Is Everybody Moving to California?

U.S.A. California

Published

Just an observation but, it seems like there's a flood of posts lately from people inquiring about moving here.

Not too long ago the local news seemed to be filled with stories about people supposedly moving away because of the high cost of living, traffic etc. I guess that in reality, it doesn't always seem to be the case ... at least with RN's.

So what's up posters? What made you decide to check out and/or move to Cali?

:typing

Two reasons:

1) No ratio law in Arizona. Sorry but too many travelers have told me how bad the patient loads are there.

2) Low pay ... Arizona RN's make a lot less than California RN's ... about $15K less, on average.

As always, it depends on which desert you're talking about. Tucson wasn't that cheap, actually, the last time I visited there ... it was pretty pricey. Some areas have gotten expensive over in Arizona also.

All I can say is that my mortgage is less than $1,200 a month, I've got two thirds of an acre with a built in pool and decent sized house. I'll be making $98K a year with full benefits when I graduate so ... California desert is just fine by me.

:typing

Lizz, you have the right set up, I'd be fine with living cheap in Cali while making bank! (the desert isn't my favorite climate though.... Probably due to being born and raised in the PACNW... total culture shock!)

0 Votes

really the PACNW nursing wages are not bad New grads can expect to start between 23-25 dollars/hour at the local hospitals. The problem out this way is that 5 years ago you could buy a starter home for 135k or less (standard 3/2 nice yard nice area) and you could afford that easily on 24 dollars/hour, now though that same starter home is over 200k easily, and the slightly bigger nicer homes are pushing 300k easily. (and this isn't Seattle or commutable to Seattle). The wages haven't kept up with the massive inflation of homes. I like the PACNW rain and all, but liked it better when it wasn't so pricey...

0 Votes
NYC and easily commutable areas are extrememly expensive however upstate NY is extremely cheap. I know a nurse who commutes 2 hours each way into NYC for the hige wages and bought a very nice 2500 sf home with 4 beds/2 baths for under 150k in a nice town. The wages if she were to work in her town are lower, but still high enough that you come out ahead because the cost of living is so low. She just doesn't mind the commute to NYC because she only works 3 days per week and is building a very impressive nest egg with the high salary coupled with the low cost of living. The down side is that upstate NY has very cold snowy winters from what I have heard, beautiful, but cold. NY state also has high property taxes etc... and certain upstate areas are economically depressed. (not necessarilly the health industry though, and not all areas). It is on our list (towards the bottom though) to check out if we decide to move. I mean come on! Getting to go into NYC for date night! :monkeydance:

My main motivation for posting my California gripe was to try to get the people here to prove me wrong, and you have all done a fairly good job. California is where I have wanted to live for the past 10 years, and I hope I may be able to find a way to live there with the career in nursing.

As for NY, I am from Western NY and I want to let you know that if you are a sun worshipper (like myself), then you may want to avoid Upstate NY, especially western NY. In Western NY, you can go 30 days at a time in the winter without seeing a single patch of blue in the sky. The clouds are usually so thick that you can't tell where the sun is at all for days or weeks at a time. A couple of hours East is considerably better, but still absolutely horrible compared with California or Arizona. Anywhere in Upstate NY, be prepared for winters with very long periods of bitter cold, wind, lots of cloud cover, and summers with high humidity and lots of bugs, along with frequent rain and thunderstorms.

Thanks for the input on CA, I look forward to reading what others have to say about it also.

0 Votes
Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

What is property taxes like back East? The mortgage payment might not be to bad but the taxes will kill you. My taxes on my house, 3 acres in the mountains, will be about 1600 this year. I know people in Texas who paid very little and got alot but the taxes are killing them. Low mortgages are great but no one even mentions the terrible taxes they pay back East.

0 Votes

The bottom line, at least to me, is the numbers ...

Yeah, cost of living is bad, traffic is bad, etc. etc. etc.

But statistically at least ... RN's are happier in California.

Nationwide 17 percent of licensed RN's aren't working ... by choice. They chose to quit the profession for various reasons but, one of them, IMHO, is lousy pay and lousy working conditions.

In California ... only 6 percent of RN's aren't working.

So, even with the high cost of living, traffic, etc. California has got to be doing something right because ... we have the highest percentage of working RN's in the country.

:typing

0 Votes
Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
The bottom line, at least to me, is the numbers ...

Yeah, cost of living is bad, traffic is bad, etc. etc. etc.

But statistically at least ... RN's are happier in California.

Nationwide 17 percent of licensed RN's aren't working ... by choice. They chose to quit the profession for various reasons but, one of them, IMHO, is lousy pay and lousy working conditions.

In California ... only 6 percent of RN's aren't working.

So, even with the high cost of living, traffic, etc. California has got to be doing something right because ... we have the highest percentage of working RN's in the country.

