While I can't stand most of the greater LA area... its no worse than Toronto, and still a lot better than Baltimore.
But here's the thing... come Thanksgiving, we decide whether we want to drive half an hour to go boating in the warm sun, or drive 2 hours to go snow skiing at 10,000 feet.
California has the deepest forests, and the severest desert... more coastline than any State other than Florida and Alaska- but without the ice and the swamp... Its the home of the most advanced technology, and cutting edge in entertainment.
And despite is massive population, the State is so vast that it is still mostly empty... plenty of wild and isolated spaces.
National parks to rival anything shy of yellowstone...
The Conservatives have spent a lot of effort in convincing the flyover states that California is the modern babylon... the source of everything from Gay Pride... to Liberal Education.
That's okay... if being pro california puts you on the outs with the stupidest, most intolerant, and backwards forces in the Nation... then it puts me on the right side of history.