California vs Georgia
It is no secret that California has a bit of a population problem right now. The state has been slowly seeing a net population decrease since the 1990’s. In the past 2 years however, that net population loss has increased dramatically.
In 2020, about 275,000 people moved away from California and that number jumped to about 375,000 last year in 2021. Of course, some people did move to the state, but California saw a net population loss from moves both years. That trend is holding true, so far in 2022, as best we can tell for about every 100 people who are leaving the state, only about 37 people are moving to California.
Polls done by UC Berkley in 2019 and UC San Francisco in 2021 showed that a solid half of the California population has considered leaving and moving to another state and many Californians are putting that dream into motion by packing up and heading to another state.
Not surprisingly, many Californians are opting to stay in the western half of the country, with Texas having been a top destination for years now. Why am I talking about California today? Because Los Angeles has been one of the cities with the highest rate of people leaving the state, and according to the 2021 Allied and Zillow Magnet States Report, Atlanta, Georgia was the 4th most popular destination for Los Angeles area residents who left the state in 2021.
Hi, I’m Tim Trevathan with Tim Trevathan Homes and Keller Williams Realty. I’m a realtor in the North Metro Atlanta area. I have worked with clients from all over the country who have decided to make the move to the Atlanta area, and in fact, San Francisco and Los Angeles happen to be two cities where clients have moved from!
If you are currently in California and are considering moving to Georgia, this video is definitely for you. Whether it’s a call, text, or email, however you want to get a hold of me, I love welcoming newcomers to Georgia and would love to help you find your next home.
The first difference between California and Georgia is obvious. California is on the West Coast, Georgia is on the East Coast, and California is way bigger, both in terms of land area and population.
California is 163,696 square miles and had 39.35 million people as of the 2020 census compared to Georgia’s 59,425 square miles and 10.52 million people as of the 2020 census. So, there are some obvious differences between the two states right away.
California is the most populous state in the country, but Georgia isn’t too far behind at the eight most populous state. When it comes to population density, the states aren’t too terribly far apart either. Despite being the 3rd largest state in the nation, California has the 11th highest population density. Georgia is close behind at the 17th highest population density.
California has a population density of 254 people per square mile and Georgia has a population density of only 186 people per square mile as per the 2020 census.
So, moving on. What else is different? California has a huge variety of terrain. You can literally find it all in California. Want the beach? California has an amazing list of absolutely beautiful beaches to choose from. Want the desert? California has that too. Want mountains? Once again, California delivers with the Sierra Nevada range and the Coast Range. Want snow? You can find a lot of it in certain places each winter. Want a balmy, sunny 75-ish degrees year round? You guessed it, California has that too. They also have beautiful forests, acres and acres of rural agricultural land, plenty of suburbia, and busy metropolises too.
Basically, whatever landscape or weather conditions you are looking for, you can find it in California. It may be a several hour drive from where you live, but you don’t have to leave the state to find it.
What about us here in Georgia? Well, Georgia is certainly beautiful, but I have to be honest with you. We don’t have the geographical resume of California.
We do have beaches here in Georgia, but our coastline is only 120 miles long and our beaches have a much different sort of natural beauty than you’ll find in California. Here, our beaches are surrounded by salt marshes and sand dunes, and the Atlantic Ocean is usually a steely gray color. But, on the east coast you can watch the sun rise over horizon. Something you can’t do on the westward facing California beaches!
We do have mountains too. The Appalachian Mountains are beautiful and offer a lot in the way of outdoor activities and natural beauty. But they are a more gentle, rolling, green mountains and much different than the dramatic snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada in California. Our highest peak in Georgia is Brasstown Bald Mountain. If you get the chance to visit, I recommend it! You can actually drive almost all the way to the top which makes it pretty accessible. It is a little over 4,000 feet above sea level. In contrast, Mt Whitney is California’s highest peak and is a little over 14,000 feet above sea level.
The best part about the Georgia mountains? They are only a 1–2-hour drive away from Metro Atlanta. So, a mountain get away for the weekend or even a day trip is easily doable if you live in Atlanta.
We don’t get much snow here in Georgia. Here in the Metro Atlanta area, we usually get 1-2 snowfalls a year and get anywhere from a dusting to a couple of inches. Most of it is usually gone by the next day. Even up in the mountains, snow is unpredictable and sparse. If you want to go snow skiing over winter break, you’ll have to leave the state. You can drive up to North Carolina, or a lot of people fly out to Colorado or Utah.
What we also don’t have that parts of California offers is beautifully balmy weather all year long. What we do have are long, hot, and humid summers and short, mild winters. Well, mild if you moved here from the Northeast. If you move here from Los Angeles, it may take a few years before you decide our winters are mild.
