Problems with California

I would not want to live in California. There are several reasons why not, but the top three illustrate very clearly the quality of life is not all its seems there. First, let me say that I admire several aspects of California, including the startup scene and the nice weather. However, it has come to my attention that these advantages come with trade-offs. California is a very expensive place, and the more successful the area, the more expensive it is. Silicon Valley is one of the most expensive geographical locations on the planet, besting almost every other place in America save Honolulu. For example, the average home in San Francisco costs about $1.35 million, a crazy sum considering that most of these buildings are under 3,000 square feet. California also has high state taxes. These taxes make their wealthy constituents pay ten or hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes every year, a painful burden to be borne. It’s also difficult to start and run a business in California, despite the start-up scene, simply because the state imposes such heavy restrictions and regulations on what businesses can and cannot do. Lastly, California seems a bit politically indigestible. The paradigm is just too liberal. I am not opposed to people being liberal, nor do I think I can only live in a conservative area, but in California, the richer it becomes means the worse it gets. I don’t think that I could be frustrated like that for so long, especially with people (my neighbors) that I’d have to build a symbiotic relationship with.