Recently, California has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. High state taxes, wildfires, high housing prices, etc. However, we’re going to do a 180 here. This post is about the many benefits of living in California.
The Golden State is a good place to live, so let’s get into the reasons why. Plus, we’ll add a few cons at the end to balance things out.
Number 1: Weather
Of the many benefits of living in California, the weather is probably the one that sticks out the most. California gets warm and sunny weather a good part of the year, especially the further south you travel.
Temperatures in the most populated part of the state are mild year-round. For example, the Bay Area, Central California, and Southern California almost never see snow and rarely get extreme temperatures. It’s not uncommon to see multiple sunny days in a row in the winter and the three other seasons.
Number 2: Beautiful Beaches
California has miles and miles of beautiful beaches and coastline. The entire western part of the state borders the Pacific Ocean, creating almost endless scenery and natural beauty.
In Northern California many of the beaches are rocky and better for looking at. While the majority of the beaches on the Central Coast and Southern California are sandy and easily accessible. Southern California especially is famous for its endless stretches of sandy beaches.
Number 3: Major Cities
California has no shortage of major cities. San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles are the most populated and well known. San Jose is in the heart of Silicon Valley and Santa Barbara has a Mediterranean style feel on the Central Coast. Oakland sits across the bay from San Francisco.
San Francisco and Los Angeles have major international airports. San Diego, San Jose, and Oakland also have international airports, although not as large as SFO or LAX. Santa Barbara has a small airport that is easily accessible and simple to navigate.
Number 4: Northern California
Northern and Southern California are like states of their own, I’ve lived in both so I know them well. Northern California has the San Francisco Bay Area, which is a huge part of the state that houses millions of people.
There’s tons of things to do: cultural events, sports, diverse restaurants, outdoor recreation, etc. You could spend years and years in Northern California and barely scratch the surface of things to do.
Getting a little out of the Bay Area, you have wine country, Tahoe, National Parks (covered later) and miles of hiking trails.
Number 5: Southern California
Southern California has tons of things to offer as well. The Los Angeles area has Hollywood, beaches, a vibrant entertainment scene and much more. Orange County is home to Disneyland, more beaches, and great weather year-round.
Moving further south, San Diego has some of the best weather in the world, miles of beaches, great restaurants, and plenty of outdoor activities.
Related: Pros and Cons of Living in San Diego: The Insiders Truth
Number 6: Central Coast and Valley
When most people think about California, Northern and Southern California first come to mind. But the central part of the state also has tons to offer. The Central Coast has great weather, beaches, rolling green hills, and their own wine country in Paso Robles.
The Central Coast is also home to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and other smaller cities. Travel east and you’re in the Central Valley that produces a large portion of the state’s fruits and vegetables with its fertile soil.
Number 7: National Parks
You may not realize it, but California is home to several National Parks. The list starts with world-famous Yosemite, a park everyone should visit if they get a chance. There’s also the lesser-known Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, and more.
Additionally, each park offers a unique experience. Massive granite in Yosemite and Kings Canyon, desert and salt flats in Death Valley, rock climbing in Joshua Tree, etc. Nature enthusiasts can easily spend months exploring California’s National Parks.
Number 8: University System
For those with kids, one of the benefits of living in California is the University system. The UC system alone boasts several of the nation’s most highly rated universities like UC Berkeley and UCLA. Most importantly it’s got my alma mater UC Santa Barbara!
The state schools are also highly rated and on the more affordable side. San Diego State, Long Beach State, Fullerton, Chico to name just a few.
Number 9: Outdoor Activities
California has an endless amount of outdoor activities. Depending on where you live, or how far you want to travel you can:
- Snow and water ski
- Hike in the mountains
- Swim in the Pacific Ocean
- Trek through the desert
- And much, much more
There’s an outdoor activity available every day of the year in California. A few tips for outdoor enthusiasts:
- Carry plenty of water
- Use sunscreen and reapply
- Research where you’re going
- Tell someone of your whereabouts, especially on long hikes with minimal to no cellphone reception
Number 10: Entertainment: Sports, Hollywood, World Class Attractions
Number 10 on the list of benefits of living in California is the world-class entertainment scene. At the time of this post, California is home to four NBA teams, five MLB teams, three NFL teams, professional soccer teams, and several other sports.
Not to mention Hollywood, Disneyland, Sea World, Universal Studios, the San Diego Zoo, and plenty of other famous attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and much more.
Cons
California isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, there are some cons. I wanted the majority of this post to be about the benefits of living in California, but it’s also important to address some of the cons.
Number 1: High Cost of Living
There’s no getting around it: it’s expensive to live in California. Especially the Bay Area, Central Coast, LA, Orange County, and Santa Barbara. Food is more expensive than other parts of the country, as is dining and entertainment.
There’s also fuel and energy costs, childcare, and other costs you may not think about every day. Even couples making low six figures each would be considered middle class in the Bay Area, where that would easily put you as a top earner in many other parts of the country.
Number 2: Housing Prices
A major contributor (the biggest contributor in my opinion) to the high cost of living in California is the housing prices. Especially the cities less than 50 miles from the coast, the entire Bay Area, and LA through San Diego.
Now, if you bought a house more than 20 years ago or within a few years after the Great Recession, you’re looking great. For everyone else, housing costs are very expensive.
For example, the median home price in San Francisco and the peninsula is over 1.5 million dollars. San Diego County is well over $800,000 and much more if you’re anywhere near the coast. In fact, in this recent article, San Diego just surpassed San Francisco as the third most expensive city in the country to rent in.
To combat high housing costs, try using it to your advantage by house hacking as described in The House Hacking Strategy by Craig Curelop.
Number 3: Lack of Affordability
There are many parts of California that are unaffordable for median wage earners. For example, there’s no way that a median wage earner can afford to live in a median priced home in areas like Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Del Mar, La Jolla, etc.
So a median wage earner in areas like the ones mentioned above would need to live outside of where they work. This isn’t new or unusual but the gap does seem to be widening as asset inflation has outpaced wage growth.
Number 4: State Taxes
The housing, transportation, and food costs make California already very expensive. Now add in high state income taxes and it pushes many people over the edge to move to other states.
Check out this table for the 2022 California tax rate schedules. You’ll see that state income taxes can exceed double digits for high earners. That’s in addition to federal tax.
Number 5: Business Unfriendly
If you follow the news, it’s hard to miss that many businesses are moving out of California to more business-friendly states. Compared to most other states, California has more regulations, higher taxes, more rules, development restrictions, etc.
It’s challenging to own and operate a business in California, which is why so many are relocating.
Conclusion
There are many benefits of living in California. It’s not just the weather either–there’s the entertainment, sports teams, national parks, miles of hiking trails, and much more.
Just like anywhere else in the world, California also has its share of cons. The trick is balancing out the pros and the cons, and making a lifestyle decision from there.
Would you consider ever moving to California? Or if you already live in California, would you ever move somewhere else?
