13 Shocking Facts About Northern California That Could Make You Want To Move
Northern Californians are in love with our spot on the map. But every once in a while we get stuck in traffic, or actually read the local news and wonder, ‘what in the world is going on?’ For most of us here, we think life is the same pretty much everywhere. Doesn’t every big city have to pay a 10% additional restaurant tax for their homeless like we do when we visit San Francisco? Apparently, when we make a point to seriously talk to our out-of-state friends we discover that isn’t the case.
Warning: Read at your own risk!
Here are a few sobering facts that are making a lot of folks in our neighborhoods pack their bags and get out of dodge.
What does that mean to us? It means legislators work around the clock to pass hundreds of laws each year. 904 new laws in 2015 and 807 in 2016. Those do-gooders in the state capitol are never done doing good. Aren't we lucky?
The big debate now is over plastic bags. Seriously. That's where our legislature is spending valuable time? Elderly folks better remember those environmentally friendly bags or else they're paying 10 cents a bag or they'll be carrying home their cartload. The cat's out of the bag. (We couldn't' help ourselves.)
Then there's the immunization law that went into affect this year. Parents don't have a choice for religious reasons or personal beliefs. Take your medicine or violate the law.
Medicinal now...recreational is right around the corner. These storefronts are popping up all over. Start counting how many you have in your neighborhood - they're giving Starbucks a run for their money.
Prop 47 went into effect to reduce population in prisons here and "non-serious" property and drug crimes went from a felony to a misdemeanor. What does that mean to you? it means if you're caught in possession of drugs it's a misdemeanor citation under Prop 47, or essentially a ticket. Caught stealing something worth less than $950? That means a ticket, too. Caught using some of that $950 to buy more drugs? Another citation. The unintended effects? According to an article in the Washington Post, robberies are up 23 percent in San Francisco. Certain categories of crime have risen 20 percent in Lake Tahoe, and 22 percent in Chico. Officers are discouraged and call it the "frequent flyer" program. Sounds more like a get-out-of-jail-free card.
While the unemployment rate dropped in February of 2016, if you talk to anyone you hear the same woes. "It's so hard to find a good job!" There's a lot of baristas who hold Master's Degrees in these parts. Just sayin...
The average UC student now leaves school $20,500 in debt. According to data from the California State University Budget Office, students were paying three times more in 2014 than their 1992 counterparts. Ouch!
Lots of Northern California counties are feeling the weight of businesses leaving the state. According to a study out of Irvine, an article in Bizjournals.com confirms over 9,000 businesses have left for Texas. Eight out of the 15 counties feeling the weight of this the most are: Santa Clara, San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, Sacramento, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Sonoma.
This is what $408,000 will get you on DeLong Street in San Francisco according to Redfin.com.
Northern California doesn’t differ much in this area than our Southern California sister. We’re all a part of the same situation. While we have a lot to be thankful for around these parts, if we’re staying in Northern California for the culture and the weather let’s just hope a job and a home are a part of that plan.
What about you? What is it about this part of the state that makes you want to move? Where would you move to?
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Joanne is a fourth-generation Northern Californian. She knows good sour dough bread when she tastes it and understands the best parts of the Golden State are nowhere near Los Angeles.
