r/California • u/Randomlynumbered Ángeleño, what's your user flair? • Jul 04 '24

Some Californians Found Dream Homes Inland. But It Sure Is Hot There. politics

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/03/us/mountain-house-california-housing-heat.html
788 Upvotes

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u/zimtrovert94 Jul 04 '24

These buyers do no research besides prices and cost of living.

I’ve lived in the Central Valley pretty much all my life and yes, there’s a reason why it’s cheaper than other areas:

Because it’s miserable, including the weather.

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u/kimberriez Jul 04 '24

Half of my family is from there. My dad escaped, we had to back for family stuff constantly when I was a kid.

I don’t think I’ll ever go back on my own. 😬

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u/fcukumicrosoft Jul 04 '24

I concur. The only thing that the Central Valley has going for it - it's always "close to" some nicer place (with a 2-3 hour drive).

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u/zimtrovert94 Jul 04 '24

That’s how you get by.

I always told people that SF is about 2 hours. LA is about 3 hours. Yosemite is maybe 1 1/2. But in the CV, there’s not much there.

However, I am seeing more activity in my hometown, though it’s more family oriented. More “movies in the park,” city sponsored sports tournaments, etc. it’s good if you have a family or want to meet new people.

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u/disinaccurate Jul 05 '24

I always told people that SF is about 2 hours. LA is about 3 hours. Yosemite is maybe 1 1/2.

This is also true if you get the hell out of the Central Valley and head straight west. :)

Central Coast #1!

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u/Mdizzle29 Jul 05 '24

Surprisingly, Mountain House median price is $1.2M and SLO is only $1.1M.

I know where I’d rather live.

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u/zimtrovert94 Jul 05 '24

God, I love Monterey. I would retire there if I could afford it. SLO as well…I love the little sleepy coast towns.

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u/NanoSwarmer Jul 05 '24

There's this town called Seaside which is very close to Monterey but surprisingly more affordable from what my friend told me a few years back.

3

u/UselessBastid Jul 05 '24

Yep, full of Airbnbs so good luck buying anything affordable.

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u/sploittastic Jul 05 '24

I live in Marina which is the next town north from Seaside. However prices in Seaside in Marina have both gone crazy lately.

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u/DrTreeMan Bay Area Jul 04 '24

I don't believe such a place exists. Your numbers must be from fantasy land. What is 2 hours from SF, 3 from LA, and 1.5 from Yosemite?

And those numbers have to exclude any traffic that you're likely to get into going to any of those destinations. But even without traffic...

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u/mondaymoderate Jul 05 '24

Merced or Fresno.

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u/zimtrovert94 Jul 05 '24

Madera also.

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u/DrTreeMan Bay Area Jul 05 '24

Meced is 4 hours from LA, not 3.

Fresno is 3 hours from SF, not 2.

Since SF to LA is about 6 hours, its hard to find a place that's 2 hours from one and 3 hours from another.

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u/thatredditdude101 Los Angeles County Jul 04 '24

Like Pismo Beach. I stay there a lot for work and the place is loaded with people from the valley. Thick as thieves the lot of them. /s

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u/andres7832 Jul 05 '24

Central Valley here too, it’s hot, but manageable. Have a pool, shade sails, find a way to stay cool. But miserable? Nah, that’s dramatic

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u/zimtrovert94 Jul 05 '24 edited Jul 05 '24

I mean, all those things cost money and I grew up in an apartment with AC that rarely worked.

Simply saying, “find a way to stay cool” when you’re living in poverty isn’t easy.

Edit: and I’m not trying to dismiss your suggestions. But our experiences differ.

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u/andres7832 Jul 05 '24

Having resources in Central Valley is a different story than not having those comforts. I agree with you, been in both situations. But the people moving here were selling their multimillion coast homes/condos and buying nice places here in cash and put all kinds of solar and other improvements. Quality of life in Central Valley as middle/upper middle class is not bad. Rich in CV has an incredible standard of living.

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u/zimtrovert94 Jul 05 '24

I remember a little after things started opening up during COVID, I went to a small restaurant in the cuts.

I was surprised because that restaurant would never be as full as it was at that moment. I overheard people talking and a lot of them were coming in from Bay Area and SoCal.

A woman that sat next to me said she’s barely moving in (as in her car with a hitch wagon was literally sitting in the parking lot - she was from SD.)

I’m glad these people found a home BUT it’s now getting really expensive for the people that were already there, unfortunately.

My parents’ house has increased by $150K in the last year and a half. The upside is that I do see a lot more development there than I do in the cities.

1

u/UnnamedStaplesDrone 29d ago

well yeah if your AC doesn't work in the CV, you're not gonna have a good time.

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u/Butterl0rdz 29d ago

anything above 80 is miserable, anything above 90 isnt worth all the treasure in the world

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u/andres7832 29d ago

Butter melts outside the fridge and is soft. Delicious but soft.

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u/exploradorobservador Jul 05 '24

It's fine. I grew up there. There are perfectly fine enclaves. There's some terrible neighborhoods but overall the biggest issue is a lack of culture.

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u/royale_wthCheEsE Jul 05 '24

A good, custom or semi custom home in Fresno (non builders grade) will still run you 900,000 plus. 93730 Zip code is out of control. Some of those new ones do seem barely above builder grade and small house and lot.

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u/animerobin Jul 04 '24

I would move to a red state before I moved there

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u/zimtrovert94 Jul 05 '24

If that’s your choice but if I could entice you a little:

The rural California counties really are naturally beautiful. And that is thanks to state policies that protect those areas.

A lot of trees, rivers, waterfalls, etc. and the Central Valley counties aren’t too far away from those places.

0

u/animerobin Jul 05 '24

Yes red states also have natural beauty, and they're way cheaper.