Apartment in SF, house in Marin/Sonoma/Napa. Santa Barbara is great, but you have to do LA for the big city, and I'm just too NorCal, although West LA grows on you. Pacific Palisades is amazing.
Other option would be Pac NW -- Washington wine country. The West is best, although Arlington is not bad. But I have oaks and the Sierras in my blood--one of these days.