eventually and rather quickly take the beach for granted - it's always there - and almost never go to the beach unless entertaining visitors from up north.
Hi Micheal, I think you came very far to just leave Florida. I would enjoy my status if I were you, especially now your comfortable and you are where you always wanted to be. California is not at its best right now too much going on and it's all negative. At least now you can reap what you've sowed. Enjoy it, and have fun with it! Love your videos 🥰
Moved out of CA 12 years ago, never looked back. Great thing a/b San Jose, Santa Cruz, San Francisco all within 45 minutes of each other in the Bay Area is the employment opportunities, mostly mild temperatures, restaurants and the gorgeous CA landscape. MISS going to the Sharks, 49'ers, Lakers, Warrior games but do not miss the completely woke agenda, TAXES and home prices, which are outrageous, now a 3br/2ba 1400 to 1800 s'f' TRACK home in San Jose is b/t $1,800,000 and $2,200,000 and counting. Oh Smash and Grabs!
Hey Mike, I was actually in the same situation last year, when I was moving from Boston area to FL with a job transfer. I had to decide to move to FL instead of Hawaii for the same exact reason you mention in the video. Florida so far has been a great choice for us with 0 regrets. I can always visit Hawaii and live in the nice condo in Florida and having a good job with minimum taxation. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I could live up like this in Hawaii like I do in FL.
You’re right. I’m trying to exit Hawaii with many others. After living throughout the world and spending a year in Florida and 15 years in Hawaii, I am heading back to Florida. People need to realize that Hawaii vacations are best. It’s like going to Disney and working at Disney.
I visited Hawaii many years ago - and there's nothing to do. If u love water sports and drinking --- you'll enjoy it. Note: When u order a drink at a bar in a hotel, they never add the alcohol. There are signs all over about "not drinking and driving." It's also very expensive. I read that Obumma is building a mansion there - so it will be fun to visit him.
@@sandyrose2398 each island is different. You sound like you were on Oahu( Honolulu , Waikiki) My granddaughter is a bartender and the alcohol is added. The islands are very much an alcohol destination, but over eating and over drinking go hand in hand with the word vacation. Unfortunately people think we walk around in grass skirts and coconut bras with no laws. They get off the plane at 10:30 am drunk. Oahu can have Obummer and his mansion
Born and raised in California and have spent my whole life here. Spent my childhood in San Diego, went to school in Riverside, lived in Santa Cruz for six years, and then moved back to San Diego during the pandemic. I've pretty much seen most of the state from San Diego up to Lake Tahoe. It is undeniable that CA is a beautiful state. The diversity in landscape from the beaches, to the redwood forests, to the mountain ranges, and the deserts. Then you have the mild weather year around especially near the coast (it gets hot in the summertime about an hour inland from the ocean anywhere in the state). I love that I have the option to be outside 365 days a year. And people here are generally in great shape because people go out and enjoy the outdoors all year long. I still do see the appeal of CA, and I don't blame you for being tempted to move there. The pandemic response in the state has really soured me to it. I noticed most people around me were enslaved by their fear of Covid, and many people still are. People were so beat down and demoralized by all the fear mongering and the mandates. It just seems like there is a dark cloud hanging over the state since 2020, and the weather and natural beauty just doesn't make up for it. I'm ready to move to a place that values freedom and be around more like-minded people. And I am looking into moving to Florida early next year. I know it is getting expensive and crowded there but it doesn't hurt to try. I do love the state as I have visited family there many times growing up. Sure the weather isn't as mild as CA and the summers can be brutal, but I am ready for a change.
thank you for this video. I live in Calif --- San Diego. I am 65 yrs old and a SD native....so I have seen SD get built up from cow farms into dense housing. I was talking to a few people yesterday that lived and visited Florida and they all said the humidity and heat were crazy in the summer. I also detest the huge condo highrises on the beach. Too bad Florida doesn't have a 2 story ordinance for all real estate on the beach. What a selfish eyesore. I agree with what you say about Calif., especially during covid. The policies and politics here are horrible. I love San Diego, but hate Calif politics. Our governor here is horrific. The great thing about Calif is the diversity of topography...lots of mountains and rural areas on the outskirts. The cost of living here is extremely high and rent for a 1 bedroom is topping $2600 for a decent apt. complex. I used to go to the beach alot as a kid...now I avoid it...too crowded and our water is cold and not clean. Our major problem here is not earthquakes...but lack of water, due to years of drought. I don't see an end to that. I am having to sell my home, as I live in a high fire risk area and can''t afford home insurance. I love the greenery of Florida, but it's starting to get overbuilt and will turn into a "California" in 5-10 yrs. It's the fastest-growing state in the US. So I will stay here.
Thanks so much for weighing in on this as a long time CA resident! I am worried what will happen to FL, we have to be very careful to preserve our freedom. Totally agree with all the high rises on the beach, I hate it too, SD is great for that.
Don’t let the summer heat cloud your mind brother! I moved to Tampa 30 years ago from Massachusetts, and we gotta get through 3-4 months of heat a year. I have always said… if it was perfect all year round WE couldn’t afford to live here!! The end of October will be here soon enough! Great videos Michael!!
You struck a chord with me when you said you start to take living at the beach for granted. Im a Ca native born and raised in Ca 56 years out of 61. I now live in Gainesville. I finally got my dream in 2010 and spent 10 years living less than a mile to the beach in Oceanside Ca. I took it for granted and you get used to it. I miss it now . I miss the cool weather. Like you said sixties during the day. I used to feel to hot 2 miles away from the beach because it was 5 degrees hotter lol. I was spoiled. Sometimes you dont appreciate what you have until you dont have it anymore.
I recently read that to live in the Bay Area you need to make atleast 200,000 a year 😞😞 Let that sink in So literally no teachers, police or nurses can survive there. Bay Area is now a place for the very very very wealthy or the very poor on government assistance. I really don’t think things will improve. In the last two decades I have lived there things have just become worse and worse. So there is no hope for middle class to thrive in California I love, love ,love the weather in the Bay Area.Unfortunately, the weather alone can’t raise a family. A friend of mine who is a maths teacher and has two young kids like me told me she had to cut back on so many essentials to pay rent here. If you are single and will never have kids, Bay Area is amazing. It’s sad that we can’t pay our teachers , yet cater to our homeless ( apologies in advance on the rant )
I think that calculation is pretty accurate to live comfortably there. Thanks for contributing to the video, and it is sad that homeless are catered to more actual tax paying contributing residents...
Like your Videos Mike! I live in Southern California, and I dont mind it, but I have lived here since I moved here from Hawaii when I was a kid. Good things about California are the weather, the outdoor activities from the Beach to Winter sports in the mountains, lots of hiking, etc etc. The entertainment is also top notch. The cost of living here is insane though with the gas prices, and the price of homes. Had it not been for my career being here (I work in Film Software) and my Wife's family being Southern California based, Id consider moving to Colorado. The politics here are extreme if you are right leaning, and yes the Mandates during Covid were very strict. The urban areas have a big homeless problem and crime is very high in certain areas. However, that seems to be the issue nationwide. Only been to Florida once, and it was Miami and I loved it. I hear the humidity and heat is pretty bad though during the summer. Lots of people leaving California, but I do think it is still one of the best places to live in the country!
Michael, you guys should buy a "pop-up" trailer and just take off for a few months during the summer. Camp at the state campgrounds in NoCal. No property taxes. No rent. Be free and mobile.
As usual, excellent video and audio quality! Great background scenes, shadows, and sun rays. Realistically, though, the cost of living in the decent areas of CA is tremendously unaffordable for nearly everyone not already living there or benefiting from great family wealth. I know it is for me and, perhaps, even Michael. So, the question of relocating to CA really is moot.
Great analysis of California I live in Orange County I love it here when it comes to variety California is second to none beaches - mountains - desert - great weather - the giant sequoia trees - northern Cali beautiful- Napa valley -entertainment second none ….. ….but the politics the homeless the government sucks but I’m here to stay…
My relatives are heading back to Portugal, but those who are going to Lisbon, they are regretting as the big cities are getting all the liberals from America… implementing the liberal policies, especially Drag Queen and gay parades. I grew up in Mozambique, and though it was paradise into the mid 70’s, I’m not going there. As far as Portugal, the town my family is from, is better than San Diego, unfortunately the richest Europeans moved in and it’s now too expensive. I would move to my parents area in a heartbeat, which is Praia Da Barra… After all this crap I wrote, I’ll tell you what I feel deeply in my heart: I came to America to be American, I don’t give a rats ass about Mozambique or Portugal. All my family can go back, I’m here to stay and fight for the freedom we deserve and need to keep! My future: Florida, February of 2024.
If all you care about is nice weather and can afford it then go. just be prepared for all the mess behind the curtain. The rude people, the lack of common sense and decency. Getting hassled by pan handlers, dirty messes everywhere. Smokey skies most days. I lived my whole life for 50 years there and during the shutdowns it felt like a dystopian nightmare and made me very depressed. Moved to FL 2021 and will never even go back for a visit. I do miss the weather and beauty but the cost became to high to enjoy it anymore. And my kids couldnt play outside unsupervised due to crime.
I lived in California 1999-2021. My last residence was in Beverly Hills. I won't ever go back. California is a great place to live only if you're a One Percenter. But then again, what place isn't?
@@MichaelBordenaro I complained that the cost of living was driving a lot of people out and the One Percenter response was "Good, we don't need those people." They have no idea who actually runs things for them. They'll find out.
I am so glad you put this video out! I am torn between California and Florida right now. I lived in California for 3 years and I miss it. At this rate Florida is catching up to the CA prices without the hurricane worry. You made some great points! Living in Illinois I feel like we are little CA as it is with the lockdown restrictions.
I am a senior and i have notice the last 2 years . Summer are harder to handle. I use to golf and cycle on a regular schedule in the summer months. Now I do not. I going to get an E Bike . You must be very fit to do all these summer walks .
Yes the more years I have to deal with the summer here, the more I don't like it. I can do the walks in the heat, but I would prefer if it were cooler.
I have the same experience as you. From Ohio tried to live in the Bay Area 06. I have been back to CA so many times. I have explored everywhere out there. I am contemplating moving out there finally. No kids. My wife and I are literally on the precipice of taking flight. I own a business as well which I’m not married to for a better quality of life. Your video really demonstrates my exact dilemma. I think we’re going for it.
