Is She Worth It?

She's totally worth it! I tried the Intermountain ski resort town experiment for 6 yrs. If you like no humidity, constant wind, no fish or decent fresh produce, shoveling snow, racist hillbillies who HATE anything California, sub zero temps for 2 months, bugs, bears, foxes, elk, moose, cows, sheep,radon, strip mines, logging, pine beetle,Mormons, meth addicts, fat chicks,$5.00 avocados and everyone knowing your business, then I guess it's worth the move to own your dream condo. As dumb luck would have it I didn't sell my house in SB, thank god! I'd live in a hammock in the Morton Bay Fig before I'd do that again. As the saying goes, "a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there."

What a lovely commentary, leadbetter, and how reflective of the ever increasing SB sense of absolute entitlement.

Vicious comments about people who don't share your religion, about women, people of size, people who don't have enough income to fit your requirements, etc....just lovely. Well done.

This kind of thinking and ugliness is the absolute worst this area has to offer. Sadly this has pretty much taken over what used to be a friendly, creative, safe, pleasant community where all were welcome, and kids had something to look forward to when they grew up besides a life of the rental slavery, poverty, and endless struggle just to exist in their own hometown.

Not all of us think a life of trolling bars, working four jobs to pay a landlord's mortgage, fighting traffic, road ragers and aggressive bicyclists, continually fighting mountains of nanny legislation just for the right to breathe, dealing with pissed off yuppies and overprivileged college kids, and the general "me-first" culture that has taken over is a great way to live.

Quality of life is a relative term.

Some people are even willing to be homeless in order to live among all the above, and excuse it by citing the beach and the mountains and the cruise-control weather as justification. They are convinced this is paradise.

Others prefer fresh air, friendly neighbors, natural beauty and a family-friendly atmosphere safe from the problems created by increasing numbers of gangs and drunks. It's great being able to live well and to not always have to be on the defensive for everything from your religious beliefs to your gender.

Vive la difference.

If you like living in a city of bars, broken curbs and sidewalks, overcrowding, etc...and truly believe it's paradise and worth it, then good for you....I'm happy for ya.

As for me and mine, we will carry on happily living elsewhere, far from the madding crowds.

Cheers.

Thanks, Holly. I could not be happier to learn that you don't live here. As the kids say, "Good riddance to bad rubbish".

Yes indeed, thank God for such non-racist enlightened Progressives such as lordledbetter--to quote "fat chicks". (Very classy) I also thank God there are NO meth addicts in S.B....not one, and of course, no drunks, no gangs, no rude elitist people--in short, a working person's paradise.

None of it matters - most of this town will burn to the ground within a few years.

Barney: that's "Whitefish, MT" -- all one word. And it is a gorgeous little town.

I have lived many places, and have found things to like (and not like) about each. Deserts, Canada, Europe, LA.

Where ever you go, you take yourself with you!

It's all in your attitude: if you consciously decide to be happy, grateful and keep your sense of humor, you can probably be happy anywhere.

Unlike so many other countries in the world we have the freedom to move about, and rant like people do on these comments.

Happy Independence Day to all who appreciate our freedom!

Well, Sez.....you make my case for me. Have a nice day:-)

Sorry for the Fat comment.....

"None of it matters - most of this town will burn to the ground within a few years."

I wouldn't be so sure of that. The way things are going, everthing is getting paved over so when it's wall to wall concrete, there will be nothing to burn.

"None of it matters - most of this town will burn to the ground within a few years."

Then what will happen is that the ocean level will rise and we will be swimming up and down your man-made erstwhile paradise. It gives a whole new spin on "cruising up and down State Street".

We lived and owned a home in S.B. for 10 years. We were tired of being house rich and cash poor and moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon.

We bought 4 times the house for half the price. We have the best schools in the entire state and our son has ton’s of friends (who all speak English) that he can relate to.

About one third of the folks who live here came from California. It’s 9:30 p.m. now, and it still is not dark outside! S.B. is an amazing place, but we saw the town change from a sleepy little beach town, to a “Palm Spring” type of chic. The grass is definitely greener in Oregon, and it’s not because of the rain.

Most people living in SB will wake up one day when they are 60 and find out that they are screwed. I see so many people living paycheck to paycheck with nothing in savings and no retirement. There are some who have dumped all their money into a home but then have no retirement. If.... (and that is a BIG IF) Social Security is still around, that will probably be enough to pay their property taxes.

I agree that SB is a beautiful place to live but so many people here are trapped or are naive and really shouldn´t be living here. I´ll be leaving in a few years. It has been fun here but I don´t want to be in my 60´s and at the best only have a home to show for it. I´d rather own my own home AND have a nice retirement income so I can enjoy my golden years and not have to spend them working at Walmart as a greeter or at the Golden Arches.

Many here in SB have inherited real estate but as time goes on and families have more than one kid, they cannot all live in the same home and with people living beyond their means and mortgaging their homes inheriting a home saddled with debt could be worse than inheriting nothing at all!

I'll be spending my retirement at the Golden Arches asking similarly aged customers, "do you want Viagra with that?".

Like many I have moved away, lured by that ever increasing thump of "it's much better (and cheaper) other places"!!
Whooey! You can have all those "other places". I agree with sbron that you take a little of yourself everywhere you go. You make of it what you wish, but like Barney, I'm staying.
Been there, tried it. No thank you! There are plenty of "cheaper" communes to live, but what they don't tell you is that you lose a little bit of everything that makes SB great. Yes, you can move to Oregon and enjoy "english speaking" neighbors, fresh air, wide open spaces. You can also enjoy racist former LAPD personnel, slow (yes, slower than SB) moving traffic. Weird people (they look normal). Rain (no it's not Chamber of Commerce weather). Did I mention rain?
I always get a kick out of the comment, "wall to wall concrete" or "we are going to be just like LA". Huh? Guess you haven't been to LA recently (like 50 or 60 years) because the LA I travel through every day is not SB. It's not even SB fifty years ago. So please, all that wish for their salvation in other locales, please, hurry up and pack. Don't foget the forwarding address, and we'll see you in a couple of years visiting (and wishing you had never left). BTW, if it is much better everywhere else, why do you feel the need to post in the Independent? Just wonderin'!