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What benefits of leaving CA

Rbcconst

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So many talk about leaving CA! What exactly are you benefitting and is there a negative trade off.
For instance housing cost is lower but wages are lower. Gas is cheaper but food is the same.

So besides housing as gas what are the benefits?!


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fmo24

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Florida domicile. No state income tax. Vehicle registration is a fraction. 2017 wrangler is $90 for 2 years and moho was $137 for two years. Food is less expensive and quality of meat at the grocery stores seems way better We are retired so wages are/were not an influence on us leaving Ca. Oh ya paid $2.23 for unleaded yesterday and diesel is less than 3 dollars a gallon
 

mjc

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Freedom from tyranny, crime, sanctuary cities, over population, gridlock traffic, loony tune liberals, taxation, etc.

Freedom....

this I was so sick of fighting traffic every where I went at any time of day or night. Havasu is a small town most of the time and traffic is nonexistent. And this is free America outside of CA.
 

dnewps

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Born and raised in so cal. Thought about leaving and planned for 7 years. Truthfully, I was really unsure about pulling the trigger. Moved to Lake Norman 5 years ago...looking back I should have done it sooner. Reading threads like this make me laugh. Especially when weather comes up. I make more money, have more time, have a much better home, overall such a better quality of life. If you GAVE me my ca home back that I worked so hard to pay for...FREE....I wouldn’t go back. I do miss Mead, Mojave, and Havasu....so I just visit once a year.
 

rivermobster

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It's supposed to be 53 degrees here on Wednesday. Fuck this cold weather. Maybe it is time to leave!

@TBI
 

Rbcconst

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I get the benefit for someone retired. But are there benefits of for a working person. How bad would the wage reduction effect a person.


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westair

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Over population will eventually run me outta here …. we're slowly spending more and more time at our havasu house to get away from it. Only 5 hours to the beach which is nothing if I'm not working, and that's all I really care about there. So benefits are quality of life / freedom
 

dnewps

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I get the benefit for someone retired. But are there benefits of for a working person. How bad would the wage reduction effect a person.


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This is mostly a myth now days. I make more. If you work for the govt or union it will be a pay cut....but that is because the job overpays in CA. For private sector employees and self employed, CA is not the best deal anymore...hasn’t been in years.
 

rivermobster

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Southern Nevada for all the bennys listed above.

I've heard repeatedly that NV is the best place to retire to, due to the tax benefits.

I know I wanna hear the wind in the pines everyday once I fully retire.

Working? I'm going to stay in Ca. More people equals more money. I'm greedy.
 

RCDave

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I worked like a dog in California for the last 40+ years. Watched the govt take more and more out my income every year. State tax, sales tax, food tax, cow fart tax, gas tax, sky rocketing utilities, insane costs of education, etc. All for massive govt and give away programs for illegals, homeless, etc.

Watching freedoms constantly erode (I.e. freedom of speech, gun rights, etc)

It will be a great day when I move out of this eroding socialist state.

Then I will rent my California house and start to suck back some of the money this state has stolen from me and squandered.

Sad this used to be an incredible place to reside.
 

Universal Elements

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Could you settle for $17 a hour with your experience? I can't so I will stay.

Why would he work for someone else? He owns a construction company in California with many projects. He could be a contractor in any other state. If he moved to Texas or elsewhere, he wouldn’t have half the fees, insurances, costs that he has now. I know two pool guys in Bullhead that made/make $25-30k a month. So it’s a myth about the pay is better in California. California is not a business friendly state. It’s only going to get worse. The only thing I always hear is “why didn’t I move sooner”.
 

NicPaus

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Don’t know where they pay $17....I paid a kid $25 an hour to paint the inside of my house...and I work in new construction. Not much illegal labor here so wages are reasonable.

Havasu is what I was told is a good job in construction.

I paid a friend with no work $150 a hour cash last week for a few days. He wanted $200.
 

