California is too expensive to live in long term honestly. I just moved from there.
Try living in the Bay Area on $45,000 a year. I dare you. You'll have a tiny little box to live in, and you'll spend an extra 25% on everything from food to gas to energy to water. It's just not worth it.
Oregon, now that's what I'm talking about! I spend $100 less per month for a 1,600sqft 2bd/2ba up here than I did on a 600sqft studio in San Jose, CA. My power bill is lower. Water bill is lower. Food budget is smaller. Fuel budget is smaller.
Basically, I get a whole bunch better stuff for less. I'm still close to the beach, and the snow, and the scene in Portland is pretty hip if you're a city guy.
I can go on and on about Oregon all day.
If you were to go to California, I'd stick in the Southern Sierras. Kings Canyon area, east of Fresno. Puts you with a few hours of Vegas, LA, Fresno, Bakersfield... Except you have a snow pack and clean water
Norcal is 100% locals only, even being from Santa Cruz, CA I didn't fit in in Trinity Co. They're this kind of Hollierthanthou-granola flakes gun toting cousin screwing weirdos. It's like the Appalachians of the west coast. Oregonians have a different speed to them, and they couldn't care less about where you're from. We are all transplants up here.
It's terrible... but sometimes I admire that communal lifestyle. Just seems so relaxed. I think Communism works on the small scale, maybe up to 30 individuals (like the book/movie
The Beach), but I still can't ignore personal freedom and liberty. Cannot deny what makes us human. I just wish there were more places like that now, with farms and orchards and all the things you really need to live a happy life in a tiny valley on this large planet of ours.