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The natural beauty of California is undiminished, but the Golden State’s politics make it a challenging habitat for humans. A new Bay Area survey illustrates the continuing irony of a region where large numbers of residents will tell you how much they enjoy living in the place they are planning to leave. Julia Prodis Sulek reports for the San Jose Mercury News: Electrician David Collins describes living in California and the Bay Area like he’s composing a love letter. “It’s something about the magic in the air of this state, the land,” Collins said. “If you go into the Sequoia National Forest, you smell that little spicy scent that doesn’t exist anywhere else. From the phosphorescent algae in the middle of the night on the ocean, to the giant pumas all around here. It’s all so close to Silicon Valley, it’s just unbelievable.” But Collins’ ode to the place his family has called home for five generations comes with an unexpected
ending: He is making plans to leave it. “I’d love to stay. I worked seven days a week trying to save money to buy a house, and it just kept being unattainable,” the 53-year-old said. “How am I going to retire?”
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