The Pros and Cons of Living in Southern California

I just returned from a trip to California.  I was born there and lived in Southern California most of my life.  I moved to Arizona about 18 years ago.  I now have my house for sale and hope to return to California in the not-too-distant future.

There are many wonderful things about living SoCal; and there are some powerful reasons to avoid doing so.

The California weather is a big plus, but the smog can be terrible. 

It is not far to go to the mountains, a forest, the ocean or the desert when you live in SoCal.  However, the traffic is nearly always terrible, so getting to those nice places can be challenging.

I can meet people of every race, nearly every nationality and religion since all are well represented in the area.  Unfortunately, all those people can create crowds, which can take some of the enjoyment out of places I visit.

Sadly, the huge population has led to a high crime rate in many cities throughout the region.  The jails are so full (as with most big cities) the courts cannot order jail time for some people who might otherwise be in custody.

Where I live now, there are only a limited number of ethnic restaurants, which I enjoy very much.  There are no “warehouse” stores or specialty stores.  I am not a “shopper,” but there are certain things I would like to buy that I now have to drive 90 miles to find.  In California, there are myriad ethnic restaurants, warehouse stores and shops that carry virtually anything I might ever want to purchase.

The most important reason I want to live in SoCal is family!  When we moved to Arizona, (obviously) we were much younger, working jobs and wanted to escape the chaos of the Los Angeles area. 

Now, I work at home and hardly see anyone besides my husband.  (Thank heavens for sites like IBO where I can communicate with others throughout the day.)  My husband is retired.  We had no grandchildren when we moved here, and one of my children moved to Arizona with us.  He married and has twin daughters who were born in Arizona.  He and his children have returned to his home state.  I miss them terribly.  My other son also is a daddy now too, and I barely know his daughter.

I also have a brother in SoCal with whom I am very close but see only once every few months.  I adore his wife who he married since I moved away.  My husband also has children, grandchildren and a sister in Southern California.  We are lonesome for them all!

So, in spite of the fact that we do not like traffic, smog or the high crime rate, as soon as we possibly can, we will return to California for the most important reason – our family is there!

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