Great video! My wife and I love Monterey/Carmel area. The weather is incredible and the people are extremely friendly. I liked what you mentioned about keeping the residence here in FL for tax reasons and buy a small vacation house that we can rent out in the winter. We like Marin county too, specially because is near wine country. 😆🍷
I am a California resident, have been for a very long time. I'm at retirement age and my wife and I went through the turmoil of deciding to leave or stay. It's cheaper if we leave and go somewhere else like Nevada, Idaho or Arizona, but there is no place else like California, the weather, the natural beauty. I don't think I could deal living in LA or San Francisco, just to filthy and dangerous. There are many places in California where housing is very reasonable, you just have to get out of LA and San Francisco. I do a lot of outdoor things like, hiking, backpacking, landscape photography, mountains, ocean, desert, ocean and rivers. I'm like you, i can't stand the heat, especially humid heat. We are looking at property in the Central Coast (San Luis Obispo) as well as Thousand Oaks, about 1 hour north of LA. Listings are still high but they are dropping. I was eager to leave Cali but then realized all these things I enjoyed doing, there is no other place that would provide me with these great opportunities.. Good luck to you, it's a tough decision.
Love love California. Yes, the government is a little bananas but it is beautiful here especially in San Diego. Been living in San Diego for 10 years. Love Florida but that heat and humidity everyday is too much for me. I'm less than 25 minutes from the beach, zoo, sea world, Padres baseball, mountains, and lakes. Oh forgot to mention places to eat.
I visited San Diego last summer and fell in love with the area. However... CARB emissions is an instant deal breaker for me aside from all the other crap California has going on.
I'm thinking about moving back but I'll need two separate fuel injection and exhaust systems to have a decent running car and still pass the smog test. Fortunately I can turn wrenches.
@@mchristr I have a project car that itshighly modded without a catalytic converter. It would never pass. I am ob board with the whole clean air thing, but I want free reign to do whatever I want with my own property.
Tho I'm from New York state, we lived in Southern California when I was a kid for 2 years. It got in my blood and I always loved it there. Didn't go back until 3 years ago and while I realized that visiting isn't the same as living there, if I were younger and had more money, I would move there in a heartbeat. I've lived in South Florida for 35 years now, I love it and appreciate it, but it's not california. I always used to wonder what people were talking about when they said they missed the mountains of california, I was like, who cares?? But when I was back there a couple of years ago, I was blown away by the mountains and realized how much more interesting the landscape is. Yes there are many negatives to California, especially Southern california, and that being said I still love it and wish in many ways that I had moved back there instead of florida. I have several friends who moved back to California or moved there for the first time in the early sixties. Many people tried to talk them out of it, it wasn't practical, you have so much here, etc etc. Well they moved and are absolutely loving it and have never regretted their decision and have flourished. I don't think you have California out of your blood Michael, and I say life is about risk and if you don't do it you'll regret it someday. Yes it's much pricier there etc etc and I know you know all that already.
We do definitely have that same feeling! I like you, also appreciate south FL, but is not CA in any way. The beach is where the similarities end. But if I can afford to get out of here for summers and spend them there, I will take that over an all out move
Hello from Cali. I work in San Rafael and yes Marin County is beautiful. However, the cost of housing is high. However, I'm not teĺling you anything you don't already know. I'm with you about the heat....I hate it 😠. Great work as usual. God bless you and yours 🙏. OMG! It's actually raining right now in Hayward CA.
I love California a lot. I don’t want to leave. I am an outdoor person so these lockdowns didn’t affect me much and I chose to ignore them anyway. I live in La Cañada Flintridge near Pasadena, purportedly rank number one place to raise children.
I live in Northern California & it’s not as bad as Southern California with the crime, traffic & the homeless. I avoid SF & Oakland. I love the weather here & how there’s always something to do. This year I was in NM, AZ & OK & the heat and/or humidity is a lot & you don’t even feel like going out during the day. I’ve visited FL as well and same story. We do have earthquakes/fires but I don’t think fires will affect you in Marin. I couldn’t see the lockdown happening again, I think it was a learning lesson & no mask mandates now but I don’t mind wearing one if he keeps me from getting sick. Why not wait & see if prices drop this year & next & make your decision? what does your wife want to do? It sounds like to me you’ve already made your decision.
Like you, over all I prefer the north, even though there are spots in the south I enjoy. We haven't made up our minds yet, and when we discuss it, ideally we would like to keep our place in FL and just visit CA, but that would cost more than just moving, so thats real debate.
Yeah, I was planning on buying there in LA, but after seen it by myself, and asked a lot of people from LA, I declined to move there, is not like it was 12 years ago, so I will just stay either in NYC or Somewhere in new jersey like I originally planned. Thanks for your videos as always.
LA is a hellhole & I grew up there. Been terrible since the 70's actually, at least downtown. You'd get robbed in the Garment District while getting out of your car, it has been awful for a long time. City life sucks!
Great topic. I have quite a few neighbors and friends that split their year up by living in South Florida in the winter and spending the summer months on Cape Cod where I live. I wish I could go with them when they leave in November as the winters here are horrible. But as you know no place is perfect for one reason or another. I’ve learned how to adapt to the winters and enjoy my home year round. I know what you mean about the beach, when I moved here 30 years ago I went to the beach all summer long. Now hardly ever and it is 10 minutes away. Not so important anymore, but it’s nice to know that it’s there.
I grew up on the Cape and wasn't much of a beach go'er myself, but still love the place and don't like living too far from the water. The Cape is pretty special, with most of the seashore hotel-free and a large island feel without the hassle of actually living on an island! But yes, those winters can be brutal and getting away for a month or two if you can swing it can make all the difference.
I can totally understand your feelings about CA and FL. I've lived in both states. Like one of your commenters, I lived in Los Angeles in the good old days back in the early 1980s. It was paradise. Beautiful places, great weather, was still affordable and it was safe to party and live. I absolutely loved it. I was married back then and my (now ex) husband and I, we were so young, barely out of diapers, restless and had a bug up our asses and moved around the country quite a lot. From Seattle, WA we moved to Los Angeles CA for a few years, then to Phoenix AZ, Las Vegas NV for a little while but the heat was crazy and because there were slot machines everywhere and I mean even in the grocery stores and gas stations, my ex couldn't hold on to a single penny, so we packed up whatever fit into our car and drove to the East Coast to try our luck in beautiful Bristol, Rhode Island, then on to Boston MA and finally to New York city. We spent 6-7 years in some places, only a short year in others. We finally ended up in Fort Lauderdale, FL and I loved it there just as much as back in LA. After my marriage of 16 years blew up and we got divorced, thank god we didn't have any children, I ended up in Coconut Creek, FL and was very happy there until I had to move back to Seattle for family. I have to tell you when I think back, the happiest I've ever been was when I lived in Florida. If I could, if my circumstances were different than what the sad reality I live in now, I would go back in a second. Not to CA though. The leadership in that state has changed for the absolute worse. The place is still beautiful, of course but they made living there a nightmare. Unless you have millions, then you don't care. Thanks for reading my rant. Hope everything works out and you are going to be happy with whatever you decide.
I really appreciate you putting your story here! You've had quite the wild ride but I'm sure you learned a TON along the way. Every one of these comments is helpful
@@MichaelBordenaro Thank you. I could write a book or even a series of books about all the places I've been to and my experiences there. Maybe I will. You'll get a free signed copy of course. I really enjoy your videos. Thank you for all you do.
Packed up and left in 2016. In fact all my family are gone. Just one cousin remains. Seven generations had lived in California since 1870. Sad. Way before CA was CA
My family and I moved to the San Diego area last year. People here are chill and friendly, great local food, amazing weather, and lots of culture. But it does come with a high cost, the prices for any property are insane. Prices are starting to dip, I hope people have the discipline to bargain and not ovetpay. 800k for a 30 year 3BR condo is not a good value, despite what agents tell you.
FL vs CA: In the late '80s, I was in my early 20s, looking to relocate out of New England, and started looking for jobs in CA and FL. And by 1990, I had turned down two very good job offers - LA and San Diego; and accepted an excellent job in Miami. Ten years later, I was in Gainesville, FL finishing up grad school and, again, looking to CA for my next job, only to turn down a good offer and relocate to the Chicago area for a very good job. Chicago lasted two years before I took a 40% pay cut to return to FL. My career and salary growth have never recovered; and now I'm looking at retirement in about two years. No complaints, but sometimes I wonder how life would have turned out had I accepted one of the CA jobs way back in 1988 and bought some real estate.
No doubt you would have earned more thats for sure, and if you purchased real estate back then of course it would be worth 10 fold what it was then. But sounds like things still turned out pretty good for you anyhow 👌
Hey Michael ... I know how you feel. I've been through what you're feeling three times in my life! I could write a novel based on my life experience. But in short it went like this ... Southern California for 13 years. Moved away when I was 18 to Fort Lauderdale Florida for 12 years. (Did the whole beach thing, I lived through terrifying hurricane Andrew, heat+humidity, It was time to leave). Then back to California to San Francisco for 5 years. (Beautiful but expensive). Then the Pacific Northwest for 13 years. (Got stuck in an upside-down mortgage during The Great Recession of 2008. With 9 months of gray skies and torrential rain, I had to leave the state) and so recently I did. You might be thinking how I got courage, and motivation to uproot my life, say goodby to friends, family and everything familar and move multiple times? Well, It's careful planning, but mostly its responding to that strong feeling in our hearts that pulls us in a certain direction. After loosing both parents not too long ago I realized more than ever how precious and short life is. It is important to live life to the fullest without regrets or fear before we're to old or too scared to do live life. With planning you can follow your heart and dreams no matter what it is. Think about this ... How will you feel when you're 70 regretting that you never gave it a shot? If you don't like it after some time you can always move back, or move somewhere else. But if your gut is reeling, and your heart is puling you in a certain direction that's a sign from God, or the universe, or intuition, whatever you want to call it, that you got to give it a shot. Only YOU will know this. The thing is, you're still young and time is on your side. I say if it's what you want, GO FOR IT.
Thank you Ben for sharing your awesome story! Nice to hear you have "been there". I agree, don't want to have regrets when I'm old, and my first choice would be to bounce back and forth like I mentioned rather than move, but it is probably the more expensive option, so it will likely take longer to achieve than just moving.
When I was young I moved around a lot, even lived outside of the US for awhile. Had some interesting times for sure. But I think it would be extremely difficult to move around like that today. The economy alone would make it impossible unless you want to pitch a tent.
@@MichaelBordenaro ...Hey Michael .. Here is my advice. I would say go back there to the place in CA that you like during the peak of Florida's hurricane season, for about 2-3 weeks, so it's not too costly. But this time don't go as a vacationer or tourist. Go there with the intention of connecting with the locals and learn about the area. For example, go visit open houses and chat-up the realtors on site. Get your hair cut and chat with the local barber. Go to a local pub and chat with the bartender. Talk with the locals as you're walking around. See if this is a place you want to live. Also keep in mind that CA gets wildfires, so that's something to keep in mind. But vacationing someplace and living there are different.
Lived all over the country and have been in North Cali for 25 years. It kicks ass - IF you have money. Everywhere sucks if you are broke. Edit to add - I lost my home in the Caldor Fire last year and there is still no place I'd rather be.
