California Has Incredible Geography — So Why Are People Leaving?

California has almost everything a person could want. From lengthy and warm sunny beaches, to vast mountains for hiking and skiing, from expansive majestic deserts, to lush and verdant forests. And on top of it all, it has a climate that is generally thought of as pretty amazing. It's this exact geography that has attracted and kept almost 40 million people. But if the state has a nearly perfect geography, why did so many people leave between 2020 and 2023? It's often been said that California has the perfect climate. And while that's an entirely subjective claim, what's perhaps true is that its overall geography is uniquely amazing compared to almost any other state in the country. And we're going to explore why that might be the case and why despite this nearly perfect geography, a lot of people have left California in recent years for greener pastures. Also, if you're interested in fascinating geography, then check out my podcast episode all about the geography of the petroleum industry. Together we'll trace how the world became so dependent on a resource that is incredibly pollutant and destructive to the natural environment. Check out that episode right now, right here on YouTube or whatever app you prefer. All links are in the description below. California, stretching from the Mexican border along the Pacific Ocean for nearly 900 miles, is one of the most geographically diverse states in the entire country. From its vast coastal expanses to rugged mountain ranges, verdant forests, and stark deserts, California's physical geography offers a microcosm of the natural beauty found throughout the entire United States. Starting in the west, the state's coastal region is defined by the Pacific Ocean and features both long sandy beaches in the south and dramatic rocky cliffs, particularly prominent along the central coast near Big Sur where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop suddenly into the ocean. This dramatic coastline is prone to fog and receives steady marine influences, moderating temperatures, and contributing to the unique Mediterranean ecosystems found throughout the state. But it's inland California where the true magic happens. The Central Valley is an extremely fertile region that stretches approximately 450 miles from north to south. Sandwiched between the coastal range to the west and the more imposing Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east, this valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, but more on that later. From there, the landscape rises suddenly to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, running north to south along the eastern flank of the state. The Sierra Nevadas include the highest peak in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, which rises to 14,505 feet. This range is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, including Yosemite Valley, which was sculpted by ancient glaciers. The mountains are also a critical water source, with snowmelt feeding rivers and reservoirs that supply water to much of the state. Finally, to the east of the Sierra Nevadas lies the Great Basin, a region characterized by arid desert landscapes that include part of the Mojave Desert and the lesser-known but equally stark Great Basin Desert. These areas are noted for their extreme temperatures and sparse rainfall, creating challenging living conditions but also unique habitats for a variety of plants and animals adapted to such environments. In 1913, Death Valley recorded an air temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, which continues to be the hottest ambient air temperature ever recorded on the planet. Further south, the transverse and peninsular ranges stretch across the state from west to east, differing from most of California's north-south mountain trends. These ranges include significant peaks and are home to the San Andreas Fault, a major tectonic boundary that has shaped much of the region's geologic history through earthquakes. California has an incredible physical geography, and it's this exact geography that has enabled much of the population boom and economic activity that the state has enjoyed throughout much of its history. But before we get to the history of California, if you're enjoying this video, hit that subscribe button. More fun geography videos are just a single click away. Before we get to California the state, we have to talk about the native peoples who recognized the geographic wealth California had for millennia before colonization. According to historians, over 300,000 individuals from approximately 100 different tribes lived across California, each with unique languages, cultures, and social structures. Societies like the Chumash along the southern coast excelled in seafaring and trade, while groups like the Hupa in the north were more reliant on the abundant resources of the forests. Regardless, each tribe thrived on the bounty of California's geography, but it would actually take quite a while for European colonizers to recognize what existed all along. The first European to lay claim to the region was the Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542, though it wasn't until the late 1700s that Spain began to actively colonize California. But again, this had nothing to do with Spain recognizing California's incredible geography. Rather, this effort was part of a larger strategy to protect their North American territories from encroachment by the British and Russians. Missions, presidios, and pueblos were established as parts of the Spanish mission system, aiming to convert indigenous populations to Christianity and integrate them into the colonial economy. The Spanish rule lasted until 1821 when Mexico gained independence and California became part of the First Mexican Empire and then quickly thereafter, the First Mexican Republic. Under Mexican rule, large tracts of lands called ranchos were granted to both Mexican citizens and foreign settlers in order to fuel migration to the state. But despite these efforts, Mexico's hold on California was tenuous due to the remote location and the new republic was never able to really muster a mass migration to the area. This inevitably led to the United States taking an interest in the region. The US interest in the west coast grew in the mid-1800s driven by the belief in manifest destiny. In the northwest, the US tangled diplomatically with the British over the Oregon Territory, but the US was keen on the southwest regions as well. This culminated in the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 where a group of American settlers in Sonoma declared independence from Mexico and established the kind of, sort of, independent California Republic. This short-lived independence ended during the Mexican-American War when US forces captured the territory. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ceded California and the rest of northern Mexico to the United States and it became its own state in 1850. This annexation would prove to be a huge boon for the United States. No other single state in the country would provide or offer as much to the country as a whole. And it all starts with the findings of a little glitter of gold. From these tumultuous beginnings, California has grown to become a global hub of technology, culture, and environmental innovation, all enabled by what some consider to be the perfect geography. California has a nearly perfect geography. It's almost astounding in just how perfectly things have lined up for the state. In fact, even in the very beginning of its statehood was its unique geographic bounty primed to launch the state into prominence. