North or south, always a dichotomy! Each possesses attributes that are polar opposites. Wherever you look around the world there is always a split between the two. Northern and Southern Europe; North and South Korea, Vietnam … The Northeast and the South in the U.S.A., Northern and Southern Italian cuisine! I have heard it explained like this: the north represents the brain, the south the body. You will have to search the planet to find discrepancies; places that come easily to mind seem to fit the description.
But let us turn our attention somewhat closer to home: Northern and Southern California. Many have written on the differences and their individual preferences; a rivalry surely exists. I have read that there is an old California saying that goes like this: San Francisco (representing the north) is an easy city to love but not to live in. L.A. (the southern hub) is just the opposite. Let’s examine this.
It’s true that most statewide political influence hails from the north: Gov. Jerry Brown, Attorney General Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom all hail from San Francisco, and both California senators are from the north. Then there’s Silicon Valley, that northern concentration of tech savvy and entrepreneurial muscle. At the same time, the influence of popular culture embodied in the L.A. entertainment industry is not to be sneezed at. And we also know Southern California is positively dripping in money and more money. NoCal has Berkeley; SoCal UCLA, probably a draw for smart kids.
There is a hilarious picture I found depicting the two cultures. The NoCal shot shows a bunch of itinerant hippies just hanging out; the SoCal shot naturally a group of Baywatch beach bunnies. Does that sum it up? The north is cooler in temperature and cooler heads seem to abide the climate; it tends toward the liberal left. The south tends to be a bit more conservative in general, though not to the extreme. There’s definitely more of a concentration on beauty, good looks and the physical down south; maybe because folks are so much more exposed in the yummy warm weather.
Climate does play a big part in the north/south distinctions. The foggy cooler climate in NoCal helps to make folks more inward; the reverse is true in the south. People in Southern California are out a lot; there are a million places to go, and you’ve got to look good. But of course, NoCal is no slouch when it comes to dining out and taking in some “cool” entertainment.
Since this is basically a real estate column, we must now turn to discussion of the real estate market north and south. Southern California is more congested and has more people per land mile than the north and housing choices are very varied, from relatively inexpensive apartment rentals to hilltop or beachside mansions. Generally speaking, Northern California and especially the Bay Area are more expensive, though many say that higher wages tend to compensate.
The Movoto home inventory report tells us that NoCal homes are selling more rapidly than SoCal ones. Four northern counties show 40 percent of inventories on the market less than 30 days; this ratio is lower than 25 percent in SoCal. The least expensive place to buy a house in SoCal is Barstow; the highest numbers are found in Atherton in San Mateo County. The three most expensive zip codes in SoCal are Bel Air, Newport Beach and Malibu. Pacific Heights in NoCal came in as the third most expensive zip code in California, north or south, with an average list price of $5.4 million.
So, what’s your pleasure? North or south? Many say that the differences are lessening and the newest rivalry in the state may now be between east and west, the coastal region now becoming one big bloc and the less populated, less fashionable east, standing out in contrast. Whatever, we love it all! Long live California!
Del Phillips is a California Licensed Real Estate agent. He is a member of the National, California and San Diego Association of Realtors. You can reach Del at Ascent Real Estate at 619-298-6666 or at Del@DelPhillips.com DRE LIC #01267333.
