State California (USA)

The 31st state, created on September 9, 1850

Location

It is located on the west coast of the country, right on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. It borders with such states as Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. The southern part of the state of California is part of the state border with Mexico.

Capital of California: Sacramento

Largest cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose.

Climate and landscape

The state has a varied climate, but most of it is Mediterranean. Due to the proximity of the ocean, it has cool, comfortable, dry summers and warm winters with virtually no precipitation. Fog is also quite common here.

California Temperature by Month

Those who have lived and visited California note that the southern part has almost perfect weather all year round.

Be careful! Those who are not friends with winter and depend on sunny weather may forever fall in love with California for its endless sun and ocean.

But here in some places the air is very dry and there is a wind from the desert. Water resources are unevenly distributed, so in some places there is a pleasant green oasis, and in others there is a wasteland with cacti.

If you are ready for such diversity – welcome!

The state of California is considered a seismically dangerous zone, as there are many geological faults, and the largest of them is San Andreas. In addition, there are volcanoes on the territory of the state, one of them, Lassen Peak, dormant at the moment, erupted twice in the early 20th century.

Population

It must be admitted that the state of California is the most populous state in the country. 12% of all US residents live here.

According to the latest data, about 40 million people live in California (this is almost the whole of Ukraine). About 20 million people live in Los Angeles alone.

People of various nationalities live here:

• Hispanics (approximately 39%)
• White Americans (approximately 37%)
• Asians (approximately 14%)
• African Americans (approximately 6%)

Recently, there has been an increase in people leaving and wanting to leave California. There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from high taxes to regular fires.

Criminogenicity

There is information that often some migrants come to the State not entirely legally and behave not entirely decently.

It is no secret that in every city, even in yours, there are good and bad areas. Therefore, it is worth carefully choosing a place to live in cities. This can be done on real estate sites, some provide a complete map with the level of crime (thefts, robberies, murders) and the rank of schools. This is what you should focus on.

It is worth understanding that the more rich people in the state, the more likely it is that people looking for an easy life and money will come there. For example, in San Francisco and Los Angeles there are quite a lot of homeless people. This gives rise to various kinds of crime.

A quarter of the homeless in the United States live in California, despite the fact that Californians make up only 12 percent of the population.

Homelessness is not only more common in the West, it is also more visible because a larger proportion of homeless people are unsheltered. In California, 68 percent of homeless people are unsheltered, compared to 5 percent in New York City.

Visitors to the West Coast may be shocked to find tents set up by homeless people in cities from San Diego to Seattle.

California has only 4.6 murders per 100,000 people per year.

Economy

California is the state with the highest GDP among all states. It is considered to be the richest state. The standard of living here is high.

People living here say that “life here is expensive, but it is worth it – a great climate, the ocean, friendly active people, well-developed infrastructure.”

The most active economic sectors are IT, aerospace, oil production and processing, show business, cinema, and farming.

The minimum wage in the state is $12 per hour, and up to $13 in large companies.

It is in this state that the heart of modern cinematography is located – Hollywood, and the epicenter of information technology development – Silicon Valley.

California for Business

Despite the fact that California has been recognized for several years as not the most pleasant state for doing business due to high taxes, it is home to the offices of such leading companies:

• Activision
• Adobe
• Alphabet
• Apple
• Caterpillar
• Chevron
• Disney
• Ebay
• Oracle
• eBay
• Facebook
• Google
• Intel
• Yahoo!
• Xerox and other giants, you can google more about them.

There are also about 700,000 millionaires living here, but they also regularly leave the state. For example, Elon Musk is moving to Texas, which will allow him to save about $10 billion without paying California’s high income tax.

Real estate

Rental prices in California

A studio apartment, for example, in Los Angeles starts at about $1,100 per month. Plus, don’t forget that you need to pay the landlord a DEPOSIT in case you break something. As a rule, the deposit is equal to the cost of rent for a month.

It will be more difficult to find a room, but it will be cheaper by a couple of hundred. It will be easier to do this in migrant groups on Facebook. Search – and you will find!

The cost of renting a one-room apartment or studio in California by city (approximately):

• Los Angeles from $1000-$1200 per month
• San Francisco from $1200-$1400 per month
• San Diego from $800-$1100 per month
• San Jose from $1100-$1300 per month
• Sacramento from $750-$1100 per month

You can look at prices by city in more detail and choose what suits you on the websites www.trulia.com or www.zillow.com. Go in, enter the city, price, type of real estate and take a closer look. If you have any difficulties translating the names of cities, use a translator.

Buying a house in California is not a cheap task either. Also, remember about the property tax, which must be paid annually in any state.

Housing prices start from $400 – 500 thousand for 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. That is, the house will have 3 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and 3 bathrooms.

