I lived in SoCal for 7 years, the last 20 in NorCal ... it's like anywhere else, if you're in a big city, lotsa crime, if in the rural areas, generally much better (except for the damned methlabs and tweekers) ... when I tout NorCal, I am not including the Bay Area, for sure ... San Francisco is a beautiful old city, but ruined by liberal excess and crime ... just my opinion, and I have same opinion of all 'cities' ... I'm more the " leave me alone up here on my mountain, and I'll leave you flatlanders alone " sorta guy ... a couple of northern counties are the cheapest cost-of-living in California, which is originally what brought me up here ...