When I moved from Seattle to Santa Barbara, California, 18 months ago, I knew it was a bad financial decision. But it was a good life decision. My husband and I wanted to raise our kids in Santa Barbara. I had attended the University of California at Santa Barbara and lived there for another stint in my mid-20s; I describe living there as a permanent vacation that’s interrupted by work. It’s building sandcastles in January and walking the kids to school every day of the year.