I grew up outside of NYC in the suburbs and lived in Manhattan for many years. After 9/11, the city became unpleasant and we decided to move to my wife’s hometown, Berkeley, California. I had visited California once before (Santa Monica), but I had little experience with the state.
I quickly fell in love with the place and have lived here ever since. I think other states don’t really understand California and have a negative view of it. However, I think if they actually lived here, they would love it as much as I do.
Progressive Culture
My first impression over 20 years ago was that the Bay Area (where I live) was especially advanced in technical know-how. At the time, in New York, I felt that most of the people I knew were tech laggards. Slow to adopt computers, the internet, and even smart phones. In California, I feel the culture is more “early adopter”. Tesla sales were terrific here until Elon showed everyone what an ass he was. Now everyone is embarrassed by their Teslas. Still EV sales from other vendors are excellent.
Politics here is also on the cutting edge. This is where, in 2004, Gavin Newsom first started issuing marriage licenses to gay folks in San Francisco. This is where good governance, civil rights, environmental stewardship, medical ethics, and more get started and turned into laws. Not every law here is perfect, but California is a model for the nation, not something to be derided.
Diversity
California is a huge state with diverse ecosystems. There are mountains, rivers, lakes, beaches, caves, deserts, cities, and more. Some states like Kansas have just big open plains, but California has it all. It’s also a diverse population. I think people who want everyone in the US to look like exactly like English pilgrims miss out on the benefits of different cultures and backgrounds mixing together. The Great American Melting Pot is a virtue and many in this country have lost sight of how our differences can combine to make us stronger.
It’s kind of crazy to me how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion became boogeymen. Kindness to others seems to be a nice thing to have, no?
Economy
In addition to the people diversity, California is the largest, most diverse economies in the country.
California’s GDP in 2024 was $4.1T, representing 14% of the total U.S. economy. If California were a country, it would be the 4th largest economy in the world and more productive than Japan and India.
Source: https://bulloak.com/blog/if-california-were-a-country/
U.S. State 2024 Economic Output
| Rank | State | GDP | % of US GDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $4.1 T | 14.2% |
| 2 | Texas | $2.7 T | 9.4% |
| 3 | New York | $2.3 T | 8% |
| 4 | Florida | $1.7 T | 5.9% |
| 5 | Illinois | $1.1 T | 4% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $1 T | 3.5% |
| 7 | Ohio | $927 B | 3.2% |
| 8 | Georgia | $882 B | 3.1% |
| 9 | Washington | $854 B | 3% |
| 10 | New Jersey | $846 B | 3% |
There is high tech of course, but also agriculture, Hollywood, biotech, manufacturing, research, and more.
California’s agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities. Nearly half of the country’s vegetables and over three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California.
Source: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/
Its an economic powerhouse and every person in the United States should be proud of California for its contribution. When someone in the South or Midwest says they can do without California, I really think they would regret the reality of it.
Weather
There is all kinds of diversity in weather from the Sierra Nevada mountains and Lake Tahoe where you can ski, to death valley where you should be very careful going outside. However, if you live in one of the coastal areas, the weather is pleasant almost all year round. I spent two years in Buffalo, NY, the coldest years of my life. Back then, 50 degrees felt like summer. Now, I get 60-80 degrees almost all year. I don’t really miss the changing of the leaves on the Palisades Parkway in New York. I prefer to be able to play tennis all year.
Summary
No place is perfect and California has its faults. (Pun intended) However, I think California is a pretty great place. Recently, someone said “Gavin Newsome can’t win president because he is from California.” This is why I wrote this post. I think the misinformation and disdain reflects what is wrong with us, not what is right. We should appreciate when states do things well, not tear them down.
Whatya think?