I’m looking forward to . . .
Family & Friends -- Our family has
lived in SC since the 1700s, so there are a lot of us there. I grew
up in Columbia, and I have two brothers and a sister still living
there, plus their children (my nieces and nephews), plus my
mother/stepmother/mother, Jeanette. And lots of cousins. Not to
mention, old friends from high school.
A Slower-Paced Lifestyle -- I can feel
my blood pressure dropping every time I pull into the drive at
Jeanette’s place. And for all the glamour and cultural events of
Los Angeles, I can probably count on my two hands the number of times
I’ve actually taken advantage of them. I’m really more of a
homebody. And there are local arts productions and touring companies.
Plus Atlanta and Charlotte. And New York, if you really need a fix.
Water -- Lakes and rivers and rain and
green grass lawns. No drought there! I can plant anything! And water
sports, although I’m getting a little old for that. But I think I
could handle some kayaking.
Cheaper Almost Everything -- I think
food is cheaper in California -- so much is grown here -- but just
about everything else is less expensive in SC, starting with housing.
It’s ridiculous what my old 3-bed/2-bath, 1600 sf house is worth.
The only people who can afford to live in L.A. are the very well-off
or long-time homeowners, like me, who have paid off their mortgages
and are Prop. 13 protected on our property taxes. Gas is cheaper in
SC, too, usually about 15% less than what we pay in CA. Taxes are
probably less, too, overall (counting sales, property, income, etc.),
but you get what you pay for there. I never begrudged the taxes here
in L.A., even when I was working and paying quite a lot, we get a lot
for the price -- public transportation, expanded Medicaid, probably
the nation’s best college system, help for people with
disabilities. But if I’m buying a new house there, less property
tax would be nice.
Including Cheaper Dance Lessons -- Very
important!
The Beaches -- White sandy beaches,
with the warm Atlantic Shelf waters. And the preferred way to
vacation there is to rent a beach house. Yes, California's coastline
is dramatic and awe-inspiring, and there are some sandy beaches
(Santa Monica, Venice), but the water is cold, and most of the
shoreline is inaccessible to any but rock climbers and surfers.
Beautiful to see, but not very approachable.
Charleston and Asheville -- Beautiful
places to visit.
Costco and IKEA -- Columbia got its
first Costco a couple of years ago. So far there’s only one, but
how many do you need? And there’s an IKEA in Charlotte, only about
an hour and a half from Columbia. I already have to travel 20-30
miles to reach the closest IKEA here, and 20 L.A. miles is equal to
60 SC miles, so what’s an extra 30 miles or so? Especially if they're SC miles, which are like only 10 L.A. miles.
Publix -- When I was fencing and
traveling to competitions in the South, I discovered Publix and its
great bakeries!
Agitating -- I'm very progressive, and
I've been living in very blue cities since the 70s. So it will be
quite a culture shock to move to a place where everyone just assumes
you're a MAGA Republican. On the other hand, being a Democrat in a
heavily Democratic state and city means you can't make much of a
difference in outcomes. Over there, helping people get voter IDs,
helping with voter registration drives, canvassing, etc., can really
make a difference in the outcome of a vote. Plus, I can register as a
Republican to vote for sane people in the primaries. (I'm not one of
those who thinks it's a good idea to encourage Republicans to vote
for the craziest candidate in the primaries, in order to increase the
Democrats' chances of winning in the generals. That kind of thinking
is what got us Trump.)
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