This is a shot in the dark since I don't know what you do for a living. But I am also a Californian who moved out of the state for better opportunity and lower cost of living. My suggestions are as follows:
1) Greenville, South Carolina: Affordable living, low taxes and tons of job growth. Michelin, BMW, John Deere, Samsung and tons of other companies are located there, with more on the way no doubt.
2) Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Big city, lots of amenities, lots of opportunity, relatively affordable.
3) Southern Virginia: Namely, Roanoke, Lynchburg and Richmond. These are all great cities with growth, opportunity and low costs of living. Taxes and regulations here in VA tend to be a little high due to the NoVa/Mid Atlantic influence, but it is still affordable. I love it here, that takes a lot from someone who grew up on the Central Coast of California. To put it in perspective, my 2004 Mazda3 cost over $500 a year to register in CA... when I moved here, it was $50.
1) Greenville, South Carolina: Affordable living, low taxes and tons of job growth. Michelin, BMW, John Deere, Samsung and tons of other companies are located there, with more on the way no doubt.
2) Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Big city, lots of amenities, lots of opportunity, relatively affordable.
3) Southern Virginia: Namely, Roanoke, Lynchburg and Richmond. These are all great cities with growth, opportunity and low costs of living. Taxes and regulations here in VA tend to be a little high due to the NoVa/Mid Atlantic influence, but it is still affordable. I love it here, that takes a lot from someone who grew up on the Central Coast of California. To put it in perspective, my 2004 Mazda3 cost over $500 a year to register in CA... when I moved here, it was $50.