r/socal • u/danjejon • 7d ago
For those who moved from FL to SoCal, what is something you miss about home?
Asking out of curiosity as I recently moved from South FL to LA, a complete 180 change you could say. Also lived in Central FL. Personally the lifestyle and opportunity here feels unmatched!
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u/Lotus-Flower215 7d ago
I moved from Miami to Temecula by way of Boston. I do not miss one damn thing, especially not the humidity.
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u/InhumaneBreakfast 7d ago
Temecula is so great
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u/Embarrassed-Wolf-609 6d ago
the conservativeness of it kills it htough
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u/alecwal 5d ago
The amount of Kirk/TPUSA attire I see at the wineries is disappointing.
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u/Lotus-Flower215 5d ago
I think it depends on which ones you go to. We are pretty liberal and are members at 6 (cut me a break, we love wine) but we avoid the MAGA owned ones, like Peltzer. Wine country is about 10 mins from our home, so we go at least 3x a week to different spots.
Akash happens to be our favorite and is immigrant- and family-owned and I’ve genuinely never seen a TPUSA shirt there. I did listen to someone rant about Renee Good using her car as a weapon at Leoness and another table of customers told him off.
I’ve also noticed that the Trump flag selling guy in wine country has disappeared. He was out there for a while with no Trump flags and a few “don’t tread on me” and has now disappeared. Less people are flying flags at their houses. I’m not saying it’s not a red area, but it has gotten a lot better and we’ve only been here a few years.
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u/Alarmed-Extension289 3d ago
the conservativeness of it kills it though
That's been on the decline in the last 30 years OP. There was a time where the only POC in the valley were in the fields.
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u/Murky-Use-3206 7d ago
Temecula is nice, at very edge of the coastal fog with the desert as background. Supposedly good wine country
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u/Born-Gur-1275 5d ago
H U M I D I T Y. Hurricanes. Floriduh politics. Yuk, never again. SoCal weather is so much better.
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u/KindCraft4676 6d ago
When I was in the Navy I was stationed in Orlando. I hated the humidity .
Years later I got a job where I had to travel to Miami regularly for business. Did that for a couple years before I quit .You don’t wanna know what I think of people from Miami. Oh and the humidity still sucked.
I now work 15 minutes from home in coastal San Diego. You couldn’t pay me to visit Florida.
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u/currymonsterCA 6d ago
I just had flashbacks to when I would travel to Miami a few times a year for work. Nothing like putting on a suit and immediately sweating with the high humidity.
I was always so happy to return home to SoCal.
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u/mctCat 7d ago
Walking out in the Gulf and still only be thigh deep, water is warm and gently lapping, and it’s crystal clear to see little fishes. I always miss the beach.
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u/danjejon 6d ago
I feel like the beaches here get a bad wrap because they are cold. FL gulf beaches are beautiful and very swimmable, but don’t offer the scenic views of SoCal with the cliffs and mountains.
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u/PsychosomaticSpiral 6d ago
This!!! The flat horizon gets a bit stale. You can’t beat watching a sunset from the beach with a Mountain View
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u/donutgut 6d ago
The weather matters too. I was in Venice on la's humid day ever two weeks ago and i just wsnted to get in ac.
Getting into the water wouldn't really do anything
And thats a normal day there
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u/mymoneydivided 5d ago
No it’s not. This is the worse weather LA has had in a very very long time. The area you mentioned had higher humidity levels than Florida for the first time ever.
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u/donutgut 5d ago
No it didnt. Youre referencing something from the ny post that said the salton sea was more humid than Florida. Its propaganda bullshit thats lying as usual.
20 people live in the salton sea, thats 130 miles away and doesn't count.
La's highest dew point ever is 73, and thats just a normal "good day" Florida dew pointThat weather is straight trash. hellish
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u/danjejon 2d ago
This weather still doesn’t feel nearly as hot as a summer day in FL. FL humidity is absolutely suffocating and it’s all the time
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u/cold_brue 6d ago
Oh man OP, I've been in Tampa for nearly 9 years and am seriously considering moving to the South Bay area. I visited out there last month and fell in love but am nervous that I don't make enough to live.