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 triggered what would become the California Gold Rush, an event that almost immediately and dramatically transformed the state. For decades, Spain and Mexico tried to entice settlers to move to the region to no avail. But then, in its first year as part of the United States, the lure of gold would open the floodgates. Thousands of prospectors, known as 49ers, arrived, and with them came an economy that would give the state its first boom. Between 1850 and 1860, the state's population grew from 92,000 people to nearly 380,000. Though it's worth pointing out that this population boom also led to the further displacement and active genocide of the indigenous populations. From there, California's natural geography enabled the state we see today. Of course, one of the most significant geographic assets of California is its extensive coastline along the Pacific Ocean. This provides unparalleled access to international shipping routes, facilitating trade with Asia and rest of the Americas. Ports like Los Angeles and Long Beach are among the busiest in the world, serving as vital hubs for importing goods and exporting California's agricultural produce and technological products. And while Oregon and Washington both have extensive coastlines, neither have natural harbors that are as readily accessible. San Diego and San Francisco have arguably the best natural harbors in the country, and Los Angeles has the termini of several prominent rail companies, becoming the location of one of the largest ports in the world. Inland, the Sierra Nevada and coastal mountain ranges influence the state's climate in highly beneficial ways. The mountains capture moisture from the air as it moves from the Pacific Ocean over California. While this creates a rain shadow effect over Nevada, it holds water through snowpack in the mountain regions and supplies the Central Valley with the necessary water for agriculture via an intricate system of aqueducts and managed waterways. This valley, protected by mountains on either side, serves as the agricultural backbone of California and provides the United States with approximately one-third of its vegetables and nearly three quarters of its fruits and nuts. If California had to, it could feed its entire population by itself with its own agriculture. On top of all this, California has an embarrassment of climate zones. From the globally sought-after Mediterranean climate of Southern California up to San Francisco, to the cooler and wetter regions of the North that are ideal for grapevines and dairy farming, the state has been able to harness its varied environments to produce a wide variety of goods. This climatic array also makes California a desirable place to live. In general, people like to live in warmer environments that have access to a wide range of places to visit, and California offers that in spades. From the beaches to the mountains, dense forests to arid deserts, there's little that Californians can't access. In fact, before it was possible to profitably travel around the world to film, Hollywood studios managed to figure out where in the state they could film to mirror eclectic locations from all around the world. No other state could possibly replicate that ability. Finally, and strategically, California's vast and varied terrain would protect its major population centers in the event that there was ever an invasion from almost any direction. The desert's rugged terrain in the Southeast poses harsh environmental conditions with relatively little infrastructure. While the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Mountain ranges protect from the East and North respectively. And of course, the vast Pacific Ocean offers a significant natural barrier, making naval invasion challenging without significant maritime strength. This isn't to say that California would be immune from military invasion, but its geography insulates it in unique ways that most states don't have. California has a lot going for it, from its unique historic geography with gold and oil, to its climate and agriculture, and of course, its natural barriers. All of this makes California's geography nearly perfect. So why have people been leaving? California's geography, while offering a lot to both the people who live there and the United States as a whole, is not actually perfect. No single place's geography is. In recent years, California has been inundated with water scarcity issues and prolonged extensive wildfires that blanket its major population centers in smoke, both of which have been exacerbated by extended droughts that, 2024 aside, usually leave the state's reservoirs with very little water compared to historic averages. And on top of its water and wildfire issues, California also has one of the most prominent and active fault lines running right next to its major urban centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco. But while these are serious issues for California, people haven't really left the state because of them, at least not as the primary reason. After all, the Pacific Ocean somewhat negates water scarcity due to desalination efforts, wildfires are relatively short-lived, and stricter building codes protect much of California's inhabitants from any potential major earthquake, which are also very infrequent. Instead, California's out-migration issue is almost entirely human-made. First and foremost, the cost of living in California is one of the highest in the United States, driven predominantly by soaring housing prices. Cities like San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles are all very expensive to live in. According to recent data, the average price to rent a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is $4,400 per month. For San Jose, it's $3,000 per month, and Los Angeles is $3,200 per month. Likewise, to buy a house is $1.3 million in San Francisco, $1.8 million in San Jose, and $833,000 in Los Angeles. Even outside these major cities, California is still very expensive. An average house costs $931,000 in San Diego, $1.3 million in Anaheim, and $933,000 near Monterey Bay. And while inland Californian cities are cheaper, they're still very expensive. Cities such as Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, and Riverside range between $400,000 to more than $500,000 to buy a house. Compared to the vast majority of the country, buying a home almost anywhere in California is very expensive. To compare, the average price for a house in Chicago, the third largest city in the country, is about $350,000. And homes are so expensive in California because, simply, the state hasn't built enough housing. According to recent reports, California needs an additional 3 to 4 million new apartments and houses just to meet the current demand. And until that demand is met, housing prices will continue to go up. It's this exact reason why people have been leaving the state in recent years. Beginning in 2020, for the first time in its history as a state, California lost population, ending a 169-year run of growth. While California's nearly perfect geography and incredible economy brought in and kept people within the state for decades, the simple fact is that its high cost of living and housing has proven to be a strong motivator in getting people to move out. As of 2023, the state was growing once again, much to the relief of California. But it's not growing by a huge amount, and most of that gain was due to external immigration and fewer overall deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic. And California's loss has been other states' gains. The largest recipients of fleeing Californians were Texas, Florida, New York, Washington State, and Oregon, respectively. States that are also now beginning to have their own cost of living issues. There's no such thing as a perfect geography. Every place will have positives and negatives. But California's geography has been uniquely amazing at key points in its history. And it's this exact geography that has propelled it to being one of the most powerful regions of the world, even if people are leaving it today. I hope you enjoyed learning all about California's perfectly imperfect geography. If you did, please subscribe to my channel. If you want to watch more of my videos, click here. If you want to listen to the podcast, click here. Thanks for watching. See you next time.