Finally left CA. Surprised to feel so relieved...

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Glad to hear a happy story about someone finding a new home and the feeling of belonging.

Myself, I hate the Cali gun laws, and a lot of other bad things here. Traffic is miserable, the population is getting too much, places are too congested and there's a lot of bad politics.

But I'm staying. It's got too much going on here for me. I've got businesses in Internet technology and real estate, and for what I do, this is the best place for me. There's a high concentration of people with those talents, and some of the best sources for hitech venture capital in the country. And my kids go to the best schools, which doesn't sound right because Cali on average has slipped below the national average --- but for people with means, Cali has got some of the best education in the country, and a lot of other things. The trick is to find your business niche, because Cali is still good for people with a lot of assets.
 
a guide to help you blend in when you move to Washington.

verbal guide to Washington:

Spokane: pronounced "spok-anne" not "Spok-ain".

Sequim: pronounced "skwim" not "seekwim".

Puyallup: (my home town) pronounced "pew'-al-up" not "poo-yall-up".

Kalaloch: proununced "clay-lock" not "cahlay-lock"

Steilacoom: pronounced: "still-a-kum" not "steel-a-koom"

as stated earlier - Geoduck: pronounced "gooey-duck" not "geo-duck"
(yuck) geoduck8.jpg

salmon species:

Chinook = King. good any way you prepare it.

Coho = Silver. also good any way you prepare it.

Chum = Dog Salmon. really only ok if smoked, and only if its still semi fresh.

Sockeye = Red. also good any way you prepare it.

Pink = Humpy. only so-so smoked. fun to catch and release. only runs on odd numbered years.

Steelhead = Steelhead. the holy grail of fish in Western WA. mmmmm tasty.


we won't even start in on the river names. just don't live on the banks of any of 'em.



Western Washington Do's:

do the speed limit in the rain. its ok, it ain't ice and the rest of us have places to go.

get yourself a good waterproof jacket. like a Columbia, (they'r semi-local - Oregon) Ma Boyle will take good care of you.

get yourself an REI rewards card and a Starbucks punchcard. the cops will ask to see these if you get pulled over. seriously.

build up a nice collection of relaxing CD's to listen to while you're stuck in the never-ending traffic jams.

Do visit the Oktoberfest in Leavenworth at least once.

do buy all the EBR's you want. no bans here!

do buy some sandals and wear them with or wothout socks until the temps drop below freezing.

do learn the difference between a cup of coffee and a double grande vanilla-hazelnut half-caf with foam and a dash of nutmeg.


Western Washington Don'ts:

don't carry an umbrella. dead giveaway that you're not local.

don't keep a foul hooked fish. the other fishermen will pummel you.

don't go to Bumbershoot. the hippies will trap you inside one of their drum circles or snare you in a net made of armpit hair and force you to eat hummus.

go too fast in the rain. can you say hydroplane boys and girls? i knew you could.

don't use "its raining" as an excuse for anything. another dead giveaway you're not local.

don't cross another guy's line when drift fishing. 'nother pummelling coming your way if you do that. wait until the guy downstream from you casts before you cast. damn rookies.




that'll keep you out of trouble. again, welcome to WA!

Bobby
 
L.A. (Can I call you that?). I totally appreciate the fact that CA is a great place "if you have a lot of assets". That's because you need them to thrive there. Its easy to make/keep/grow money if you have money in CA.

My wife was a teacher for 9 years in Oakland, CA. I cannot begin to tell you the horror and disgust that she shared with me on a daily basis about the kids and their parents. She transferred to Hayward, CA. After three years there, the same things were observed. Why? Because as Oakland became "gentrified", the low-renters went south to Hayward. Result? Degraded educative opportunities for all students because of a few bad seeds? Just one class? Nope, most classes in most schools. Its a real problem. Class division based on have/have nots is a growing problem in SF Bay area. Any time there is a natural disaster, or even just when the Raiders win one, my family is at increasing risk from rioting people.

If you are claiming "some of the best schools", then your kids probably go to "rich" public schools or private/charter schools. CA currently ranks 49 out of the 50 states in quality of public education. WA ranks in the top 5. This is from my wife's research, so let me know if you think she's wrong. But what she found was enough to get her on board for the final push to get us out of the state.

What you're describing is a growing division in major metropolitan areas between classes. Those with "assets" and "means" get the better education and job opportunities. The Libertarian in me says that's okay. The survivalist tax payer in me says I should reduce liabilities by going to an area with less of a class division, so I will survive impending social unrest, and save some tax $$ while I'm doing it...
 
