Yes, California

I met a couple in our Real Estate office who are selling their house in the Chico Avenues and moving to Montana.

“We’re moving out of crazy California and headed to ‘the great outdoors,” they said. “You should see the beautiful Rocky Mountains and the lakes and rivers where we are going!”

We REALTORS® are constantly working with people selling their homes and leaving the Golden State. They describe, with revelry, the wide-open spaces of other states and how happy they are to get the bleep out of California.

A few of us REALTORS® were having a Friday afternoon get-together conversing about the trend of our clients’ departures from California, their fresh love of the great outdoors, and wide-open spaces. The discussion took us to the point of feeling rejected and defensive about our home state. Somebody said, “But, hey, lots of people who left after the Camp Fire are coming back.”

Big Jim, the mortgage advisor, said, “California is going to be just fine. California has some amazing and unique features! In California, we have 700 miles of the most beautiful beaches in the world, from the rocky northern coastline to the sandy beaches in sunny Southern California. We have the highest point in the continental United States, Mt Whitney, at almost 15,000 feet, and the lowest point, Death Valley, at almost 300 feet below sea level.”

Jim is a natural orator with years of experience as a teacher and lecturer. We sat up a little straighter as he went on: “We have the deepest submarine canyon in North America, Monterey Bay, rich with amazing sea life, which rivals the depth of the Grand Canyon! California has the tallest trees in the world, the Redwoods, and the oldest trees, the bristlecone pine, over 5,000 years old!”

“Wow,” somebody said, “that’s true!”

“That’s just the great outdoors of California,” said Big Jim. “How ‘bout the rest of the story? We have the world center of technology, Silicon Valley! We are a world center for agriculture in our Central Valley, and a world center for aerospace in Southern California!”

“Wow,” somebody said. “That’s right.”

Jim said, “California is the sixth largest economy in the world with incredibly diverse food, music, and culture. Where else can you go for world-class skiing in the morning and world-class surfing in the evening? Who doesn’t want to be a part of all that?”

As Jim said, thanks to the great outdoors, I think California is going to be just fine.

Doug Love is Sales Manager at Century 21 in Chico. Email dougwlove@gmail.com. Call or text 530-680-0817.

- Jill Townsend, Paradise

Sherry is a delight to work with, and she is very responsive to the seller/buyer needs. She has extensive experience in the real estate market, in particular Chico and surrounding communities, and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to buy or sell.

Call me today at (530) 514-4855

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