What would it take to construct a personalized algorithm to help you to decide where you should live? How would you weigh history, familiarity, family, weather, physical beauty, proximity to the ocean, average age of residents, lifestyle, penchant for invigoration, desire for change, your age, and your interests, including in my case, access to great cuisine? Part of the reason I came on this trip was to consider this…………..
Knowing that weather is the top consideration in my well-being quotient, first up was to decide how to think about where I do live and what it means to me. One can’t do this without trying to be honest. While somewhat tongue in cheek, what first comes to mind about east coasters and particularly New York Metropolitan-ers? As generalizations go, those of us who reside within the realm of the Gotham-esque major-leaguers readily recognize the self-obsessed, up-tight, ritual-oriented, uber-competitive accomplishers, opportunity seekers, out-of-site-New-York-state-of-minders, obsessive news and politics-watchers and participants, hoarders of financial acumen, hawkish titans doing inversions, taking whatever they can think of private and then public and then private again, merging, re-shaping, downsizing, squeezing, churning, splicing and dicing, figuring out any way possible to skim the teeniest bit off the top of any trade – all in the name of profiteering. Those who thrive upon this style of hustle and bustle, also instantaneously recognize the aroma of roasting pretzels, you know that charcoal-smell (and tolerate the smell of street garbage all summer long), patronize street vendors, gingerly avoid taxi cabs racing up and down the avenues, tolerate being shoved on the sidewalks, worry silly within the uber competitive job game, and just live, in the all-around atmosphere of self-surrounders of millions of people daily. Hmmm… what does this say about us? Are we numb to this or do we need this?
Whew! Is it any wonder then, that if some stream of light and consciousness is opened up, we might just consider the preferred inversion to be to travel to the west coast where life is beautiful all the time and the inversion is, in fact, the one where people value recreation over accomplishment? Ok, if the anthropologists really did a bird’s-eye study, just what would they see, and how would I factor this in?
Just how easy is it to leave the Big Apple Metropolitan Area and move West? Am I much more firmly entrenched in the east coast vibe than I am even aware? I needed to at least ponder a test of it for myself. Just how important is weather to someone like me, and vs the invigoration one feels in New York, not to mention it’s where my kids live?
It’s true that there are hoards of us who find comfort, solace, safety and security by being surrounded daily by “the metropolis”, such as it is. This can become so much a part of our psyche that I recall the phenomenon of someone I know being terrified of living in Connecticut after leaving the city. The sound of peepers instead of sirens took a long while to get comfortable with.
Question is, when considering “other options” is the grass greener on the other side of the street? In this case, of course, the other side of the street is the other side of the country.
Well, you know me, I am constantly obsessing and blah-blah, blahhing about the virtues of California, home of, on average, 350 days of sunshine per year and a narrow band of average daily temperatures which, for me, precludes that terrifyingly-nasty number of months when one has to freeze to death, tolerate low light and see most of my favorite plantings which sustain and nuture me to a great degree, die and disappear. But, the opportunity to shed my collection of coats, hats, and boots and never have to don them again, is honestly, more than challenging me.
Nowadays, California is in the news just about every day. And not because of the reasons that I trumpet. But, how different is it really? Are some people just as driven here as they are back home? We all know the stories of the digital titans who grew a whole new world out of Silicon Valley. They sit in garages and re-imagine the world. They make movies and create “content”. But, what else goes on in the California economy and therefore in the California psyche? I wanted to know.
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I tried to get somewhat data-oriented as I tried to think about this. Would this help?
Without getting crazy, here’s just a little snapshot of some info which will either immediately screen you in or out of the potential coast changers:
- Average number of days of sunshine in Santa Monica = 350 (more recently). Average daily temperature change over 12 months of the year +/- 10 degrees. In San Francisco it’s 7F.
- If you’e considering moving to the land of weather-nirvana, the cost of living is probably one of your top concerns. According to a CNBC study, California is ranked #6 in the US right behind Hawaii, Connecticut, Alaska, New York, and New Jersey. So, if you are thinking that California is worse than we are, it’s not.
- According to an article I found, http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/industries-in-california-strongest/2015/03/08/id/626901/the top 5 industries in California are as follows: Technology, Agriculture, Aerospace, Service, Entertainment
- Size of Economy: The list below provides data compiled by US Debt Clock on state GSP (Gross State Product) for 2015 February. (source Wikipedia)List of U.S. states and territories by GSP in 2015
State 2015 Rank 2015 GSP $ Millions: Starting at #1:
California 1 2,287,021
Texas 2 1,602,584
New York 3 1,350,286
Florida 4 833,511
Illinois 5 742,407
Pennsylvania 6 664,872
Ohio 7 584,696
New Jersey 8 560,667 - Unemployment Rate (July) source National Conference of State Legislatures (comparing California, New York and New Jersey:
- California
6.2
New Jersey
5.9
Colorado
4.3
New Mexico
6.5
Connecticut
5.4
New York
5.4
When I researched top states for quality of life I found that most of them were not in “temperate zones” and being that weather is a top factor for me, I discounted that. No, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa are not for me……
Data is important of course, but what about what you love?
