Letters to the Editor
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Midwest is mostly good
The Midwest is indeed a great place. Good people. Good work ethic. People aren't as caught up in trends and status as the coasts. Much of it is beautiful once you get used to not seeing oceans or mountains. (But lots of lakes, rivers, and hills!) Housing and schools are overall good, and the climate is okay if you can stand the winters.
But there are pockets not accustomed to lots of people moving in. For example, I grew up in Green Bay, WI. In many ways, it's a good community. But it's a bit insular and large segments of the social world is in the Catholic church.
There are other parts of Wisconsin where this is less true. Madison is the obvious one, but Appleton and the Fox Cities are decent. Milwaukee is a mixed-bag. It has established suburbs; just don't live in Republican-dominated Waukesha County. The college towns of La Crosse and Eau Claire are nice if you want a smaller feel, but they are more isolated.
For other cities in the Midwest, here are my judgments. All are big enough to have enough transplants to be able to fit in:
Twin Cities, MN - Good schools, housing, coops, lots of culture and restaurants, and even a decent seafood store. Progressive community in a progressive-leaning state. Cold in winter, near-perfect summers. Okay transit. Increasingly diverse. International airport.
Chicago, IL - Obviously big (good and bad), better transit. Culture, nice neighborhoods, a little pricier (but better than Orange County), Lake Michigan, progressive, yet corrupt politics. Diverse. International airports.
Des Moines, IA - Somewhat progressive, respectable size, but more isolated and less diverse. Less cultural/food/entertainment amenities. Slightly milder winters. Not sure how many transplants come to Des Moines.
Iowa City, IA - Has all the great stuff that comes with a college town, but it's still a college town. You'd get tired of the frequently drunk 20 year-olds. At least in Madison and Ann Arbor, there is a bit of a buffer non-student population. Iowa City is also a bit isolated.
Kansas City, MO - Not all that bad. Decent politics locally, but in a scary state politically. (The Kansas state side ain't that much better.) Good size with growing job market and good quality schools and affordable housing. Mild winters, great falls and winters, slightly oppressive summers. Lackluster transit.
St. Louis, MO - A bigger, muggier, not quite as pretty version of Kansas City. (I'm sure I just insulted a large number of Missourians.)
Indianapolis, IN - Like Kansas City, good city in a cruddy state. Cruddy in political and cultural terms. Mild winters, good in other seasons. Some culture (art) and diversity.
Ann Arbor/Lansing, MI - Good progressive communities that are close enough to the benefits of Detroit and an international airport.
Columbus, OH - Another mid-sized college town with progressive politics, good schools, etc. Better housing and job market than the Republican dominated Cincinnati and socially conservative, blue collar, but Democratic Cleveland.
Communities I'd avoid: Quad cities, IL/IA (ugly), or many of the outstate IL cities (Rockford, Springfield, etc), Omaha, NE (boring), Duluth, MN (Too damn cold), Green Bay, WI (conservative), Detroit, MI (it'll get there eventually), Springfield, MO (frighteningly conservative), Cincinnati (Republican).
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Transplanting
And just like a plant, the first year is going to be a bit difficult when you move cross-country. There are different plants and animals. You may never have had an allergy and then suddenly develop one because it's your sinus' first encounter with Kentucky Bluegrass.
Customs are different too...friendship has different parameters. Westerners see you once or twice a year and call you a friend. To a mid-westerner, that's an acquaintance. A friend is a friend when you've shared cabin fever because it's -80F windchill, shared food because your stove went out and the repairman can't make it through the drifts, etc. In the bigger cities, strangers never look you in the eye--it would be a challenge and terribly rude or an invitation.
Your housing costs are high in CA, but in the midwest you have to heat your home and that can run anywhere between $200 and $1200 a month. Cooling it is also a small fortune.
Then there's the salt on the winter roads which rusts out your car.
If you decide on a town, check the area's on-line newspaper as often they publish everything from how many cats up trees were rescued through the town meeting minutes. Attitudes towards development and zoning can give you an idea of how open a given area is to strangers.
Once you decide on a town, check with your current friends, co-workers, whomever, to find out who has relatives or friends where you want to live. Ask for an e-mail introduction so your name becomes familiar to someone in the town. Too, they can tell you the concerns (usually weather and farming) in their area.
Good Luck!
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Follow Your Heart
I left SoCal 14 years ago for most of the reasons you want to leave.
I can offer you this advice: for every year you've lived in SoCal (this does not apply if you are a native, btw), count on as many months to decompress from the old lifestyle; be nice to the natives --don't project a superior attitude; and be prepared for changes to occur in the new town as well.
Things might not change or turnover as rapidly as they do in SoCal, but businesses and people do close or leave. When I moved tosouthwest Utah, within two years, the yoga studio and coffee house I frequented closed. Replacements eventually came along, but they're not as good.
Also, for a town of 25,000, there is no LA Times delivered here (there used to be) and the Sunday NY Times can only be bought at the recently opened Starbucks, which gets about 4 copies each week. Go figure.
Good luck, and get out of Dodge now. You'll be amazed that you can have a happier, cheaper, less stressful existence than you thought possible. Contrary to popular belief, there are other places to live besides Southern California!
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TO THE LW
Hi there, LW.
This one got my total attention.
I'm originally from a small town in ILL.
You may have heard of it.
It's called Chicago.
I have live in L.A., San Francisco, Twin cities and now, Wausau, WI.
I have enjoyed much of what these places have/had to offer.
I am able to comfortably navigate in a major city as, I understand how they operate and how to experience/avoid what I like/do not like.
Wausau is a small city of 38K with a total surrounding population of well over 50K.
WI has woods and more lkaes than any other state in the country.
The air is great. Take a whiff of our dairy air;)
Wausau is growing and, the economy is stable and, there are good jobs to be had, especially if one is qualified at something.
There's way less crime than most place and, add to that that most of us are decent Americnas as opposed to neocons.lol
If you google around, you can check out La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau, Appleton and many other cities which are not overwhelming in size.
You do have to be weather patient though.
Good luck and explore for yourself and visit before making a committment.