• A boomer and his wife moved to Kansas after living in California for 50 years.
• He and his wife sold their home for $1.4 million and bought a historic home in Kansas for less than $400,000.
• He said it's much easier to make friends in Kansas and the cost of living is much lower.

Mike H., 73, lived in California for 50 years, but it was a high school reunion in Kansas that made him move back.

The former architectural designer had a home north of the Golden Gate Bridge that he bought over 30 years ago, and although he loved the weather and his job, he knew he wanted to return to Kansas, where he attended high school.

In 2020, he and his wife sold their home and moved to a suburb of Kansas City. They bought a historic property for a third of the price of their home in California and said life was more peaceful with friendlier people, less traffic and cheaper prices.

“California changed so much in the time I lived there that toward the end we couldn’t get out of there fast enough,” Mike said. “We weren’t really happy there for 10 to 15 years as it became more and more crowded and the condition deteriorated.”

Many Californians have told BI that they are moving to states with lower costs of living, better work-life balance and better climate conditions. According to the Census Bureau's ACS data table, about 818,000 people left California between 2021 and 2022, while 475,800 followed suit.

While the California to Texas and California to Arizona routes were the most popular, over 5,500 people moved from California to Kansas between 2021 and 2022.

Leaving California after five decades

Mike, whose identity is known to Business Insider but who requested partial anonymity for privacy reasons, grew up in Minneapolis but moved to Kansas with his family when he was 15. He lived there for five years and moved to California in 1970. He knew he wanted to live in California after a trip to Disneyland at age 10.

For most of his time in California, he lived in Mill Valley, north of the Golden Gate Bridge. He recalled frequently seeing celebrities on the way from his home on Highway 1 to downtown San Francisco. From 1988 until his move in 2020, he lived in what was known as a “treehouse fixer-upper.”

He initially worked as a building contractor and then switched to architecture and planning. Although he enjoyed life in California and had a successful career, he said his area has lost its charm over the last decade. He said at times the traffic was so heavy that he couldn't leave his house because cars were parked in his driveway.

He said it was difficult to find parking at the grocery store around his house. He noted that infrastructure in his area had begun to crumble, and he said the quality of public education nearby had declined. As he got older, he also said that it became harder to make friends and that situations felt more and more tense. He said it has been a challenge getting to know some of his neighbors.

Still, he and his wife didn't want to move because Proposition 13 fixed their property taxes when they bought their home. They thought they could move to Phoenix or Reno, but neither attracted them.

In 2018, he received an invitation to his 50th high school reunion in Kansas and realized that the state he briefly called home as a child was the place he needed to move.

“We drove around and I thought this place was beautiful and so clean. The streets were so wide that you could park right outside the front door of your destination. We found this place really livable,” Mike said. “We came back to California, and about a week later we were reminiscing and finally said, let’s get out of here and go to Kansas.”

The move to the Kansas City metro took a year and a half because his wife still had a few months until retirement and they still needed to remodel their home in California.

“To be honest, if we hadn't gone to that meeting in 2018, we would probably still be living in the same house in California because moving would suddenly require new taxes everywhere I move to.” said Mike. “I could have sold the house for a lot of money, but my next house would cost a lot of money.”

Moving to Kansas: Pros and Cons

In 2020, they sold their California home for $1.4 million and moved to Westwood Hills, a town of 400 on the Kansas-Missouri border and about a 15-minute drive from Kansas City. They purchased a 1927 home listed on the National Register of Historic Places for less than $400,000.

He estimates he pays more taxes in Kansas, and when he first moved he said he was surprised at how similar some prices were, such as at the hardware store. He also said dining out is about the same in the two states.

While he acknowledged his comparisons aren't entirely accurate due to inflation during the pandemic, he said the cost of food, energy and water is much lower in Kansas. Even if he runs the heat or air conditioning year-round, his utility bills are a fraction of what he spent in California. While gasoline costs an average of $4.74 per gallon in California, gasoline costs $2.91 per gallon in Kansas.

While he said water is expensive and scarce in California, he said he can now have a nice lawn and have barbecues outside without the stress of running out of water.

He said he and his wife are prepared for colder winters, although the last few months have been more than bearable. He and some of his friends expected Kansas to be miles of barren, flat land, even though he said his area had lots of greenery, rolling hills and streams.

Mike said that meeting new people and making friends is much easier in Kansas. A car enthusiast whose friends have moved away from the Bay Area, he joined a group of a dozen locals who meet weekly to discuss and try out cars.

“It's easier to live here. The streets are wider, the traffic is less aggressive, no one honks the horn or rages in the street,” Mike said, adding that his community reminds him of Minnesota.

He said he has no intention of leaving Kansas and noted that his experience so far has been a pleasant surprise.

“I’m not a California basher because California has been very good to me and it’s a beautiful place,” Mike said. “I miss the palm trees, the proximity to the sea and the daily sight of the bay, but that wasn’t enough to keep us.”

Have you recently moved to a new state or relocated from the United States to another country? Contact this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.

Correction: March 5, 2024 – This post has been updated to clarify Mike's original location in California.

