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Not anymore, but CA, OR and WA are still among my favorite places anywhere.
Realizing, as a middle class person, that I have to go somewhere more affordable was good and bad, but that's how it always is. There's pros and cons anywhere you live.
I think the golden age and best time to live in California has come and gone.
For middle-class or working-class people, a southeastern state like North Carolina would offer a much better standard of living and overall quality of life than the west coast. At least that is my opinion.
The weather on the west coast is soooo overrated. For the most part, the Continental US has pretty decent weather as long as you don't mind seasonal variation. I don't deny 70 degrees and an ocean is nice, but you don't get the absolute beauty of a morning sun after a freezing rain or frost, the beauty of a blizzard, the excitement of a wild thunderstorm, the acres and acres of green forest, or the autumn blaze out on the west coast. There's benefits and drawbacks everywhere.
Plus there's a lot of places in the world with a climate similar to Cali, such as Mexico City, cities in the highlands of Columbia, the north African coast, South Africa...
The weather on the west coast is soooo overrated. For the most part, the Continental US has pretty decent weather as long as you don't mind seasonal variation. I don't deny 70 degrees and an ocean is nice, but you don't get the absolute beauty of a morning sun after a freezing rain or frost, the beauty of a blizzard, the excitement of a wild thunderstorm, the acres and acres of green forest, or the autumn blaze out on the west coast. There's benefits and drawbacks everywhere.
Plus there's a lot of places in the world with a climate similar to Cali, such as Mexico City, cities in the highlands of Columbia, the north African coast, South Africa...
Mexico City gets most of its rainfall in the summer months. That's nothing like the west coast. Other than that, some parts of South Africa, the Mediterranean, a small strip in South America and parts of Australia are basically the only places in the world with a similar climate.
Not to mention, from Monterey all the way to the Canadian border you can experience acres and acres dense green forests. With trees over 300 feet tall if that's your thing.
Getting too crowded in the cities due to lack of rural areas. (The California/Nevada deserts are mostly U.S. government lands.)
Los Angeles has become more crowded since my last visit 3 1/2 years ago. Las Vegas is growing but is running out of land.
I would live on the West Coast in a heartbeat but the cities are way too crowded for my liking. Good scenery, weather, and cultural/epicurean amenities but way too many people in an abnormal, geographically large sprawl.
Southern California is not the entire West Coast, either, and most people in the thread seem to assume it is. San Diego, Ca to Bellingham, Wa is about 1,400 miles. That leaves a lot of "west coast" outside LA and the Bay area.
Great question. I've thought about this a few times over the years and always reach the same conclusion. If I moved from the Midwest to the west coast my quality of life would likely diminish. Maybe by a lot.
I doubt I would land in nearly as nice of a neighbor as I live in today. With a great school district (top 10 in the state), plenty to do, lots of parks, green space and natural beauty near by. Cost of housing has a real impact on quality of life and takes money that can be used for other things.
If I moved to the west coast I would still have to work my 9 to 5, and then come home from work and do the chores that home owners and parents have to do. I would likely spend more time commuting, stuck in traffic. I can't see my life improving if I went west.
Having mountains and an ocean close by would be a plus. I suspect after the new wears off and real life takes hold, most locals don't visit those things very often.
Imo, West coast only has great quality of living if one has a fairly decent income. Other parts of the country offer a better VALUE for quality of life. If I was very wealthy I would love to own a cliff house somewhere on the coast around San Francisco, to me personally that would be near the highest quality of life. Great weather, great hospitals, attractions, international flight, wine country, skiing, boating/yachting, awesome restaurants, friendly people. The downside of course is cost. I couldn't afford that lifestyle. I maintain a higher quality of life here in Kansas than I could in most places on the west coast for the income I have.
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