lj2010

Hi all
Just looking for a bit of advice. Other half works for a worldwide company and they are wanting to send him to Califonia in a couple of months and eventually us all moving out there in next 9-12 months.
We are a Male-Male same-sex couple with 2 adopted UK children currently living in Bonnie Scotland and we are looking for areas that reasonably priced i.e. rent but also good for raising a family and obviously being a same-sex couple feeling safe lol.

Any Advice is greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks
L

Marc_ely

California is quite big. Bigger than the UK+Ireland+Belgium put together!
You might need to be a bit more specific, but it's pretty liberal overall.

Cape Blue

Stick nearer the coast or Sacramento for same-sex relaxed attitude, but these are more expensive on the rent.

Avoid the central valley.

craigslist is your friend.

Hotscot

Reasonably priced? How much?
$2000 pm absolute minimum in a small but decent place.
For example
https://www.zillow.com/lake-forest-ca/rent-houses/

And is the company sending your partner to anywhere specific or do you have a choice? Office based or work from home?
Also you say a couple of months? Is the visa in order? L1?

Bay Area, Central Coast, SoCal, check out Orange County, far nicer than LA county. Tons of gorgeous family friendly areas and outdoor living. Avoid inland.

Welcome, I'm from the Airdrie area. Let me know if you guys fancy a pint.

civilservant

To get good information you have to give good information. You've given none other than your orientation which no one cares about - especially not in most of CA.

Indeed!

lj2010

scrubbedexpat099

Why California?

bewildering

San Diego is an amazing place for kids and is very inclusive.

Hotscot

It's big and expensive though...which parts do you recommend?

wisygreen

Are you looking for big city or rural, mountains or coast, warmer or cooler, snow or sunshine in winter. California is very diverse. I live just outside Sacramento, half way between San Francisco and coast and Lake Tahoe in the mountains. Bike trails for miles, very family orientated. Airport 40 minutes away but you would need to check on direct flights to Florida. I think airport and flight availability should be a priority as connecting flights get very frustrating if doing it monthly.

Hotscot

Where do you live wisy green?
I often drive that road.

I have meetings in SF but then drive the 395 to decompress.
The most beautiful drive in America.

wisygreen

We live in Folsom, just east of Sacramento. 395 is certainly a beautiful drive. I love the Sierras.

Hotscot

I'll wave when I'm passing through next week.

sherbert

Except on a holiday weekend when it's snowing buckets in Tahoe .

Regarding OP's questions, stick to coastal hippy towns and the big cities (San Diego, LA, San Francisco and surrounds, including Marin, Napa, Peninsula, Berkeley, Silicon Valley). You'll also be OK in San Luis Obispo, Sacramento and Santa Cruz too. Anywhere inland, with the exception of SLO/Sacto and possibly a few laid back mountain communities in the Sierras will not be used to (male) same sex couples. Note also the extremely high cost of living in all the places mentioned and difficulty travelling around due to volume of traffic - if you need to be close to an airport then your best bet will be SF, SD or certain parts of LA. You'll need a massive salary to live in SF and surrounding areas, and in LA and San Diego for a family of four and you'll need to take school districts into account (the better the schools, the higher the housing prices). What kind of visa your OH gets will also dictate whether you can work or not.

Terr

Depends a lot on what you're into as a family and what your lifestyle is like.

I am just about to move over to California myself as my partner lives over there. We are also same sex (two women) but have no kids. You don't need to worry about safety or intolerance. California is one of the more liberal states in the US. People sometimes stare but I've never felt unsafe. Unless you plan on living in a very rural area you don't need to be concerned at all.

I'd personally say that if you can, move to SoCal. Weather is lovely all year round, scenery is beautiful and outside of major cities, the housing is not terribly expensive. Closer to get to LA, the worse it is in terms of price/space.

We'll be based in Sacramento. Not the most exciting place in the world but offers some small town charm and a very leisurely pace of life. Housing is much more affordable than the SF Bay area or SoCal. We are about 2 hours away from Tahoe. 2 hours from the ocean. For my partner and I it seems a good enough place to settle down and start a family. Quiet and unassuming.