avbug,
Once again you made some good points. I guess it is all about where you grow up. I have always lived in big cities (St. Petersburg and Orange County). Orange County is much different from LA, I can see why you dint like it there. Personally I have never lived in LA, just Orange County (that is still SOCAL though). Obviously you got to give some in order to get something back, for example you have the ocean which attracts a lot of people. Resulting in small amount of wild life (unless you want to drive 3-6hrs). I guess it is all about the environment you go up in.
Edik