California Columnist Weighs Return to Los Angeles From Rochester, New York

A Southern California writer is weighing whether to move home.

Rafael Perez, a columnist for the Southern California News Group, moved from Los Angeles to Rochester, New York, several years ago to attend graduate school. With his studies complete, he is deciding between staying in Rochester and returning to Los Angeles, where he was born and raised.

Perez describes Rochester in positive terms. He calls the city green, beautiful, and sparsely populated. He says the bitter cold there brings him joy, and he notes that housing in Rochester costs less than it does in California. He points readers toward listings on Zillow to see the difference for themselves.

The column also catalogs reasons people criticize Los Angeles and California. Perez writes that the COVID-19 pandemic produced only a temporary dip in traffic congestion. He says political campaigns for state and local offices repeatedly cited affordability as a talking point, noting the state often ranks near the bottom in affordability rankings.

California nevertheless holds almost 40 million residents, and the city of Los Angeles holds almost 4 million. Perez argues the state is not losing population in net terms, though he acknowledges many people depart and cite affordability concerns as their reason.

Perez lists several reasons he believes California remains a desirable place to live. He describes the state's beaches, deserts, forests, and mountains as a concentration of the world's natural landscapes. He writes that California's residents are kinder and more genuine than outsiders often assume, and he says people arrive from diverse origins, bringing their cultures and cuisines with them.

He frames affordability as one measure of wellbeing, with access to personally enriching experiences serving as another. In that second measure, he writes, California is second to none.

The deciding factor for Perez is proximity to family and friends. He says he would have moved back near his family even if they lived somewhere less exciting. As he prepares to leave Rochester, his second home, he writes that returning to California is an easy choice. Perez can be reached at rafaelperezocregister@gmail.com.