Californian chiming in. I'm a hardcore democratic leftist...I'm still considering moving out of California and into a more "purpley" state.
Cost of living here is bonkers. I have several friends who moved to "redder" pastures (Arizona, Colorado, Florida) and they're all living nicer than I am at a fraction of the cost.
It's not all it's cracked up to be...I love the Golden State, but living here is slowly becoming untenable for anybody not well off already.
I've got connections in Colorado Springs and Austin...anybody from there wanna tell me what the job market is like?