Left crazy CA years ago, when the kids were born. Big city life is not for families. My kids grew up on 80 acres with a shop, gocart, 100's of trees to climb, an old barn, and dozens of hobbies. Their friends flocked to our place after school and weekends. The closets and shed are crowded with old projects, picces of trebuchets, model rockets, parts of suits of armor, portable forts made of plywood for airsoft wars, even a 7-foot 'siege cow' made of PVC, foam, a pillow and a rubber glove (the udder).
And this place cost very little compared to the insanity of CA real estate. In fact we bought it from the appreciation on a house in downtown San Jose we 'owned' during our four-year hallucination after graduate school, working at startup companies.
I recommend no-one who desires a life and family ever consider moving to CA.