In January, our average high is 53 F here in Atlanta and our average low is 33 F. The winters are even more mild if you head down to South Georgia. We don’t usually need a jacket daily until December, and temps are back up in the 60s in March.
There are two more things that you’ll find in California that you won’t really find in Georgia: earthquakes and wildfires. We don’t never have these, but the earthquakes are so mild that on the rare occasion one is reported on the news, the talk of the town is “did you feel it?” and most people say they didn’t.
California has about 7,000 wildfires a year, some of which make the national news. I was curious how many wildfires Georgia has and was surprised to learn there are around 3,500 wildfires a year in Georgia. Most of these are either put out or die out pretty quickly and I can’t even remember the last time one made local news here in Atlanta much less national news. The reason is that here in Georgia, wildfires very rarely endanger homes or businesses. Per the Georgia Forestry Commission, wildfire season here is very short, lasting only February to May.
We do have one weather phenomenon here in Georgia that is not too common in California: thunderstorms. In the summer, it is very normal to see storm clouds start to build in the afternoons and for there to be what we call a “pop up” thunderstorm, meaning it came out of seemingly nowhere.
Another, pretty obvious difference in California and Georgia is politics. Now, I’m not going to get into details since realtors don’t talk politics with our clients. But, it’s important to understand the general political climate of any state you are considering moving to because people don’t mind if their personal politics aren’t a match for their state’s politics and others really want the two to align.
When it comes to the state government, the Georgia legislature is solidly red. It is a very different political climate at the state level here in Georgia than it is in California. For state-wife offices, Georgia has also been red for decades, though now perhaps a lighter red than previously.
When it comes to national politics, the state has seen a shift from very red to what is probably a light blue.
Local politics in Georgia resemble local politics in many states. The urban areas trend blue, most of the rural areas trend red, and the suburbs are either blue, purple, or red depending on the suburb.
Now, I say this when there is a mid-term election just a few weeks away. So what I just said may or may not hold true after the election, but it still gives you a good snapshot of Georgia politics.
Another difference between California and Georgia is cost of living.
Per finance website betterplaces.net, the average income tax in Los Angeles is 8% compared to 5.6% in Georgia.
Housing is also less expensive here than in many places in California, particularly the large cities and their suburbs.
Take a look at what $700,00 dollars will buy you here in Buford, one of the most popular Atlanta suburbs and what $700,000 will buy you in Torrance, a popular Los Angeles suburb.
Keep in mind that the median home value in Buford, arguable one of THE most popular north Atlanta suburbs is $470,000. In Torrance, which is popular but not THE place to be, median home values are a whopping $724,000.
So what will $700,000 get you both places?
Well, in Torrance it won’t really get you anything. I found exactly one townhome listed at $699,900. A 3 bed, 3 bath, 1,400 sq foot townhome built in 1973 with a $450 per month HOA fee. That townhome will cost you $499/sq ft.
Otherwise, your options for $700,000 or less are a $475,000 fixer upper townhome or a $325,000 dated looking manufactured home.
What will $700,000 buy you in Buford? Well, more choices for starters. When I was researching for this video, there were 11 homes in just the very narrow price point of $690,000 to $700,000.
All of them had 4 or 5 bedrooms, and most had over 3,000 sq ft with 2,100 sq ft being the smallest home.
I picked a home in the middle, right at 3,131 sq ft, to show you as a comparison. It is the exact same price point as our Torrance home: $699,900. 4 bed, 4 bath, 3,100 sq ft, and brand new construction. It is a single family home constructed in 4 sided brick, as opposed to the townhome in Torrance. It is beautifully finished and has a yard as opposed to a small patio.
You can tell from the pictures of the kitchens how much more space you get for your money in Buford than in Torrance.
You will need to spend in the low $300’s minimum to buy a move-in ready single family home here in the Atlanta area, and should expect to spend more if you want a home in one of the most popular suburbs. Housing isn’t as cheap here as it used to be, but you certainly get more for your money than you do in California.
One more thing to keep in mind as you think about your hosing budget. Salaries reflect the differences in the cost of living. As an example, the average public school teacher salary in California was over $80,000 in the 2019-2020 school year. Here in Georgia, it is about $53,000 this year.
The same is true of many other careers. So you may see a pretty significant salary decrease if you move here to Georgia but keep in mind your housing costs are likely going to be far less than in California. Same with other costs. According to salary.com, while salaries average 12.5% lowere here, cost of living averages 28% lower.
When you compare Los Angeles to Atlanta, Atlanta is a whopping 61% less expensive. That’s some significant savings! There is a good chance that while you may make less money in Georgia, at the end of the day you may have more money left in your wallet after you pay the bills.
There is a lot to love about both states, and there are also some pretty significant differences. If you think Georgia will be your next home, give me a call! I’d love to show you just what your housing budget can buy you here and help you find a great home for you and your family.