I will say that I agree with almost everything you have to say.

Buckskinner said:
Any time there is a natural disaster, or even just when the Raiders win one, my family is at increasing risk from rioting people.
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I agree. In LA we've had a history of rioting. If there's a natural disaster coming, I know it's gonna happen and know where it's coming from. Just need to be ready.

Buckskinner said:
If you are claiming "some of the best schools", then your kids probably go to "rich" public schools or private/charter schools.
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It's not always a money thing. Whitney HS in Cerritos is a middle-class public school that frequently ranks #1 nationally against all public schools on a lot of scales, but yeah, otherwise, it's usually the rich districts that do well. The cream of the crop in Cali education still is tops in the country. My public school system is at the top nationally, along with some other districts (with avg SATs near 1300's, before the SAT scoring changed last year), so there's no need to go private. But if you want private, there are some private schools that have mind-boggling SAT averages. (Chadwick has SAT avg in the 1300's and Harvard-Westlake is close to 1400's.)

I myself grew up in the horrid public schools but worked my way out of there and now I want my kids a shot to get into Caltech or MIT, and you have a better chance coming out of certain districts.

Buckskinner said:
What you're describing is a growing division in major metropolitan areas between classes. Those with "assets" and "means" get the better education and job opportunities.
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I'm afraid you're right on that point.
 
do buy some sandals and wear them with or wothout socks until the temps drop below freezing.
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Hmm, my understanding has always been that you're only allowed to wear your Birkenstocks with socks if you live on Bainbridge or Mercer Islands, drive a Volvo, and still haven't taken the Kerry-Edwards sticker off the back window ...

Hey, Bobby, there is freshwater fishing in this state, you know.

a guide to help you blend in when you move to Washington.
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I would also add ... unless you're within King County, don't judge, or interact with, Washington law enforcement officers based on your perception of, or experiences with, California LEOs.

As far as the public schools up here; there can be major differences in the quality of teachers and programs even within the same school districts in this state. Whether or not one believes in the WASL, it's worth looking at each district's WASL results over the past five years and even comparing schools in the same district ...
 
I felt the same when I left NJ for good, and your post completely resonates.

CA is a crying shame: It is a beautiful land in the grip of insanity.

There are some places in America, NJ, MA, CA, that are clearly lost causes for the time being, and no longer represent ground that CAN be defended.

We'll get them back someday, but for now, I think it best to shore up the defenses in the places that can be defended.

First, we must stop the advance, and in 1943 terms, there is no dishonor in noting that Berlin is firmly in enemy hands.
 
P35 it was in reference to a radio spot actually (you know the hours of sitting in traffic).:D

I grew up on the other side of the state as well and the point was to have any newbie go check out the other side and see what it has to offer. I live in the West but am a proud owner of land in the East.

+1 on Octoberfest try Odessa's out too.

Rosso's U totem in Ellensberg and any Zips East of Ritzville is worth the stop.
 
Of course, after I move away from Oregon to North Dakota later this year, there will be some wag saying the same things about me.
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Welcome. Besides the few weeks of really cold weather, ND is a pretty good place. We have wide open spaces and a fiscally conservative state government that keeps our taxes low. I can see ND becoming the new Montana in a few years when the land prices have been throughly jacked up.
 
For the curious, it is looking like either Jamestown or Bismarck, depending on what my wife finds for work as a registered nurse, since I can set up shop anywhere.

The only thing I don't really like about ND is the water, which pretty much makes tap water in Oregon taste like ultrapurified glacier water (which much of it is). Oh and some of the summer humidity I am not too keen on either.:D
 
CONGRATS!

Buck! Congrats...I made the move two years ago and can still remember the chills I felt when I rolled down the east slop of the Sierras on 80. Now IL. is not much better, but the whole FOID card thing is something that I grew up with. Good to hear WA is a good resting place, as I have had a job offer in that neck of the woods....

Anybody know anything about the Friendlyness of OR, ID, UT?
 
