Hi Ian,

And welcome to this side of the pond. As for where in California to live, nowhere. It isn't really the bowl of granola (full of fruits, nuts and flakes) that people say, but it is one of the most expensive places to live in the USA. And the areas that are nice (e.g. in the northern parts) are the most expensive. San Francisco and Boston (I know, the other side of the continent) are the two most expensive cities we have.

But you and I share a common benefit, no need to live near jobs. So I would recommend that you start by leasing a motor home and visit some of the mountain and plains states for a month or two before settling in anywhere. Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebreaska, Kansas, Oklahoma, all could make nice choices. Also visit the south and the northeast. Obviously I'd steer clear of Boston/Cambridge, but Deleware and New Hampshire are beautiful. The Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, ..., you get the idea.

I really believe that if you save some of that money you'd spend living in California by tooling around the country for a couple of months, you'll be very happy that you did. There are much better places to live than California.

Joe