Nest egg goes much further elsewhere

My wife, a California native, and I, here since 1975, are moving to Washington in June. I am retiring from a high school teaching career after 30 years, taking my pension and applying it in a state where I’ll get to keep more of it.

We rent a house here — after being priced out of purchasing in 2015 (we owned a total of three homes — one at a time, between

1996 and 2015). Between the two of us we make a very comfortable six-figure salary, and it is simply not enough to stay in coastal California.

California’s response to the pandemic was far too onerous, but I realize reasonable people can disagree on that. But the state’s soaring taxes, poor infrastructure, crowded roads (in good times) and cities without the human resources to seemingly correct and respond to the dire circumstances facing them is simply too much.

Ultimately, it is the cost of living, the congested traffic, the soaring price of everyday things — the one-sided politics without any real give and take that pushed us away. To be sure, Washington is no bastion of relief from all of these things. Large communities have to work together to make changes, but the cost of living there is easier to manage. From gas taxes to the state’s lack of income tax, everyday life is simply more affordable. But, sadly, that’s true in nearly every state that is not California.

Mark Storer, Camarillo, California none feel the same as the original one in my childhood. Fast forward 15 years and I can still confirm that I have the same feeling every time I walk into that market. That’s what’s so special about California. Yeah, it’s high in rent and the possibility of a massive earthquake is in the back of our minds, but for most of us it’s the home of our best memories and the memories that are yet to come. California holds my future dreams that I had when I was 5 years old, and that is why I plan on never leaving.