I lived in Huntington Beach for 4 years and loved it. It's great as long as you can afford it. People just love hating on California but I bet most of those people will never have the opportunity to live there.
Im originally from Orlando and currently live in South Florida. As soon as my son graduates high school, I’m outta here. Way too many people. I’d love to have land in Montana or Colorado.
I left California around 7 years ago and was considering living in south Orange County in the winter months but after doing the math it just isn’t worth it to live there even 3 months out of the year. Could take that money and travel the world to exotic places
Love the video. I am actually moving to the south bay area (San Jose) to peruse my love for technology! I am deeply wanting to develop a financial technology app and I believe that the bay area really has that fire and creativity imbedded to make that happen. I would like to add that I am 22 with no obligations and really nothing to lose therefore I am confident that this is a good idea. I also feel that there is something magical about the beautiful rolling hills, perfect climate and impeccable landscape. I understand it is very expensive however you get what you pay for in many parts of CA. Im not chasing the big cities in CA. Rather I’m chasing natural beauty, creativity and passion! I would love to hear back from you on your thoughts!!
I think for someone like you its perfect! You said it all, and being young with nothing to lose is the best position to be in, to take advantage of that opportunity. Go for it!
My sister had her wedding in 2011 in downtown San Diego, and it was beautiful there. We went back there in 2016, stayed at a fancy hotel, but about 4 am police started to wake up the homeless people, the noise was terrible.,, I would not want to witness that every day…
I grew up in Southern Orange County, CA. It was a beautiful place to grow up in the 80s/90s. I moved away in 2011. The last time I visited was with my husband in 2018. I’m not an emotional person but I cried when I saw the state of things. Some of the beaches are completely eroded. The traffic was insane. I was always used to traffic in LA or work time traffic but it was constant, all day. It was really hard to see a place that was my home in a sense transform for the worse. It just really devastated me. I imagined returning in the future with my family but all the pros of moving there are disappearing.
born and raised californian here. I've lived all over both northern and southern california. If money was not an issue these are the cities i would live in in a heartbeat regardless of politics: san clemente, laguna beach, newport, carmel or santa barbara. Cities in california that you could not pay me to live in: San francisco(including all surrounding Bay Area cities), any city in Los Angeles County, bakersfield, stockton, fresno. Slightly more affordable cities i have or would consider living in: ventura, bodega bay, fort bragg, cameron park, tahoe, shasta. The politics suck but i love california still. I've considered leaving but cant figure out where else to go in america that is similar to Cali. If you like the weather in marin county, consider going farther north to Dillon beach, bodega bay, or fort bragg or south near Carmel or Monterey. The poison from san francisco pollutes the neighboring areas. Also not all counties in California are run by far leftist woke morons, i think its mainly Los angeles county and SF county.
I really appreciate your feedback here as a native! I havent yet been to Dillon Beach Bodega Bay area so will definitely check that out next time I'm up there! And you can't figure out where else to go bc there is no where else like CA! Glad you can appreciate it even though, it has its huge downsides.
I have always suffered from relocation addiction I have lived all over the country. Once you have the itch it never goes away. I will not budge for now with the world we live in🙄
Visited California twice so I only know it as a visitor but I can't imagine a place in the US that matches the natural beauty of California. That said I would never consider becoming a resident of that state given the far left politics. Who knows what crazy policies they will enact next. Sad really because there was a day when California was not this way. Ronald Reagan was the governor for eight years.
I lived in L.A. for three years. I just moved from Hollywood back to Atlanta last week. The filth is atrocious. And the homelessness is nothing like I have ever seen. Not to mention renting in L.A. has many caveats. Having to buy a fridge, possibly not having central A/C and lack of parking. No it’s not worth it to me. Food is much better back home haha
LEFT CA 4 years ago and live on a WONDERFUL coastal Georgia island most don’t know exists! Saint Simons Island… it’s like walking back in time .. no homeless , zero crime (maybe a theft occasionally) I DO NOT miss the insanity of CA they can have it!! I feel like I walked back in time …. Coastal GA is awesome…… additionally the island has great restaurants and nice beaches… winters are mild
I live in California. Where I am used to be very safe, now the nicer areas are being surrounded by crime and poverty. Business owners in the area complain of people (BLM) running out of stores stealing things constantly, and the state made a law that the business owner cannot stop them unless the theft is over $950... It's crazy. Lots of homeless. Power Outages, the streets are not being paved... It's really sad. Makes sense why hundred of thousands of people are leaving this state every year
@@MichaelBordenaro Yes, exactly, theft is legal. People are stealing postal deliveries and Amazon orders off doorsteps every day. They make a business out of theft and the police departments do nothing about it. Also, we are having a massive issue with Catalytic Converter theft. People are going around cutting cats off cars every day. Still nothing being done. Crime is rampant. LAPD finally accepted they cant keep up and are fast tracking people's ability to get conceal carry permits.
California has great weather. I live in Orange County. We’re leaving! Between me and my wife, we gross between 300-400k+ annually. We recently sold our home and currently exploring different states to move to. Dallas TX is our next visit in a few weeks. I luv FL and would move to Jacksonville (St.Johns) but its too far for my wife. We can’t afford it Orange County! making roughly 400k with one child and a dog unless you want a blown out house payment. Northern California around Rocklin is much cheaper so will check that area out as well but the politics are so wild here so thats concerning.
My parents are making a lot less than 400k+ annually (also raised 3 kids) and they seem to be doing fine in Orange County.. but if it’s a smart move for you then congrats
Get ready for 100F + summers in Rocklin. Also, winters there are colder than the Coast. But, overall a good place to live if you discount the wildfire/smoke risk.
California is as close to Italy as any state can get. Italy has the beaches and the mountains and the Mediterranean climate. Italy is perfection. And California would be too, if it weren’t for their policies.
Great video Michael. I have lived in the SF Bay area 40 years. Worked in tech. Love the weather and the many things you can do throughout the year. In short the lifestyle. Still, now that I am retired I'm seriously thinking of leaving. The best days of CA are behind it. But always struggling with "go where"? The negatives of staying here include: high cost of living (taxes, utilities, gas, insurances, home maintenance), being in another "big" quake (lived through '89 Loma Prieta, drought, planned power outages, increasing number of spare the air days, more homeless on streets and crime. I live in a wealthy city, home of the Apple spaceship. Many homes in my neighborhood have been burglarized. My truck has been broken into twice in the past year. I suggest you also read about CA SB9 & SB10. It's about upzoning. Destroying single family home neighborhoods to build high density housing. The state is pushing real hard for it and local residents will have little say anymore. It's government overreach. Final point: Aug 1 Governor Newscum declared state of emergency due to monkeypox. So here comes another wave of restrictions and mandates for businesses and citizens. Better think twice about coming here if you cherish your liberties.
I’ve been watching your show for a while now and I happened to watch this particular episode. I was born and lived in Illinois for 14 years, moved to Miami Florida where I got married and had three kids, living there for 20 years, then move back to the Midwest in Indiana to raise our kids, and finally I’ve been living in the very north part of California in a city called Eureka, population 30,000. I thoroughly enjoyed the video and I agreed with 90% of your commentary and also the comments from other viewers. I’m going to cut to the Chase here. Move to California while you are still young enough to adapt and afford it. When you are ready to retire, depending on your income level during retirement, move back to Florida on the West Coast, either in Marco Island or Naples. I can give you lots of reasons why I am planning to do that, and if you are interested, I can give you more information. I am a medical doctor, so some of my reasons have to do with retirement, health, and safety in old age.
If you liked this video, check out this Florida VS California comparison I did a while back ua-cam.com/video/NXSmS4BUOJg/v-deo.html
Michael you can always visit California not a state you want to move to or live in.
California is not for Lazy people. And 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Who's moving? And if you leave California expect a pay cut . Sorry never leaving California unless I retire
I'm single man. Was making $17 an hour as in electrician in Florida. Paying $600 for a room to rent. Move to California now making $54 an hour and still paying $600 for a room. Enough said
Watched it already 🙂👍
I’ve lived in California for 50+ years.
Agree 100% on the homeless and cleanliness. I visited Florida (Miami) in February and was very impressed with how clean the streets were. As far as homeless, we saw three in a week.
There are beautiful cities in CA and it’s a shame it’s governed so poorly.
Thanks Maria, nice to hear from someone who lives there. The cleanliness is night and day in the cities. Although I did not find cleanliness an issue in any of the Marin cities I visited as, they are much smaller and quaint and not nearly as many homeless.
Totally agree. I currently live in California. Definitely much worse than how it was when I got here over 30 years ago.
@@MichaelBordenaro north FL like palm coast and st aug have several months of nice, mild winter weather. 60s, 70s, and even a frost once in a while. Its very different than south FL. CA has become a totalitarian dictatorship
@@MichaelBordenaro HI Maria I agree as a Californian myself. To bad for now, I think all this will change.
Well guess what he wants to bring his incompetence to the White House
Michael, great video. I moved to CA from the highlands of Scotland because my wife is a CA native. After nearly two years there I didn't even have to ask her, SHE asked if we could go back to Scotland. We're back and California is just a memory.
I would love to go to Scotland 🏴
Come on Christina we'll let you in.
Smart MOVE!!!
Thank you! I appreciate your story!
How hard was the culture shock to your wife? Scotland seems amazing but I can imagine there would be culture shock.
California has incredible landscape throughout. I'd love to live there but no way in hell with way the political climate is. Obviously cost is another factor. Hopefully things calm down and it becomes desirable again.
My electric rates are depressing.
I lived there for six decades. It only got worse and worse. It will never get better in my lifetime.
completely agree as a CA living in both states.
Bro its a CULT! Its completely insane.
@@jaimerogers1587 Good luck with that bud
I moved to Tampa in July 2020 after living in San Leandro, CA (SF Bay Area) for 30 years. I know the places in Marin county you mentioned and those are beautiful places. For me, SF Bay Area has beautiful weather and scenery, but the crime, homeless, politics and cost of living made it easy for me to move to Florida. I love the freedom, beaches, clean cities, and the people are much more friendlier. Yes, the weather is hot, but you can actually swim on the beach here to cool off. Not to mention, there are plenty of indoor activities, museums and shopping, if you want to stay cool. I love Florida and I’ll never to back to California.
The scenery and the weather are the only plus points SF has over any other city that is walkable with transit- other than weather or scenery, nothing about SF would make me think it is better than some place like NYC or Chicago
Did you take a pay cut? Are you in debt? How's the weather in Tampa? What the difference from Miami to SF cause I been to both and let me Tell you. Notice very little difference
@@SamuelClemente7718 I’m a UX Designer and I did take a pay cut. Initially, I thought it’s fair since the cost of living in Tampa (in 2020) is half the cost of living in SF, plus I don’t have anymore mortgage since I bought a brand new house in Tampa and paid it cash. But, now that the cost of living in Tampa area also increased, my employer, actually, increased my pay back up. So worked out well for me.