It will be a house in a decent area not far from the center, perhaps even with a small backyard, but not brick, rather with decorative brickwork.

Ecology

California, like any other place on our planet, has a number of environmental problems that the authorities are trying to combat.

For example, the state authorities have announced that from 2035 it will be impossible to buy a new car that runs on gasoline in order to reduce emissions into the environment.

Speaking specifically about the problems, California residents are faced with the following:

• regular forest fires (due to the heat, this happens almost every summer, the wind spreads the fire in a matter of minutes. People have to evacuate, leave their homes. Recently, these disasters have acquired national proportions)
• smog in cities (Los Angeles stands out in particular. At a certain point in the year, fog appears here, and it is in this fog that toxic substances hang)

Attractions

There are as many as 8 national parks in the state of California.

1. Joshua Tree, 3,196 sq. km.
2. Death Valley, 13,628 sq. km.
3. Yosemite, 3,081 sq. km.
4. Kings Canyon, 1,869 sq. km.
5. Lassen Volcanic, 429 sq. km.
6. Channel Islands, 1,009 sq. km.
7. Redwood, 534 sq. km.
8. Sequoia, 1,635 sq. km.

In addition, you can have a wonderful time in such locations:

• Golden Gate Bridge
• Famous Disneyland Amusement Park
• Universal Studios Hollywood Movie-Themed Amusement Park
• Alcatraz
• Balboa Park
• Hollywood Sign
• Santa Monica Pier
• San Diego Zoo
• Twin Peaks
• Coronado Hotel

So, friends. We have collected data on the economy, residents and houses – all this information is important. But we believe that it is also important to read the opinions of people who have been/lived in the state where you want to go.

We have scoured video blogs and forums, talked to migrants on social networks to collect for you all the reasons to move to California. It is worth considering that there are many opinions, and we still encourage everyone to live in the chosen place to feel whether you are comfortable.

All the following points have been collected by us on the Internet and are, in the opinion of our editors, subjective.

Почему переезжают в Калифорнию?

• The state does not have the usual winter with snowdrifts and blizzards
• Moderate climate on the southern coast, optimal temperature almost the whole year
• Proximity to the ocean, unimaginably beautiful diverse landscape (palm trees, beaches, sand)
• Many note that due to the almost constant warmth and sun, familiar to residents of the CIS, the winter sleepy period is not felt, “you want to live, and not sleep all winter”
• Developed IT, theater/cinema, show business, space technology
• Megacities that are great for recreation, life and travel according to their infrastructure, landscapes, etc.
• Minimum clothing, meaning you won’t need a coat or boots on your bike
• A huge number of national parks
• There are beautiful states nearby where you will be happy to travel alone, with friends or family
• A lot of migrants from different countries, among whom you can find friends
• A loyal attitude towards sexual minorities

Potential Disadvantages and Inconveniences of Living in California

• Life in California is more expensive than in other states (fines, gas prices, expensive real estate, high daily expenses)
• The highest sales and profit taxes, as well as high income taxes
• Regular fires in the state almost every summer (as a result, ash, smog, smoke)
• Traffic jams and heavy traffic in large cities (for example, this happens regularly in Los Angeles)
• A large number of migrants who often lead a dishonest lifestyle
• A large number of homeless people in megacities, especially Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The state tries to protect and stimulate the development of the homeless, drug addicts, and gives them various benefits, which affects the growth of such people in this region.
• Flights from this state to Europe are very long. As a rule, you will need a transfer in New York.
• US residents believe that the worst roads are in California, and migrants from the CIS consider the roads to be quite decent.

First-hand opinion

Elena, 49, lives in California

“The climate is probably one of the main advantages. Today you have -1 (meaning Kyiv in December), and here we have +24.

There are a lot of immigrants in Los Angeles and San Diego, which means it’s easier to adapt, make friends with someone, and your accent won’t be much of a concern when hiring.

For me, there are two main disadvantages: California is one of the most expensive states to live in, high taxes, expensive houses, or renting an apartment. Many Americans are now moving to other states. And earthquakes, of course…“

Diana, 36, has lived in California for 6.5 years

“We migrated to the States from China for work. And all three of us are originally from Ukraine (Diana, her husband and son).

There is a great climate, nice people, a high standard of living, at least in San Diego for sure. Now we are preparing to move to another state, also warm, we’ll see how we like it there – the bar is high!

What’s not to like? Tourists. There are a lot of them in the summer, this year (meaning 2020) was a pleasant respite from the influx of people. And for many, this is an unaffordable state, in terms of high taxes and the cost of rent and real estate.

I do not advise going to California to those who are not used to spending a lot on basic needs, it will definitely be uncomfortable here.“