The post Transferring From California to Kansas for Retirement: Professionals and Cons appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

• A millennial who moved to California from Tennessee said California is much more working-class friendly.
• He said he gets more protections and benefits as a nurse in California, as well as a higher salary.
• While housing prices are higher in California, he said many of his costs are cheaper than in Tennessee.

Matthew, 38, was working in northeast Tennessee as an orderly at a hospital when he realized he could live a less stressful, more lucrative life in another state doing the same work.

Matthew — whose identity is known to Business Insider and requested partial anonymity for privacy reasons — and his wife, who is also a registered nurse, decided that California would be the ideal destination. California would give him paid family leave, mandatory breaks and lunches, and better overtime laws. He said the policies of California are a lot more working-class employee friendly than in Tennessee, and since he moved in 2016, he said his work-life balance has been a lot better.

Still, he didn’t want to move to a major city like San Francisco or San Diego with a high cost of living. He settled on a city in central California which had a much lower cost of living but comparable wages for jobs.

“Many that leave California to go to the East Coast or to corporate-friendly states like Texas and Tennessee don’t know any better,” Matthew said. “They were born in California. They don’t know how good they have it.”

Matthew’s move went a little against the grain compared to how many other Americans have been switching states. The California to Tennessee move was one of the more popular routes between 2021 to 2022 at nearly 22,600 movers — though around 5,500 still made the opposite move during the same period, according to US Census data.

Many former Californians are moving to Tennessee for cheaper cost of living, friendlier people, and a slower pace of life. But for Matthew and many other former Tennesseans, California has many more opportunities for workers — and not every part of the state is outrageously expensive.

Not everything is more expensive in California

When he moved in 2016, he said his $295,000 home in California cost about as much as his Tennessee home, though housing has gotten quite a bit more expensive, he said. Though homes cost more per square foot, he said they’re also sturdier due to earthquake standards. He also said housing insurance is actually cheaper in California, and new homes are often renovated and come with new amenities, compared to homes on the market in Tennessee that aren’t as well maintained.

Additionally, he said his home in Tennessee would be frequently reassessed, which would hike up property taxes.

He said that while gas is a lot more expensive in California, he’s also driving a third of the distance to get to work or the grocery store. He also said his water bill is around three times cheaper in California.

He said he’s also willing to pay more in California for dining out as California doesn’t have a tipped minimum wage — in Tennessee, employers can pay tipped employees as little as $2.13 an hour, provided wages and tips together add up to $7.25 an hour. California has an hourly minimum wage of $15.50, which will rise to $16 in 2024.

Though the temperature gets high in central California, he said the low humidity makes summers much more bearable than Tennessee, where humidity sometimes is 100%. He hasn’t once had to scrape frost off his car as he did in Tennessee, and he doesn’t miss the tornadoes or thunderstorms that would sometimes ravage through Tennessee.

He convinced one of his friends to move out to California, though he wishes more of his family would move from Tennessee, citing better healthcare and retirement options. He said contrary to what many believe, his area of California is more laid back than in Tennessee where in his industry, people would skip lunch and fire on all cylinders to get their work done.

California is ‘more working-class friendly’

Matthew didn’t want to work as a nurse in Tennessee where nurse-to-patient ratios are low, meaning he’d have to work longer hours with few breaks and not enough pay. California requires one nurse for every two intensive or critical care patients for instance, while Tennessee does not have state laws for these ratios.

California had all sorts of policies and laws in place to protect registered nurses, including state-funded temporary disability coverage and paid baby bonding leave for up to six weeks. California also has daily overtime laws in addition to double-time pay for working over 12 hours a day, compared to weekly overtime laws in Tennessee.

Matthew was in a car accident a few years ago in California and was out on leave for 60 days for physical therapy, and he said he made the same amount he would’ve made working due to the state’s temporary disability paid for by state taxes.

“If you’re in a car accident and can’t work in Tennessee, and you didn’t take out your own individual policy from an individual insurance company that has temporary disability, you’re probably going to go bankrupt because there’s nothing to protect you.”

Additionally, he recalled how he was shocked his employers in California forced him to take a 30-minute lunch break and two other 15-minute breaks or else they would get penalized per state laws. He said one of his friends’ offices has an alarm that goes off whenever it’s time for somebody to take a break.

While the process for approving to transfer his Tennessee nursing license in California was slow, Matthew said they moved as soon as they were approved, noting how California is “everything I thought it would be as far as being employee friendly.”

His area of central California has five different hospitals, compared to just one hospital system in northeast Tennessee.

“In California, you’ve got nurses that actually get their breaks most of the time, you’ve got nurse to patient ratios, so that makes the work culture better because not everybody’s exhausted,” Matthew said. “I genuinely didn’t know what a break was when I moved to California.”

Moving to California has also made Matthew feel more economically secure about his long-term future. At his job in California, he gets a 6% 401(k) match in addition to company-funded guaranteed amount retirement pensions, compared to just 3% company matching at his job in Tennessee. He also said pay increases at his current role are a lot less arbitrary and more performance-based.

“It’s absolutely where I want to stay, unless there’s some miracle where Tennessee changes to be more employee friendly, which I don’t see ever happening,” Matthew said.

Have you recently moved to a new state? Contact this reporter at nsheidlower@insider.com.