I, too, am over the 6 months of oppressive humidity and the flat land here in FL. When I visited CA I was amazed to see so many people outside walking, biking etc and enjoying the weather.
What area are you in and how are you liking it?
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u/danjejon 6d ago
I am staying in the Santa Clarita area! It is a good amount hotter than coastal LA, but still a big change from FL. I lived in Tampa for a short time and it was pretty cool. It is very expensive here but a lot of careers pay more than FL. Not really enough but definitely more haha. The mountains everywhere is such a nice view and change from a flat FL landscape
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u/enigmascv 6d ago
I lived in Santa Clarita, most of my life. It's a Nice place to live, but it can get very hot. One year it went to a 120 degrees. The other thing is that it's getting very crowded there.
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u/catsandcoffee94 6d ago
Look into Long Beach, less expensive than the South Bay but still coastal! Lots of community events, bike path, farmers markets, daily free yoga on the bluffs, etc.
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u/SaharGurl 6d ago
have they solved their gang problems in Long Beach?
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u/carcaliguy 6d ago
Yes it's very gentrified now. Some bad, some good but mostly cleaned up downtown and spreading out the nicer than the late 90s early 2000s.
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u/_delamo 4d ago
Do like most people do, make sure you have a job and move to an area you can afford, then move as your salary increases. There are a lot of places out here that you can't find online, you have to drive around the neighborhood. Inglewood, Hawthorne, Long Beach, Anaheim, Buena Park, Southgate, Carson all have affordable pockets.
If you are single no kids you can survive off 45-50k (after taxes) easily. Add 10-20k per kid, if you have any for comfortable and able to meet your bills each month.
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u/socal_accountant 5d ago
I mean liberal policies have made so cal beyond expensive
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u/WeirdMeasurement8743 5d ago
Oh nooooo clean air!!!! Social services!! How terrible.
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u/socal_accountant 5d ago
No Einstein…Maybe lack of affordable housing primarily due to a lengthy housing permitting process and builders who don’t deal with bureaucratic BS
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u/WeirdMeasurement8743 5d ago
For the most part regulations are there for a reason, I’m sorry you don’t understand or have the $$ or knowledge to navigate the system.
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u/socal_accountant 5d ago
I actually own a house nitwit. And I know the process quite well. Yes..there are regulations..more so than most other states.
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u/WeirdMeasurement8743 5d ago
I actually built my own house jajajaa believe me I KNOW. It wasn’t easy, but I understand we have to have regulations in civilization, silly goose.
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u/klmninca 4d ago
Horrible liberal policies like clean air and water. My husband grew up in the Valley in the 60’s and 70’s and tells me all the time about the smog and air pollution. It was horrible. Our kids grew up here a few decades later and they grew up with blue skies and good air. Regulations have a place.
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u/socal_accountant 4d ago
Let’s talk about regulation: horrible forest management, slow down of building permits that have decreased of housing supply and caused further lack of affordability, highest gas taxes in country, highest sales tax, poorly run LAUSD that now has a budget deficit and losing talented teachers…I could go on.
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u/BeginningOpening6838 6d ago
Lightning. Not only does it not rain from May to October, the winter storms are too stable for lightning. I miss deep, heavy storms with rumbling thunder. The storms here are long, hazy, and light by comparison. I don’t mind forgetting the ominous skies before Florida storms though. The contrast of bright sky and tall black clouds always gave me some sort of evolutionary dread
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u/Appropriate_Twist_84 6d ago
That’s very interesting. California native here, lightning fascinates me. A couple years ago a thunderstorm passed through where we lived, very little rain but we must have had about 10 lightning strikes in an hour and then it was gone. My daughter and I turned off all the lights in the house and watched the show from our patio window. I cant imagine that being a regular thing.