NicPaus

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Why would he work for someone else? He owns a construction company in California with many projects. He could be a contractor in any other state. If he moved to Texas or elsewhere, he wouldn’t have half the fees, insurances, costs that he has now. I know two pool guys in Bullhead that made/make $25-30k a month. So it’s a myth about the pay is better in California. California is not a business friendly state. It’s only going to get worse. The only thing I always hear is “why didn’t I move sooner”.
Yes he could but it takes a few years to get contacts and customers. By then work could slow down. I am in same boat took me 10 years to get my construction company to where it is. Starting over would be tough. 12-15 hour days get old after a few years straight.
 

NicPaus

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Lol that wouldnt cut it even if the houses and gas were free.


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Talked with a guy out at river who moved to his vacation home after a divorce. He was making over $40 a hour in San Diego. If he did not have his place already paid for he would never be able to survive. He worked his way up to $17 from $12 few years ago. He was early 50s with over 25 years experience.
 

LargeOrangeFont

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So many talk about leaving CA! What exactly are you benefitting and is there a negative trade off.
For instance housing cost is lower but wages are lower. Gas is cheaper but food is the same.

So besides housing as gas what are the benefits?!


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If you can keep your CA salary, you should go. It will be a 7-10% raise just in the tax savings in most tax friendly states.

Bottom line you need to do the math for yourself, every place is different. If the wages are lower but the cost of living and taxes are lower, you could still end up with more money in your pocket every month, and more in the bank.

And we have not talked about the quality of life changes. that again is subjective.
 

Universal Elements

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Yes he could but it takes a few years to get contacts and customers. By then work could slow down. I am in same boat took me 10 years to get my construction company to where it is. Starting over would be tough. 12-15 hour days get old after a few years straight.


Talked with a guy out at river who moved to his vacation home after a divorce. He was making over $40 a hour in San Diego. If he did not have his place already paid for he would never be able to survive. He worked his way up to $17 from $12 few years ago. He was early 50s with over 25 years experience.


Then just say “Fock it”, sell everything and move to the new place and become a handyman. My brother was a contractor in California since the late 60’s. He made bank and did a lot of famous peoples houses. In 2003, he got tired of all the bs. Sold his house in Pasadena by the Rosebowl and moved to Bullhead. Want to know what he does? Handyman work. He does keep his license inactive in California. He has done some restoration projects of old Victorian houses and people want him to do some work. At that time he activates his license. His rates in Bullhead for a handyman is $65 an hour. People hire the crap out of him because his work is great, he can be trusted not to rip you off and he has all his teeth and equipment. Lol

That guy needs to branch out on his own.
 

hawgty55

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Haven't found that jobs pay less?
Fuel
Registrations are 1/10 the price no smog no pre 75 bs
Electric is .10 a kilowatt and not teared
Housing costs gas
No state tax
Cordial people
No graffiti
No transient in my area.
Politicians with same beliefs
People that still look you in the eye and hold the door open for you.
Respectful kids
Hunting
Land management
Amount of people
Traffic or lack there of
Water ways
Lands that dont charge hundreds of dollars to thousands and thousands of people a year to employ more leos to police the land to create more capita.(dumont glamis havasu)
Land availability
Land owners
Guns/gun laws
Crime/crime laws
Taxes
Gas/propane is cheaper
Education system/class size
Weather imo. I dont always want sunshine rain isn't so bad.


Just to name a few and im born and raised so cal from Ventura to palm springs. Ive been a Texan 3 months.

Hunted this morning with my son 5 minutes from home!
20191117_073608.jpg
 

HALLETT BOY

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A place to park your car without circling the block for a half hour / not waiting in line for a mediocre restaurant / not having to leave the house at 7 am to avoid the masses of people going to the same place as you on the weekend / leaving up to 3 hours early to go to a Dodger game only 40 miles away / even with prop 13 , you see your taxes skyrocket every year / state raises DMV fees to fund their mismanagement of taxes / asshole / angry people everywhere / average middle-class citizens treated as they are the enemy by city / co / state govt . I could go on , but you get the idea .
 

rivermobster

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A place to park your car without circling the block for a half hour / not waiting in line for a mediocre restaurant / not having to leave the house at 7 am to avoid the masses of people going to the same place as you on the weekend / leaving up to 3 hours early to go to a Dodger game only 40 miles away / even with prop 13 , you see your taxes skyrocket every year / state raises DMV fees to fund their mismanagement of taxes / asshole / angry people everywhere / average middle-class citizens treated as they are the enemy by city / co / state govt . I could go on , but you get the idea .

Where in the fock do You live???
 

Rajobigguy

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A lot of people are always sighting the weather as such a major plus for SoCal but really apart from about three months out of year Havasu weather pretty much parallels Socal within a few degrees and when it's hot is when we like to be boating. I'am sorry that so many of you missed the opportunity to move to Havasu before they shut doors but that's life.
 

77charger

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Leaving in 7-8 months to az. Tired of the bs here with government taxes traffic crappy roads expenses etc.

Will be cashing out on current home and nearly buying one in full or close to it. I will still be able to do my hobbies less gun laws too but river and glamis will be less drive time powell will be a weekend deal if we choose. My wife plans to go to full time job I'm going to part time.
 

77charger

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But I'll say went jet sking today to Long Beach was 95 degrees by 11 water was flat but been going there for 2 years and these days are rare but in az I'll be near a lake and weather will be similar. Only thing I'll miss is going to pismo to play in the surf.
 

HOOTER SLED-

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Only thing holding me back really is having the kids follow....we would want to be around when the grandkids come. So moving out of state would mean taking the whole family and starting over. Suck too...I could keep my job and Cali salary and get a place in Havi working out of Needles or Blythe.
 

monkeyswrench

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Positives:
Less stress
More available large properties
Guns
Smog Laws
Less stressed people are nicer...

Negatives:
People whine we moved too far away
Income is lower (yet still less stress)
Colder than my broken bones are happy with at times.

Not for everybody, but not a bad thing. Lot's to balance on everyone's plates, so it depends on what people want.
 

Flying_Lavey

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So many talk about leaving CA! What exactly are you benefitting and is there a negative trade off.
For instance housing cost is lower but wages are lower. Gas is cheaper but food is the same.

So besides housing as gas what are the benefits?!


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I get the benefit for someone retired. But are there benefits of for a working person. How bad would the wage reduction effect a person.


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Well..... As someone that just moved from California to AZ I can tell you a few things......

Wages differences or not can vary wildly depending on what you do. I had 2 other job offers for doing the same thing I was doing (commercial HVAC/R service tech) for right about the same pay but MUCH better insurance. I went a slightly different route by taking a project manager job that is structured in such a manner that I have to take a good pay cut for a little bit but the upside and long term are FAR more favorable and still with MUCH better insurance than my Obamacare plan in California ($2k family deductible vs $15k in CA).

Housing in Tucson are at LEAST half of the central coast. Electricity is about 1/3, half of our everyday grocery items are about 25% less, gas is substantially less. Used vehicle registration is actually reasonable.

Tucson actually has a daily temperature swing in the summer as well. Unlike Phoenix and Havasu and such.

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rivermobster

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So Cal / Thousand Oaks . Moved to Havasu a year ago , absolutely no regrets

I had no idea Thousand Oaks was that nasty. I did a lot of the drop ceilings in the mall back when it was being built. Seemed like a nice area, but obviously that was a Long time ago!

I woulda moved if I was you too
 

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Depends on your situation. My parents moved to stretch their dollar further. Paying $12k a year property tax was annoying. Their children (includes me) moved to get into a house. For me I was paying $800 a month for a shithole in Romoland, 6-7 hour commute, and on the way to loose everything I owned as I didn't have a place to keep it. Made a move and make $3.50/hr less and have a house payment that takes 5 working days to make. House was built in 2000 an 3 bed 2 bath. 3 hours driving a day now. I have spare time and am putting my tooling I am now able to keep to work doing side jobs.
 
