Well I guess I can givem ore of a perspective than most as I went to college in the most liberal of all places, Eugene Oregon, University of Oregon. Also spent 3 years in the Army, stationed in the midwest (Missouri). Business travel keeps my perspectives in line.
I get paid well, not insanely well but I am 3yrs out of college, someone with 6yrs in Portland Oregon gets paid less than I do! Sure I can't buy a house, my rent is $1500/month and the average house in Silicon Valley is around $550K now. Remember this is not a small town, Bay Area has 6.5 million people in it. Oakland-San Fran-San Jose so wherever you go its spendy, no moving 40 miles away to escape the costs, its all spendy!
Weather here in the BAY rarely gets over 85, I live in the South bay so we don't have Fog like San Fran. We rarely drop below 40 in the winter at night, and average daily highs in Winter is around 65.
Tahoe is 3.5hrs away, Reno is 4hrs and hell Santa Cruz beach is a scenic 30 minute drive. Napa Valley is an hr drive, Laguna Seca 1hr, Infineon -Sears Point 1hr, I have performing arts, pro sports, eclectic people, business people, and the traffic isn't all that horrible.
Sure it cost me over $30 to fill my tank at Costco today, Damn Arizona pipeline! but my car has no rust, looks showroom on the underside and few potholes. No snowtires either!
Lots of illegals but they help keep the costs down. I like the different cultures and I like my daughter growing up around it. Best damn Taquerias! She is becoming quite worldy and [flame suit on] The Indians, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese all promote good study skill in my daughters classrooms.[/off] Mexicans are the worst in the schools and we live in a decent enough area and know the school district to have her in a well to do school.
Liberalism, honestly, I don't see it. I am a consultant in the finance function and I deal with start-ups and big business in the tech industry everyday, everyone is looking at how to make a buck. Economics = Republicans.
Us Nor-Cal'ers don't want to move down south to So Cal, we feel the people there are fake! All about the hair, cars, makeup and plastic (.)(.). We enjoy the outdoors more up here, and things people on the East Coast and midwest always forget is since the West was inhabitaed last by the settlers we have tons of land set aside for State and National parks. Our beaches are pristine!
I loved Boston, my favorite palce outside of the area, people were highly educated just like here, few manufacturing jobs keeps the area beautiful as well. No smog in the Bay, and a crisp breeze nightly blows out all the pollutants to the hills.
Dallas was nice, big city feel but too damn flat and hot. No mountians and a long drive to the Ocean.
Birmingham....... the south forget about it! Whole south feels ignorant, people just didn't seem too intelligent to me. I know I'm stereotyping, but that how it felt in Memphis, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.
St. Louis...... like it, but damn cold in the winters and the humidity! Skiing? Where exactly is the nearest Mountin, your Ozarks hils don't count!
Props to the west coast for having no large insects, no water dwelling snakes, no snapping turtles and HIGH environmental standards. I'll gladly pay my taxes to keep the water/air clean!
Earthquakes.......sure last one was in 1988 but we rarely have floods, no Tornados, No Hurricanes, and No snowstorms.
When I decide I want to buy a house, I'll move, until then I save my cash and enjoy the weather and the scenery
Say what you want but I love this state!
'00 Blk CSVT #1087/2150 built 12/23/99
...no one has left this state in 20 yrs