NOW WATCH: Popular Videos from Insider Inc.

Loading…

The post Shifting From Tennessee to California: Execs and Cons appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

I’ve had clients snap photos of resort features on their phones to share in project planning meetings when they experience a new amenity that feels both amazing and achievable. Saunas and steam showers fit that description, and are among the amenities sought by an increasing number of wellness-focused homeowners. I reached out to three professionals experienced with the benefits and particulars of these features last week to get their thoughts and suggestions. There responses via email can enhance your next spa-inspired home project too.

Trends

“There is higher demand for health and wellness systems and creating your own personal spa at home,” declares San Francisco-based plumbing contractor Phil Hotarek about steam shower and sauna interest from his high end residential clients. Given their popularity and new models available from major manufacturers, steam showers are more within reach than many homeowners think, he notes. A steam shower should be thought of as “an investment in quality of life and home value,” he suggests.

Michael Gilbride, a designer and remodeler based in New York’s Hudson Valley who primarily works on second homes in the popular vacation region, is also seeing these trends, he says. “Steam showers are definitely a must-have investment as people are upgrading their homes. I think some people missed them when gyms were closed during the pandemic and some just like having the space to themselves at home.”

Gilbride is also seeing interest in saunas, particularly among clients who enjoy yoga and nature, he says. This is true for both traditional saunas and the newer infrared models. “There’s interest in both, because there is curiosity about the new technology,” he observes and sauna requests are tied to clients’ overall wellness routines.

Sauna vs. Steam Shower

Both amenities have wellness (and potentially resale) benefits, but they work differently. “While infrared can be a lower cost to operate, it’s important to understand how they work,” Gilbride explains. “Traditional saunas heat air at a high temperature. Infrared saunas heat the body directly at a lower temperature.”

“ Understanding the difference between the two is critical,” Hotarek cautions. “A traditional sauna increases your core temperature with dry heat, therefore, you will experience more feeling of heat. Infrared uses red light, so it does not feel as hot in the room, but your core temperature increases faster. In an infrared sauna, the heat of the room will be more bearable but you sweat a lot more. Because of this, people can last longer in an infrared sauna and therefore experience more of the health benefits.” (It should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: Consult with your health advisor before experiencing any new health-related product or service – including saunas and steam showers!)

The traditional sauna, long popular in Scandinavia, the Baltics and Eastern Europe, can be designed into a primary bathroom for one or two users, or in a separate structure for multiple users. (They’re the rooms with wood benches and paneling that you see in health clubs.)

“I am recommending traditional/infrared sauna combos,” Hotarek shares. “There are benefits to having both and the cost is not much different in having a combo.” The plumbing contractor comments that the design and dimensions of the sauna are critical. “The most common mistake is not understanding that dry heat in a sauna rises pretty quick to the ceiling instead of circulating like it does in a steam room. Because of the physics of how a sauna works, it is recommended to have a ceiling height of seven to seven and a half feet with two two-tier benches. I see some saunas with eight foot or higher ceilings and this is just not ideal.”

Other details to discuss with your professional team include the type of wood, bench configuration, location of the control and temperature sensor. Your design team can advise on the best options for your space and budget. Your health team can advise on the best option for your health and well-being. Hotarek does make this recommendation: “Keep the design simple and be sure to be very detailed. You really want an expert to be involved with the installation. I see far too many installation errors on site visits that affect the performance and longevity of the system. Systems that are installed correctly to every last detail last a very long time and deliver all the health and wellness benefits to the end user for years to come.”

Wellness Points

What are those benefits? “With a temperature range of 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, steam showers can’t match the anti-aging benefits of hotter traditional saunas. Yet, they excel in other areas, relieving stress, inflammation and nasal congestion,” reports Gregory Charlop, MD, an Atlanta-based physician, speaker, and author of Dr. Greg’s Green Home Makeover.

He does caution users to “be mindful of the risk of mold growth; ensure proper disinfection and ventilation post-use. Athlete’s foot can be a concern, as can dehydration—so stay hydrated!” He’d love to see manufacturers add antimicrobial features, he says, as well as leg massaging jets for athletes and red lighting for relaxation and sleep quality.

When it comes to saunas, Charlop shares, “Traditional saunas can reach higher temperatures (150 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit) than infrared saunas (120 to 140 degrees), offering more anti-aging benefits like reduced inflammation and a potentially lower risk of cardiac death. Infrared saunas are generally safe and can reduce muscle pain and improve sleep.” He cautions users to prioritize hydration when exposing themselves to saunas, though noting that infrared models are generally safe for most users. Pregnant women and individuals with chronic health conditions should consult with their doctors before using steam showers or saunas, he cautions.

Placement

providing tremendous placement flexibility.Courtesy of ThermaSol

A steam shower is typically going into your primary suite for use by the homeowners, but home gyms are also popular spots for residential steam rooms, Hotarek observes. It’s easiest to install a steam shower in an area without a window, and with standard height ceilings since it will be completely enclosed. Its steam generator needs to be accessible, so that factors into placement options too.

An infrared sauna can be sited almost anywhere you have power and space. There are numerous sizes and configurations available, so it’s going to depend on how you want to use yours. Gilbride likes a model with lounge seating that doesn’t require a full room build-out, he shares.

