Posts
2900
Joined
4/17/2009
Location
High Desert, CA, USA
Edited Date/Time
10/16/2015 5:37pm
It is no secret that many top pros hate California. You hear it all the time during podcasts etc. I have my own opinion of this place. But I am very curios as to what specifically it is that they hate about it? Is it the same stuff we all hate? Traffic, expensive etc?
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For the pros, I think it comes down to just being able to get the job done. Weather-wise, Cali is excellent for riding year-round, but there are so many obstacles that get in the way of being able to just focus. From traffic, to over-crowded public tracks (with poor soil quality compared to most other parts of the country), SoCal is undoubtedly still the heart of the MX industry, but that no longer means everyone needs to live here to be part of it.
The Southeast offers great riding and training weather, land at a fraction the cost of what it costs in CA, and (for those set up on their own ranches and training facilities) solitude to focus on what needs to be done, which is: ride, train, eat, sleep, repeat...
Also keep in mind that many of the pro riders out there grew up in pretty rural environments. SoCal is pretty much the opposite of that. Even a places like Palmdale or Temecula are not rural in comparison to parts of the farmland of the mid-west and south.
In some working class neighborhoods the cons are taxes, dirty cities, dirty air, traffic, morally bad people...
TRAFFIC is the worst.
THIS IS ALL BASED ON SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. Cali is a huge state, there are dramatic differences in different parts of Cali. The pros are lamenting socal, which is totally valid.
I think it's just a case of familiarity and what those guys are used to. It's not "Home".
On your sidebar it says that you live up in the desert... So you are out of the core of the "mess", but I'm sure you go down the hill frequently, if not every day for work? If you moved up here to Washington for work, you would probably grow tired of the rain half of the year, the colder temps and several things about the people up here. You might like the trees, the fishing, etc. Overall, in that hypothetical situation, you may or may not ever think of the Northwest as "Home".
When I lived in CA, I was active duty in the Corps and stationed up in 29 Palms. I was there for because I had to be for my profession, not because that's where I chose to live. I really enjoyed having warm and dry weather every single day without worrying about the forecast. I enjoyed having access to tons of different MX tracks. I didn't care for some of the people, especially those who try to broadcast an image. To an outsider, the percentage of people in SoCal who put on a show, create a façade or "fake it" seems much higher than many other areas.
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My take, if I lived anywhere near the 91/15 intersection I would hate it as well. I think it's much easier going/better traffic where I live in San Diego, but I'm also not 15 minutes from mx tracks.
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Also, dry and dusty climate and dirt vs humidity and ruts in FL, more like what they see race day for outdoors.
The only thing I dislike in California is the traffic, home prices and the dirt. There's a few tracks(Zaca Station, LACR) who have done great work with what they have but for the most part the dirt is whateves.
Other than those 3 things which aren't even that big of a deal, California could be perfect for an outdoor enthusiast.
I also want to add that a positive in southern Cali is that you can ride a groomed track everyday of the week all year round. Can't say that about every state..
As far as my house it's about 2100 sq feet 4 bedroom 21/2 bath and our electric bill is around $500-$550 a month during summer. Houses in my area are going for $450,000 and up. Unfortunately the wife, daughter and I have to live with my parents because we can't afford to live on our own. And the wife and I make around 60,000-65,000 a year combined. It's crazy how expensive it is to live in Southern California. We are looking into Idaho and found a house with 20 acres for $160,000.
That being said, if you're going to live down there then you have to take advantage of the beach. Cole Seely has it right with a pad not far from the beach with a smoking hot gf. I would hate to live inland regardless of how much closer it is to the tracks.
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