Tampa is awesome!
Thanks to Newsom and Pelosi, YEAAA
This vid hit me in the gut man. Ive had some flashbacks of when Cali was really an amazing place. There used to be a VIBE. There were such fun people years ago. There was fabulous opportunity to follow any dream you had.
Yeah, it's not that place any more, unfortunately.
Lived in Sacramento for 13 years........Loved it, it was a dream living there. The cost of living drove us out after we had our kid. And we owned a relatively inexpensive house. Home maintenance started to kill us so we sold for a big profit and moved to the Florida Panhandle right on the beach 5 months ago. We make a decent income of over 100K. We are easily saving 20-30K a year living in Florida. It truly does cost an extra 20-30 % to live in Cali unless you are a hermit and don't own a car and stay home all day. EVERYTHING cost more in Cali. All that said, after only 5 months of Florida, the humidity and the heat have us wanting to run back to the high cost of living in CA. We are already planning what our move back will look like. Do I regret the move to Florida....Kind of, but I learned a big lesson. Now I know for sure where I want to be. Had I not taken a chance on Florida, I would always be wondering if the grass was greener elsewhere. The saying is true. You get what you pay for. It's a hell of a cost burden to live out there, but it's a damn dream life. Especially if you are into the outdoors. The climate can not be beaten. It will be easier to not let the bad things about California bother me once we move back knowing that we gave it a shot elsewhere. There are problems everywhere in the country. If you can either save up 200K for a down payment or make closer to 200K a year. California is hands down the place to be. Like I said.....you get what you pay for. We have a 5-year plan to bank every dollar we are saving in Florida, to have a nice down payment on what will be our forever home back in The Sacramento Valley.
Interesting, I’m in Sacramento (North Highlands) and in the process of moving to South Florida. Why is the heat such a problem when you can just get in the ocean? My Dad is out there and he says the homeless there isn’t nearly as bad there as what we’re seeing here. I noticed people drink and smoke pot just to ignore it cope with how bad it’s gotten here. Yes if you don’t like the heat then Florida doesn’t work. I gets fairly cold in the winters here which is not pleasant to me here.
Home taxes are higher in Florida then in California. First lie. Should I keep digging?
@@bulletpoint728 It's the humidity brother.....It makes it feel 20 degrees hotter than it is. Dry heat is a piece of cake. I'll take 100-degree sac weather over 85 degrees with 90 percent humidity. You are just sticky and sweaty all the time. So I'm on the gulf side in the panhandle and the water gets quite warm this time of year. Kinda like a warm bath at times. And yes it is still refreshing, but I can't live on the beach all the time. It's day-to-day living that is hard. BBQ on your back porch is miserable. Oh and not to mention the bugs. Flys and mosquitos make it very hard to be outside in the evenings when the temperature actually cools off. I feel like I am stuck inside the house all the time, Other than the weekends when I can sit around on the beach all day. Also where I am at, it's peaceful but somewhat rural, so there is nothing else to do here. If drinking, fishing, and getting heat stroke are your thing, then you might enjoy it here. Now as for south Florida, I think it's a whole different world down there. Lots more people and entertainment options, but also hotter. As far as homeless, There are pretty much no homeless where I am now, and it's very clean. So I guess those are positives. But so far the negatives have outweighed the positives. Bummed, but we will make a positive out of it. We will save a ton of money over the next few years and when the market out there dips, we will buy back in. Lots of people smoke out here too, Folks are far less health-oriented here. And that is surprisingly depressing. My neighbors here are surprised that I ride a bicycle for exercise. Most of them don't see the point in riding a bicycle unless it's to bet from bar to bar along the beach. I miss the American river bike trail big time! I was in Folsom.
@@SamuelClemente7718 Please do! Depends on what county you are in Florida. In my county, it is less than my rate was in Cali. And as far as the actual dollar amount assessed, my home in Florida is bigger than my house in Cali, yet it cost 180K less than I paid for my home in Cali. Thus my actual assessment rate is still less even if the average rate percentage was a bit higher! It's all based on the value of your home. California homes will oftentimes be way more expensive than homes in Florida. Thus the property taxes will often time be higher in Cali.
@@mikewright7145 the problem is many Americans want to live the Instagram lifestyle without working for it. California is not for Lazy people that's for sure
I lived in California for over 10 years throughout 3 cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, and Camarillo), and wanted to live in NorCal north of SF. I loved it there, but it was no longer worth the excessive costs to deal with the lack of common sense policies and toxic all or nothing politics. I watched as the homeless overtook my neighborhood in LA (Runyon Area). I remember a time I could walk home at 2am from WeHo back home and not pass a single homeless person. Just before leaving last year I watched a homeless person defecate outside the Ralph’s on Sunset/Fuller as I was going to buy groceries. Additionally, with where the world is at, I began to see how fragile California’s infrastructure and routes are. Should there be some sort of disaster or need to evacuate there are only a few routes out. Additionally, Speaking of the indoctrination, I went to college in LA and there is a clear difference in education there then the rest of the country. Classmates originally from LA had clearly been indoctrinated in their earlier education and had no concept of the outside world or actual fact. This political indoctrination bled into every work environment I had after college. I’ve spent the past year outside of California mentally recovering and recalibrating around people who actually use logic and reason without claiming such as “white supremacy.”
Furthermore, even with inflation, I am living at a higher standard for significantly less cost than I was in California pre-inflation.
Thanks for sharing this its all true and sad really....
@@MichaelBordenaro I’m originally from Pennsylvania and have lived in Florida, North Carolina, and now Texas. I have also traveled to 40 other states. Like you I always wanted to live in California and it was amazing while I was there until it wasn’t. It was heartbreaking to leave, but the lockdowns in LA and witnessing Melrose burning due to the 5/29-30/2020 riots while also seeing my apartment on the news from a helicopter really messed me up psychologically. You’re best bet is to retain your Florida residency and travel in for vacation. NorCal is amazing. Next time you’re in Marin County, take a trip north up the 101 to the Red Woods. Crescent City is a quintessential North Pacific Beach Town and if you time it right you may get the mystical fog rolling over those cliff side roads. Be sure to pull off to stroll along the beaches.
Got out as well, last year. My biggest fear was that I would never be able to get it. Especially when the lockdowns happened. Los Angeles has become a very oppressive place unless you are a criminal.They are the only ones who have freedom.
I moved out of CA this year and absolutely agree with everything you said. I also felt the same way about limited escape routes. I lived in San Jose and in 2020 there were 2 huge fires in the mountains on the east and west sides of town. It was super creepy. I felt like I was living in a bowl surrounded by flames. And both of those fires raged for over a month. For the reasons you listed as well as some of my own, I knew it was time to go.
@@truther001 I kind of felt the same way. If you want to live in a tent on the street and steal to support your drug addiction, they're fine with that in CA and all the addicts and thieves know it.
Born and raised in California. Third generation native Californian. Fifty years until last year. Weather is nice. Northern California is not to bad. I had to leave for a better life for my family. California now has homeless,crime, strict gun laws, liberal politics, crappy schools, high taxes, high home prices, I left for Tennessee. Best decision my wife and I bought a house in less than four months. 210,000 believe it or not. The only thing I miss about California is the weather the mountains and good people. There are still good people there.
Lived in California for 30 years, moved to North Carolina, don't regret it at all
Democrats aren't 'liberal' they've turned into communists. They're actively destroying this state and chasing away all the productive people
There are 5 or 6 good people there and i feel horrible for them
@@jayteesgear 5- 6 million good people? At least... Ya, but they're now leaving, in droves. (i.e. Before the REAL Marxian-Fa$cist "lockdowns," ensue. 6.8% of San Francisco County also left in 2021, though. That's the scary part. The homeless will soon be in FEMA encampments, when the National Guard, tanks and MRAPS hit the streets. (i.e. After the "destabilization and subver$ion phase," ends. And the "useful idiot, leftists..." will never even see, it coming. I'm outta here! ;-)
The mountains and the weather is what I miss the most as well
I've live here in CA practically all my life. There's alot of bad rep but I love it for it's diversity in climate, people and food. I love the mountains and the beautiful coastal line. Yes it's expensive but I don't know if I would live anywhere else.
We absolutely loved our time in San Francisco. We loved the weather. We lived in the Marina near the Palace of Fine Arts. We have a son and when he was little, we could walk to the beach, two playgrounds, the library, Chestnut and Union Street restaurants and bars. We walked to wine tasting events. It really was wonderful. But it was getting too expensive and our son would have to go to a private school because public wasn't great there. And before we left daily cars on the street were getting broken into and started seeing people do drugs. It's sad because we loved it so much.
It is sad thats what it came down to. Even from my first visit to SF in 2017 to now, it has gone down hill quite a bit...
Same...here..saw druggie on the beach...behaving weird...and that was back in the 80's...!!..usually people who ruined the place...make this happen..
It saddens me what has happened to California Michael, CA was my Home state where I was born and raised in the heart of, near Yosemite, then went to Texas when I was in the Air Force at 19 in 2017. Now live in Arkansas, CA is still beautiful and worth Visiting, However, it is just not the Golden state and California Dream it once was decades ago.
America is not the same America it used to be.
Its sad for me too, even looking in as a non resident.
I'm concerned about the future of California because people and businesses are leaving and taking their jobs with them, yet California real estate continues to climb upward and rent just went up again. With all of that you already know homelessness, and crime is rising and no one is safe anymore. Rich people are getting robbed in the streets and in their homes as well. Counties that used to be safe are no longer safe and it seems to be getting worse.
That is definitely a concern!
Yes, and something like 40% of the nation's homeless have moved to California... and when nothing is being DONE to keep residents SAFE within their own neighborhoods, towns and cities, it's obvious where the state's now headed. (By de$ign...) I'm EXITING California again soon, and won't return unless the politics greatly IMPROVE... as well as the population. (Not likely, in my lifetime...) I loved Cali and Oregon, even living in Arizona back in the 1970s- 90s... but it's a very different world, in the 21st Century. The costs on the left coast are too high, the politics and stolen elections a farce... and the diminishing "freedoms" are unacceptable to me, personally. I don't want the far left, WEF and UN "dictating policy," on my home turf. Texas or Florida, then likely Mexico is looking better to me, so I'm soon, RELOCATING. (From Sonoma County, above Marin.)
You are correct, and unfortunately, things will get a lot worse. . .
