Kansas to SO Cal to Bakersfield. There are worse places.
Ain't that the truth. Pick your poison, different choices, and what some people enjoy is opposite of others.
For instance, one of my daughters lived in Salina, Kansas for a few years. A lot of people wouldn't be able to stand it, boring small town. But I would probably like it. Wife and I went shopping on the main street, not another soul in sight. Shopkeepers talked our ears off. We asked them when the busy time was. They said this is it. We visited Kansas City, not far away, and totally different. Yes, streets lively, but scary. As a senior, I'll take boring. Daughter and family moved to Austin, TX, more to her liking as it's more lively. As for Bakersfield, yes it's pretty bad, but some like all the open space all around. As much as people knock SF, it's got a lot going for it compared to most places (and no, it's not full of gays as most have been leaving the last couple decades).