Tips on getting started when moving to a new state (PA to CA)?

I'm a Pennsylvanian who did this too, 38 years ago, fresh out of grad school, and it worked fine. With no prep, we drove during the Woodstock concert, arrived around the time of the moon landing, and rented our first apartment at the time of the Charles Manson killings (and right near the second family that was killed, to boot)! Welcome to the big city! Sooo, I have spent all this time here, the first five years learning that it's a very different place culturally, all 38 years missing my family, and the last five years plotting my return home. My husband and I have just bought a live-work studio in my home town (see my nick) where we plan to spend the temperate months and hang our shingles for our professional practices as well. But we've come to love Southern California, as I'm sure you will. Take it at your own pace. If sports journalism is your future, you need to be near the studios and the internet hubs, as print journalism is in such dire straits now. As for just where to live, assuming you just have to experience Southern CA, check craigslist, the ultimate source. If you can find steady work, grab it, and try to get your transportation provided for, as all is so costly, and if you are covering games, it will require a lot of running around, so you should not have to pay for it yourself. At this point, given that situation, and the fact that the beach is SO costly, I would start out by living near work, and later on evaluate the cost-benefit of living at the beach once you have the lay of the land and your situation. As one Pennsylvanian (kinda) to another, good luck!

I agree w/ the last answer. First you need to get estimates on how much it's going to cost to move your stuff. ABF will freight your stuff out or you can rent a truck from budget or u-haul. I rented from budget as their trucks are newer/nicer. I moved from Ohio so I did most of the drive you will be doing. Unless you freight your stuff and fly. As money is a problem then I'm assuming you won't have movers doing this for you. I'm cheap that's why I didn't have movers. I started my move w/ about 10K and I wiped it out pretty quick. My move took 5 days from Ohio. Stopping in (1)(I-70W)St. Louis, (2)(southbound high way)Oklahoma City, (I-40W)(3)Albequerque, and (4)Needles, CA to LA (5). The drive is through mountainous and hilly terain in southern MO, and on I-40 from NM to CA. So if you don't have much experience driving a big rig w/ everything you own and your car towed by it on a trailer (as most of us don't, me included) then bring a spotter so you can back that thing up. It was pretty interesting driving the moving truck, I got the hang of it by the 4th day. 5K for rent and deposit. 2K+ for the moving truck, about 2K for gas/food/lodging, and finally the rest for utilitiy connection and start up cost. Moving from apartment to home. The closer to the beach you are the more expensive it is, even though the water is too cold to swim in and the weather is too cold for my taste, it's still a status symbol living close to the beach. If you want to be close to the beach I'm sure you'll figure out a way to do it, but I'm sure your not going to have a sprawling bachelor pad. Probably a 500 sq. foot studio. Proximity to the ocean cost $$$$$$$$$. The beach will be close to 70 degrees daily, moving inland it will be about 80, then the valleys will be from 90-100+ degrees. It's not like PA where it's probably the same temp everywhere. It really cools down at night too, a good hoodie or jacket is a must. Another thing to consider: Do you plan on saving and eventually buying a home? If so you might want to get some work experience and save money close to home. My wife and I are both professionals and still find it hard to really save a substantial amount of money. Many people will tell you that you get paid more b/c it cost more to live here, you will get paid more, but it won't be enough to negate rent that is double(+) your rent in PA, gas that cost more, utilities that cost more, groceries that cost more, etc. Granted, housing prices are going down here, but the bad thing about housing prices falling is that rent prices aren't and won't, b/c people losing homes are now renting. Housing: found both my homes (not apartments) on craigslist.com, if looking for an apartment I'd go w/ rent.com or apartments.com. The cost for a home in the valley vs. an apartment at the beach is much different. Research: Fly out here for a week, visit all the places you want to think about living. Then research some more then fly back and secure a job and then a place to live close to your work. Gas is expensive and you will waste most of it sitting on our wonderfully expansive freeway system. I've lived here for 2 years and I am just now kinda getting a grasp on all the places to live here. Be prepared to: Spend a lot of money and to hate it at first but as time goes on you'll find that you'll love it here and can't imagine going home. Time to get to work. Best of luck. response: hey don't get offended that I said to stay at home and save money. My wife and I make excellent money and we still have a hard time saving. If I would have known how much it was going to cost here I would have waited another year and saved. If you get a job in your internship, then fine, move out. I feel like your attacking my sound advice b/c you think you know better than me; a person that makes very good money, that is married to another person that makes very good money, and has already done the move and currently lives here. obviously you know better than me. if you don't like any of the advice you just got from all of us, then simply repost the question until someone tells you what you want to hear. I know not everyone's situation is the same but there are some of the same realities involved w/ making a move across the country and living in a place that is very expensive to live in. So if you wanted me to say hey just pack up your stuff and show up and pretend that is the best way to go about it then, I'm sorry, I think you should note our advice and formulate a sound plan for yourself. Don't just pack up your stuff and show up, it takes a lot of money to live here. Most of the areas close to the beach areas aren't desirable. It's either live on the west side, live on the beach, or live about 40 miles from the beach, period. Actually I hear that culver city is nice in some areas. Check that out.