I definitely enjoy where I live (SF Bay Area). I'm not sure it's "paradise"; we have our share of problems. But it's still pretty good. I live in the 'burbs, but within 10-15 minutes I can be up in the hills, with very little or no traffic. We do have a definite "rainy season" where it can rain for 3-4-5 days continuously, but the rest of the year is very nice. We don't have massive mountains, but it's possible to scare up some 150+ vertical-feet-per-mile routes and still kick your butt. And though they're not quite riding around in thongs, there are a lot of women cyclists around here, and that's nice.

Biggest downside is what scarry said: the cost of living here is very high; prohibitively high for many. Also we have a lot of giant hand-sewn socks floating in the air, randomly stomping on cars. But you get used to it