Of course, one of my favorite areas of interest is farming and agriculture. This state has the longest growing season of all and, of course, this is a great hook for me.
According to the article noted above: “California is the top state in the United States for all farm income. California produces almost all of the country’s almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes, and walnuts and leads in the production of avocados, grapes, lemons, melons, peaches, plums, and strawberries. As for oranges, only one state — Florida — produces more oranges. California was also the third-ranked producer of livestock cash receipts — behind Texas and Iowa — according to the USDA.”
http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/industries-in-california-strongest/2015/03/08/id/626901/#ixzz3lFheD6Vi
According to netstate.com:
Agriculture
California leads all of the other states in farm income. It’s positioned as the agricultural powerhouse of the United States. About 73% of the state’s agricultural revenues are derived from crops while the other 27% of revenues are generated by livestock commodities.
In terms of revenue generated, California’s top five agricultural products are dairy products, greenhouse and nursery products, grapes, almonds, and cattle and calves.
Crops
California grows over 200 different crops, some grown nowhere else in the nation. Crops include grapes, almonds, strawberries, oranges and walnuts.
In addition to those noted above, the most important vegetable crops grown in the state include lettuce and tomatoes. Again, California leads the way. Broccoli and carrots rank second followed by asparagus, cauliflower, celery, garlic, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Only Texas grows more cotton than California.
Hay, rice, corn, sugar beets, and wheat are also grown in large quantities.
Livestock
Livestock and livestock products include milk, beef cattle, eggs, sheep, turkeys, hogs and horses. Dairy products are California’s most valuable products followed by cattle and calves and chicken eggs.
California is the second ranked producer of livestock products behind Texas.
And, being that Cuisine is a top priority for me, well, we all know where California ranks on that! According to a 2014 Thrillist publication, California ranks #1, New York is #3 (behind Texas, ummm??? and New Jersey is #29. https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/every-state-ranked-by-its-food-drink. You can take a look for yourself.
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It goes without saying, I could stay here for a very long time to try to digest the state of mind on the other coast. Are Californians like east coasters, or are they an entirely different breed of American? If yes, how much? If no, how are they different? Can I fit in? Would I in fact be happier, as in feel a lot better than I do in the gloomy months of the year? It’s always hard to say when you’re doing your “research” in the beginning of September, when the season of long days of sunlight have just blessed you. Honestly, as I am sitting here trying to think about it, I am having trouble conjuring up the feelings of despair on grey days when the sun’s availability is really short.
Years ago, I premised that I’d never met a Californian who suffered from seasonal affect disorder. That in and of itself was a reason for me to very seriously consider if I, in fact, was residing on the wrong side of the street. But, things are very complicated here and this state is not without its countless controversies as well.
Home of just about no rain for 4 years and counting, water availability has spurred countless debates and neighborhood and class controversies about who owns the water here, who gets to use it, how you syringe it out of the ground, re-purpose it and whether or not hydrating produce with water previously classified as waste constitutes organic produce.
In spite of all the terrible issues regarding water resources, things aren’t quite as bad as I expected. Often I find that the presentation of crises shakes us out of our fuzzy-headed “I’ll think about that tomorrow” resolve and gets us going on solving the big problems. It’s time here, too for a big shake up and I, for one, and am optimistic about what will result.
As in all coastal areas, the ecosystems are in great flux. And no coastal community in the U.S. offers the perfect panacea. Things get really dicey. For example, as far as the reach of the “experts” goes, I’ve been reading an article in Edible San Diego about how there are a lot of people now who feel like the rush to rip out your lawn and the stopping of watering plantings and grass in roadway medians has actually been quite counterproductive. Supposedly, because the State did not go far enough in their analysis and did not give specific enough downstream recommendations to people about what to actually replace their lawns with, that the habitats of birds, butterflies, worms and other members of the ecosystem are being starved out of the picture.
Jeez, this is a lot more complicated than I think.
Of course, nothing is forever and nothing is safe in the realm of the long term. We on the east coast learned that with Hurricane Sandy. Each and every place one visits has it’s own terroir and issues. There are no guarantees in life, so, if given the opportunity, don’t we have to go where it “feels” better? But, what about who you love and what they love? Yikes…. Let’s just say there is a plethora of food and farm people here for me to mingle with, get to know, study and photograph. One must follow one’s own interesting fodder, no? Then again, this is 6 hours farther away from Italy and France…….. I’m not sure I’m any closer to any decisions. Perhaps one more Winter in NJ will seal the deal.
I’ve exhausted myself already this morning….. Now, where is my beach chair?
Morning along the real West Side Highway:
