A beach in San Diego The Golden State has often been seen as an aspirational place to live
A new survey of the most miserable cities in the US suggests that five of the 10 worst are in California. The BBC's Peter Bowes considers whether life in the Golden State has really got that bad.
As I jog along the beach, under wall-to-wall blue sky, with the winter sunshine beating down, I often remind myself that it doesn't get any better than this.
It has been a glorious week in Los Angeles and much of California. The balmy February weather is proof enough that life in the Golden State can be very good.
For many, the sunshine epitomises the California dream, although wealth and property ownership usually play a role in the romantic depiction of America's most populous state.
And that's where my argument falls down.
For many people, life should be much better than it is, and a new survey by Forbes magazine concludes that the Golden State has never looked less golden.
The region is at the epicentre of the foreclosure - or repossession - crisis, unemployment is way above the national average and high taxes are crippling business.
As a result, eight out of 20 spots on the publication's annual list of America's Most Miserable Cities are in California.
The ranking takes into account a range of factors - including the economy, crime levels, the climate and social factors, such as how the local sports teams are doing.
