shmapf

I'm a software engineer thinking of moving to California. There are many options within California, so I'd like to get opinions from people in the know about the various locations.

Could residents (or those with experience) state where they live/work and why they do or don't like it?

I don't care about salary, living costs, and jobs available - these stats are all widely available online. I'm looking for subjective and human perspectives on what it's like to live there.

Thanks to anyone who can help, I'm sure others will find this helpful too.

What cities in Europe have a decent tech job scene, and are within an hour of good surf? The jobs don't necessarily have to be start-ups, but can be.

Lisbon sounds like it could fit the bill, possibly somewhere in the Netherlands too, but I'm surprised at how rare it seems to be.