Based on your lifestyle I think Texas makes a lot more sense than SD County. If I didn’t surf and if my extended family didn’t live in the area, I’d basically have no reason to live in Carlsbad. I can’t stand the yuppie scum with whom I have to share these roads, I’m not big into the nightlife or entertainment and I’d never drive down to the beach to hang out on the sand or watch the sunsets.
I have a friend whoes wife got transferred to Minneapolis for work. He says the people there are so much nicer than here that it’s not even close. Apparently, there are still areas of the nation where the first question out of someone’s mouth when they meet you does not involve what you do for work, where you live and what kind of car you drive.