I did notice that the graphic doesn't mention any difference in company culture or the quality of the engineers in the Valley. I plan to move my family from Texas to the Valley soon.
According to the graphic this move doesn't really make financial sense but can anyone speak to the engineering culture in the Valley and the advantages it has over other areas?
The great thing about the valley is that there are so many tech companies there. If your company culture is poisonous, you can switch to a different company without uprooting your family.
Stock options actually incentivize you to switch every 2-4 years, unless your current company hits it big.
There's no social stigma to switching companies for a better opportunity. Do a good job for a while and you'll develop a network of former co-workers who help you get new jobs.
Overall the family quality of life is very good. It's one big suburb, and the schools are not the greatest, and the South Bay can get pretty boring for teenagers, but the weather is outstanding, and people are generally pretty nice. Since everybody's from somewhere else it is fairly easy to form new friends.
(I don't want to freak you out about the schools -- they are not that bad, especially if you account for the large immigrant and ESL population. It is unfortunately quite expensive to buy a house in a good school district.)
Oh, and the fruits and vegetables are really good!
Good luck!