After considerable thought it has become clear that remaining in California is not a viable and affordable option any longer.
Weighing into this decision were the typical influencers, such as:
- Cost of living in California is just dumb. Even my last water bill was 50% water, 50% tacked on services unrelated to drought conditions
- A population eager to approve stupid fees every couple of years such as repeatedly requesting taxes to fix the roads and having the funds then go elsewhere yet again
- The looming burden of paying for projects such as the bullsh*t train that should have been cancelled by their own rules many times over
- Devolution of neighborhoods into late night intersection gatherings dropping skid-mark doughnuts on the road instead of in their underwear
- The drought. And fires.
So where to next?
With society realizing that working remotely in high tech is a legitimate methodology, the possibility of moving elsewhere is now a strong reality for me. Given that I can now work pretty much where ever there is good Internet, the possibilities open up considerably.
Many in California make a short list of possible destinations, which includes places like Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and Texas. In my case though there was little in these places that attracted me. Sure I could enjoy the rugged out doors, get another off road vehicle and happily bounce through mud and desert, but I still felt like I wanted something more.
Also Oregon and Idaho come with a small amount of snow which I vowed to avoid at all costs. I spent too much of my youth moving snow around and convincing myself that cold weather was “fun”. Pfffft.
Arizona, or Nevada for that matter, tends to attract abandoned aircraft and retirees. Neither of these have any draw for me.
And Texas is, well, Texas. It’s off the list.
So sweeping my gaze a little further afield I came up with a few more choices: The Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.
Still avoiding snow and not having anything to pull me towards the Carolinas or Georgia, my view settled on Florida. Cost of living savings? Check. Ability to afford a new home? Check. Things I like to do, like Disney, rockets and the ocean? Check. Insane population? Well yes but that’s not a deterrent anymore – it appears to me that most of the population across the country is becoming increasingly insane, it is just that people in Florida seem to get caught on video more frequently.
So it’s decided – Good Bye California and Hello Florida!