A traditional sauna has more operational considerations, and may be in a primary suite or even in an outdoor space. “If you’re going with an outdoor sauna, really consider the path you’re taking in the winter months. You don’t want to build out too far from a door; the weather dips the romance of walking out in a robe and slippers fades very quickly,” Gilbride cautions. (Individuals from Northern climates with sauna traditions may disagree on cultural grounds!)

“I am seeing more outdoor installations or in a home gym or pool house,” Hoterek says about his Northern California clientele. They don’t require water, as steam showers do, which gives them more placement options.

Upgrades

Traditional saunas can be enhanced with full spectrum LED lighting, and infrared models can get chromotherapy and Bluetooth speakers, Gilbride comments. Hotarek adds chromatherapy and smart home integrations to that list.

Hotarek is seeing aromatherapy, chromatherapy lights, music, and wireless integration as great new upgrades for steam showers, along with better quality steam (enhanced by whole house water filtration). “With some systems, you can start the steam shower with voice command or from your smart phone, so you don’t have to wait in the bathroom for the steam room to heat up,” he adds.

Final Thoughts

“I believe we all strive to live well,” Gilbride suggests. “If you are coming home from work or a stressful call, sometimes the best thing you can do is take the time to reset.” Steam showers and saunas are easy ways to “create a do not disturb barrier from the outside even if for 10 to 20 mins,” the designer adds.

Soldiers in the Ukrainian army – for whom even a brief barrier from the outside has physical and mental health benefits – are the beneficiaries of two ongoing sauna donation campaigns. Saunas For Ukraine is based in nearby Estonia and has already sent mobile units to the front. Sauna Aid, a multi-country initiative sponsored by the International Sauna Association, provides saunas and sauna access to civilians and refugees in trouble spots around the globe.

Both nonprofits are providing these respite facilities to war-torn Ukraine. As Sauna Aid’s Mikkel Aaland observed in a recent trip report, (and I believe this applies wherever people are fighting their own private battles as well as the military kind), “There is no war in sauna.”

***

Author’s Note:

Contributors Charlop, Gilbride and Hotarek will be sharing more sauna and steam shower insights in an hour-long Clubhouse conversation tomorrow afternoon (September 6, 2023) at 4 pm Eastern/1 pm Pacific. You can save the date and join this WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS discussion here. If you’re unable to attend, you can catch the recording via Clubhouse Replays here or the Gold Notes design blog here next Wednesday.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here. 

I’m a Wellness Design Consultant and Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach with 18 years in the building, home design and remodeling sphere.

My third book, Wellness by Design, published in September 2020 by Simon & Schuster, won a prestigious Bruss Book Award in 2021.

In addition to writing, I speak on wellness design topics for regional and national conferences, and consult for design industry firms and analysts.

I’m currently hosting twice-monthly Wellness Wednesday rooms on Clubhouse, the first and third week of the month at 4 PM Eastern/1 PM Pacific. You can check the current schedule here.

You can read more of my writings on my website at jamiegold.net.

Read MoreRead Less

The post Execs Share Wellness Advantages Of Residence Sauna And Steam Bathe Developments appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

WHEN FAMILIES COME TOGETHER Around the fire this holiday season, the odds are better than ever that actual kindling isn’t involved. Due to health and air quality concerns, regulations against wood-burning fireplaces and stoves have become increasingly strict — San Francisco, for example, bans them in new construction — and homeowners drawn to flames have turned to alternatives like gas and electricity. That doesn’t mean, however, that such adopters of new technologies are ready to give up the ghost of Christmas bygone. Fireplaces, even man-made ones, remain the core of a home’s decor.

“For generations, fire has been the center of the home,” says Julie Buckner, an interior designer in Petaluma, California, who often installs electric fireplaces instead of gas or wood. The flame is a projection, so it does not emit pollution and is safe for children and pets. “It’s a light show,” she said, “but once we commit to not burning wood, it becomes easier to accept that it doesn’t look entirely natural.”

The post Fuel and Electrical Fireplaces Are the Future. We Requested Design Professionals How one can Make Them Appear Actual. appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

• Tennessee’s population grew by 82,988 people in 2022, the largest amount in a year since 2007.
• People who have recently moved to the state cite its affordability and slower pace of life as draws.
• Four newcomers share the ins and outs of life in the southern state.

James Ballard did a quick calculation and found that he could no longer afford to live in Clearwater.

The 50-year-old Florida resident decided to pack up and move to Memphis, Tennessee, to get a more manageable mortgage payment while still earning a steady income.

“There’s a song by Tom T. Hall called ‘That’s How I Got to Memphis,'” Ballard told Insider.

“I never thought this would happen to me, but it happened,” he joked about his new immigration status.

Ballard, 66, had an $800 mortgage payment on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Clearwater, Florida. He almost cut it in half by moving to Memphis, where he pays $480 for a similar-sized house.

Housing affordability and low taxes are a big draw for many people who choose Tennessee, where there is no income tax and the median annual property tax is about half the national average of $1,317, according to SmartAsset.