I moved to California from Ohio. I have lived here for 44 years. The 1st ten years were in the Bay Area, mostly in Sausalito which is in Marin County. It was beautiful and the weather is perfect. I lived on a hillside with an amazing view, took the ferry to work in the City, frequent trips to the wine country and felt very fortunate to be there. The downside is that it is overpriced [with high taxes] and you can’t avoid San Francisco [which you don’t like] because that’s where the jobs are as well as essential services and entertainment options. The past 34 years, I’ve lived in SoCal in the Inland Empire, where I was able to purchase homes at a reasonable price. The trade-off is that it is nowhere near the beach which, to me, was not important. I work in downtown Los Angeles which has deteriorated, especially since the pandemic began. The homeless people have taken over not just downtown but Santa Monica and other neighboring cities. California is terribly expensive and I’ve recently decided that it is not worth it. A few months ago, I purchased a home in North Carolina and while it is a 2nd residence for now, I will someday sell my home here and move to NC permanently. I have been fortunate to make a good living in the entertainment business but often wonder how people who have average incomes can make ends meet in both Northern and Southern Cali. As you may know, the Bay Area is generally more expensive than even L.A. and San Diego. This is not a good time to come to California. There are legitimate reasons for the mass exodus taking place of late, not the least of which is loss of jobs, revenue generated and tax base from businesses who have relocated to Texas and other States. Finally, don’t underestimate the tax advantages and freedoms you have living in Florida. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
I really appreciate you 44 years of wisdom and experience with CA! Must have been really nice living in Sausalito, such a lovely town. So many comments like yours make me think its best to wait, to have the ability to easily float back and forth at my leisure, and not give up my cherished freedom here in FL which I adore as much as CA weather 🇺🇸
California is very “woke.” They have high taxes, the cost of living is high, and a huge amount of rules and regulations!, as well a superior attitude. It is just a matter of choices and values.
Born and raised in SoCal and have tons of family in the Bay. I am not moving. This is home ❤️
Buy a used Sprinter 2500 diesel Travel van. Spend Summers in California. Easy to park with ocean views in Laguna to San Clemente. Showers at the beach.
Thanks for your info! Live in CA for over 40 yrs because the weather! This is it! Am still here! Had been to some cold weather states! Can’t stand the freezing rains, 5 inches of snows! And the sizzling summers
I’ve lived in a few of places New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida, and California. We are currently in Massachusetts and will be moving to California again in a month. We are moving to OC where the weather is perfect year round. We are also moving to be closer to family. The pandemic played a huge role in our decision. You only live once and might as well enjoy it.
I’m going through the same thing. I love living in Miami Beach but I really miss the mountains and rugged natural beauty of California. I also think lots of people who haven’t been there judge it based on the politics and how it looks from outside the state, and that’s just a negative way to experience other places and cultures IMO. Most people outside of the core of cities are pretty normal and balanced. It’s been great being here in Miami and figuring out who I am and what I like beyond that mountain lifestyle I came from, but I do miss vertical, and scenic lookouts that don’t require an elevator. I also moved down here from the North (northeast corridor) and also find it to be a much better option.
The media has warped some people's minds, we have a VERY large state. I could care less about politics, not something I'm into, too divisive as we can see. My profession has me far more busy than that, people lose their minds over this nonsense, my priorities are a bit bigger (like business climate since I run my own, it was very good locally even in the past 2 yr) I'm actually happy people are leaving instead of stampeding for a change. It's so clean & lovely without the tourists & their spray cans, trash, etc. they nearly killed us during the Pandemic trampling our gorgeous land underfoot. Nah, stay home y'all. California is awful! Stay away!
I hear you!
Your camera/phone has an EXCELLANT stabilization feature! No bumpiness at all!
Wow! Mike bombshells - best of luck my brother
Thanks Andrew!
Hello Michael :)- Great video as I grew up all over the Bay Area including many cities in towns in Marin County including Larkspur and Sausalito. It is close to everything and a great vibe of culture including the fact the mountain biking was actually started in Marin County. Kudos to you for this video and for your channel!!!
I moved to Fort Lauderdale 2016 I couldn’t take the heat anymore moved to Virginia Beach 2020 .summers aren’t as long moderate winters and the A lot less traffic and I still have the beautiful beaches. I would move out west in a heartbeat beautiful.
Interesting, never been to Virginia Beach, will have to visit one day
I couldn’t respond to the CA poll since I have not been in CA for ~20 years. Yet what I’ve read and heard I would never consider moving to CA! Most important I couldn’t afford it.
I been in California over 30 years. Definitely don’t recommend it. Extremely regulated. The control and over taxation is getting ridiculous.
I've lived here since 1988. The politics, high taxes, relax on crimes, homelessness, and cost of living are not worth the nice weather. I'm looking forward to retirement so I can move out of this horribly run State.
I live by Carmel-by-the-sea, California and it’s beautiful 🤩
Oh yes me too! I wouldn't mind living in that area either!
Problem is only rich people can afford to live there.
Having vacationed numerous times in the Sarasota/Ft. Myers area, I jumped at the chance to transfer from California to Florida for work. I'm finishing up my first year living in Florida and, aside from the fabulous kayaking and beaches, I find it doesn't come close to comparing to California's weather and beauty. I miss the mountain biking, camping and hiking along the coast and in the Sierra mountains, kayaking at Lake Tahoe. I feel like I've given up 3 months of mild winter for 4 or 5 months of crappy summer. That said, I'll never move back for all the reasons stated in the comments you read. Tiburon, San Rafael, and Novato are kind of like islands separating you from the rest of California's issues. But they come at a price most of us can't afford. I'm very fortunate to work from home; I gave Florida a shot but plan to move to Chattanooga, TN to see what it's like. I think it will be a much better fit for the outdoor things I like to do. I not.............maybe Oregon or Colorado will be next. Great video!
I use to live in Boulder, Colorado and you will like it for outdoor activities. I live in Monterey Bay, California now.
I’ve lived in Knoxville 40 years ago it was very noice , southern people are sweet and loving ~
Don't know why everyone raves on about California's weather. No water, no life.
I enjoyed reading your perspective Ralph! Like you said, if I can afford to stay in the "isolated" areas of Nor cal for a few months, its really nice. Which is what I hope for in the future. And its not the same being in FL like you said.
@@christinamorales6887 my first stint in the Army was in Monterey at the Presidio going to language school. Loved it there. Now we go back twice a year. We will be there for the weekend of May 12 to visit the Presidio for their Language Day festival.
Florida hands down! Warm, beautiful waters and nice sandy beaches, friendlier people, and by far more freedom (best governor in the US).
I’ve lived in California my entire life. It was incredible 20+ years ago. Since then , The quality of life has greatly deteriorated while it has become extremely expensive and elitist.
The state subsidizes the rich and poor but is hostile to the middle class. I can’t wait to leave it behind.
Lived in California (LA and Santa Barbara) for 6/7 years. It is arguably the most beautiful state and absolutely has the best weather. Awesome communities, opportunities, and culture in lot of areas as well. Unfortunately the state is managed so poorly, and it has gotten so expensive and unfriendly to business, that it’s a tough place to make it. Once you’re set for life, it would be a great place to kick it. But while you’re still striving, there are better places to be. And I come from Boston, incredibly expensive and deep blue politically, but still pales in comparison to California’s problems
I have much of the same concerns and thoughts as you. Thanks for sharing
As a big fan of your channel and a big fan of California i feel compelled to weigh in. I considered moving to California for a very long time (several years) and almost did before the pandemic (before we knew what a pandemic was). I have never been to Marin country but i love Southern CA and LA area because of the nature. Mountains and beaches are stunning there. However, it’s so much “worse” now after the pandemic hit with the huge increase in homelessness. It’s the same in Washington,DC, my other favorite city (i am European so i like diverse places). I actually moved out of DC abs into Norther VA yesterday! Because i could no longer stand the downward spiral the city had been on. My area from fun and vibrant became extremely unsafe. Everyone moved out (since most of us could work remotely) ans now the area is filled with people who are on subsidized housing vouchers which brings with it crime, mental health issues and filth. If someone asked me two years ago, i would never believe a nice DC neighborhood could become so terrible. I saw the same in much of LA. The policies on these places made them unsafe and just undesirable to live in. My ex BF moved to LA before the pandemic, he is back to DC area now. He said it’s changed too much for the worse. I think going there for a few months in the summer could show you if this is still something you want to pursue. I am very said to say i won’t be moving there. My partner is also European and we loved the US when we first came here in my case 20 years ago, but many many places are just no longer the same. It makes me sad. Also, i agree that freedom matters. I am an independent politically and i can’t stand the insanity that is happening in many liberal states now. Good luck with your decision!
I've lived in San Diego since the mid 90's. Wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Florida is pretty nice and all but I don't think I can take the humidity.
Es bonito para vivir San Diego? Mucho empleo?
@@strongtowerman9661 San Diego es precioso. Y la gente es más preciosa todavia.
En cuanto a oportunidades de empleo, no me puedo quejar. Si tienes el deseo de trabajar, vás a encontrar empleo.
Awesome Video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I moved our family from North County San Diego (Oceanside, 2mins to beach in Fire Mountain) last year after living there my whole life. I love San Diego and all the memories/family that still live there. But ultimately, nothing California provided, would be enough to raise my family there. Not even the fact we lived a walk from the beach. We moved to Boise Idaho and never looked back.
It’s not that we couldn’t afford to live there. The opposite actually. We just knew the state wasn’t putting our tax dollars in the right places and giving back to our communities in the right ways. We have so much more then we would of had back in San Diego. Brand new Huge 3700sqft house on a 1/3 acre lot with quality roads, no homeless, no traffic and quality amenities and a real sense of community.
The kids are thriving and can be gone all day playing around our neighborhood without us feeling like we have to helicopter parent them.
And because we cashed out of California, we were able to buy a second home in Florida where we are a block from the beach, which is much cleaner than most California beaches with less crowds.
Life exists outside the California bubble, but too many people living there have convinced themselves or got so comfortable that everything around them seems normal. If you're a young couple without kids, it’s gonna be fun and yes there’s a lot to do. But you will be competing for everything.
Excellent story!
Agree on Marin. My job is in Palo Alto. Awesome weather!
Its the best!
I've lived in Northern California all my life . California is so big and politics are not the same in all parts, some areas particularly in Eastern parts of california. Where I live in Cool, ca. Most of the people living here are conservative and do not like the politics that have infected the rest of the state.
Where I live housing is very affordable, for instance a 3 bedroom house on an acre lot runs 4 to 5 hundred thousand.
I am so close to incredible recreation areas. I live in a hidden gem of
california. I hope it stays that way.
I used to go to Disney in Fl a lot when i was younger. I hated how humid and hot it was in the summer. I lived in SD and its been dream to move back haha
I can relate!
