The high salaries is concertrated in very small part of the state. It is also purely accidental and due to historical reasons. On median basis, the state is among the poorest in the nation. Fire/water is only tip of the issues. The list goes on with school quality (outside of few pockets of ultra-rich neighbourhoods), enormous tax burden, bismal transportation, consistently failed multi-billion $ government projects etc.
High life expectancy, high salaries/strong economy, excellent weather, ethnic/cultural diversity, huge range of beautiful nature/geographic diversity, relatively progressive tax burden compared to other states, some labor-friendly regulations like parental leave and ban on non-competes, great food scenes in LA and the bay area, great public colleges/universities, lots of pro sports teams if you're into that.
The high salaries is concertrated in very small part of the state. It is also purely accidental and due to historical reasons. On median basis, the state is among the poorest in the nation. Fire/water is only tip of the issues. The list goes on with school quality (outside of few pockets of ultra-rich neighbourhoods), enormous tax burden, bismal transportation, consistently failed multi-billion $ government projects etc.