Real estate agent Brenna Foster, who was born and raised in Knoxville, also pointed to the great Southern weather and hospitality as reasons people from across the country flock to the area. Foster said clients have recently moved to Tennessee from New York, New Jersey and California.

“It was crazy just last year,” she said. The numbers confirm it. Tennessee ranked seventh out of all 50 states for population growth from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022, adding 82,988 residents according to the US Census Bureau.

Cities in Tennessee consistently feature on lists of the best places to live in the United States for a variety of reasons. With the job market evolving, particularly in the tech sector, and property prices remaining below the national median, bang for your buck seems like an easy choice.

According to Redfin, the median home selling price in Tennessee in January was $356,100, while the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis put the national median home selling price in January at $427,500.

Four people who have moved to Tennessee shared some of the pros and cons — from affordability to a lot of junk — of moving to the southern state.

A longtime Florida resident is happy in Memphis — though he thinks it could be cleaner

James Ballard only visited Memphis once, 20 years earlier, before moving there in 2022. Getty Images

Ballard only visited Memphis once before deciding to move there in November 2022. The visit was about 20 years ago when he and a friend were driving from their home in Florida to Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley.

His latest fascination with Tennessee came from watching YouTube videos while looking for a place to change clothes, he said.

“It turned out to be a great choice,” he said. “Memphis has a lot of charm.”

Ballard paid $150,000 for a newly renovated home in Memphis’ Raleigh neighborhood, property records show.

But he has one major complaint about the city of around 628,000: the garbage.

“People throw things out of their cars like it’s nothing,” he said. “To say Memphis has a garbage problem is to say Moby Dick was a small fish. It’s more than a problem.”

Still, Ballard is happy with his decision and thinks Tennessee is right for him. Ballard joked that with his southern accent, he wouldn’t fit into a city like Detroit, and knew he wanted to stay south.

“Memphis turned out to be a great place to land for me,” he said. “I’m really happy here.”

He traded the snowy Buffalo for the ease of southern living

Michael and Danielle Ekstrum moved to Tennessee after becoming empty nesters in 2018. Courtesy of Michael Ekstrum

Michael Ekstrum, finance manager at a medical device company, relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee from Buffalo, New York.

While some northerners moving to Tennessee complain that the summer months are getting too warm, Ekstrum, 55, welcomes climate change.

Ekstrum has multiple sclerosis and told Insider that the snowy weather’s challenges – shoveling, blistering and scraping – took a toll on his health.

“Oddly enough, heat is said to be a problem for most people with MS,” he said. “In my case, the cold really hurt.”

Ekstrum and his wife, Danielle, moved from a 1,300-square-foot home in Buffalo to a 5,300-square-foot home in Tennessee in October 2018 after becoming vacant nests. According to public records, they sold the Buffalo home for $251,000 and bought the Chattanooga home for $430,000.

Now they don’t have to worry about clearing the driveway. The average snowfall in Chattanooga is 3.6 inches, according to weather.gov, while Buffalo recorded 64.7 inches in December 2022 alone.

“I wake up here any time of the year, go to my door and start driving,” said Ekstrum. “I don’t have to worry about the weather at all.”

The warmer weather didn’t come as a shock to Ekstrum, but another thing he enjoyed about the change of scenery was the surprising amount of variety.

“There’s a stereotype about the South — particularly the Deep South — that it’s not diverse and it’s very backward thinking,” he said. “There is a wide range of different opinions, different personalities and diverse experiences. It’s refreshing to be in a more racially diverse realm.”

A retiree fed up with California’s overcrowding bought a home in Tennessee without thinking twice

Michael and Bonnie Tyler relocated from Sacramento, California to Jonesborough, a historic town in eastern Tennessee. Paul Harris/Getty Images

Michael Tyler and his wife Bonnie made frequent trips to Tennessee before deciding to move there.

Tyler, 69, had lived in California all his life but said he’d watched Sacramento deteriorate over the years.

“There’s too much traffic, too many people, it’s way too expensive, and there’s no water,” Tyler told Insider.

Content with settling far from the West Coast, Tyler and his wife narrowed their choice between The Villages — a central Florida retirement community — and Tennessee. In June 2021, Tyler, his wife and two friends visited the two destinations to make a decision.

On their way to breakfast in Jonesborough, east Tennessee, the quartet stopped in a neighborhood to look at a few houses. Both couples reserved homes on site.

“My wife and I looked at this house and it was in a nice area and it was still being built, and I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll take it,'” Tyler said.

Tyler mailed the home builder a check for $2,000 to reserve the 2,700-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bathroom home. He later paid $400,000 to buy it. They sold their 1,200-square-foot California condo for $415,000 — in just six hours, Tyler said.

Tyler and his wife were excited about the move and were even more excited when they arrived.

“We were very happy – vertigo is almost the right word for it,” Tyler said. “We love it here. People are nice here. And of course it’s a lot cheaper than living in California.”

A California mover sees Nashville as the next big tech hub

Nashville’s live music scene has long drawn visitors and travelers to the city. Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Bruce saw more than charm in Tennessee.

The 63-year-old, who works in the startup space and asked to only use his first name for privacy reasons, relocated to Nashville from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021.

