I have the same question.
I have lived in NJ for 4.5 years and feel extremely tired of this greedy place. Before I came to NJ, I lived and studied in LA for 1.5 years. As a comparision, I think NJ/NY, maybe all eastern coast cities, ALMOST completely lost American culture. They are completely assimulated by floods of immigrants from ALL corners of the world.
Here are the comparisons:
(1) in LA (Westwood area) , drivers will stop one block away to let walker to cross the road. In f**** NJ, cars seem to have HIGHER preference over pedestrain.
(2) dirvers seldom push the horn in LA. However, you hear angry horn frequently in NJ/NY. If you are late just one second when a red light turns to green, someone will horn you. Is this america??
(3) the fucking greedy, money-hunger apartment owners (you know who they are) are really annoying and picky. In LA, it is much much easier. People there still honor basic trusts of human being.
(4) In Santa Monica beach, you can enjoy TYPICAL american beauty and you are likely to see more happy faces in LA than in NJ.
(5) In NJ, everyone is BUSY with money only. that is why people are cold, greedy, inhuman here.
(6) In LA, ethnics are relatively simplier. Most of them are White, asian, hispanic and little black. White people are polite. Asian people are hard-working and nice too. Hispanic take care of grocery and resturant stuff but they are very nice. In damn NJ, you see people from all corners. I am not a racist however, people from some places are indeed lousy statistically.
(7) there are lots more decent universities in CA than in NJ. You do not have to go to a university as lousy as NJIT, even Rutgers.
Anyway, I am considering moving back to LA and hopefully find a staff job in a good university and finish my Ph.D there on part-time basis. NJ really sucks to me.