Your negativity is hardly surprising. I had many conversations with natives that went about the same way, with the conclusion that CA used to be great and was in decline. It's subjective so I won't tell you that you're wrong. But if you come from where I come from, where the weather stinks, the landscape is flat, and nothing much seems to happen - and then live in places like Santa Monica and Hermosa Beach - fuck yeah it's paradise. Everyone who visited me, including my parents, agreed. For the record, I found L.A. very friendly because it was full of people just like me - transplants from somewhere else, open minded, and looking to make friends. I even found a solid group of about 75 people who would gather to watch LSU and have crawfish boils.
I get what you are saying because it used to be that way, but it is equally as subjective these days. Just saying. I have a rather large group of LSU friends here as well. We host annually the largest crawfish boil on earth. But events like that are hit and miss and hardly compare to the state of the state and the overall quality of life. Affordability here these days is pretty tough. You have to earn 6 figures just to stay above water unless you are grandfathered into a mortgage that is 15 years plus. The housing bubble burst and sent this state spiraling into debt. The homeless problem here is through the roof and growing. Hepatitis is rampant and growing because of the homeless. Corners have been cut to the max and what you thought was a really clean California, is now becoming a dump. Roads are beat to shit and repair is suffering. The list goes on and on, but the appeal to live here is dwindling by the day and there is zero relief in sight. I am aggressively looking out of state now and it is a matter of time that I am gone. My market fetch remains unchanged in areas that have more than half the cost of living to experience. Quality of life is my goal and living here anymore is just existing. Time to start living.
Man, when I lived in Colleyville TX, it was clear who the Louisiana folk were in the neighborhood. The LSU flag, the Fleur’s. Anyway our neighbors had a crawfish boil once and didn’t invite us. I couldn’t believe it. So I would make it a point after that to have a huge crawfish boil and invite everyone but them. Fuck those assholes. You gonna have some bugs and not invite the coon asses?
Dont worry they will financially emplode or slide into the sea. Or possible be annexed by Mexico and the fsy mafia. Too bad a beautiful state . Liberals are in the process of ruining 2 other beautiful states, Oregon and Washington.
Yup. And you said it before....soulless. It's about accumulating things rather than appreciating or giving. I grew up in the South Bay and spend every summer at Redondo/Hermosa/Manhattan beaches. Those beaches now are too crowded, too dirty, and have lost their appeal. Traffic is 10x worse than it used to be. People out here don't give distance estimates when determining how far some place is....they give time estimates impacted by traffic flow. And yes, the roads and highways are horrible. Wait until the state's retired teachers, cops, firefighters, gubment workers find out just how underfunded CalPERS is. In typical fashion they've invested in environmental crap instead of managing financial security through solid investment. "A pro-business group released a report last week, saying the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) is too concerned about going green than it is about making green. The American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) said CalPERS board members have overemphasized what are called Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investments — and the sluggish returns on those investments are dragging down the pension fund’s bottom line.... The 30-page critique said CalPERS’ ESG investments have not been “translating into wins for its pensioners or the taxpayers who bear the burden for covering shortfalls” and “the use of these funds to advance an environmental agenda has plunged the system and California into a building financial crisis.” It's the worst state retirement program in the country. The dirty deals to support it will cripple the economy. Give me a lake, a mountain, some pine trees, and some peace. CA is no longer golden.
I sincerely wish cajunlostincali and uscvball the best of luck in finding a new place to call home. I've lived in places that I felt were a mismatch and it can really crush your spirit.
Coonases and cowboys don't get no better! Dont forget about the Cajun Gals and Cowgirls best in the land.