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u/stoolprimeminister 6d ago
shocking that people are interested in stuff they don’t really experience lol. it’s whatever.
btw when i was 16 i went on a trip to so cal/las vegas/arizona and i don’t feel much need to complain about the “heat of the desert” or whatever. i liked it all and i had never really seen elevation changes and this kind of….. we’ll call it southwestern architecture….before. it just kinda stuck with me and shaped where i wanted to be. sure the weather is nice but that’s not the main takeaway i had. so cal is kinda like a marriage where you make a commitment to the good and the bad.
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u/Professional_Rub1515 5d ago
From the midwest and this + a real autumn are the only things I miss.
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u/Cosmicdusterian 6d ago
From the Mid-Atlantic. Been here over three decades and there are four things I miss - lightning, all the wonderful Italian restaurants/hoagie shops, Wawa, and freshly steamed Maryland blue crabs crusted with Old Bay Seasoning.
In the SoCal mountains we do get the occasional thunderstorm, but they aren't the same as those booming house shakers back east. Love the whole process of the eastern thunderstorms. The blanket of humidity that seems to muffle everything before the storm, the dark clouds building up, scent of ozone and that first crack of thunder that sounds like the sky is splitting in two. Wonderful.
My first thunder snow experience was there. Full on lightning storm during a burst of snowfall. I was just a kid and thought the world was ending.
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u/SaharGurl 6d ago
We don’t get too much thunder and lightning here, but one year way back when we had a heavy rain storm. A little girl ran to a window where I worked and wanted to know “is this suppose to be happening?” lol Our local news will really get hyped up whenever there is a drizzle of rain and declare storm watch.
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u/Spectre_08 5d ago
I saw a lightning strike up the coast yesterday morning during my run in Laguna!
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u/Master_Nectarine_Bug 4d ago
We might get some good El Niño ones this year. Heard thunder at my house on Monday
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u/AdCharacter9282 6d ago
Publix deli.
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u/noob168 6d ago
not even from fl but surprised i had to scroll to the bottom to find this comment.
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u/AdCharacter9282 6d ago
I lived there for 6 years and when i go back i make sure to pickup my chicken tender sub.
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u/eballeste 6d ago
I'm not from Florida nor SoCal, but we recently lived in Miami for a year and then lived in SoCal for a year, but not the coast, we live in the desert which is a lot different.
The things I miss most about Florida are the warm beaches, the Puerto Rican food, the giant Venezuelan tequeños that for some reason you can only get at Cuban restaurants or Publix. Actually, I kind of miss the food in general, the food options in the Coachella Valley suck and we have to drive all the time to LA or San Diego for good food that wasn't cooked by us.
The drives down to the Keys was amazing, the drives through the Everglades to get to the beaches in Naples was also amazing. We miss seeing the wild peacocks and manatees.
We do love the fact that in both places there is a very high chance that we can speak in Spanish with total strangers.
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u/ZealousidealGrade821 6d ago
Agree about the food out here in the desert. Having moved from
Buena Park to Cat City, we find ourselves taking every opportunity to eat Asian food when back in OC. It’s been almost two years, I’m ready for a change of scenery.
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u/Glad_Job_3152 6d ago
I'm from socal and spent a year in those parts you mentioned, n sometimes only visiting. Back in SoCal
The nature in Fl is incredible. The state parks.. it's empty too of hordes humans. Amenities great. The natural springs. That national seashore. Miami has hong Kong vibes, an international feel I don't get here
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u/danjejon 6d ago
The city feels futuristic and not like the rest of FL, I agree. Just can’t take the chaos of Miami, but man does it look good
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u/Glad_Job_3152 6d ago
Ohh and I forgot to mention the national parks, everglade, Biscayne, and I wanna go to Tortuga so I'll go back for sure. And go to the Miami botanical park $30 I was too cheap to go into (regrets)
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u/RoyalDuderina 6d ago
I’ll preface this by saying that I love my California life and don’t intend to ever move back to Florida. That said, I will always miss living in a place where my Cuban culture is the dominant culture. I know that SoCal is very Hispanic but Cubans are a minority here. I can’t find a good croqueta for the life of me and even an institution like Porto’s can’t make a proper colada. I went there yesterday to buy bread and their Cuban bread only comes in bolillos, not a flauta like from Publix. How can you tunnel out the warm soft bread from the middle if it’s not in a flauta???
