I recently relocated from the UK to California and flying in the San Francisco Bay area is stunning (I'm based out of KCCR, but I suspect Palo Alto or Livermore have better aircraft options).
However, if you can cope with really warm, a pretty amazing place to be is Phoenix Arizona. Things there are cheaper than Cali (especially housing), the scenery is stunning (Sedona, Grand Canyon, much more) and it seemed to me like the flying options were very plentiful. I think this is where I'd be if I ever had time to dedicate only to flying.
I'd recommend flying out here to anyone. GA is a much better experience and you'll appreciate the ease and cost of every aspect (Landing fees - Pah!). The license verification process wasn't too bad - I sent the application to the CAA on the 12 November, was up and flying by early January and it probably consumed a total of 3 hours of my time.
Ian