Los Angeles: A Place For Youth
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2/24/2011
I moved to LA when I was 23 years old. I absolutely loved everything about it. The big city, the beaches, the night life, the celebrity culture, all the activities and events. The proximity to the mountains, weekend trips to Santa Barbra and Palm Springs. It was great. Then I grew up, got married and had to kids. Now at 32 I am tired and worn out. My time to enjoy the night life is now gone. My ability to get away on the weekends has dried up. I stress over not being able to afford anything but a small 2 bedroom condo (which is the cost of a nice 4 bedroom house anywhere else). My work in the film business is good and the pay is good, but it's cut throat, with a rat race of traffic and long hours to stay on top. There are back-stabbing fake people everywhere, so your friendships are shallow. An no matter what I do to try and save money, my pocket book seems to always be empty as I have to shovel out more money in sales tax, property tax, car tax, utility tax and personal income tax then almost any other place. The air I breath and the roads I drive on are always dirty. I love my wife and kids, but at the end of the day all I want to do is go to bed...I'm exhausted. So now after 8 years of living here I will be leaving. Not sure where yet (depends on work) but there are so many better places to raise a family. I still love California and will most likely stay in the state, but the city of Los Angeles, no way. It is time to say goodbye. So for anyone who really wants to be in LA, make sure you are prepared for extra stresses you don't face in other cities. Make sure you are able to deal with a city that is overwhelmed with people and not sure how to handle it. Make sure you are not alone and have a support system that will help you when times get tough. And also make sure you are able to get out when you've achieved all you need to achieve, because this is not a place to be long term.
Alex | Los Angeles, CA