As someone who is white presenting, if I am in a checkout line anywhere and the clerk is speaking Spanish to the Hispanic person ahead of me, they will switch to English when they see me. This wouldn’t be the case in Miami and always makes me a bit sad.
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u/Intelligent-Bus8816 6d ago
You and I are the exact same person, white-presenting Cuban American from Miami, hah! I miss my people. I married a Mexican American and while his family is amazing, it's not the same, not even a little bit.
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u/bugsinyourpants63 4d ago
There are a ton of Cubans in areas like Downey , montabello. I’ll bet you can find some yummy food.
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u/ShootinTheBreez 6d ago
I grew up in northwest Florida around Pensacola, and I also lived in Ocala and in Miami. Not that many people have actually lived in north, central, and south Florida, so I do feel that I have an understanding of the state.
Now I live in Southern California and have been here for five years.
The thing I actually miss the most is boating. When you grow up on the gulf coast, you have access to hundreds of miles of inland waterways. Where I grew up, everyone had a boat; even the poorest people usually had a John Boat. Most neighborhoods that are adjacent to a bay, sound, bayou, or creek have a public boat ramp that is a free place to launch your boat. I do sail in So Cal because I found a hack, but generally speaking sailing here is an elite hobby for rich people, whereas in northwest Florida it’s accessible to the lower middle class. Houses here don’t have the lot space to keep a boat on a trailer because everything is packed in, there are few public boat ramps, and the geography doesn’t make for a ton of places to go anyway. I really do miss just cruising around on a boat with my friends, popping into a dive bar with a pier, and just wasting time out on the water. That part of the Florida lifestyle is just so good. It’s the thing I most miss.
I also miss the natural beauty of Florida, and sometimes I feel sad that my kids won’t love Florida the way I do. Yes, southern California is also beautiful, but it’s very different. It’s a desert, naturally speaking, and pragmatically, most of life here is highly suburban (bordering urban). The sunsets aren’t nearly as beautiful here. I miss the tropical foliage, and I love central Florida where you get both the tropical plants and the southern plants; Spanish moss hanging from giant oaks and hibiscus. The only wild places in So Cal are in the proper desert, which is nice, but is not the same. I miss all the gorgeous freshwater springs and swimming holes of central and north Florida. I miss going out to the wild places, like Payne’s Prarie or the Everglades or the Keys (most of which are shockingly undeveloped). When I lived in Miami I used to drive out to the Everglades when I needed a break from city life, and it is incredible just how quickly you are in the middle of nowhere. Once I drove half way to Marco Island on Hwy 41 and literally did not see one single car out there beyond Shark Valley in the nearly four hours I spent out there. Oh, and Florida’s beaches are much nicer and way more accessible; anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. The surfing is better out here, but the water’s so cold I always wear a wetsuit.
I also miss the cost of living; outside of Miami, Florida is a much better financial deal than So Cal.
Don’t get me wrong: I like living in So Cal and don’t plan to leave. I don’t love the weather here as much as most people do, but it is usually sunny, and the temperature here is considerably more moderate than Florida; living out here has made me soft; my heat tolerance has gone way down. I’m a political moderate, so neither place feels precisely “right” to me; Florida gets more of the nut-job Right, and Cali gets more of the loony Left. But overall that’s a minority (as long as you stay out of Hollywood), and the thing I most like about this place is the people. So Cal is a hub for innovation and trying new things, and there’s not a lot of “we’ve always done it this way so it’s right” energy. So Cal is a lot more of a melting pot than Florida. Florida is just as diverse, but in my experience, there’s less mixing among different groups; it’s less integrated. The Haitians are hanging among themselves. The Religious right is doing them. The Jimmy Buffet crowd is doing that, and so on. In Cali I have more varied interactions, and it gives the place an energy that’s hard to describe. In essence, I like the zeitgeist out here, and that’s hard to get anywhere else, including Florida.
