An interesting thing is the immigration no one talks about. People are moving to Texas in droves from other states including California for jobs, lower taxes, etc. they tend to vote conservative. It's almost like Calif is exporting their Republicans to Texas.
When I lived in California, I noticed that, amongst the people expatriating:
Conservative-leaning Californians like to move to Texas, Arizona, and very rural regions of the Mountain West. Like you said, they move for cheaper COL, job/business opportunities, conservative politics, and to just get away from the CA congestion.
Liberal-leaning Californians move to the Pac NW or Colorado. They like the beautiful scenery, amenities, and progressive politics in a slightly more relaxed, less congested environment.
