I liked the low taxes/few government services way of doing things in New Hampshire, as well as the emphasis that voters and politicians placed on the importance of being left alone. Taxes are way higher in California, and while I get that keeping big cities running is expensive, does it have to be that expensive? I suspect that it doesn't, especially since even with all that tax money the Bay Area (the part of California that I'm familiar with) is not very pleasant compared to some big cities in other states, including states with lower taxes. It's true that the Bay Area, rather than those other cities, is the biggest tech hub in the country, but I suspect that that's the case despite of rather than because of the taxes and what they do and don't pay for.

(I'm not 100% confident in my claims about the Bay Area. I've spent a lot of time there but I haven't ever lived there full-time.)