I agree, if you're not right on the beach, one is not likely to go, due to traffic and parking hassles. I've lived right on the beach up and down A1A over most of the past twenty years, and frequently enjoyed the beach. I now live three miles off the beach on FL's east coast, and find I go less and less. As I get older, I find I dislike the mid-day summer heat and sun, and the sand in my shorts. At this point, I prefer a pool. I think most Floridians, eventually and rather quickly take the beach for granted - it's always there - and almost never go to the beach unless entertaining visitors from up north.
Yep if I'm not right on it, I know I'll rarely go as I don't want to fight traffic and parking. I'm with you already on the mid day heat 😄
Absolutely agree with you about the weather! Upper 50s - mid 80s with lots of sun is perfect. But there are not many places that fit that.
Exactly, super hard to find that nice mediterranean climate without actually moving to the mediterranean😀
Hi Micheal, I think you came very far to just leave Florida. I would enjoy my status if I were you, especially now your comfortable and you are where you always wanted to be. California is not at its best right now too much going on and it's all negative. At least now you can reap what you've sowed. Enjoy it, and have fun with it! Love your videos 🥰
I hear you, thanks Valerie!
Moved out of CA 12 years ago, never looked back. Great thing a/b San Jose, Santa Cruz, San Francisco all within 45 minutes of each other in the Bay Area is the employment opportunities, mostly mild temperatures, restaurants and the gorgeous CA landscape. MISS going to the Sharks, 49'ers, Lakers, Warrior games but do not miss the completely woke agenda, TAXES and home prices, which are outrageous, now a 3br/2ba 1400 to 1800 s'f' TRACK home in San Jose is b/t $1,800,000 and $2,200,000 and counting. Oh Smash and Grabs!
*tract home
Born & raised in California thru the 80s/90s.. left for western Colorado in 99 and have no regrets
Hey Mike, I was actually in the same situation last year, when I was moving from Boston area to FL with a job transfer. I had to decide to move to FL instead of Hawaii for the same exact reason you mention in the video. Florida so far has been a great choice for us with 0 regrets. I can always visit Hawaii and live in the nice condo in Florida and having a good job with minimum taxation. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I could live up like this in Hawaii like I do in FL.
You’re right. I’m trying to exit Hawaii with many others. After living throughout the world and spending a year in Florida and 15 years in Hawaii, I am heading back to Florida. People need to realize that Hawaii vacations are best. It’s like going to Disney and working at Disney.
I visited Hawaii many years ago - and there's nothing to do. If u love water sports and drinking --- you'll enjoy it. Note: When u order a drink at a bar in a hotel, they never add the alcohol. There are signs all over about "not drinking and driving." It's also very expensive. I read that Obumma is building a mansion there - so it will be fun to visit him.
@@sandyrose2398 each island is different. You sound like you were on Oahu( Honolulu , Waikiki)
My granddaughter is a bartender and the alcohol is added.
The islands are very much an alcohol destination, but over eating and over drinking go hand in hand with the word vacation. Unfortunately people think we walk around in grass skirts and coconut bras with no laws. They get off the plane at 10:30 am drunk. Oahu can have Obummer and his mansion
Born and raised in California and have spent my whole life here. Spent my childhood in San Diego, went to school in Riverside, lived in Santa Cruz for six years, and then moved back to San Diego during the pandemic. I've pretty much seen most of the state from San Diego up to Lake Tahoe. It is undeniable that CA is a beautiful state. The diversity in landscape from the beaches, to the redwood forests, to the mountain ranges, and the deserts. Then you have the mild weather year around especially near the coast (it gets hot in the summertime about an hour inland from the ocean anywhere in the state). I love that I have the option to be outside 365 days a year. And people here are generally in great shape because people go out and enjoy the outdoors all year long. I still do see the appeal of CA, and I don't blame you for being tempted to move there.
The pandemic response in the state has really soured me to it. I noticed most people around me were enslaved by their fear of Covid, and many people still are. People were so beat down and demoralized by all the fear mongering and the mandates. It just seems like there is a dark cloud hanging over the state since 2020, and the weather and natural beauty just doesn't make up for it. I'm ready to move to a place that values freedom and be around more like-minded people. And I am looking into moving to Florida early next year. I know it is getting expensive and crowded there but it doesn't hurt to try. I do love the state as I have visited family there many times growing up. Sure the weather isn't as mild as CA and the summers can be brutal, but I am ready for a change.
thank you for this video. I live in Calif --- San Diego. I am 65 yrs old and a SD native....so I have seen SD get built up from cow farms into dense housing. I was talking to a few people yesterday that lived and visited Florida and they all said the humidity and heat were crazy in the summer. I also detest the huge condo highrises on the beach. Too bad Florida doesn't have a 2 story ordinance for all real estate on the beach. What a selfish eyesore. I agree with what you say about Calif., especially during covid. The policies and politics here are horrible. I love San Diego, but hate Calif politics. Our governor here is horrific. The great thing about Calif is the diversity of topography...lots of mountains and rural areas on the outskirts. The cost of living here is extremely high and rent for a 1 bedroom is topping $2600 for a decent apt. complex. I used to go to the beach alot as a kid...now I avoid it...too crowded and our water is cold and not clean. Our major problem here is not earthquakes...but lack of water, due to years of drought. I don't see an end to that. I am having to sell my home, as I live in a high fire risk area and can''t afford home insurance. I love the greenery of Florida, but it's starting to get overbuilt and will turn into a "California" in 5-10 yrs. It's the fastest-growing state in the US. So I will stay here.
Thanks so much for weighing in on this as a long time CA resident! I am worried what will happen to FL, we have to be very careful to preserve our freedom. Totally agree with all the high rises on the beach, I hate it too, SD is great for that.
Don’t let the summer heat cloud your mind brother! I moved to Tampa 30 years ago from Massachusetts, and we gotta get through 3-4 months of heat a year. I have always said… if it was perfect all year round WE couldn’t afford to live here!! The end of October will be here soon enough! Great videos Michael!!
Haha good one! You know what I'm going through then, once it gets this hot you start catching a fever lol! Cant wait for fall / winter✌️
You struck a chord with me when you said you start to take living at the beach for granted. Im a Ca native born and raised in Ca 56 years out of 61. I now live in Gainesville. I finally got my dream in 2010 and spent 10 years living less than a mile to the beach in Oceanside Ca. I took it for granted and you get used to it. I miss it now . I miss the cool weather. Like you said sixties during the day. I used to feel to hot 2 miles away from the beach because it was 5 degrees hotter lol. I was spoiled. Sometimes you dont appreciate what you have until you dont have it anymore.
I recently read that to live in the Bay Area you need to make atleast 200,000 a year 😞😞
Let that sink in
So literally no teachers, police or nurses can survive there.
Bay Area is now a place for the very very very wealthy or the very poor on government assistance.
I really don’t think things will improve.
In the last two decades I have lived there things have just become worse and worse.
So there is no hope for middle class to thrive in California
I love, love ,love the weather in the Bay Area.Unfortunately, the weather alone can’t raise a family.
A friend of mine who is a maths teacher and has two young kids like me told me she had to cut back on so many essentials to pay rent here.
If you are single and will never have kids, Bay Area is amazing.
It’s sad that we can’t pay our teachers , yet cater to our homeless
( apologies in advance on the rant )
I think that calculation is pretty accurate to live comfortably there. Thanks for contributing to the video, and it is sad that homeless are catered to more actual tax paying contributing residents...
Like your Videos Mike! I live in Southern California, and I dont mind it, but I have lived here since I moved here from Hawaii when I was a kid. Good things about California are the weather, the outdoor activities from the Beach to Winter sports in the mountains, lots of hiking, etc etc. The entertainment is also top notch. The cost of living here is insane though with the gas prices, and the price of homes. Had it not been for my career being here (I work in Film Software) and my Wife's family being Southern California based, Id consider moving to Colorado. The politics here are extreme if you are right leaning, and yes the Mandates during Covid were very strict. The urban areas have a big homeless problem and crime is very high in certain areas. However, that seems to be the issue nationwide. Only been to Florida once, and it was Miami and I loved it. I hear the humidity and heat is pretty bad though during the summer. Lots of people leaving California, but I do think it is still one of the best places to live in the country!
Thank you Kai for being a fan of the channel, really appreciate your opinion on this!
Michael, you guys should buy a "pop-up" trailer and just take off for a few months during the summer. Camp at the state campgrounds in NoCal. No property taxes. No rent. Be free and mobile.
Yes I'm good here my daughters live here
And no sticky feeling in Florida
As usual, excellent video and audio quality! Great background scenes, shadows, and sun rays.
Realistically, though, the cost of living in the decent areas of CA is tremendously unaffordable for nearly everyone not already living there or benefiting from great family wealth. I know it is for me and, perhaps, even Michael. So, the question of relocating to CA really is moot.
I live in California and love it.
I moved from Palm Desrt (Riverside County) last Jan. 2022. The withholding (wages) is 20%. Got to pay for the policies.
Wow that is a huge chunk of your income!
Great analysis of California I live in Orange County I love it here when it comes to variety California is second to none beaches - mountains - desert - great weather - the giant sequoia trees - northern Cali beautiful- Napa valley -entertainment second none …..
….but the politics the homeless the government sucks but I’m here to stay…
Thanks Byron, appreciate your input on it!
My relatives are heading back to Portugal, but those who are going to Lisbon, they are regretting as the big cities are getting all the liberals from America… implementing the liberal policies, especially Drag Queen and gay parades. I grew up in Mozambique, and though it was paradise into the mid 70’s, I’m not going there. As far as Portugal, the town my family is from, is better than San Diego, unfortunately the richest Europeans moved in and it’s now too expensive. I would move to my parents area in a heartbeat, which is Praia Da Barra…
After all this crap I wrote, I’ll tell you what I feel deeply in my heart: I came to America to be American, I don’t give a rats ass about Mozambique or Portugal. All my family can go back, I’m here to stay and fight for the freedom we deserve and need to keep! My future: Florida, February of 2024.
Dude you rock. I live in San Diego and this place is getting beyond expensive and packed. It’s getting tough to survive here.
If all you care about is nice weather and can afford it then go. just be prepared for all the mess behind the curtain. The rude people, the lack of common sense and decency. Getting hassled by pan handlers, dirty messes everywhere. Smokey skies most days. I lived my whole life for 50 years there and during the shutdowns it felt like a dystopian nightmare and made me very depressed. Moved to FL 2021 and will never even go back for a visit. I do miss the weather and beauty but the cost became to high to enjoy it anymore. And my kids couldnt play outside unsupervised due to crime.
I appreciate you weighing in on this. I could not imagine spending the entire pandemic over there. It was bad enough for just a month for us!
I lived in California 1999-2021. My last residence was in Beverly Hills. I won't ever go back. California is a great place to live only if you're a One Percenter. But then again, what place isn't?
Thats right the 1% can do what they please anywhere!
@@MichaelBordenaro I complained that the cost of living was driving a lot of people out and the One Percenter response was "Good, we don't need those people." They have no idea who actually runs things for them. They'll find out.