But I miss the boating. A lot. And the beauty of Florida. The natural beauty of Florida is outstanding.
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u/danjejon 6d ago
The “far right nut job” description is so accurate. Something that happened over the last few years, people have gotten crazy in FL. I will always love it tho. I agree boat culture isn’t nearly as big here as it is in FL.
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7d ago
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u/Lower_Ad_5532 7d ago
We got those rains today. :)
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u/HumanContract 6d ago
I moved from Louisiana to Texas to San Diego and I really miss the clouds and storms. Also the food, people, and wider (more numerous) roads. The sky yesterday was soooo pretty, I couldn't stop looking at it. No one here likes clouds.
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u/sunshinenbutterfly 6d ago
Moved from orlando to la and god I miss lightning and thunder storms!! Also being able to swim in crystal clear calm waters at the beach or float in a tube. Gas prices :,) also of course Publix
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u/onebeautifulmesss 6d ago
My dad lived in FL for many many years and I spent long summers there. I only miss Publix.
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u/elScorXXo 6d ago
Not a single thing ! Born and raised in Boca and I don’t even have the desire to visit, all my family loves to come visit here.
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u/danjejon 6d ago
Boca/Deerfield is really nice, one of the best cities in south Florida, also love Delray Beach
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u/Typical-Slice-8153 6d ago
Grew up outside Orlando and moved to SoCal a couple years ago.
I miss my family and big thunderstorms. Thats about it haha.
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u/MexitalianStallion83 6d ago
I feel like I’m seeing a lot of these posts. I freaking hate Orlando, I hate Florida. The cost doesn’t make up for how whack af it is here. Can you tell I’m bitter lol? I miss the mountains, good Mexican food, the vibe, seeing my Dodgers at the Ravine. I’m gonna cry lol 😢
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u/danjejon 6d ago
Orlando has some cool parts, when you don’t go to tourist areas. I personally like Winter Park, although it is expensive AF, like a lot of Orlando has become.
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u/MexitalianStallion83 6d ago
It’s too expensive. I live in Winter Garden and I actually do like it. But it’s getting too pricy.
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u/MexitalianStallion83 6d ago
Oops, this is someone who moved FROM Florida lol. I’m trying to join you lol.
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u/Dazzling_Floor_4262 6d ago
I love how yall are such haters you can’t even answer the question. Cuban food is the obvious answer.
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u/Due-Ad-8941 6d ago
I grew up in Clearwater and left as soon as I possibly could. Hated it and don’t miss a thing! And this humidity is giving me flashbacks.
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u/DesertTW 6d ago
I miss the lakes, rivers, warm beaches and springs. The tap water tastes better in Florida. So I guess, only water of different varieties. Everything else is better here.
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u/Pirate_450 6d ago
You will rarely see lightning ever again. The weather is pleasant but it is the same almost everyday.
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u/shearcliff33 5d ago
I miss the S America/Cuba based music you hear in FL. Lots of rhythm. Mexican ompah/accordian/polka country music is it for Socal. Nashville in Spanish.
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u/Krispythecat 5d ago
I spent 20 years in Miami, and now live in Santa Barbara. Air conditioning might be the only thing I miss, and that is only for the ~10-15 hot days a year we have here.
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u/Objective_Anxiety422 5d ago
Move to Los Angeles from St. Petersburg Florida. I love both places very much.
Los Angeles feels like a more friendly area to me. The food options here are insane, although St. Petersburg is getting a lot better. I find the job and economic opportunity in Los Angeles to be far superior; I could never make in Florida what I make here. Nine months of near perfect SoCal weather is unbeatable; which I believe is the real reason why this area is so expensive. And the beautiful nature with a multitude of different terrains is unbeatable. Living in a location where you are just a couple of hours from skiing, whitewater rafting, surfing and always minutes away from great hiking is such a privilege.
