Try living elsewhere, then you'll see how much California rocks in comparison.

I grew up in San Diego, never appreciated it fully until I left.

Did this same conversation take place some months ago, or am I having one wicked case of deja vous?

California is a huge state with many different experiences - what city do you live in?

I lived in Pasadena for about a year. Between having to drive forever to get anywhere in dense traffic, the intense smog, and the lack of a cultural core - it made for a terrible experience.

San Francisco, on the other hand, is hard to beat.

After visiting Palo Alto for three months when I was five, I lived in Chile for fourteen years. I just got back to Palo Alto two weeks ago, and it's indescribably awesome.

Central CA is rarely representative of most people's perception of the state.