It seems to me that everyone I meet has the mentality of California Dreamin’. Their lifelong goal is to move to Cali, to surf the waves along the Golden State, and to wake up in the morning to some freshly made avocado toast while shopping at the notable Brandy Melville in downtown LA. So many people these days are grabbing at any opportunity to experience the warm, sunny climate of California. I never caught on and here’s why.

Don’t get me wrong, the idea of living in California sounds great! The variety of sushi found there, the Asian epicenters filled with my favorite foods, and the beautiful palm trees all encourage me to relocate there in the future. However, there are so many cons that also push me away from the stereotypical answer everyone gives when asked the question, “Where do you want to live in the future?” 

First of all, wannabe Californians seem to have neglected the absurdly high cost of even moving there. According to Forbes Magazine, the median price for a single-family home in LA, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco is $898,949, $848,500, $1,099,990, and $1,400,000 respectively. To compare, the national median is $226,800 and in Texas’s most expensive city, Dallas, the median price is $415,000. While saving up to purchase a home in San Francisco, you could instead, potentially purchase seven houses elsewhere! With so many better options around the country, people searching for a future in California need to start considering the amount of work they’re willing to put in to support the extravagantly expensive lifestyle they supposedly want to embrace.

People are always so excited to visit the breathtaking beaches along the coast and to dip their feet in the Pacific Ocean. However, who knows if you’ll even make it in time considering the severity of traffic in California. CNN reported in 2017 that the average driver in LA spent over 102 hours in traffic that year, placing LA first in the world’s most congested cities. On average, residents of LA spend an extra 44 minutes per day in traffic and suffer through an 84% increase in traffic during evening rush hours compared to uncongested times. With all this traffic, monthly gas expenses are bound to pile up, especially since California consistently has some of the most expensive gas prices across the country. 

Good luck filling up your 40 oz Hydro Flask with California’s infamous tap water system. A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group has found a combination of toxic pollutants found in California drinking water could cause more than 15,000 additional cases of cancer. But of course, who even knows if water will come out of the faucet as droughts in California are predicted to become even more severe as global warming worsens. In fact, California will be one of the first states to suffer global warming’s worst consequences as rising ocean levels will cost billions in coastal damage. Wildfires will become even more destructive and heatwaves will only intensify from here. Also, did everyone just forget California is right on top of the San Andreas Fault!? Who knows when the next earthquake will hit and ruin the perfect angle you just found to take your selfie with?

And you cannot tell me you won’t miss experiencing all four seasons all year. Yes, I will admit the 70-degree weather all year long does sound appealing at first, but it also just sounds so boring! Seasons make the year interesting, each one having its own surprise. The exhilarating feeling of -43 degree weather always keeps it a little exciting every year. Without fall, what will happen to the jumping-into-a-leaf-pile photo you’ll post on your story every fall? Drinking a PSL just won’t feel the same in front of a palm tree nor will drinking a peppermint mocha on the beach. 

But I must applaud California for all it has accomplished and done for the country as a whole. It’s become a center of diversity and celebration, a state filled with excitement that has a festival for everything from a Bigfoot parade to an AlienCon for extraterrestrial enthusiasts. California’s natural scenery is indeed beautiful and almost (almost) makes me want to go on a hike. The plentiful job opportunities are also extremely attractive and I have waited my entire life to try a sushi burrito. But then again, do you really want to be among the millions of others wishing they lived in California? 

So the next time you watch an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 and fantasize about the #caligirl life, remember how your first Instagram post in California showcasing your beach bod at Huntington Beach won’t show the insanely high rent prices you’ll barely meet, the hours of unbearable traffic you’ll suffer through, the disgusted face you’ll make after tasting California water, and all of the other struggles California brings. Or maybe I’m just trying to convince you to move anywhere else so I can have all those four-dollar In-N-Out burgers all for myself…either way, you make the call.

 

Works Cited:

Barboza, Tony, et al. “Must Reads: Climate Change Will Be Deadlier, More Destructive and Costlier for California than Previously Believed, State Warns.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2018, www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-state-climate-change-assessment-20180827-story.html.

DePietro, Andrew. “Why Buy 1 House In California When You Can Get 6 In Texas?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 24 Oct. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/andrewdepietro/2018/10/24/price-california-home-versus-us/#1e502784d6a0.

Lo, Andrea. “Los Angeles’ Traffic Problem in Graphics.” CNN, Cable News Network, 28 Feb. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/02/27/americas/los-angeles-traffic/index.html.

Stoiber, Tasha, and Olga Naidenko. “California Drinking Water.” EWG, EWG, 30 Apr. 2019, www.ewg.org/research/california-drinking-water.