He believes the Tennessee capital could very well be on the way to becoming the next Austin, Texas. Its technology sector is thriving with the arrival of Dell, Oracle, Amazon and others.

“I went to Nashville a few times a few years ago and just bumped into a lot of what I call smart 27-year-olds,” Bruce told Insider. “They’re out here because they see it’s a great place to start and I think that bodes well for a place.”

Bruce thinks Austin is “overcooked” with its sky-high real estate prices and transplant invasion. He said it no longer has the same up-and-coming feel as Nashville.

As for why he left the Bay Area, real estate prices didn’t make sense to him anymore.

“It’s become a very different place than it was 40 years ago when people could afford to live there,” he said. “Now it’s priceless and an inaccessible place.”

Bruce came for the more laid-back lifestyle that Nashville offers — and, he told Insiders, he also came for the live music.

“I was expecting a country music scene, but turns out there’s just about any type of music you could want to hear,” he said. “On a Friday afternoon, I just go to a place that has live music that’s walking distance from my house.”

Bruce traded a house in suburban Palo Alto for a loft in downtown Nashville with city views.

But there’s one thing Bruce misses in particular that California has and that Tennessee never will have.

“The biggest thing I miss is the sea,” he said. “I like to just listen to the sound of the ocean – it’s very zen for me.”

WATCH NOW: Insider Inc.’s Popular Videos

Loading…

The post Considering of Transferring to Tennessee? Relocators Share the Professionals and Cons appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Source: Ben Pursell for Blizzard Entertainment

The Overwatch League had to cancel its live playoffs in Dallas and its live final in LA this week in response to worsening COVID conditions and related visa challenges for APAC teams. The move has sparked some violent reactions, with some professionals expressing disappointment while others expressing anger over the change and how the postseason will continue to be dealt with.

Here are some of the most notable reactions we saw when the Overwatch League switched the postseason to an online format with NA teams playing out of Hawaii.

OWL players are responding to playoffs being moved to Hawaii and played online

The most common reaction to the announcement has been disappointment and sadness from many players, including Gladiators player Shu, Houston Outlaws player Crimzo, and former pro McGravy, who all looked forward to the NA-based LAN events.

Some players, overcoming disappointment, criticized OWL’s plan to host NA teams in Hawaii during the postseason. San Francisco Shock player Nero stated that NA will be at a “massive disadvantage” in response to the decision, although he admitted that nothing could be done about it.

Houston Outlaws player Danteh expressed his frustration with “jet lag + lost practice time + worn setups aghhhhhhhhhhhhhh”.

Perhaps most controversial is that Atlanta Reign’s Gator posted numerous tweets about the situation. First, on his own side, he said, “What a joke, they can’t get one thing right”. He also responded to the Overwatch League announcement by saying, “Make a right decision.”

Both comments sparked some backlash from OWL fans and journalists. In response to the backlash, Gator went on to state that he is not upset about the cancellation of live events due to COVID, but he is upset that the Overwatch League playoffs will be played online rather than on the LAN and that 5 NA teams will do so be forced to travel to Hawaii again.

In a tweet, Gator suggested that it would be preferable for both regions to play separate playoffs and then, after being quarantined, host a single final somewhere on the LAN, as they did in 2020. He also pointed out that due to Pelican’s lung collapse, he will not be able to compete now that the final is in Hawaii because Pelican, an MVP contestant and star DPS player for Reign, cannot travel due to his illness.

Gator’s teammate Masaa responded with a much less tactful response, just a video of someone laughing hysterically to show his disapproval of the Overwatch League’s post-season plans.

Even if the cancellation of the live events was necessary, it is clear that the players are not happy with the situation and the reputation of the OWL 2021 postseason may be damaged a bit.

The post Overwatch professionals react to OWL transferring playoffs on-line in Hawaii appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

A ballet dancer’s life is full of sacrifice and sacrificing family time is no exception. When Maria Kochetkova graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, she knew that she was considered too small for the company. She would soon have to leave her family and dance abroad.

“It was hard to see that I had no place to dance at home in Moscow just because I was eight centimeters shorter than other dancers,” she recalls. But Kochetkova’s family supported her decision. “Away from home or not, I’ve always been very close to my family. I always say my mom is my biggest fan, ”she says. “I also had to move away to become independent and learn to think independently. You need a thick skin in this career, and you don’t just get that from an easy path. “

Maria Kochetkova, Kiyonori Hasegawa, courtesy of ENB

Of course, many dancers leave their homes much earlier than students. “If a young dancer wants to move away to exercise, the family has to be 150 percent and the student 200 percent on board,” said Sara Mearns, director of the New York City Ballet. Like Kochetkova’s, Mearns’ family was committed to their dance dreams long before she left home. Her mother was involved in ballet from her earliest training. “Dancing was a family decision. I danced, my brother danced and my mom was in the studio all the time. She made costumes and helped with carpooling, ”she explains. “I didn’t feel alone; we all sacrificed. It wasn’t a sad thing. “

Mearns’ goal had always been to dance with NYCB. At the age of 15, she left her home in South Carolina to train at the affiliated School of American Ballet. “My brother was at SAB and also friends I had made from the summer intensive courses and from my dance school at home. I was very lucky, ”she says. Although Mearns felt ready to leave home by the age of 15, she recommends young dancers take small steps, such as attending summer intensive courses in the state, before trying out summer intensive courses outside of the state and year-round training programs. “If you can go on a summer intensive with a few friends, that can help too,” she says.

