Mom, when I was little I thought everyone was from California!” I heard my little brother say last weekend. I agreed. It is hard to picture myself or other people living outside of California because I have lived here all my life. 

When my cousins came to visit from Texas last summer, I asked them what they do for fun. They said things like fixing trucks, working, hunting, fishing and going to the gym. Out of curiosity, I asked them if they went to the beach often. Of course they said “no” because the closest beach to them is about four hours away. I felt dumb realizing that I thought everyone just had a beach close to them, and I reflected on how fortunate I am to live in a place that does.

I have always been surrounded by California’s rich culture, identity, landmarks and attractions that bring all types of people here. According to the International Trade Administration, California is ranked third for most visited states in the country. When my cousins were in town, I wanted to share the California experience with them. We did day trips to Santa Cruz and San Francisco, as well as smaller things like eating at In-N-Out and going on a hike at Huddart Park. 

During my summer travels abroad, many people found it intriguing when I mentioned I was from California. Their minds automatically jumped to the stereotypical California experience of beaches, sun and famous people. They usually asked, “Oh, are you from LA?” or just enthusiastically named a place in California like “Hollywood!” 

I would think to myself “is that all they think about Californians? That  we all live in LA? There is more to us than that.” 

Not everyone from California is a Hollywood star, a surfer or a billionaire. There are ordinary people here, too, in a population of around 40 million people. Yet a question my cousins ask me every time they visit is “Have you met someone famous yet?” And everytime I reply with: “No, I live in the Bay Area, not Hollywood. Famous people don’t just walk around here.” That said, even if there are not famous people roaming around, there is still an intense sense of inventive possibility that you could be the next person to make it big.

It can be hard not to brag about LA and Hollywood as they have big influences all over the world.  

When I was younger, I thought the same as outsiders: California is the best place to live because we get all the great weather and all the cool places. But as I get older and I learn more about its flaws —  things like homeless encampments — I question if I am quite so proud of being from California. 

As much as I love living in California, I’ve realized it definitely comes with its downsides. Being the most expensive state to live in, according to CNBC, is no joke for the families and communities living here. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 34% of Californians have seriously considered leaving the state because of high housing costs.”  The cost of living in California — especially around metropolitan areas like Palo Alto —  continues to rise. In the same communities that some dream of visiting, many of the local residents live paycheck to paycheck just trying to make ends meet. 

While the Bay Area is known for being a hub of innovation filled with major tech companies like Apple, Meta, Tesla and Google it is also known for its high cost of living. According to the Bay Area Council Economic Institute the Bay Area economic success is outpacing wages earned making living comfortably more and more difficult. 

 Every place is going to have its positives and negatives, but living in a state that is so positively publicized in movies like “The Social Network” and “Clueless” can make it hard to think about the negatives. 

I love going to the beach, hiking and sightseeing, late nights at In-N-Out and high school football games. I love calling San Francisco “the city,” and saying “no yeah” and “yeah no” (and yes, they have different meanings). I love not pronouncing my t’s and saying “hella.” Even with the negatives, California is still where I was born and raised. And I have a sense of pride when I say “Yes! I am from the Golden State.”