Those born and raised in CA and who love(d) it, did you move away and find a place that you loved and could feel at home?

Please forgive the odd wording.

I was born and raised in So.Cal. I love my state and my city, but if the prop. 8 trial does not go as I beleive it should, the wife and I might consider moving elsewhere, but I don’t know if I could make a home in any other state.

So, have you moved from CA/L.A. to another state and felt like you found a new home? A true home? A place where you love to be, where you feel like you can be yourself and not feel like a freak or an outsider. If so, what do you love about where you live now? Compare it to CA/L.A. if possible.

If I move to another state I need a place where I can marry and have all the same benefits of living in CA. I want a place where I can walk around showing my tattoos and holding my wife’s hand and few will even look twice.

Please do not bash CA or L.A. If you lived here as a child or lived here for a few years, I am not looking for your opinion, I want people who are genuine Californians/Angelenos.

I lived in B.C., Canada for a few months and I loved it, but that choice is not really a possibility.