Possible move...

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello everyone...I have recently considered the possibility of moving to CA. Just wanted some advice as i have lived in IL my whole life, and really have nothing else to compare to. Just the thought alone kind of scares me and makes me nervous, but in a way it also excites me. I have had so much going on in my life lately and i think it might be good for me to kind of get away for a 'fresh start'. I know thousands of people move every day, but i cant imagine going somewhere where you know noone, and you dont know your way around! If I decide to go through with this possible decision, i will have a few family members going with me which will be a huge help, but how do I get over this fear of moving from where my 'home' is??? If anyone has any advice for me i would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance for all replies!

2banurse, after only 3 years? One of my dearest friends, yet another NY transplant, has been here 8 and still calls NY home :) Did you know the nickname for FL is NY South? :chair: Which school are you attending?

Some do well picking up and leaving home base, others do not.

My hubby and I and our newborn lit out for Texas from Minnesota 20 years ago...we did it for economic and personal reasons (had a MIL from heck...LOL) We're still here but it took some adjusting.

California is very different from everywhere, from what I hear, so a long visit (how about a travel assignment?) sounds like a good idea! Good luck to you! I know a few travel nurses who base out of California and they just LOVE it out there..!

Specializes in Psych.

I lived in Illinois for 35 years and moved to California nearly 2 years ago. I am glad I did, but it wasn't easy and I hated it here at first. Big culture shock. I live in San Francisco and some of my issues with California won't apply to you; however, I will give you some fast facts to put things in perspective.

As you know, California is a huge state. 1 in 8 --or 34 million-- Americans live in California and the population grows daily. It is more densely populated than Europe and the economy of California is the 5th largest in the world: the top four being the US, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. California is the # 1 agricultural state in the US. As most of the farm areas in California are in the Central Valley where the climate is arrid, crops must be irrigated (key issue as water is precious here).

As far as the culture, it's way different. In my experience, in my experience, in my experience, Californians are laid-back, but hard to get to know. That midwest friendliness, artificial or real, does not exist here. You will not see a big smile and hear "Hi, how are you?" everytime you walk into a shop. They tend to be liberal thinkers and mind their own business. However, they are more concerned with environmental and global issues. I think it is more out of necessity than the goodness of their hearts, but the benefits are the same. Fitness is a big deal out here. There is a lot to do outside and with 300+ sunny days a year in most of CA, people take advantage of the outdoors.

Everyone in CA seems to be from somewhere else: either domestic or international. There are many foreign immigrants. They come from all over the world, but most are from Mexico and Asia. It's different than in the midwest because immigrants are a larger percentage of the total population (more than 10 percent I think). Street names, city names, etc are Spanish and everyone has their favorite taqueria.

Palm Springs is in the dessert and it gets hot! You will be stuck indoors and have to pay for AC for a great part of the year, but it is near the mountains and you can go up to cool off. It's bone dry down there and the air quality is not so great. Property is expensive and the area is booming.

California is a great place to be a nurse. Jobs are abundant. Most hospitals are decreasing their nurse to patient ratios and next year a new law will go into effect that establishes ratios by law (we already have them in ICU). I make more money than ever before -- even after the added taxes and higher costs of goods and services, I still have more money. However, I am single and have no desire to buy property at present. The weather here in SF is great. No winter, but I can drive up to the Sierra Nevadas in a few hours to see snow. The topography is beautiful and I love the mountains. I do miss the changing of the leaves and the green summers.

Patience is a virtue. Waiting takes on a whole new meaning here, especially in traffic. It's crowded everywhere (less so in Palm Springs than here) and it gets worse everyday. No tornadoes or thunderstorms, here we have earthquakes and wildfires.

I thought that I'd just give you an overview. Let me know if I can give you any other info.

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