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ChiliPepperGarage

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I'm retired so a little different but for me it was an issue of quality of life. I'm in a very rural area that is extremely peaceful and quiet. People don't lock their doors here and leave their keys in their cars (actually, mostly trucks). No traffic, no crime, live and let live mentality (meaning no liberals wanting to dictate how others should live), people pull their own weight but are quick to help others, clean air (no smog checks required), it is 66 today and sunny, no state income tax, cheap property (I'm on 5 acres), but the biggest difference in the lack of self centered assholes.
A lot of people say they can't leave (don't want to) CA because of the opportunities there, especially for their kids. I ask, opportunities for what? To live and work in the same rat race fighting ridiculous traffic, dealing with phony people with no morals or ethics? Trying to keep up with the Jones while treating others like crap?
One thing I've learned about living out here is that all the material trappings of city life don't mean squat. Kids here are raised with decency, honesty and strong work ethics. They are kind to one another, don't worship celebrities and understand the truly important things in life.
I know how easy it is to get caught up in the LAM mindset. I used to live that lifestyle but as I grew older I came to question my values. Maybe it is a "been there, done that" thing but I realized I didn't need all that fancy expensive stuff to be happy. I urge those of you that are becoming disenchanted with the big city life to take a road trip to rural America. Spend some time in small towns and talk to the locals. Visit the fly over country that the liberals like to stereotype as a bunch of racist, redneck, uneducated hicks. You might be surprised as to what you will find.
The down sides are: have to travel a distance to go shopping and then not a lot of resources available when you do. You have to learn patience and give up on instant gratification. You have to figure things out and can't just call someone to come fix things. You may get bored and have to figure out how to keep yourself entertained.
 

Bigbore500r

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I had no idea Thousand Oaks was that nasty. I did a lot of the drop ceilings in the mall back when it was being built. Seemed like a nice area, but obviously that was a Long time ago!

I woulda moved if I was you too
Thousand Oaks is great....
It’s not nasty lol
 

rivermobster

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Thousand Oaks is great....
It’s not nasty lol

According to Hallett Boy it is! LoL

I thought he was going to say Huntington Beach with his driving around to find a parking space comment.

:p

And apparently Havasu has better restaurants as well.
 
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CLdrinker

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I get the benefit for someone retired. But are there benefits of for a working person. How bad would the wage reduction effect a person.

My wage reduction to move to Missouri was 50% house would have been a bit cheaper, fuel would have been cheaper but everything else was the same.

What stoped is was a very pricey custody battle with my step daughter. Once she turns 18 she will have some tuff decisions.

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DRYHEAT

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A lot of people are always sighting the weather as such a major plus for SoCal but really apart from about three months out of year Havasu weather pretty much parallels Socal within a few degrees and when it's hot is when we like to be boating. I'am sorry that so many of you missed the opportunity to move to Havasu before they shut doors but that's life.
You shouldn’t lie to people about the terrible weather here, the reason most of us are stuck here is because our wages are so low we can’t make enough money to leave.o_O:D

oh, almost forgot the traffic jams are terrible nothing worse than getting stuck behind DCB’s, Halletts, Eliminators and Nordics it’s terrible.
 

Meaney77

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I had no idea Thousand Oaks was that nasty. I did a lot of the drop ceilings in the mall back when it was being built. Seemed like a nice area, but obviously that was a Long time ago!

I woulda moved if I was you too
Dont let @HALLETT BOY fool you, its not that bad out here.
 

grumpy88

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I have been out of California about 6 weeks . I transferred through my company to Vegas . I make the same dollar a hour but 10 % more goes in my pocket with no income tax . My house was cheaper here and gas is cheaper . Life is actually very quiet out here if you stay off the strip . My commute from the 818 on a Friday after work was 6 hours . From my house now same time it's 2.5 . Mead is 15 minutes . The bad about the San Fernando valley I don't even need to go into . I wish we left sooner !
 
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