[Teknoman117]

I ended up getting a tech job in south Orange County (working at a satellite office of a SV company) because I couldn't bring myself to pay Bay Area rent.

I can't even imagining owning a house _here_, let alone in the bay. Buying a house is generally something adults in America aspire to doing, but in California it's basically a mark of wealth. The amount of cash you have to stuff away for a down payment of sufficient size to not be fleeced by the banks is astronomical.

I'm really considering transferring to Austin at some point.

[carlivar]

The weather will always help prop up SoCal real estate (relatively).

[polotics]

That's right: up in flames!

[carlivar]

Shrug. Most regions have natural disasters. Floods and hurricanes seem just as bad if not more. Tornadoes are no cup of tea either. And most Orange County metros probably have less fire risk due to the geography of that area.