STAGE 2 said:
I would hope that you arent the only representative for the rest of the union. If you are then there are much bigger problems that what is going on in the golden state.
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i have watched kali go from a livable state to an absolute schiesshole in the last 50 years...
if my anger shows its because the utter verminfilth of the world has ruined what was the possibly best state to live in that exsisted within the US's borders...
there is no place left here for any normal person , everyone i know who has any componet of sanity left is working to get out of here...
i really hope every bloodsucking liberal pos moves here , that way we can wall it off and fumigate it after all the humans have fled...
ore. wa. az. are headed the same way...
(btw,have i mentioned that i hate this state ?):neener:
 
Anybody know anything about the Friendlyness of OR, ID, UT?
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Oregon is great! People here are friendly. So much so, that you need to plan an extra half hour any place you go, because people strike up conversations in stores with random strangers.
Folks say it's headed toward becoming another CA, but having lived in both, that's a joke. Sure, we have to be on our toes, as there is some crappy legislation being pushed by a few key people, but we have a rabid pro gun lobby here in Oregon, and some of the best carry laws in the US.
There are two population centers pushing for liberal laws, Eugene and Portland. The rest of the state is made up of freedom minded people.
Smog laws won't fly here. yeah, eugene and Portland have their own little smog laws. But to implement it statewide, half the state would have to buy new cars. The poor folks don't have the money for that. It's a depressed economy outside of the "big" cities.
I find that Oregon has a nice balance of Republican and Democrat. They balance each other out, so their petty squabbles keep them off my back. :D
 
Maybe in a few years I'll have a story like that. But I'm stuck here for about another five years, more or less (2.5 years of high school, however long I spend in college).
 
Cheapest to stay in state. Plus, I know the requirements and already have my plans for meeting them. I have somewhere to live already and have family, friends, knowledge of surroundings, etc. If I went somewhere else for college, I'd have to add that stress on top of academics.
 
Living in the united states

I also have the same sentiments as Buckskinner. Native 1st generation Californian. Lived there for 53 years except for 4 years in the USAF. Grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, and lived in Placerville for 12 years, one of the last places decent to live in CA.

Finally got the opportunity to escape to Nevada a couple years ago and never looked back. I tell people now when going to NV from CA to look below the sign saying leaving CA and you'll see a sign below it saying "Entering the United States". You first get this puzzled look then a look like the light comes on.

Mom, kids and grand kids still live there and I go to visit on occasion, but usually can't wait to get back the the "United States" after a few days.
 
Hmm. It seems to me that blaming "Kommifornians" for your problems is a little like "antis" blaming gun owners for crime. There are lots of good people here, lots of gun owners. I didn't grow up here and don't expect to stay forever, but when I leave it will be because there's somewhere else I want to go, not because I hate where I am. There are far worse places to be a gun owner. I don't see how my life will be improved by ruminating about how much I despise those places and the people who live there.

If it matters that much to you, consider making a donation to the CA Rifle and Pistol Association (http://www.crpa.org) instead of just complaining on an internet forum. They are fighting battles that will continue in other states if not stopped here. The rights you save could be your own.

John
 
John Rogers said:
...consider making a donation to the CA Rifle and Pistol Association (http://www.crpa.org) instead of just complaining on an internet forum. They are fighting battles that will continue in other states if not stopped here. The rights you save could be your own.

John
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Thanks for that link. I just joined and made my donation.
 
taliv said:
believe it or not, buckskinner, i felt the exact same way moving from ohio to tennessee two years ago. what a relief!


i spent 5 years in cali (sacramento) when i was a kid. it was great. i travel back to the bay area often enough on business to realize how glad i am that i don't live there
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Ohio is the east version of Ca. I escaped years ago and felt the same way as buckskinner. I hate to even cross the river back in to Cin as thats Ohio's SF.
Enjoy your new life and freedom in WA.
 
:) MUST go visit the in-laws in Thousand Oaks-area next weekend. Mountain biking in the Santa Monica mountains is nothing less than spectacular during our visits, and helps me maintain my sanity....

Nothing like the feeling I get crossing the border back home to Arizona though! The pistol (s) come out of hiding, and my freedom returns....

During my illustrious Navy career, lived in San Diego/Long Beach/Oakland/Hayward/Huntington Beach/La Mirada/Fullerton, etc.

When I was "THERE", life seemed good, but moving away created a sort of calm I guess.

Back in my home state of Arizona since '91. California can be a spectacular place to visit, but I dread going back every time I go back.
 
I tell people now when going to NV from CA to look below the sign saying leaving CA and you'll see a sign below it saying "Entering the United States". You first get this puzzled look then a look like the light comes on.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me? Tell me you're kidding. If you're not, that's getting sig'd.
 
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