II grew up in Bell Gardens and Downey, and commuted into Hollywood most days (child actor, interviews are almost constant) until I was 12 (basically all of the 80s). We moved to the San Bernardino Mountains, near Lake Arrowhead (car crashed onto our lawn and guys with guns jumped out and through our backyard and my parents decided it was really really time to move) from then till 17.
I always really liked LA.
Living in the mountains for high school was not my favorite and I moved back down the day I graduated high school.
I live in Alaska now, and I've been back maybe 10 times in the last 20 years, 4 of those for funerals. I still like it, even thought it is kind of a shit hole.
I'd never live there again(or really anywhere else in the US), but I agree with you that it always felt like anything was possible.