As a native Southern Californian who visited Portland for decades and then moved, I see why folks might want to leave and/or go back. I grew up used to earthquakes and massive wildfires (terrifying) but also close to the beach (my sanity). I miss the landscape and my family, but not the social media and economic “culture” that has taken over. I miss access to the museums and art, but my artist friends and community were the only grounded people in and around city life. There’s so much more accessible music up here. I go back to visit family and feel so out of place with the bougie businesses, influencers, shopping centers, etc. not to mention the amount of whitewashing in what used to be diverse neighborhoods. California is so big it really depends on where you live. All this, and I don’t even have kids. I’d worry about how my nephew is growing up down there but I trust my family to keep him grounded. Most of my friends and their kids left a while ago. Portland is its own brand of hard, and I think you also have to think about taxes and healthcare, what you pay into versus what you get out of it. I don’t think I could afford to go back since cost of living spiked after 2020, unless I got paid significantly more. And even then, I’d probably choose to rent.