The Golden State

Oxnard High school students share their appreciation of California

Tammera Magana and Stephanie Quero

“I think people want to move to California because we have really good weather. It’s always sunny [and] we have the beach, so people could live on the coast. We have so many cool cities in California [like] San Francisco and Los Angeles. There is a lot to do,” said Cristina Garcia, a senior at Oxnard High School.

California, also known as “The Golden State,” is home to approximately 39 million residents, making it the most populated state in the United States. “People from out of state want to move here because it’s sunny in California, [there are] beaches, sand, and snow. California is a place to live because it’s peaceful and it’s kind of suburb,” said senior Antonio Gonzales.

“I was born in California and there is no other state I would want to live in, because I think we have perfect weather, and there are many things to do like going hiking, going to the beach or shopping in Los Angeles,” said senior Ashley Fabillaran.

Although California is over populated, “I don’t think people realize how diverse California is,” said Garcia.

“People should appreciate that things are better here than in some other states. People are different here…they are more accepting towards others than in other states,” said freshman Noah Allure.

“I think people think that everywhere you go there are movie stars and that everyone is a surfer…They have that stereotype, but there are so many different places in California,” said Garcia.

Junior Maribel Ortega said, “California is also home to the UC schools in which many people from all over the world compete for. We have prestigious schools like UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Stanford…Californians tend to forget that others would love just to get accepted to [these] universities and live here.”

However, the cost of living in California is higher than the nationwide average, according to cityrating.com, and it cannot always be afforded. “The houses are expensive [and] the cost of living is expensive, so I know a lot of people move [away] because of that,” said Garcia.

Some people have a different perspective on an ideal state. For example, Rafael Zamarron-Brito “would’ve wanted to be born in Washington because [he] likes the state. It’s woodsy. It’s America.”

“Other people may want to move out-of-state because they have family in other places, and sometimes they move because they think all of California is a ‘big city life’ even though it’s not…they might look for tranquility somewhere else,” said Ortega.

Nonetheless, “California is a place to live because it’s peaceful,” said Gonzales. “You look at California, and it speaks for itself — it’s beautiful.”