I lived through the golden era of Southern California: 50s, 60, 70s. A truly blessed time.
Except for the smog.
I lived in SoCal from 1962 when my dad was stationed at Norton AFB. I graduated from SDSU in 1978 and all 3 of my kids were born in Long Beach. In 1996 we left for AZ, which was the best decision we ever made.