I don't mean this entirely to be a personal attack, but you talk like you grew up in wealthy, coastal California, like La Jolla or Beverly Hills. Compared to that, everywhere else in the world might seem poor and scary. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and the weather here is way nicer (cooler and drier in the summer and better winters), to start. Also, the people here are among the most friendly I've ever found. All you have to do is say hi and you may find yourself in an hour long conversation or with a new friend. Yes, there are jobs, and the pay, while lower than California, is consistent with the cost of living, which is next to nothing. I have a large apartment in a cool neighborhood and pay 1/3 of what I paid to live in the valley back in LA. There's no comparison. As for people being miserable here, that's just not backed up by the numbers. People stay here and love it their lives over, whereas native flight from California has never happened at a higher rate. And, man, if I had a dime for every California transplant I've met here that swears never to return to California...well, then I might have enough money to be able to do just that. And Santa Fe is a boring, small town with an overblown ego brought on because of its snooty art scene which you can only call culture if you have the millions to partake in it. There, I said it.
mj3billion | Winnetka, CA | Report Abuse