Many people have some trepidation about moving from New Jersey to California. California has a certain reputation, and its stereotypes are frequently shown in the media. However, a resident of New Jersey is equipped to make a successful transition to California. Our NJ to CA movers can help you settle into your new home so you can quickly enjoy your new California lifestyle.
As a trusted NJ to CA moving company, we strive to provide excellent customer service. Our staff goes through extensive training to ensure your items are handled properly and make it safely to your new California home. We offer several services depending on your moving needs.
Our NJ to CA movers carefully wrap and pack your belongings. We provide extra care when handling furniture, televisions, appliances, mirrors, and lamps to keep them secure on their journey to California. We also organize your items into fragile and non-fragile items to ensure delicate items are wrapped and packed safely.
After transporting your items in our truck, we unload your boxes and furniture into your new home. Our NJ to CA movers remove the packaging and can unpack your boxes if you choose that service.
We carefully package and handle your antiques and fine art. We keep them separated from heavy furniture or items that can damage them. We also take special care when moving them into your California home.
We train our NJ to CA movers to move pianos safely. Our professional team uses special equipment to move your piano up and down any number of stairs.
We value those who serve our country, so we provide discounted services to military members moving to California from NJ.
We have secure storage facilities available if you’re not ready to move all of your items into your home or are downsizing while moving to California from NJ.
Our services extend beyond moving to California. We provide several relocation services for moving out of the country.
Some items require special packaging, so we have an in-house carpenter who can build custom crates to keep your belongings safe on the way to California.
Moving to a new state can be scary, especially when you don’t know what to expect. If you’re moving from NJ to CA, here are some tips and information to make the transition a little easier.
New Jersey is an urban state where people are packed together. California has large areas of the state that are mostly empty. Certainly, people in the Los Angeles/San Diego basin and the San Francisco/San Jose area are also packed in closely, but not as close as New Jersey. It takes about 16 hours to go from one end of the state to the other from north to south. Fortunately, California is not very wide; it only takes three to four hours to progress from west to east.
California features a vast choice of biomes to inhabit. It has 700 miles of coastline with multiple beach communities throughout the state. Northern California will give you all you want if you like mountains and snow. Its national park, Yosemite, is arguably one of the best in the nation. You can get lost exploring the redwood forests in Humboldt County; everyone should see these huge redwood trees at least once up close.
Deserts are native to California. These deserts support a variety of outdoor sports and are popular with visitors to the state. Cities such as Palm Springs have sprung up in these areas for people who like heat. The central valley of California, between two mountain ranges, is also very hot. It turns out that with water, this area is excellent for growing just about any crop; this area of California provides most of the fruits and vegetables of the United States. California is blessed with many rivers in the North that offer water to farming areas.
Of course, there are two large urban areas. San Francisco is a center for technology and tourism. The Los Angeles area is known for its entertainment industry, technology and manufacturing, and oil fields. California also has a large military presence in the state at several installations.
California was part of Spain and then part of Mexico. As such, the Hispanic cultures have a long-standing influence on the state. Many places still bear Spanish names, and state laws still include statues from this background. There are also significant populations of Black Americans, Indians, Asians, and even Native Americans. Most of the cities and suburbs are more diverse than New Jersey.
Yes, California is expensive. But, if you’re moving to California from NJ, you may find some things, such as sales taxes and property taxes, are cheaper in California. Why? Because there are so many more people to pay taxes in California. New Jersey has around 4 million people, while California has over 20 million.
In many places, employee salaries are set to consider living expenses in California. Many people commute from the less expensive areas into the cities for work. California has a system of highways and public transportation to support these commutes. Still, rents and housing are awfully expensive, so researching this topic can lead to significant savings because many places in California are still affordable.
California has some of the busiest earthquake faults in the United States. Generally, the ground shakes a bit during an earthquake, and that is it. However, large shakes are possible, and becoming familiar with methods to protect your family from injury during a quake is worthwhile. While non-Californians emphasize the strength of the quake, equally important is how long the quake shakes. Most of the quake damage in the big one in San Francisco occurred because the ground shook for over two minutes. Most quakes are less than 30 seconds.
Yes, it is quite progressive in the two large urban areas. However, even the Los Angeles area has conservative areas, and most of the agricultural and Northern parts of California can be quite conservative in their affiliations. New Jersey tends to be quite progressive as well, so most transplants fit in well with their new neighbors. If you feel most comfortable living with neighbors that support your views, check on the communities where you want to live. You may find yourself surrounded by a group with views quite different than your own.
Most Californians own a vehicle of their own to drive. If you do not use a car in New Jersey, this may not work very well here. While there is public transportation, and it might be possible not to have a car in California, leaving yourself at the mercy of local transportation often means much longer and more frustrating days. It is also more expensive to take public transportation than to drive in most cases. Most locals also stay off the freeways, except where it is impossible to bypass them. California freeways are often multiple structures that can be stories high. This takes some getting used to while driving.
California has many taxes on its gas and a vast network of roads. California car insurance is also some of the most expensive in the nation. It is usually more expensive than in New Jersey to operate a car in California. However, cars in major cities last for years because of the lack of snow in California. A new resident from New Jersey will note many late-model cars still on the road. One way to save is to have a household use one car. Of course, insurance companies are on to this and give nice discounts to those with two or more cars.
In recent years, California has taken great steps to improve education. New rules and laws are being implemented to better schools and colleges. The California Department of Education also regularly conducts surveys to discover ways to improve education.
California loves recycling and you will need to do this, too. Many items, such as plastics, are banned in the state. You will find your state documents such as ballots available in numerous foreign languages besides Spanish and English. Due to recent droughts, many cities are remaking their green areas into water-saving flora.
Seasons in California tend to be less defined in most of the states. Yes, it gets cold in winter, but it rarely snows in most of the state, and days of 80-degree weather happen during any season. It can be very windy in many parts of the state, especially in canyon areas. Thus, many Californians don’t use umbrellas during the rainy season.
California is a large tourist state. As such, during the summer and on weekends, many local attractions are terribly busy. If you can visit these places during the week, you will miss crowds and may even save money. Most destinations have off-season or resident prices, and it is important to take advantage of them.
If you’re planning on moving from NJ to CA but aren’t sure which city to move to, here are some of the most popular cities to consider.
The price of moving to California from NJ depends on the moving company, the exact moving distance, how many items you’re moving, and what services you choose. If you want to work with our NJ to CA movers, you can request a free price estimate to help you plan your moving costs.
California is about 2,888 miles from New Jersey, and it takes roughly 42 hours to drive between the two states.
White Glove is proud to be the only Long-Distance mover in New Jersey & New York to offer, “Long-Distance Price Lock.”
This means the price we quote you before your move is always the price you pay after the move.
No hidden fees, no circumstantial costs, and no nickel or diming you for things you didn’t agree to. That’s one of the ways we make your moving day a White Glove experience. Learn more about other commitments we make to our customers.
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