I am so glad you put this video out! I am torn between California and Florida right now. I lived in California for 3 years and I miss it. At this rate Florida is catching up to the CA prices without the hurricane worry. You made some great points! Living in Illinois I feel like we are little CA as it is with the lockdown restrictions.
Glad you enjoyed it, its quite the dilema!
California is huge and diverse. Some places are good. Some places are bad. And other places, like where I live, are fantastic.
I am a senior and i have notice the last 2 years . Summer are harder to handle. I use to golf and cycle on a regular schedule in the summer months. Now I do not. I going to get an E Bike . You must be very fit to do all these summer walks .
Yes the more years I have to deal with the summer here, the more I don't like it. I can do the walks in the heat, but I would prefer if it were cooler.
I have the same experience as you. From Ohio tried to live in the Bay Area 06. I have been back to CA so many times. I have explored everywhere out there. I am contemplating moving out there finally. No kids. My wife and I are literally on the precipice of taking flight. I own a business as well which I’m not married to for a better quality of life. Your video really demonstrates my exact dilemma. I think we’re going for it.
More personal discussion videos PLEASE!
Great video! My wife and I love Monterey/Carmel area. The weather is incredible and the people are extremely friendly. I liked what you mentioned about keeping the residence here in FL for tax reasons and buy a small vacation house that we can rent out in the winter. We like Marin county too, specially because is near wine country. 😆🍷
I live in Monterey Bay and moved here from Colorado. I love Carmel by the sea 🌊
I am a California resident, have been for a very long time. I'm at retirement age and my wife and I went through the turmoil of deciding to leave or stay. It's cheaper if we leave and go somewhere else like Nevada, Idaho or Arizona, but there is no place else like California, the weather, the natural beauty. I don't think I could deal living in LA or San Francisco, just to filthy and dangerous. There are many places in California where housing is very reasonable, you just have to get out of LA and San Francisco. I do a lot of outdoor things like, hiking, backpacking, landscape photography, mountains, ocean, desert, ocean and rivers. I'm like you, i can't stand the heat, especially humid heat. We are looking at property in the Central Coast (San Luis Obispo) as well as Thousand Oaks, about 1 hour north of LA. Listings are still high but they are dropping. I was eager to leave Cali but then realized all these things I enjoyed doing, there is no other place that would provide me with these great opportunities.. Good luck to you, it's a tough decision.
Thanks for weighing in on this. Definitely no other place like it in the U.S.!
Amen to loving freedom in FL!
Love love California. Yes, the government is a little bananas but it is beautiful here especially in San Diego. Been living in San Diego for 10 years. Love Florida but that heat and humidity everyday is too much for me. I'm less than 25 minutes from the beach, zoo, sea world, Padres baseball, mountains, and lakes. Oh forgot to mention places to eat.
Nice to hear how much you love it!
I visited San Diego last summer and fell in love with the area. However...
CARB emissions is an instant deal breaker for me aside from all the other crap California has going on.
and$4500 1 bedroom apts $1,500,000 homes that need work
I'm thinking about moving back but I'll need two separate fuel injection and exhaust systems to have a decent running car and still pass the smog test. Fortunately I can turn wrenches.
@@mchristr I have a project car that itshighly modded without a catalytic converter. It would never pass. I am ob board with the whole clean air thing, but I want free reign to do whatever I want with my own property.
Tho I'm from New York state, we lived in Southern California when I was a kid for 2 years. It got in my blood and I always loved it there. Didn't go back until 3 years ago and while I realized that visiting isn't the same as living there, if I were younger and had more money, I would move there in a heartbeat. I've lived in South Florida for 35 years now, I love it and appreciate it, but it's not california. I always used to wonder what people were talking about when they said they missed the mountains of california, I was like, who cares?? But when I was back there a couple of years ago, I was blown away by the mountains and realized how much more interesting the landscape is. Yes there are many negatives to California, especially Southern california, and that being said I still love it and wish in many ways that I had moved back there instead of florida. I have several friends who moved back to California or moved there for the first time in the early sixties. Many people tried to talk them out of it, it wasn't practical, you have so much here, etc etc. Well they moved and are absolutely loving it and have never regretted their decision and have flourished. I don't think you have California out of your blood Michael, and I say life is about risk and if you don't do it you'll regret it someday. Yes it's much pricier there etc etc and I know you know all that already.
The mountains in CA are amazing! ❤️
We do definitely have that same feeling! I like you, also appreciate south FL, but is not CA in any way. The beach is where the similarities end. But if I can afford to get out of here for summers and spend them there, I will take that over an all out move
@@MichaelBordenaro that a great idea!
Hello from Cali.
I work in San Rafael and yes Marin County is beautiful. However, the cost of housing is high. However, I'm not teĺling you anything you don't already know.
I'm with you about the heat....I hate it 😠.
Great work as usual.
God bless you and yours 🙏.
OMG! It's actually raining right now in Hayward CA.
Thanks for the comment David, every time I hear its raining there thats good news!!
I love California a lot. I don’t want to leave. I am an outdoor person so these lockdowns didn’t affect me much and I chose to ignore them anyway. I live in La Cañada Flintridge near Pasadena, purportedly rank number one place to raise children.
I live in Northern California & it’s not as bad as Southern California with the crime, traffic & the homeless. I avoid SF & Oakland.
I love the weather here & how there’s always something to do. This year I was in NM, AZ & OK & the heat and/or humidity is a lot & you don’t even feel like going out during the day. I’ve visited FL as well and same story. We do have earthquakes/fires but I don’t think fires will affect you in Marin. I couldn’t see the lockdown happening again, I think it was a learning lesson & no mask mandates now but I don’t mind wearing one if he keeps me from getting sick.
Why not wait & see if prices drop this year & next & make your decision? what does your wife want to do? It sounds like to me you’ve already made your decision.
Like you, over all I prefer the north, even though there are spots in the south I enjoy. We haven't made up our minds yet, and when we discuss it, ideally we would like to keep our place in FL and just visit CA, but that would cost more than just moving, so thats real debate.
Yeah, I was planning on buying there in LA, but after seen it by myself, and asked a lot of people from LA, I declined to move there, is not like it was 12 years ago, so I will just stay either in NYC or Somewhere in new jersey like I originally planned. Thanks for your videos as always.
LA is a hellhole & I grew up there. Been terrible since the 70's actually, at least downtown. You'd get robbed in the Garment District while getting out of your car, it has been awful for a long time. City life sucks!
Great topic. I have quite a few neighbors and friends that split their year up by living in South Florida in the winter and spending the summer months on Cape Cod where I live. I wish I could go with them when they leave in November as the winters here are horrible. But as you know no place is perfect for one reason or another. I’ve learned how to adapt to the winters and enjoy my home year round. I know what you mean about the beach, when I moved here 30 years ago I went to the beach all summer long. Now hardly ever and it is 10 minutes away. Not so important anymore, but it’s nice to know that it’s there.
I grew up on the Cape and wasn't much of a beach go'er myself, but still love the place and don't like living too far from the water. The Cape is pretty special, with most of the seashore hotel-free and a large island feel without the hassle of actually living on an island! But yes, those winters can be brutal and getting away for a month or two if you can swing it can make all the difference.
Thanks Joseph, you got that right, no place is perfect
I can totally understand your feelings about CA and FL. I've lived in both states. Like one of your commenters, I lived in Los Angeles in the good old days back in the early 1980s. It was paradise. Beautiful places, great weather, was still affordable and it was safe to party and live. I absolutely loved it. I was married back then and my (now ex) husband and I, we were so young, barely out of diapers, restless and had a bug up our asses and moved around the country quite a lot. From Seattle, WA we moved to Los Angeles CA for a few years, then to Phoenix AZ, Las Vegas NV for a little while but the heat was crazy and because there were slot machines everywhere and I mean even in the grocery stores and gas stations, my ex couldn't hold on to a single penny, so we packed up whatever fit into our car and drove to the East Coast to try our luck in beautiful Bristol, Rhode Island, then on to Boston MA and finally to New York city. We spent 6-7 years in some places, only a short year in others. We finally ended up in Fort Lauderdale, FL and I loved it there just as much as back in LA. After my marriage of 16 years blew up and we got divorced, thank god we didn't have any children, I ended up in Coconut Creek, FL and was very happy there until I had to move back to Seattle for family. I have to tell you when I think back, the happiest I've ever been was when I lived in Florida. If I could, if my circumstances were different than what the sad reality I live in now, I would go back in a second. Not to CA though. The leadership in that state has changed for the absolute worse. The place is still beautiful, of course but they made living there a nightmare. Unless you have millions, then you don't care. Thanks for reading my rant. Hope everything works out and you are going to be happy with whatever you decide.
I really appreciate you putting your story here! You've had quite the wild ride but I'm sure you learned a TON along the way. Every one of these comments is helpful
@@MichaelBordenaro Thank you. I could write a book or even a series of books about all the places I've been to and my experiences there. Maybe I will. You'll get a free signed copy of course. I really enjoy your videos. Thank you for all you do.
Packed up and left in 2016. In fact all my family are gone. Just one cousin remains. Seven generations had lived in California since 1870. Sad. Way before CA was CA
That is sad
My family and I moved to the San Diego area last year. People here are chill and friendly, great local food, amazing weather, and lots of culture.
But it does come with a high cost, the prices for any property are insane. Prices are starting to dip, I hope people have the discipline to bargain and not ovetpay. 800k for a 30 year 3BR condo is not a good value, despite what agents tell you.
and $1,500,000 60 year old homes
FL vs CA: In the late '80s, I was in my early 20s, looking to relocate out of New England, and started looking for jobs in CA and FL. And by 1990, I had turned down two very good job offers - LA and San Diego; and accepted an excellent job in Miami.
Ten years later, I was in Gainesville, FL finishing up grad school and, again, looking to CA for my next job, only to turn down a good offer and relocate to the Chicago area for a very good job.
Chicago lasted two years before I took a 40% pay cut to return to FL. My career and salary growth have never recovered; and now I'm looking at retirement in about two years. No complaints, but sometimes I wonder how life would have turned out had I accepted one of the CA jobs way back in 1988 and bought some real estate.
No doubt you would have earned more thats for sure, and if you purchased real estate back then of course it would be worth 10 fold what it was then. But sounds like things still turned out pretty good for you anyhow 👌
Hey Michael ... I know how you feel. I've been through what you're feeling three times in my life! I could write a novel based on my life experience. But in short it went like this ... Southern California for 13 years. Moved away when I was 18 to Fort Lauderdale Florida for 12 years. (Did the whole beach thing, I lived through terrifying hurricane Andrew, heat+humidity, It was time to leave). Then back to California to San Francisco for 5 years. (Beautiful but expensive). Then the Pacific Northwest for 13 years. (Got stuck in an upside-down mortgage during The Great Recession of 2008. With 9 months of gray skies and torrential rain, I had to leave the state) and so recently I did. You might be thinking how I got courage, and motivation to uproot my life, say goodby to friends, family and everything familar and move multiple times? Well, It's careful planning, but mostly its responding to that strong feeling in our hearts that pulls us in a certain direction.
