Expert: Steve Summers - 7/17/2004

Question
hey whats it like in Calif
do u guys get winter?  im from Ontario
im interested in Bevely Hills  

Answer
Hi Jennica,

Here's the straight dope on living in SoCal:

The weather is the best. Winter? HA! What's that? Southern californians are SO spoiled, they get out their parkas when it gets below 60F. I have a nice suede jacket and another nice leather one, but they only get used a few times a year. It rarely gets below 40, and sub-freezing is unheard of. The calendar says December and January, but it's not REALLY winter. Just watch the Rose Parade. We don't need weather forecasters here. I can already tell you what the weather will be next New Year's day: High's in the 50's or 60's, with clear skies. It rains an average of 20 days per year, mostly Dec-March.

OK, so what's the bad news? The freeway traffic is terrible. Housing is EXPENSIVE. Really expensive. Smoggy in the summer. People tend to keep to themselves, and are not as friendly as other places. They also drive pretty aggressively.

So we put up with all the traffic so that we can enjoy the weather. The mountains are an hour or two drive, so you can ski if you want. The beaches are also close by. In the spring, on certain days, you can actually do both if you desire. Every year we get a storm that dumps snow on the mountains, immediately followed by a heat wave. Ski in the morning, relax on the beach that afternoon.

There are also a million things to do here. Most people don't understand why LA sports fans don't get behind their teams. It's because there are so many other things to do here, people won't spend money to go see a losing team. We have theme parks (Disneyland, Knott's, Magic Mountains), miles of beaches, thousands of parks, and great weather year-round. For example, why would I pay to go see the Dodgers if they are stinking (BTW, they are doing very well this year) when I can take my family to the beach for free, or go to Disneyland (we are passholders), or go to the Block at Orange or Downtown Disney?

Beverly Hills? It's nice enough to check out Rodeo Drive, and maybe the Beverly Center Shopping mall, but it's just a place of superficial, fake people. When I worked in camps and schools, I met a lot of people from BH, Bel Air, and the west side of LA. The people are VERY superficial, and live in their own little insulated world. You could live on North Rodeo or Beverly Glen for years and not even know your neighbors. BH is a glitzy, glam place, full of people who like to have their butts kissed all the time. It's easy to get tired of that. Unless you have lots of money, of course, in which case it's a great place to live. :)

If you are thinking of moving out here, I HIGHLY recommend having a desireable skill. You can't afford the rent (or mortgage) waiting tables or working entry-level jobs. I don't know your situation or where you are coming from, but I also have to say this (pardon me if this is insulting): Some people come to SoCal thinking that they can just live on the streets, but that is EXTREMEMLY dangerous. You get booted out of all the safe places, because those towns don't want or allow people living in the streets. All that's left is the unsafe places.

Hope this helps,

Steve