moving to california

hey there everyone!

soon i will be reaching my next big decision in life-where to move! my lease will be up in my chicago apartment and i've always wanted to move out west, california in particular. however i'm still mulling over pro/con lists and most importantly, trying to hear where God wants me.

in the mean time, i was wondering if i could get some opinions about great community/non-denominational churches as well as which area you suggest.

i'm coming from the midwest so i'd like to find down to earth people in a place that i can reasonably afford. i've been looking in san diego, san francisco, and sacramento... i thought i'd like to stay in the north, but i'm really quite unsure at this point.

thanks for your opinions!
k

Hi!

If you watch HGTV's House Hunters with any regularity, you will know that California's real estate market is expensive. San Francisco is among the most expensive real estate markets in the United States: San Diego slightly less so. Sacramento is almost reasonable, but is still on the pricey side. The further one goes inland and/or from the city center, the less expensive prices are.

For example, I live in West Covina, about 40 miles east of the beach and 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. My house's current value is between $350,000 and $400,000, depending on how it is evaluated. (It is about 1900 square feet, has four bedrooms, 1.75 bathrooms, a swimming pool and is located on a corner lot in a residential section about a half-mile from a freeway offramp. It was built in 1952 and is gradually being renovated.) If this house were located in a middle-class neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, it would probably cost at least $600,000, and probably more (but not more than $900,000, I think). If it were located 15-20 miles further inland in a middle-class neighborhood of Rancho Cucamonga or Ontario, it would probably cost no more than $350,000.

For your purposes, I would suggest some of the suburbs of Sacramento, but I am not familiar with them. Perhaps someone who lives up there can help you more.

Hope this helps!

Diamantina

Thank you very much for taking the time to give me some pointers. i really appreciate it! - i have watched house hunters before... just not regularly, but its a good show!