After loosing both parents not too long ago I realized more than ever how precious and short life is. It is important to live life to the fullest without regrets or fear before we're to old or too scared to do live life. With planning you can follow your heart and dreams no matter what it is. Think about this ... How will you feel when you're 70 regretting that you never gave it a shot? If you don't like it after some time you can always move back, or move somewhere else. But if your gut is reeling, and your heart is puling you in a certain direction that's a sign from God, or the universe, or intuition, whatever you want to call it, that you got to give it a shot. Only YOU will know this. The thing is, you're still young and time is on your side. I say if it's what you want, GO FOR IT.
Thank you Ben for sharing your awesome story! Nice to hear you have "been there". I agree, don't want to have regrets when I'm old, and my first choice would be to bounce back and forth like I mentioned rather than move, but it is probably the more expensive option, so it will likely take longer to achieve than just moving.
When I was young I moved around a lot, even lived outside of the US for awhile. Had some interesting times for sure. But I think it would be extremely difficult to move around like that today. The economy alone would make it impossible unless you want to pitch a tent.
@@MichaelBordenaro ...Hey Michael .. Here is my advice. I would say go back there to the place in CA that you like during the peak of Florida's hurricane season, for about 2-3 weeks, so it's not too costly. But this time don't go as a vacationer or tourist. Go there with the intention of connecting with the locals and learn about the area. For example, go visit open houses and chat-up the realtors on site. Get your hair cut and chat with the local barber. Go to a local pub and chat with the bartender. Talk with the locals as you're walking around. See if this is a place you want to live. Also keep in mind that CA gets wildfires, so that's something to keep in mind. But vacationing someplace and living there are different.
Lived all over the country and have been in North Cali for 25 years. It kicks ass - IF you have money.
Everywhere sucks if you are broke.
Edit to add - I lost my home in the Caldor Fire last year and there is still no place I'd rather be.
Thanks for sharing that
I lived in Huntington Beach for 4 years and loved it. It's great as long as you can afford it. People just love hating on California but I bet most of those people will never have the opportunity to live there.
Big Sur is beautiful 🤩
Yes it is!
Im originally from Orlando and currently live in South Florida. As soon as my son graduates high school, I’m outta here. Way too many people. I’d love to have land in Montana or Colorado.
🤗
I left California around 7 years ago and was considering living in south Orange County in the winter months but after doing the math it just isn’t worth it to live there even 3 months out of the year. Could take that money and travel the world to exotic places
Love the video. I am actually moving to the south bay area (San Jose) to peruse my love for technology! I am deeply wanting to develop a financial technology app and I believe that the bay area really has that fire and creativity imbedded to make that happen. I would like to add that I am 22 with no obligations and really nothing to lose therefore I am confident that this is a good idea. I also feel that there is something magical about the beautiful rolling hills, perfect climate and impeccable landscape. I understand it is very expensive however you get what you pay for in many parts of CA. Im not chasing the big cities in CA. Rather I’m chasing natural beauty, creativity and passion!
I would love to hear back from you on your thoughts!!
I think for someone like you its perfect! You said it all, and being young with nothing to lose is the best position to be in, to take advantage of that opportunity. Go for it!
@@MichaelBordenaro I love that! That means the world. Also, I am in Miami if you want to meet up in person. We could grab coffee and discuss CA!!
My sister had her wedding in 2011 in downtown San Diego, and it was beautiful there.
We went back there in 2016, stayed at a fancy hotel, but about 4 am police started to wake up the homeless people, the noise was terrible.,,
I would not want to witness that every day…
That sounds aweful!
The cops don't bother waking them up anymore. Instead the homeless scream at random times of day and night.
@@MichaelBordenaro * awful.
I grew up in Southern Orange County, CA. It was a beautiful place to grow up in the 80s/90s. I moved away in 2011. The last time I visited was with my husband in 2018. I’m not an emotional person but I cried when I saw the state of things. Some of the beaches are completely eroded. The traffic was insane. I was always used to traffic in LA or work time traffic but it was constant, all day. It was really hard to see a place that was my home in a sense transform for the worse. It just really devastated me. I imagined returning in the future with my family but all the pros of moving there are disappearing.
born and raised californian here. I've lived all over both northern and southern california. If money was not an issue these are the cities i would live in in a heartbeat regardless of politics: san clemente, laguna beach, newport, carmel or santa barbara. Cities in california that you could not pay me to live in: San francisco(including all surrounding Bay Area cities), any city in Los Angeles County, bakersfield, stockton, fresno. Slightly more affordable cities i have or would consider living in: ventura, bodega bay, fort bragg, cameron park, tahoe, shasta. The politics suck but i love california still. I've considered leaving but cant figure out where else to go in america that is similar to Cali. If you like the weather in marin county, consider going farther north to Dillon beach, bodega bay, or fort bragg or south near Carmel or Monterey. The poison from san francisco pollutes the neighboring areas. Also not all counties in California are run by far leftist woke morons, i think its mainly Los angeles county and SF county.
I really appreciate your feedback here as a native! I havent yet been to Dillon Beach Bodega Bay area so will definitely check that out next time I'm up there! And you can't figure out where else to go bc there is no where else like CA! Glad you can appreciate it even though, it has its huge downsides.
I have always suffered from relocation addiction I have lived all over the country. Once you have the itch it never goes away. I will not budge for now with the world we live in🙄
Visited California twice so I only know it as a visitor but I can't imagine a place in the US that matches the natural beauty of California. That said I would never consider becoming a resident of that state given the far left politics. Who knows what crazy policies they will enact next. Sad really because there was a day when California was not this way. Ronald Reagan was the governor for eight years.
It would be nice to see you in here California making your videos place around like Yosemite, Big Sur, Pacific Coast Highway etc.
I know I think about that too! Even if I don't move and its just seasonal, it would be so nice to have that in my videos 😀
I lived in L.A. for three years. I just moved from Hollywood back to Atlanta last week. The filth is atrocious. And the homelessness is nothing like I have ever seen.
Not to mention renting in L.A. has many caveats.
Having to buy a fridge, possibly not having central A/C and lack of parking.
No it’s not worth it to me. Food is much better back home haha
LEFT CA 4 years ago and live on a WONDERFUL coastal Georgia island most don’t know exists! Saint Simons Island… it’s like walking back in time .. no homeless , zero crime (maybe a theft occasionally) I DO NOT miss the insanity of CA they can have it!! I feel like I walked back in time …. Coastal GA is awesome…… additionally the island has great restaurants and nice beaches… winters are mild
Sounds beautiful, never been over there!
I live in California. Where I am used to be very safe, now the nicer areas are being surrounded by crime and poverty. Business owners in the area complain of people (BLM) running out of stores stealing things constantly, and the state made a law that the business owner cannot stop them unless the theft is over $950... It's crazy. Lots of homeless. Power Outages, the streets are not being paved... It's really sad. Makes sense why hundred of thousands of people are leaving this state every year
Its those kind of laws I am referring to in this video that to me are just absolutely nuts. Theft is basically legal up to a point...
@@MichaelBordenaro Yes, exactly, theft is legal. People are stealing postal deliveries and Amazon orders off doorsteps every day. They make a business out of theft and the police departments do nothing about it. Also, we are having a massive issue with Catalytic Converter theft. People are going around cutting cats off cars every day. Still nothing being done. Crime is rampant. LAPD finally accepted they cant keep up and are fast tracking people's ability to get conceal carry permits.
California has great weather. I live in Orange County. We’re leaving! Between me and my wife, we gross between 300-400k+ annually. We recently sold our home and currently exploring different states to move to. Dallas TX is our next visit in a few weeks. I luv FL and would move to Jacksonville (St.Johns) but its too far for my wife.
We can’t afford it Orange County! making roughly 400k with one child and a dog unless you want a blown out house payment. Northern California around Rocklin is much cheaper so will check that area out as well but the politics are so wild here so thats concerning.
Rocklin is a nice suburb, but the greater Sacramento area is turning into a real dump.
Thanks for sharing this as a resident considering leaving!
I think you need to check your financial education..
My parents are making a lot less than 400k+ annually (also raised 3 kids) and they seem to be doing fine in Orange County.. but if it’s a smart move for you then congrats
Get ready for 100F + summers in Rocklin. Also, winters there are colder than the Coast. But, overall a good place to live if you discount the wildfire/smoke risk.
California is as close to Italy as any state can get. Italy has the beaches and the mountains and the Mediterranean climate. Italy is perfection. And California would be too, if it weren’t for their policies.
Great video Michael. I have lived in the SF Bay area 40 years. Worked in tech. Love the weather and the many things you can do throughout the year. In short the lifestyle. Still, now that I am retired I'm seriously thinking of leaving. The best days of CA are behind it. But always struggling with "go where"?
The negatives of staying here include: high cost of living (taxes, utilities, gas, insurances, home maintenance), being in another "big" quake (lived through '89 Loma Prieta, drought, planned power outages, increasing number of spare the air days, more homeless on streets and crime. I live in a wealthy city, home of the Apple spaceship. Many homes in my neighborhood have been burglarized. My truck has been broken into twice in the past year.
I suggest you also read about CA SB9 & SB10. It's about upzoning. Destroying single family home neighborhoods to build high density housing. The state is pushing real hard for it and local residents will have little say anymore. It's government overreach.
Final point: Aug 1 Governor Newscum declared state of emergency due to monkeypox. So here comes another wave of restrictions and mandates for businesses and citizens. Better think twice about coming here if you cherish your liberties.
There is no place to go that's better, unless you go overseas. (Retired living in SF)
I’ve been watching your show for a while now and I happened to watch this particular episode. I was born and lived in Illinois for 14 years, moved to Miami Florida where I got married and had three kids, living there for 20 years, then move back to the Midwest in Indiana to raise our kids, and finally I’ve been living in the very north part of California in a city called Eureka, population 30,000. I thoroughly enjoyed the video and I agreed with 90% of your commentary and also the comments from other viewers. I’m going to cut to the Chase here. Move to California while you are still young enough to adapt and afford it. When you are ready to retire, depending on your income level during retirement, move back to Florida on the West Coast, either in Marco Island or Naples.
I can give you lots of reasons why I am planning to do that, and if you are interested, I can give you more information. I am a medical doctor, so some of my reasons have to do with retirement, health, and safety in old age.
I like that general outlook on the situation Arthur. I agree, CA is not an ideal retirement area especially due to high cost.