Reasons People Are Leaving California
California is a wonderful place to live, nobody can deny that. The state is diverse in geography and climate and generally can appeal to anyone’s taste. But as you know record numbers of people are leaving California for many reasons, most of which are the rising cost of living. Here are some of the top reasons people are fleeing California.
Continually Rising Cost of Living
California has become a very expensive state to live in. From real estate to daily necessities such as groceries and gasoline, living in California comes with a price. The median home value in California is more than half of million dollars. That is about twice as high as the national average. Renting a home is also very expensive. That’s why a lot of people are wondering whether to rent or to buy a home in California as both options are very expensive. If you want to live in one of the bigger cities in the state, you will need a very good job to afford to live comfortably.
High Taxes
California has the highest marginal tax rate in the entire country. This causes a lot of problems for a people which is why they decide to move to another state. People are saving alot of money on taxes when they move out of California. There are plenty of other states with lower taxes. Nevada is just a short drive from California and has 2-3% lower tax rate. This is a reason many Californians are moving to Nevada.
California Wildfires
California wildfires are a seasonal thing. They happen every summer and the damage is devastating to homes, businesses and sometimes entire communities. The fires happen due to high temperatures and wind, making them very difficult to control. This is a very scary thing to go through and a lot of people are scared that the fires will start near their homes. The wildfires that happened in 2018 caused a lot of people to consider leaving California looking for safer places to live. And as summers are only getting hotter and hotter due to climate changes, people are scared that the wildfires are only going to get worse. This is another reason people are leaving California.
Freeway Traffic
Commuting to work when you live in California is a challenge for most people. The average daily commute for many people is around one hour and you are only going 25 miles or less. Traffic in California is a big part of living in California. You dont go see friends as often as you like because of traffic. Residents of Los Angeles spend an average of 81-100 hours idling on freeways annually. Los Angeles has four of the top ten world’s most congested highways within the city limits.
Pollution
California consistently ranks as the most polluted state in the country. Six of the top 10 most polluted cities (for year-round particle pollution) are in California, with the Fresno-Madera area ranking as the most polluted city in the country. California cities like Bakersfield also rank as the worst for short-term particle pollution, as well as Los Angeles for the worst ozone pollution in the nation.
The Golden State is the most highly populated state in the U.S. with the fifth largest economy in the world. Its most significant sources of air pollution come from automobile traffic, as well as industrial pollution. This is also one of the reasons why people are leaving California.
Lack of Quality Schools
California once had one of the best funded, most envied public education systems in the United States. Now schoolteachers in Los Angeles often go on strike to vent years of frustration. They struggle with overcrowded classrooms and children whose need for academic support, psychological services and English-language coaching surpasses what they can provide.
Many schools do not have a full-time nurses or counselors. In many of the poorer neighborhoods – in South LA, or the San Fernando Valley – the library opens rarely. Janitorial service has become so spotty that some teachers have resorted to buying their own cleaning supplies and going over their own classrooms with rags and a mop at the end of a long day.
The cost of putting kids in schools is very expensive if you do not live near a quality public school.
Poverty
One of the things that make California a bad place to live in is poverty. The Census Bureau reported that California has the highest level of functional poverty of any state, averaging 18.2% of its 40 million residents impoverished during the three preceding years. A key reason why California’s poverty rate is so high is because of the high housing costs in many parts of the state. Even in areas of the state where housing costs are not as high, many people struggle with high housing cost. Middle-income households have been forced to accept lower standards of living while the less fortunate have been driven into poverty by the high cost of housing.
Relocation Ventures is here to provide you with all the information and assistance you need to initiate and perform your successful out of state move. Kindly shoot us a note and we will get back to you promptly! relocationventures@gmail.com