I am not knocking the place. It's just an observation. People leave their homes, looking (often) to escape their problems--they move to an idyllic sort of place only to find the problems follow and now they are stuck in this place that was supposed to be a paradise with no $$. Florida is similar.
I love it up there and when we first bought our place, like 15 years ago, we thought about permanently living there--we looked around and said, "Yeah, but what are we going to do to ensure we maintain a certain standard of living"
I watched my neighbor who sold everything and bought a giant piece of land there, doing the Jack of All Trades thing and said, "Yeah, no".
I understand your point of view and agree 100%.
You made a wise decision and it allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds, so to speak.
I have a cousin in Farmington. She and her husband, a Doctor, have a nice place near Vallecito and they have basically the same attitude.