I've had the pleasure of living in nearly every region of the country. Sorry deep south, but the combination of your heat and humidity has kept me away.

Every state has both good and bad points. Having lived in Northern California for over 25 years, 'it's a great place to live and a better place to leave'.

Steve in Las Vegas

I suspect that many of the negatives are coming from people who have never lived in CA or have rarely visited. As mentioned before, it has numerous advantages and disadvantages and you have to weigh the good against the bad. I worked a short time in Rogersville TN in the mid 80's. The prevailing wage, Federal wage scale equivalent to the union, was under $10/hr. The same wage in CA was just under $30. At the time, CA had the 7th largest economy in the world. CA offers diversity in weather, food, communities, people, employment, and lifestyle. I enjoyed the time I was there, had no intention to leave, but (positive) circumstances provided the opportunity to improve our lives by moving to Nevada. It's doubtful that we'll ever find the same quality of fresh produce that we had in CA.

It's easy to find problems in CA, but you'll find a different complaint list for every state. I won't use Detroit to judge Michigan nor the Bronx to judge New York State. Lot's of beauty and opportunities across both states.

Dont forget, the Central Valley is more conservative than the Bay Area too.

I agree. The State also needs to let the utility companies clear the trees and brush around the rural power lines.