I was not a native New Yorker, but I lived on the UWS for a ling time. Then, I made the jump to Southern California, mostly due to the nice weather out here.
Although we are currently in the middle of a drought, and very recently went through a heat wave, I still very much enjoy the weather.
I'm a morning person, so that even on hot days, I can take advantage of the cool AM temps and walk my dog up and down our hilly streets. We are also ocean-close, but not in a beach city, so some mornings, I take her for a long relaxing walk near the water. I also go there mid-week.
I'll admit that even though I am always security conscious, I have no real worries about walking around at that time; and that's a real bonus to living here.
Drought or no drought, I appreciate the year-round abundance of trees, shrubs, parks and flowering plants. My city uses a lot of drought-tolerant plants, as well as recycled waste water, and that means we still see greenery.
My city was also built on top of a hill range, and code requirements
generally prohibit the construction of anything greater than 3 stories in height. That means that we have some very nice views. For example, it's not unusual to glance over and see distant snow-capped mountains in the wintertime, while casually strolling along in 65 degree temps.
The tallest building on the city, an insurance company, is only 9 stories high, but it sits atop the highest hill in the city and does not obstruct much. Other office buildings of about 4 stories are clustered together in the center of the city. Still, given the hilly terrain, even their occupants usually have nice views.
Housing, although expensive, is a relative bargain in comparison to NYC. What's more, just about everyone ( homeowners, but not all renters) has an attached garage. So, there are no concerns about finding a parking space once you get home. I definitely don't miss alternate-side-of-the-street parking.
Traffic is crazy on the freeways and main surface street arteries, but slow and manageable inside housing developments where I live.
The same is true regarding noise. You can truly relax once you get home.
I do miss NYC's great cultural vibe, architecture, and wide choice of restaurants, but you can never have it all.
PS
I live in Aliso Viejo, but no one has ever heard of it.
For a point of reference, we neighbor Laguna Beach. There are a lot of NYC transplants here. That might be because we are not a traditional SoCal burb, in that we are densely populated with a preponderance of apartments, townhouses and condos, as opposed to a lot of SFRs. We small (7.47 sq mi). People mingle.
PS to the PS
I almost forgot to mention that there is plenty of fresh produce all year-round.
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