Sara Mearns in George Balanchine’s “Episodes”. Paul Kolnik, courtesy of NYCB.

At 17, Alana Griffith of the Milwaukee Ballet moved from Los Angeles to England to train at the English National Ballet School. “It was really scary to be honest,” says Griffith. But she wanted to continue her British-style education after training in RAD at her home studio, the Los Angeles Ballet Academy. Living her dream was exciting, but she also had challenging days. Fortunately, she had a support system at home of family and ballet friends and teachers to talk to on the phone. If she could have done something differently in retrospect, says Griffith, she would have visited the sports psychologists at the ENB school more often.

“I would be stressed and I think it would have helped me express my thoughts,” she says. “Often times we are afraid to have these conversations because we are afraid to appear in a certain way. With social media, we always try to appear perfect. But I’ve found that when we talk about these things, we find that many others have the same experience. “

Milwaukee ballet dancer Alana Griffith. Nathaniel Davuaer, courtesy of the Milwaukee Ballet

Sometimes the desire to inspire the family helps motivate a dancer to continue through the victims of leaving the home. When Andrés Castillo of the Alabama Ballet first came to the United States from Colombia to pursue career opportunities, he was initially excited to be in a new country and didn’t mind being alone. “I called my mother every day and sent her pictures of me dancing,” he says. “But I haven’t been to Colombia since I left eight years ago. My mother was able to visit me six years ago and I got very emotional. ”Family birthdays and holidays are also difficult for Castillo, especially Christmas. “It’s hard to know that they’re all gathered, but I can’t be there,” he says.

At the same time, he feels driven to encourage his mother and two younger brothers. “My mother wanted to be a dancer when she was younger and my two brothers are ballet dancers. It’s hard to be the first to come to the United States, and I’ve wanted to give up sooner, so I want to show them that anything is possible. “

Andres Castillo in “Romeo and Juliet”. Melissa Dooley, Courtesy Alabama Ballet

While it may be necessary to leave the home to advance training and career, a dancer’s journey sometimes brings you closer to where you started. In 2018 Kochetkova left the company after 11 years as the solo director of the San Francisco Ballet. “Back then, my mother had to take care of my two grandmothers,” she says. “It was very difficult for me to take time off from the SFB to dance more at home in Russia, and it was impossible for her to travel so far to California to see me dance.” She moved back to Europe to freelance and be closer to home.

This August Kochetkova joins the English National Ballet, where she also danced in the early years of her career. Again, she is far from her family, but her global career has shaped her as a dancer: “I believe that everything happens for a reason and that all experiences contribute to making artists what they are.”

The post Transferring Away From Household for Ballet: four Execs Share Their Expertise and Recommendation appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

While the nickname “Trader Jerry” doesn’t paint a picture of Jerry Jones as accurately as it did in the past, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t afraid to dip their toe in the cycling and trading circus that is the NFL blueprint.

One of the most interesting aspects of being a sports fan is trade speculation, and while the NBA and MLB make much better use of that interest in deadline deals during their respective regular seasons, trading during the NFL draft is just as fun and enjoyable.

Some of these deals already came about when the San Francisco 49ers paid a king’s ransom to trade up to the third overall pick to seemingly secure the team’s future franchise QB, and more are likely on the way.

The cowboys probably won’t be involved in any of the blockbuster deals, but don’t think for a second that they are just going to sit back and let the other 31 teams have all the fun. With that in mind, let’s examine some trading scenarios the cowboys might actually be involved in during the design weekend.

Trade back from 10th overall

While many are inhaling the apparent smoke screen regarding Dallas’ interest in a trade from the 10th overall pick to Florida TE Kyle Pitts pick, the cowboys are far more likely to choose to trade off their first pick, especially if a QB like Mac Jones, Justin Fields or Trey Lance are available when Dallas is on the clock.

Round one back trade is always a good option as it is a great opportunity to collect more top 100 picks that can be used to attract high profile players. NFL teams often overestimate their ability to properly distinguish between potential players. So when you have more swings on your plate, you have a better chance of the team winning a highly effective player.

Teams like the New England Patriots (selection # 15) or the Chicago Bears (selection # 20) could potentially be ready to qualify for a QB. And there’s even a chance the Minnesota Vikings (option # 14) and LA Chargers (option # 13) may be interested in swapping a few spots when Penei Sewell (or possibly even Rashawn Slater) is available to order improve their lines of attack.

For me it would be inadvisable to trade back with the bears to dial number 20 (or later with another team) as there is no guarantee that a first round prospect will still be on the board. However, it would be terribly tempting to go back to the 13-15 range for one more selection for Day 2 as I think there is a realistic chance that either Slater, Patrick Surtain II, or Jaycee Horn would still be on that selection Are available. Adding another top 75 selection while still getting a blue chip prospect could be one of the best scenarios for the Cowboys in Round 1.

