I believe it has. I like being around people who think similar to me which I did not have in Southern California. I now have a 2 mile commute to work and people are much nicer and friendlier out here.
I have a much bigger house on 5 acres which is monstrous compared to what you have in Southern California and cost about 60% of my home in CA. Gas currently is $2.85 vs California at $4.40 per gallon. Electricity is much cheaper and now we are centered in the country to speed up delivery to much of the country. Plus I have deer and turkey in the back yard.
My kids were able to buy homes. Where we lived in CA a starter home is $500K and not in any top notch city. This is not obtainable for most young kids starting out. For them, this was a life changing opportunity for them and a major reason I sold my home to move out here.
Overall, I think was a very good, expensive but worth it move for us.
Thanks for checking in on us...