Californians, does the quality of life in southern CA (not having to deal with snow, as I do here in WI, for example) outweigh the seemingly ridiculous cost of living? Would you trade being able to pay about 1/3 for things like rent, if it meant you had to deal with cloudy skies, snow, and freezing cold for 4 months of the year? I can't stand the cold, but it's so cheap to live here that I'm not sure I can make the move. Help me weigh the pros and cons...

I live in Italy. I am a professor at Politecnico di Milano. Milano is a northern, business town. Cold in the winter, hot and humid in the summer. I have been visiting UC Irvine every summer since 1998. I was here on 9/11.

I love this area. Many reasons:

1. Nature: you have the ocean but also the mountains nor far from here.
2. Close to wonderful location: Utah, Sierra Nevada (Sequoia, Yosemite, ...), Nevada (Death Valley)
3. Close to Northern California (Silicon Valley, SFO, Big Sur, ...)
4. Lots of business opportunities
5. High-ranked universities nearby (UCLA, UCSD, UCI, USC, ...)
6. Weather. Simply beautiful.
7. I am staying right now in Newport Beach, 10 minute from UCI, 10 minutes from Crystal Cove State Park. flickr.com

That's a great list of pros, Alfonso. So do you head back to Milano in the winter? Aside from being a professor there, would you ever consider moving from Italy and making California your permanent home?

I faced a similar decision 4 years ago and, having now lived in LA for 3 years, have zero regrets. The only thing more valuable than money is time, and "recapturing" many months of bitter inconvenience is priceless.

Adding to list of perks:
1. Nature: desert! Some of the coolest landscapes ever seen in Joshua Tree, Mojave, Coachella Valley, etc. Seriously great camping options.
2. Entertainment: literally the capital of the world. Your biggest conundrum becomes "which of these X awesome events should I pick for tonight?!" Also tons of free events throughout the year that are Not Lame but Awesome
3. Cost of living is arguably high but not quite as high as SF or NY
4. I'm running out of space to list the 800 other things :(

@Mike. In the period 1998-2001 I used to arrive at the end of june and then leave at the beginning of september. Now I can stay here only for a few weeks for business commitments in Italy.

I also had the opportunity to permanently move here. Too difficult for the family, though.

If I were to move to California, I'd likely be based in Culver City, or the immediate vicinity. I love to bike, and I'm trying to be more healthy these days and get exercise every day. Does anyone know of good bike trails within the area? I'm not really a fan of road biking, I prefer a dedicated trail. Not being able to bike in the winter here in Wisconsin (or really do anything outside from about December through March) is really miserable for me. I think Southern CA would change that (obviously).

I spend most of my time in Orange County and here the opportunities to bike are countless.