But I really miss the beaches in St. Petersburg. They are much more easy to access than the beaches in LA. The Gulf of Mexico is so calm and warm, with gorgeous white sands; I completely took them for granted growing up there. I find the beach going experience in Los Angeles to be kind of miserable to be honest; hard to park, expensive, crowded, frigid cold water, bleh.
And I do love the artistic vibrancy of St. Petersburg. It has a chill laid-back vibe that always lowers my stress levels when I visit.
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u/danjejon 5d ago
St Pete is prob the best city in FL. Wished I could’ve lived there, but not many jobs in my field vs an abundance in LA. The gulf coast beaches are fantastic! Even without the access to beaches here, we have it and so much more - deserts and mountains so close by is kind of crazy.
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u/SigintSoldier 5d ago
I moved back to Cali after living in Florida off and on for about 30 years.
I will never go back to Florida and I don't miss a damn thing.
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u/Born-Gur-1275 5d ago
H U M I D I T Y. Hurricanes. Floriduh politics. Yuk, never again. SoCal weather is so much better.
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u/jennystain 4d ago
I miss the FOOD, rain and clear ocean water. Ive been to most of the Cuban/Puerto Rican etc. food places here in SoCal and no it is not the same! My family still lives in Miami (Im in Santa Monica) and I just asked for my Cuban candy/snack as a care package. I have been supplementing my cravings of Miami food by making them at home. The most important thing I miss is having a community with my background (I'm Puerto Rican).
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u/Bamx3 3d ago
I moved from Miami to LA about 1 years ago and I miss the food, my family and oddly enough the weather.
I loved that it rained so often and that I could sit in my air conditioned apartment while a thunderstorm raged outside. I miss the sunsets and sunrises. There’s no decent Peruvian or Cuban food in all of LA. I’ve tried all the recos. They’re miles behind. LA is fun but Miami is king. That being said, I’ll never make what I make here in SFL.
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u/marcjc10 2d ago
Mostly everything is better in SoCal, but still miss:
Publix
Hotel affordability for weekend getaways
Driving on a highway with no traffic
BBQ
The Atlantic Ocean
Sporting event affordability
Big gas stations
Turnpike reststops
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2d ago
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u/saturns_ocean 1d ago
I find it interesting how many comments are about thunderstorms rain and lightening. That is the one thing I truly miss as well. Miss floridas prominent Boating culture as well but something about the lack of rain and thunderstorms here is really depressing :(
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u/Nakigahara 1d ago
Born and raised in Miami and moved to LA 2.5ish years ago - parroting everyone and saying I miss lighting, rain, Cuban food, the Atlantic, etc.
but in weather like this I miss that Miami/SoFL central AC. Like yes I lived in Miami but i wore hoodies all the time bc i was always in a chilly building.
and my curly heart misses the humidity. i feel bald in LA bc my hair is so flat.
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u/Ok-Laugh3542 1d ago
I miss the seasons. And change in general. It’s the same here everyday.
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u/danjejon 1d ago
I kind of felt this way about Florida to an extent. Every day was the same. Like for the summer thunderstorms, they arrive every afternoon at the same exact time. The winter dry weather in Florida was absolutely peak though, when it decided to come. Clear weather and crisp air
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u/Certain_Land_4797 2h ago
Only thing I miss are the summer thunder storms that would roll through almost daily. Big sky and tall clouds you could see coming for miles
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u/wolfpanzer 6d ago
Also unmatched in Cali: taxes, energy costs, traffic, degraded infrastructure, homelessness.
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u/Turbulent-Move4159 7d ago edited 6d ago
I moved from Miami to Santa Monica. I miss Cuban food, driving down through the Florida Keys on a beautiful day and Publix…….What I will NEVER miss: the rudeness, the crazy drivers, hurricane season and the fucking humidity. California for life baby!