“For all its forward-thinking companies and liberal social and environmental policies, the state has mostly put higher-value jobs and industries in expensive coastal enclaves, while pushing lower-paid workers and lower-cost housing to inland areas like the Central Valley.”
Conor Daugherty, “California Is Booming. Why Are So Many Californians Unhappy?” (N.Y. Times)
As a native Californian who has made a home in the Midwest for more than 20 years, I can’t imagine going back. I have family there, yes, but the state’s exorbitant cost of living alone makes it deeply unappealing.