All of my grandparents lived in SoCal, so that was our family's base. I well remember when parts of Anaheim were "way out in the country."
On trips down to that area, we'd often stop at road side vegetable stands and get roasted peanuts, watermelons, cantaloupes, berries, etc. I can still remember the (seemingly) endless fields and orchards off the road side.
Today, it's solid city mass from Santa Clarita, all the way past Santa Ana and beyond.
Your uncle is like a lot of folks who get crowded out by encroaching cities. They finally sell out to the developers and move further out to get their peace and serenity back.
The same process is underway right now in my own town outside of Dallas, Texas. My wife and I drove around for hours outside of town looking for a good rural area to buy our next place.
In 2013, I visited Waxahachie. That seems to be well away from the urban sprawl of Dallas.