[bcantrill]

Just allow room for different points of view. I grew up in Colorado and became suffocated by the intense desire for "quality of life" -- it felt like the only people that moved to Colorado to be the best at what they do were in extraction industries. After having left (fled) Colorado for school, I moved out to Silicon Valley 20 years ago, and have since settled in the East Bay (where we have three school-age kids) -- and I will live here as long as the industry's epicenter is here.

I think it's great that you're happy in Colorado, and there's certainly a lot to love about the state (go Broncos!) -- but definitions of "quality of life" vary, and some might actually include some of the things that you didn't/don't like about the Bay.