Of course, there’s also a good chance Slater, Surtain and Horn will fall off the board depending on where Dallas has been trading to, which wouldn’t be ideal as it could create a scenario where Dallas would reach for someone like Trevon Moehrig from the TCU or Tulsa’s Zaven Collins, both good prospects, but not good values ​​in the top 15.

The cowboys must balance the risk / reward of a top 75 pick by potentially losing the last of their blue chip prospects. While I think the cowboys are most likely to knock and make a selection with 10th overall win, a trade down cannot be ruled out.

Trade back in R1 (or very early R2)

While it is possible to trade back from 10th overall, it is also possible to return to the top 32 to attract another prospect for the first round caliber.

If the Cowboys don’t pick a 10th-placed CB and instead choose to take someone like Slater with their first choice, then Dallas could be aggressive when it comes to securing a first-round caliber CB like Northwestern’s Greg Newsome or Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley (both with medical histories that could cause them to fall further than their talent suggests) in their mid to late 20s or early 30s, which is likely to cost Dallas’ second-round election would (# 44) and one of their picks for the third round (# 75 or 99) based on the NFL commercial value table.

Even if Dallas picks a CB on their first pick, they could potentially even act to pick another defense attorney they desire, like Moehrig or Collins. While I don’t think this would be the best move, the cowboys don’t care what I think and they could still pull the trigger if they covet a certain perspective enough in the final third of the first round.

In a previous instance, Dallas didn’t jump all the way back to the first round, but the Cowboys sacrificed two picks from Day 2 to climb into the top-35 and pick a defender they coveted in 2014. Dallas sent the Nos away 47 and 78 picks to move 13 spots to 34th, picking DeMarcus Lawrence who has met a huge need and has become one of the most well-rounded DEs in the NFL.

Withdrawal to the first round is a risky move for the same reasons that trading in the first round is advisable as the team has fewer opportunities to fill holes and find players with high influence. However, this risk needs to be balanced with the team’s confidence in the assessment of the player it is acting for.

It would certainly hurt to sacrifice two top 100 picks, but the ability to pick two players who are highly rated in needy positions on the Dallas board is enticing. While you may be inclined to turn the draft off and start your evening after Dallas picks 10th overall, you should still keep an eye on what goes on for the remainder of the first round as the cowboys may not be ready on opening night of the draft.

Exchange day 3 for a “flashing light”

In 2020, the Cowboys exchanged two picks for the fifth round (one for 2020 and one for 2021) to move to the fourth round and select the Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz, headed by Stephen Jones, executive vice president of Cowboys, as “Flashing” was described as light “because of the value it presented in the design at that time.

He was so highly valued that the Cowboys didn’t want to wait to see if he would fall by their fifth round election, so they traded him off, and I think it’s very likely that the team will do something similar to this one Year.

While it would be almost impossible to predict who that “blinking light” might be without knowing firsthand about the Dallas drafting board that no one outside of the organization has, it’s a good bet that some prospects will fall for a round get lower than where the cowboys graded them, which opens the door for them to be interested in a mid-round trade, especially if that prospect is playing in a position of need.

With five picks (# 115, 138, 179, 192, 227) on rounds 4 through 6, the cowboys will have the ammunition they need to trade anywhere on day 3 and get any “flashing light” that may appear, and I think , you will be.

+++

More cowboys coverage from the Dallas Morning News can be found here.

The post three Cowboys commerce alternatives within the NFL draft, plus the professionals and cons of transferring again from No. 10 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

WE NOT IN GENERAL Imagine interior designers who are particularly careful to save their clients money. You’re not bidding on $ 14,000 worth of antique Hungarian chairs or gilding the undersides of piano benches unless you are working for someone with a bottomless bench, right? In fact, designers are often asked to keep an eye on the left side of the ledger – without letting the cost cut down. So 14 of them have skillfully maintained high standards of style using strategies that are economical enough that you can try them out for yourself.

Find free art

At the home of an adventurous family in Orinda, California, designer in San Francisco Kriste Michelini I haven’t invested in expensive art and have authentic surfboards displayed all over the house. “They are the perfect work of art for this beach-loving family who wanted a casual and relaxed atmosphere,” she said.

Semi-Customize Curtains

“I re-used the Pottery Barn linen curtains by adding quality trimmings,” he said Christine Markatos Lowe. The designer from Santa Monica, California hired an upholsterer to lay a light gray modern lace from Samuel and Sons on a blue-gray linen ribbon, and then edged the ivory-colored curtains with the combination. “They looked all made to measure.”

Open dramatic doors

“Color is a necessary finish and an underrated wand,” said Phil Mahlathe New York company Belsey & Mahla. On the doors, architect Benjamin Moore’s New York State of Mind, a deep blue, “used a standard interior design component to make it special,” he said. “A fully saturated shade becomes neutral, and doorknobs, on the other hand, look beautiful.”

Find a finished mural

“We used an old opera stage set that I found at auction instead of the scenic wallpaper we wanted to do,” he said Anne Rainey Rokahr, from Trouvaille Home in Winston-Salem, NC “Cost: $ 400.”

The post Adorning on a Price range: Insider Secrets and techniques From 15 Professionals appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.