:typing

... and we get to live in California. California rocks! (Just a counter to all the California bashing in this thread...:uhoh21:)

0 Votes
What are property taxes like back East? The mortgage payment might not be to bad but the taxes will kill you. My taxes on my house, 3 acres in the mountains, will be about 1600 this year. I know people in Texas who paid very little and got alot but the taxes are killing them. Low mortgages are great but no one even mentions the terrible taxes they pay back East.

I know that NY State has the highest taxes of all the states in the country, that's all I know. I have never had a mortgage anywhere myself. But I am certain that property taxes in NY on my friends and family's houses are WAY higher than 1600 a yr.

0 Votes

I think I saw some NY property taxes that were around 4-6k per year. Yikes! However if I can buy a house for 100k there and pay 4k in taxes per year it still is better than buying the same house somewhere else for 350k and paying 3k per year. But really NY and California is apples and oranges. If you hate the Desert and like the snow then NY is going to be a much better place for you and vice versa. I am used to a more temperate climate than either situation. We might get a lot of rain, but we don't usually get extremes in weather either. It isn't roasting hot in the summer or bitterly cold in the winter and I like that, so if we were to move I know that I would have to get used to a different weather climate.

0 Votes
Specializes in Postpartum, Lactation.

Lizz, I don't think that you can discount the fact that most people (not just nurses) have to work to afford to live in CA.

I am a native San Diegan, 30 years. My husband and I just moved to Texas in June. Why? Cost of living. The lifestyle that we wanted was not attainable to us in CA. We were homeowners and our mortgage wasn't too bad but we only had 1300 sqft in a home built in the 1970s in a school district with average scores. We had to drive our daughter 20 minutes to take her to a school with an excellent API (those in our neighborhood were 6 and 7). We LOVE LOVE LOVE San Diego and really miss our family but we would never be able to afford what we have here in TX at a fraction of the cost: a 3000 sqft brand new house in the burbs within walking distance to a superb school.

Now back to my original point, it is much easier to have a one working parent household here. Where I could not have dreamed of working part-time or PRN in CA, I look forward to cutting down to PRN soon then possibly taking a couple years off after the birth of our third child here in TX.

And, if I can't live in my beloved San Diego, I don't want to live in CA. There are many Californians who wouldn't even consider living in the Central Valley, Imperial Valley or The Sierras, myself included.

0 Votes
And, if I can't live in my beloved San Diego, I don't want to live in CA. There are many Californians who wouldn't even consider living in the Central Valley, Imperial Valley or The Sierras, myself included.

I understand ... especially if you live in Austin. It's a great city ... I lived there for a couple of years. If I had to live in Texas, I'd be in Austin.

I used to think I'd die before I'd live out in the desert also but at least for me ... making bank tends to change your perspective on these things. It ain't San Francisco or San Diego, that's for sure but ... I don't mind.

:typing

0 Votes
Lizz, I don't think that you can discount the fact that most people (not just nurses) have to work to afford to live in CA.

... it is much easier to have a one working parent household here. Where I could not have dreamed of working part-time or PRN in CA, I look forward to cutting down to PRN soon then possibly taking a couple years off after the birth of our third child here in TX.

I do see your point here. But ... I don't think you can assume this is true for "most" people.

It's all relative. If you're heart is set on expensive areas like San Diego like yours is then yeah, you'd probably have to work. But there are other California RN's on this board who are able to work part time like you do to raise a family because they live in much cheaper areas of the state.

And I don't think the problem you're describing is limited to California ... we're not the only state that's seen a big increase in housing prices.

Just as an example, people on this board have complained about how expensive certain areas of Florida have gotten but, nevertheless, wages there have remained some of the lowest in the country. The average Florida RN actually makes $4K less than what the average RN makes nationwide.

I'm sure there are RN's who have to work in Florida and, other states as well, depending on where you live and, also, how good your husband's job is. But, at least, California RN wages continue to increase and are getting better all the time. And, you don't have to worry about management dumping 8-10 patients on you.

:typing

0 Votes

Er, what about how good your wife's job is? Or what about all the R.Ns who don't have a husband or a wife, such as I will be? What about all the RNs whop are single moms, or single dads?

I do see your point here. But ... I don't think you can assume this is true for "most" people.

It's all relative. If you're heart is set on expensive areas like San Diego like yours is then yeah, you'd probably have to work. But there are other California RN's on this board who are able to work part time like you do to raise a family because they live in much cheaper areas of the state.

And I don't think the problem you're describing is limited to California ... we're not the only state that's seen a big increase in housing prices.

Just as an example, people on this board have complained about how expensive certain areas of Florida have gotten but, nevertheless, wages there have remained some of the lowest in the country. The average Florida RN actually makes $4K less than what the average RN makes nationwide.

I'm sure there are RN's who have to work in Florida and, other states as well, depending on where you live and, also, how good your husband's job is. But, at least, California RN wages continue to increase and are getting better all the time. And, you don't have to worry about management dumping 8-10 patients on you.

:typing

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment